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And what to make of the fact that the meals in this strange place consisted of nothing but delicacies?
    It was time for the girls to head back to the classroom, where Adi wasabout to serve as their poetry teacher. This was a subject that struck Halima as fun, and she was immediately excited about it. This day he explained the short verse system of the ghazel, and all of the girls were supposed to use their inventiveness to contribute. Miriam recited the first verse and was free after that while the girls competed with each other to add verse after verse. After about ten lines they exhausted their resourcefulness, leaving only Fatima and Zainab, who kept doggedly at it until they too finally ran out. Adi left Halima out of both the first and second rounds so she could get the idea of it. She clearly had such a good time listening that Adi called on her to get ready as they moved into the third round. She was a little afraid, but also flattered that he already had this much confidence in her, and part of her also wanted to see how she measured up against her companions.
    Miriam delivered the first verse.
    “If like a bird on wings I flew …” Adi waited for a moment, then started calling on them in sequence. They responded.
    Zuleika: “I’d always keep the sun in view.”
    Sara: “And follow toward the morning dew.”
    Aisha: “I’d help the orphaned destitute.”
    Sit: “Would sing them songs of every hue.”
    Jada: “And guard that all the notes were true.”
    Here Adi amiably nodded toward Halima, calling on her to continue.
    She blushed and gave it a try.
    “So you and I could fly …”
    She got stuck and couldn’t go on.
    “It’s on the tip of my tongue,” she said.
    They all laughed, and Adi winked at Fatima.
    “All right. Fatima, you help her out.”
    Fatima completed Halima’s line, “Then you and I could fly, we two.”
    But Halima instantly opposed this.
    “No, that’s not what I meant,” she said. “Wait, I’ll get it.”
    And, clearing her throat, she truly did.
    “So you and I could fly to heaven above.”
    Her words were met with an outburst of laughter. Red with anger and shame, she got up to run to the door, but Miriam blocked her way.
    Then they were all at pains to comfort and encourage her. Gradually she calmed down and wiped her tears away. Adi explained that the art of making poetry was a blossom that could only be attained with prolonged effort and that she shouldn’t despair if she failed the first time. Then he called on the girls to continue, but most of them had already run out of rhymes. On their own, Fatima and Zainab took up a kind of dialogue.
    Fatima: “Let what you’ve heard, Halima, be for your education.”
    Zainab: “Fatima, you’re the last one to give lessons, in my estimation.”
    Fatima: “Can I help it if my greater knowledge is an irritation?”
    Zainab: “Nonsense, you should know yourself and know your limitations.”
    Fatima: “All right, it’s clear enough to me, my candor brings your indignation.”
    Zainab: “Not in the slightest. If you must know, your arrogance is the provocation.”
    Fatima: “Beauty breeds contempt. Plainness has no consolation.”
    Zainab: “Was that one aimed at me? From you, you overfed mutation?”
    Fatima: “Now that’s a nice one. Should we all praise your grim emaciation?”
    Zainab: “Not on my account. I can’t help laughing at your indignation.”
    Fatima: “Oh, really? And how should I react to your prevarication?”
    Zainab: “You think that your attacks can shield you from humiliation.”
    “Enough, my doves,” Adi interrupted them. “You’ve flaunted your lovely rhymes and learned maxims, you’ve disputed, gone on the attack, vied with each other and wrestled in spirit, made beautiful music with daggers flying. Now forget your quarrel and make peace. Enough learned elegance and spoken grace. Now off to the dining room with all of you.”
    He bowed good-naturedly and left the classroom. The girls