in comparison
with what is in the sea, is a very small matter." And the king wondered
at her words.

Then the damsel took a bit of aloes-wood and, having lighted a fire in a
perfuming-vessel, threw into it that bit, and she proceeded to speak
words which no one understood; whereupon a great smoke arose, while the
king looked on. After this, she said to the king: "O my lord, arise and
conceal thyself in a closet, that I may shew thee my brother and my
mother and my family without their seeing thee; for I desire to bring
them, and thou shalt see in this place, at this time, a wonder, and
shalt marvel at the various shapes and strange forms that God hath
created." So the king arose immediately, and entered a closet, and
looked to see what she would do. And she proceeded to burn perfume and
repeat spells until the sea foamed and was agitated, and there came
forth from it a young man of comely form, of beautiful countenance, like
the moon at the full, with shining forehead, and red cheeks, and hair
resembling pearls and jewels; he was, of all the creation, the most
like to his sister, and the tongue of the case itself seemed to recite
in his praise these verses:--

The moon becometh perfect once in each month; but the loveliness of thy
face is perfect every day.
Its abode is in the heart of one sign at a time; but thine abode is in
all hearts at once.

[Illustration]

_And she proceeded to burn perfume and repeat spells until the sea
foamed and was agitated._

Afterward, there came forth from the sea a grizzly-haired old woman, and
with her five damsels, resembling moons and bearing a likeness to the
damsel whose name was Gulnare. Then the king saw the young man and the
old woman and the damsels walk upon the surface of the water until they
came to Gulnare; and when they drew near to the window, and she beheld
them, she rose to them and met them with joy. On their seeing her, they
knew her, and they went in to her and embraced her, weeping violently;
and they said to her: "O Gulnare, how is it that thou leavest us for
four years, and we know not the place in which thou art? By Allah, we
had no delight in food nor in drink a single day, weeping night and day
on account of the excess of our longing to see thee." Then the damsel
began to kiss the hand of her brother, and the hand of her mother, and
so also the hands of the daughters of her uncle, and they sat with her
awhile, asking her respecting her sta