There was once a porter of Baghdad who was a bachelor. One day，as he stood in the marketleant upon his basketthere came to him a ladyswathed in a wrapper of gold embroidered muslin，fringed with gold laceand wearing embroidered boots and floating tresses plaited with silk and gold. She stopped before him and raising her kerchiefshowed a pair of languishing black eyes of perfect beautybordered with long drooping lashes. Then she turned to the porter and saidin a clear sweet voice'Take thy basket and follow me.'No sooner had she spoken than he took up his basket in hastesaying'O day of good luck！O day of God's grace！'and followed her till she stopped and knocked at the door of a housewhen there came out a Nazareneto whom she gave a dinarand he gave her in return an olive-green bottle，full of winewhich she put into the basketsaying to the porter'Hoist up and follow me.'Said he'By Allahthis is indeed a happy and fortunate day！'And shouldering the basket，followed her till she came to a fruiterer'swhere she bought Syrian apples and Turkish quinces and Arabian peaches and autumn cucumbers and Sultani oranges and citronsbeside jessamine of Aleppo and Damascus water-lilies and myrtle and basil and henna-blossoms and blood-red anemones and violets and sweet-briar and narcissus and camomile and pomegranate flowersall of which she put into the porter's basketsaying'Hoist up！'So he shouldered the basket and followed hertill she stopped at a butcher's shop and said to him'Cut me off ten pounds of meat.'
He gave her the meatwrapped in a banana leafand she put it in the basketsaying'Hoist upO porter！'and went on to a grocer'sof whom she took pistachio kernels and shelled almonds and hazel-nuts and walnuts and sugar cane and parched peas and Mecca raisins and all else that pertains to dessert. Thence to a pastry-cook'swhere she bought a covered dish and put therein open-work tarts and honey-fritters and tri-coloured jelly and march-paneflavoured with lemon and melonand Zeyneb's combs and ladies'fingers and Cadi's mouthfuls and widow's bread and meat-and-drink and some of every kind of sweetmeat in the shop and laid the dish in the basket of the porterwho said to her'Thou shouldst have told methat I might have brought a mule or a camel to carry all these good things.'She smiled and gave him a tap on the napesaying'Make haste and leave chattering and God willingthou shalt have a good wage.'She stopped next at the shop of a druggistwhere she bought rose-water and water-lily water and orange-flower water and willow-flower water and six other kinds of sweet waters and a casting bottle of rose-water mingled with muskbesides two loaves of sugar and frankincense and aloes-wood and ambergris and musk and saffron and candles of Alexandrian waxall of which she put into the basket. Then she went on to a greengrocer'sof whom she bought pickled safflower and olivesin brine and freshand tarragon and juncates and Syrian cheese and put them all into the basket and said to the porter'Take up thy basket and follow me.'So he shouldered his load and followed her till she came to a tall handsome housewith a spacious court before it and a two-leaved door of ebonyinlaid with plates of glittering gold.
The lady went up to the door and throwing back her kerchief，knocked softlywhilst the porter stood behind hermusing upon her beauty and grace. After awhile the door opened and both the leaves swung back；whereupon he looked to see who opened itand beholdit was a damsel of dazzling beauty and symmetry，high-bosomedwith flower-white forehead and rosy cheekseyes like those of gazelles or wild oxen and eyebrows like the crescent of the new moon of Ramazan cheeks like blood-red anemonesmouth like Solomon's seallips red as coral and teeth like clustered pearls or camomile-petalsneck like an antelope's and bosom like a fountainbreasts like double pomegranates，belly like brocade and navel holding an ounce of benzoin ointmenteven as says of her the poet：
Look at herwith her slender shape and radiant beauty！this Is she who is at once the sun and moon of palaces！
Thine eyes shall ne'er see grace combine so featly black and white As in her visage and the locks that o'er her forehead kiss.
She in whose cheeks the red flag wavesher beauty testifies Unto her nameif that to paint her sweet seductions miss.
With swimming gait she walks： I laugh for wonder at her hipsBut weep to see her waistthat all too slight to bear them is.
When the porter saw herhis mind and heart were taken by storm，so that he well-nigh let fall the basket and exclaimed'Never in all my life saw I a more blessed day than this！'Then said the portress to the cateress'O my Sisterwhy tarriest thou？ Come in from the gate and ease this poor man of his burden.'So the cateress enteredfollowed by the portress and the porterand went on before them to a spacious saloonelegantly built and handsomely decorated with all manner of colours and carvings and geometrical figureswith balconies and galleries and cupboards and benches and closets with curtains drawn before them. In the midst was a great basin of waterfrom which rose a fountainand at the upper end stood a couch of juniper woodinlaid with precious stones and surmounted by a canopy of red satinlooped up with pearls as big as hazel-nuts or bigger. Thereon sat a lady of radiant countenance and gentle and demure aspectmoonlike in facewith eyes of Babylonian witchcraft and arched eyebrows，sugared lips like cornelian and a shape like the letter I. The radiance of her countenance would have shamed the rising sunand she resembled one of the chief stars of heaven or a pavilion of gold or a high-born Arabian bride on the night of her unveiling，even as says of her the poet：
Her teethwhen she smileslike pearls in a cluster showOr shredded camomile-petals or flakes of snow：
Her ringlets seemas it werethe fallen nightAnd her beauty shames the dawn and its ruddy glow.
