Now Abu Nowas was given to these joys and loved to sport and make merry with fair boys and cull the rose from every brightly blooming check, even as saith the bard,

Full many a reverend Shaykh feels sting of flesh,
Loves pretty faces, shows at Pleasure's depot:
Awakes in Mosul, land of purity;
And all the day dreams only of Aleppo.

So he accosted them with the salutation, and they returned his greeting with civility and all honour and would have gone their several ways, but he stayed them, repeating these couplets,

"Steer ye your steps to none but me
Old wine that shines with brightest blee
And mutton-meat the toothsomest
Then eat of these and drink of those
And have each other, turn by turn,

Thereupon the youths were beguiled by his verses and consented to his wishes and accompanied him to his lodging, where they found all ready that he had set forth in his couplets. They sat down and ate and drank and made merry awhile, after which they appealed to Abu Nowas to decide which of them was handsometh of face and shapliest of form. So he pointed to one of them and, having kissed him twice over, recited the following verses,

"I'll ransom that beauty-spot with my soup;
Where's it and where is a money-dole?
Praise Him who hairless hath made that cheek
And bid Beauty bide in that mole, that mole!"

Then he pointed to another and, kissing his lips, repeated these couplets,

"And loveling weareth on his cheek a mole
Like musk, which virgin camphor ne'er lets off it:
My peepers marvel such a contrast seeing;
And cried the Mole to me, 'Now bless the Prophet.'"

Then he pointed to the third and, after kissing him half a score times repeated these couplets,

"Melted pure gold in silvern bowl to drain
The youth, whose fingers wore a winey stain:
He with the drawers served one cup of wine,
And served his wandering eyes the other twain.
A loveling, of the sons of Turks, a fawn
Whose waist conjoins the double Mounts Honayn.
Could Eve's corrupting daughers tempt my heart
Content with two-fold lure 'twould bear the bane.
Unto Diyar-I-Bakr ('maid-land') this one lures;
That lures to two-mosqued cities of the plain."

Now each of the youths had drunk two cups, and when it came to the turn of Abu Nowas, he took the goblet and repeated these couplets,

"Drink not strong wine save at the slender dearling's hand;
Each like to other in all gifts the spirt grace:
For wine can never gladden toper's heart and soul,
Unless the cup-boy show a bright and sparkling face."

Then he drank off his cup and the bowl went round, and when it came to Abu Nowas again, joyance got the mastery of him and he repeated these couplets,

"For cup-friends cup succeeding cup assign,
Brimming with grape-juice, brought in endliess line,
By hand of brown-lipped Beauty who is sweet
At wake as apple or musk finest fine.
Drink not the wine except from hand of fawn
Whose cheek to kiss is sweeter than the wine."

Presently the drink got into his noddle, drunkenness mastered him and he knew not hand from head, so that he lolled from side to side in joy and inclined to the youths one and all, anon kissing them and anon embracing them leg overlying leg. And he showed no sense of sin or shame, but recited these couplets,

"None wotteth best joyance but generous youth
When the pretty ones deign with him company keep:
This sings to him, sings to him that, when he wants
A pick-me-up lying there all of a heap:
And when of a loveling he needeth a kiss,
He takes from his lips or a draught or a nip;
Heaven bless them! How sweetly my day with them sped;
A wonderful harvest of pleasure I reap:
Let us drink our good liquor both watered and pure,
And agree to swive all who dare slumber and sleep."