“On hearing this order, the young man thanked me, tears of joy came upon his face; and we passed the night as usual in laughing and delight; in the morning he took leave.  The eunuch, agreeably to my orders, bought and delivered over to him the garden and the slave.  The youth continued his visits at night, according to custom [and retired in the morning].  One day in the season of spring, when the whole place was indeed charming, the clouds were gathering low, and the rain drizzling fell, the lightning also continued to flash [through the murky clouds], and the breeze played gently [through the trees]—­in short, it was a delightful scene.  When in the taks [177] the liquors of various colours, arranged in elegant phials, fell upon my sight; my heart longed to take a draught.  After I had drank two or three cupfulls, instantly the idea of the newly purchased garden struck me.  An irrepressible desire arose within me, when in that state, that for a short time I should enjoy a walk in that [garden].  When the stream of misfortune flows against us, we struggle in vain against the tide. [178] I involuntarily took a female servant with me, and went to the young man’s house by the way of the mine; from thence I proceeded to the garden, and saw that the delightful place was in truth equal to the Elysian fields.  As the raindrops fell on the fresh green leaves of the trees, one might say they were like pearls set in pieces of emerald, and the carnation of the flowers, in that cloudy day, appeared as beautiful as the ruddy crepuscle after the setting sun; the basons and canals, full of water, seemed like sheets of mirrors, over which the small waves undulated.

“In short, I was strolling about in every direction in that garden, when the day vanished and the darkness of night became conspicuous.  At that moment, the young man appeared on a walk [in the garden]; and on seeing me, he approached with respect and great warmth of affection, and taking my hand in his, led me to the pavilion. [179] On entering it, the splendour of the scene made me entirely forget all the beauty of the garden.  The illuminations within were magnificent; on every side, gerandoles, in the shape of cypresses, and various kinds of lights in variegated lamps were lighted up; even the shabi barat, with all its moonlight and its illuminations, would appear dark [in comparison to the brightness which shone in the pavilion]; on one side, fire-works [180] of every description were displayed.

“In the meantime, the clouds dispersed, and the bright moon appeared like a lovely mistress clothed in a lilac-coloured robe, who suddenly strikes our sight.  It was a scene of great beauty; as the moon burst forth, the young man said, ’Let us now go and sit in the balcony which overlooks the garden.’  I had become so infatuated, that whatever the wretch proposed I implicitly obeyed; now he led me such a dance, that he dragged me up [to the balcony.] That building was so high, that all