It is for the like of me that lovers run mad and that the longing are distracted. If my lover be minded to draw me to himI am drawn to himand if he would have me incline to himI incline to him and not against him. But as for theeO fat of bodythine eating is as that of an elephantand neither much not little contents thee. When thou liest with a manhe hath no ease of theenor can he find a way to take his pleasure of thee；for the bigness of thy belly holds him off from clipping thee and the grossness of thy thighs hinders him from coming at thy kaze. What comeliness is there in thy grossness and what pleasantness or courtesy in thy coarse nature？ Fat meat is fit for nought but slaughternor is there aught therein that calls for praise. If one joke with theethou art angry；if one sport with theethou art sulky；if thou sleepthou snorest；if thou walkthou pantest；if thou eatthou art never satisfied. Thou art heavier than mountains and fouler than corruption and sin. Thou hast in thee nor movement nor blessing nor thinkest of aught but to eat and sleep. If thou make waterthou scatterest；if thou void，thou gruntest like a bursten wine-skin or a surly elephant. If thou go to the draught-housethou needest one to wash out thy privy parts and pluck out the hairs；and this is the extreme of laziness and the sign of stupidity. In finethere is no good thing in theeand indeed the poet saith of thee：
Heavy and swollen with fatlike a blown-out water-skinWith thighs like the pillars of stone that buttress a mountain's head，Loif she walk in the Westso cumbrous her corpulence is The Eastern hemisphere hears the sound of her heavy tread.'
Quoth her master'It is enough： sit down.'So she sat down and he signed to the yellow girlwho rose to her feet and praised God and magnified His namecalling down peace and blessing on the best of His creatures；after which she pointed at the brunette and said to her'I am praised in the Koranand the Compassionate One hath described my colour and its excellence over all others in His manifest Bookwhere He saith'A yellow[heifer]pure yellowwhose colour rejoices the beholders.'
Wherefore my colour is a portent and my grace an extreme and my beauty a term；for that my colour is the colour of a dinar and of the planets and moons and of apples. My fashion is the fashion of the fairand the colour of saffron outvies all other colours；so my fashion is rare and my colour wonderful. I am soft of bodyand of great pricecomprising all attributes of beauty. My colourin that which existsis precious as virgin goldand how many glorious qualities are there not in me！ Of the like of me quoth the poet：
Yellow she isas is the sun that shineth in the skyAnd like to golden dinarseketo seeher beauties are.
Nor with her brightnessanywisecan saffron hold compareAnd even the very moon herself her charms outvie by far.
And now I will begin in thy dispraiseO brown of favour！ Thy colour is that of the buffaloand all souls shudder at thy sight. If thy colour be in aughtit is blamed；if it be in food，it is poisoned；for thy colour is that of flies and is a mark of ugliness in dogs. It isamong coloursone which strikes with amazement and is of the signs of mourning. Never heard I of brown gold or brown pearls or brown jewels. If thou enter the wardrobe，thy colour changesand when thou comest outthou addest a new ugliness to thine ugliness. Thou art neither blackthat thou mayst be knownnor whitethat thou mayst be described；and there is no good quality in theeeven as saith of thee the poet：
As a complexion unto herthe hue of soot doth serve；Her mirky colour is as dust on couriers'feet upcast.
No sooner fall mine eyes on herthou but a moment's spaceThan troubles and misgivings straight beset me thick and fast.'
'Enough，'said her master. 'Sit down.'So she sat down and he signed to the brunette. Now she was endowed with grace and beauty and symmetry and perfectiondelicate of bodywith coal-back hairslender shaperosyoval cheeksliquid black eyesfair faceeloquent tongueslim waist and heavy buttocks. So she rose and said'Praised be God who hath created me neither blameably fat nor lankily slenderneither white like leprosy nor yellow like colic nor black like coalbut hath made my colour to be beloved of men of wit；for all the poets praise brunettes in every tongue and exalt their colour over all others. Brown of huepraiseworthy of qualities；and God bless him who saith：
