The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night, Volume 1 · Richard Francis Burton translation

Note 290
The Third Kalandar’s Tale.

A slight parting between the two front incisors, the upper only, is considered a beauty by Arabs; why it as hard to say except for the racial love of variety. "Sughr" (Thugr) in the text means, primarily, the opening of the mouth, the gape: hence the front teeth.

ITS PLACE IN THE BOOK

…orty days be past." So I chose a girl fair of face and perfect in shape, with eyes Kohl-edged by nature's hand;[FN#289] hair long and jet black with slightly parted teeth[FN#290] and joining brows: 'twas as if she were some limber graceful branchlet or the slender stalk of sweet basil to amaze and to bewilder man's fancy, even as the poet said of such an one—

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