Did the Sultan's favorite one

And the Persian Emperor's son,

Ali ben Bekkar, he

Of the Kisra dynasty.

Do you know the story?—Well,

You were Haroun's Sultana.

When night on the palace fell,

A slave through a secret door,—

[Pg 20]

Low-arched on the Tigris' shore,—

By a hidden winding stair

Brought me to your bower there.

Then there was laughter and mirth,

And feasting and singing together,

In a chamber of wonderful worth;

In a chamber vaulted high

On columns of ivory;

Its dome, like the irised skies,

Mooned over with peacock eyes;

Its curtains and furniture,

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