Chapter 10
Autumn 1060 (year 452 from the Hegira), Rabaḍ by Qasr Yanna
When Ali ibn al-Ḥawwās left Rabaḍ to return to Qasr Yanna, Nadira did not want any gifts for herself, despite the Qā'id promising her the moon. Only at the end, after a thousand insistences, Nadira accepted a gift, and requested a copy of the text of the poet Mus'ab be given to her, since it belonged to her more than to the others. Bashir, the Vizier, then hurriedly wrote those words on a sheet of fine paper from Balarm's factories.
Nadira was not very familiar with writing and had to appeal to the imam46 of Rabaḍ, who, after three days of reading and rereading the poem, had to chase the girl impatiently. In the meantime, she had learned all those verses by heart, and consequently also the servants were quick to memo
