Hereupon Al-Hajjaj laughed aloud and all who were with him in
assembly; and presently he resumed, "O youth, tell me concerning
the first man who spake in verse[FN#96] and that was our common
sire, Adam (The Peace be upon him!), what time Kabil[FN#97] slew
Habil his brother when her forefather improvised these lines,

'Changed I see my country and all thereon; * Earth is now a
blackavice, ugly grown:
The hue and flavour of food is fled * And cheer is fainting from
fair face flown.
An thou, O Abel, be slain this day * Thy death I bemourn with
heart torn and lone.
Weep these eyes and 'sooth they have right to weep * Their tears
are as rills flowing hills adown.
Kabil slew Habil--did his brother dead; * Oh my woe for that
lovely face, ochone!'"[FN#98]

Hereat Al-Hajjaj asked, "O young man, what drove our ancestor to
poetry?" whereto answered youth--And Sharazad was surprised by
the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased to say her permitted
say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, "How sweet is thy story, O
sister mine, and how enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth she, "And
where is this compared with that I would relate to you on the
coming night an the King suffer me to survive?" Now when it was
the next night and that was

The Five Hundred and Eighteenth Night,

Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be