The Scented Garden

64 The Wages of Sin. XII THE APPLES In my garden are seven kinds of apples1 ; and there are seven kinds of louse2 on the once velvet buttocks of my Habib. The smooth whiteness is now become a red roughness ; he is spotted like a leper. He is no more fit for the desire of a clean man ; even his seducers, the black-skinned swine ! having found a boy with tulip cheeks and coralline ; and a bosom of jessamine ; and eye- brows like Karenian3 bows for beauty of line ; and breath like wine ; and buttocks fair and firm and fine ; and a podex like a ruby mine ; have cast him off.4 Until Shahrava5 return he will no more pass current. Let him buy a dildo, for his cry for mem- bers is ceaseless as the jackal’s ! Nay ! But come to me, Habib ! I will cherish thee as my life ; I will take thee in my garden and love thee ever as of old. El Qahar will make new songs for thee, till thy fame standeth for ever among men, as the sun standeth in the sky, not to be denied.6 So sayeth El Qahar. 1. Often the case in Persia. 2. Often the case in Persia. 3. Karenian — proverbial expression. (Write this up fully). (Major Lutiy did not live long enough to accomplish this intention and we cannot trace the phrase. Possibly it is more Indian than Persian.)