feigned himself a leach and went in to the damsel and made himself known
to her and told her how he purposed to deliver her, she cried
“Hearkening and obedience!” He then fared forth from her and sought the
King and said, “Go thou in to her and speak her softly and promise her
what may please her; so shall all thou desirest of her be accomplished
to thee.” Thereupon the King went in to her and when she saw him, she
rose and kissing the ground before him, bade him welcome and said, “I
admire how thou hast come to visit thy handmaid this day;” whereat he
was ready to fly for joy and bade the waiting-women and the eunuchs
attend her and carry her to the Hammam and make ready for her dresses
and adornment. So they went in to her and saluted her, and she returned
their salams with the goodliest language and after the pleasantest
fashion; whereupon they clad her in royal apparel and, clasping a collar
of jewels about her neck, carried her to the bath and served her there.
Then they brought her forth, as she were the full moon; and, when she
came into the King’s presence, she saluted him and kissed ground before
him; whereupon he joyed in her with joy exceeding and said to the
Prince, “O Sage, O philosopher, all this is of thy blessing. Allah
increase to us the benefit of thy healing breath!”[29] The Prince
replied, “O King, for the completion of her cure it behoveth that thou
go forth, thou and all thy troops and guards, to the place where thou
foundest her, not forgetting the beast of black wood which was with her;
for therein is a devil; and, unless I exorcise him, he will return to
her and afflict her at the head of every month.” “With love and
gladness,” cried the King, “O thou Prince of all philosophers and most
learned of all who see the light of day.” Then he brought out the ebony
horse to the meadow in question and rode thither with all his troops and
the Princess, little weeting the purpose of the Prince. Now when they
came to the appointed place, the Prince, still habited as a leach, bade
them set the Princess and the steed as far as eye could reach from the
King and his troops, and said to him, “With thy leave, and at thy word,
I will now proceed to the fumigations and conjurations, and here
imprison the adversary of mankind, that he may never more return to her.
After this, I shall mount this wooden horse which seemeth to be made of
ebony, and take the damsel up behind me; whereupon it will shake and
sway to and fro and fare forwards, till it come to thee, when the affair
will be at an end; and after this thou mayst do with her as thou wilt.”
When the King heard his words, he rejoiced with extreme joy; so the
Prince mounted the horse, and, taking the damsel up behind him, whilst
the King and his troops watched him, bound her fast to him. Then he
turned the ascending-pin and the horse took flight and soared with them
high in air, till they disappeared from every eye. After this the King
abode half the day, expecting their return; but they returned not. So
when he despaired of them, repenting him greatly of that which he had
done and grieving sore for the loss of the damsel, he went back to the
city with his troops. He then sent for the Persian who was in prison and
said to him, “O thou traitor, O thou villain, why didst thou hide from
me the mystery of the ebony horse? And now a sharper hath come to me and
hath carried it off, together with a slave-girl whose ornaments are
worth a mint of money, and I shall never see anyone or anything of them
again!” So the Persian related to him all his past, first and last, and
the King was seized with a fit of fury which well-nigh ended his life.
He shut himself up in his palace for a while, mourning and afflicted;
but at last his Wazirs came in to him and applied themselves to comfort
him, saying, “Verily, he who took the damsel is an enchanter, and
praised be Allah who hath delivered thee from his craft and sorcery!”
And they ceased not from him, till he was comforted for her loss. Thus
far concerning the King; but as for the Prince, he continued his career
towards his father’s capital in joy and cheer, and stayed not till he
alighted on his own palace, where he set the lady in safety; after which
he went in to his father and mother and saluted them and acquainted them
with her coming, whereat they were filled with solace and gladness. Then
he spread great banquets for the towns-folk——And Shahrazad perceived the
dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.
[Illustration]
Now when it was the Three Hundred and Seventy-first Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the King’s son
spread great banquets for the towns-folk and they held high festival a
whole month, at the end of which time he went in to the Princess and
they took their joy of each other with exceeding joy. But his father
brake the ebony horse in pieces and destroyed its mechanism for flight;
moreover the Prince wrote a letter to the Princess’s father, advising
him of all that had befallen her and informing him how she was now
married to him and in all health and happiness, and sent it by a
messenger, together with costly presents and curious rarities. And when
the messenger arrived at the city which was Sana’a and delivered the
letter and the presents to the King, he read the missive and rejoiced
greatly thereat and accepted the presents, honouring and rewarding the
bearer handsomely. Moreover, he forwarded rich gifts to his son-in-law
by the same messenger, who returned to his master and acquainted him
with what had passed; whereat he was much cheered. And after this the
Prince wrote a letter every year to his father-in-law and sent him
presents till, in course of time, his sire King Sabur deceased and he
reigned in his stead, ruling justly over his lieges and conducting
himself well and righteously towards them, so that the land submitted to
him and his subjects did him loyal service; and Kamar al-Akmar and his
wife Shams al-Nahar abode in the enjoyment of all satisfaction and
solace of life, till there came to them the Destroyer of delights and
Sunderer of societies; the Plunderer of palaces, the Caterer for
cemeteries and the Garnerer of graves. And now glory be to the Living
One who dieth not and in whose hand is the dominion of the worlds
visible and invisible! Moreover I have heard tell the tale of
-----
Footnote 1:
This tale (one of those translated, by Galland) is best and fullest in
the Bresl. Edit. iii. 329.
Footnote 2:
Europe has degraded this autumnal festival, the Sun-fête Mihrgán
(which balanced the vernal Nau-roz) into Michaelmas and its
goose-massacre. It was so called because it began on the 16th of Mihr,
the seventh month; and lasted six days, with feasts, festivities and
great rejoicings in honour of the Sun, who now begins his
southing-course to gladden the other half of the world.
Footnote 3:
“Hindí” is an Indian Moslem as opposed to “Hindú,” a pagan, or Gentoo.
Footnote 4:
The orig. Persian word is “Sháh·púr” = King’s son: the Greeks (who had
no _sh_) (preferred Σαβὼρ); the Romans turned it into Sapor and the
Arabs (who lack the _p_) into Sábúr. See p. x. Hamzæ Ispahanensis
Annalium Libri x.: Gottwaldt, Lipsiæ mdcccxlviii.
Footnote 5:
The magic horse may have originated with the Hindu tale of a wooden
Garuda (the bird of Vishnu) built by a youth for the purpose of a
vehicle. It came with the “Moors” to Spain and appears in “Le Cheval
de Fust,” a French poem of the thirteenth Century. Thence it passed
over to England as shown by Chaucer’s “Half-told tale of Cambuscan
(Janghíz Khan?) bold,” as
The wondrous steed of brass
On which the Tartar King did ride;
And Leland (Itinerary) derives “Rutlandshire” from “a man named Rutter
who rode round it on a wooden horse constructed by art magic.” Lane
(ii. 548) quotes the parallel story of Cleomades and Claremond which
Mr. Keightley (Tales and Popular Fictions, chapt. ii) dates from our
thirteenth century. See Vol. i., p. 160.
Footnote 6:
All Moslems, except those of the Máliki school, hold that the maker of
an image representing anything of life will be commanded on the
Judgement Day to animate it, and failing will be duly sent to the
Fire. This severity arose apparently from the necessity of putting
down idol-worship and, perhaps, for the same reason the Greek Church
admits pictures but not statues. Of course the command has been
honoured with extensive breaching: for instance all the Sultans of
Stambul have had their portraits drawn and painted.
Footnote 7:
This description of ugly old age is written with true Arab _verve_.
Footnote 8:
Arab. “Badinján”: Hind. Bengan: Pers. Bádingán or Badilján; the Mala
insana (_Solanum pomiferum_ or _S. Melongena_) of the Romans, well
known in Southern Europe. It is of two kinds, the red (_Solanum
lycopersicum_) and the black (_S. Melongena_). The Spaniards know it
as “berengeria” and when Sancho Panza (Part ii. chapt. 2) says, “The
Moors are fond of egg-plants” he means more than appears. The
vegetable is held to be exceedingly heating and thereby to breed
melancholia and madness; hence one says to a man that has done
something eccentric, “Thou hast been eating brinjalls.”
Footnote 9:
Again to be understood _Hibernice_ “kilt.”
Footnote 10:
_i.e._ for fear of the evil eye injuring the palace and, haply,
himself.
Footnote 11:
The “Sufrah” before explained as acting provision-bag and table-cloth.
Footnote 12:
Eastern women in hot weather, lie mother-nude under a sheet here
represented by the hair. The Greeks and Romans also slept stripped and
in mediæval England the most modest women saw nothing indelicate in
sleeping naked by their naked husbands. The “night-cap” and the
“night-gown” are comparatively modern inventions.
Footnote 13:
Hindu fable turns this simile into better poetry, “She was like a
second and a more wondrous moon made by the Creator.”
Footnote 14:
“Sun of the Day.”
Footnote 15:
Arab. “Shirk” = worshipping more than one God. A theological term here
most appropriately used.
Footnote 16:
The Bul. Edit. as usual abridges (vol. i. 534). The Prince lands on
the palace-roof where he leaves his horse, and finding no one in the
building goes back to the terrace. Suddenly he sees a beautiful girl
approaching him with a party of her women, suggesting to him these
couplets:—
She came without tryst in the darkest hour, ✿ Like full moon lighting
horizon’s night:
Slim-formed, there is not in the world her like ✿ For grace of form or
for gifts of sprite:
“Praise him who made her from semen-drop,” ✿ I cried, when her beauty
first struck my sight:
I guard her from eyes, seeking refuge with ✿ The Lord of mankind and
of morning-light.
The two then made acquaintance and “follows what follows.”
Footnote 17:
Arab. “Akásirah,” explained (vol. i., 75) as the plur. of Kisrá.
Footnote 18:
The dearest ambition of a slave is not liberty but to have a slave of
his own. This was systematised by the servile rulers known in history
as the Mameluke Beys and to the Egyptians as the Ghuzz. Each had his
household of servile pages and squires, who looked forward to filling
the master’s place as knight or baron.
Footnote 19:
The well-known capital of Al-Yaman, a true Arabia Felix, a Paradise
inhabited by demons in the shape of Turkish soldiery and Arab
caterans. According to Moslem writers Sana’a was founded by Shem son
of Noah who, wandering southward with his posterity after his father’s
death, and finding the site delightful, dug a well and founded the
citadel, Ghamdán, which afterwards contained a _Maison Carrée_
rivalling (or attempting to rival) the Meccan Ka’abah. The builder was
Surahbíl who, says M. C. de Perceval coloured its four faces red,
white, golden and green; the central quadrangle had seven stories (the
planets) each forty cubits high, and the lowest was a marble hall
ceiling’d with a single slab. At the four corners stood hollow lions
through whose mouths the winds roared. This palatial citadel-temple
was destroyed by order of Caliph Omar. The city’s ancient name was
Azal or Uzal whom some identify with one of the thirteen sons of
Joktan (Genesis xi. 27): it took its present name from the Ethiopian
conquerors (they say) who, seeing it for the first time, cried “Hazá
Sana’ah!” meaning in their tongue, this is commodious, etc. I may note
that the word is Kisawahili (Zanzibarian) _e.g._ “Yámbo _sáná_—is the
state _good_?” Sana’a was the capital of the Tabábi’ah or Tobba Kings
who judaized; and the Abyssinians with their Negush made it Christian
while the Persians under Anushirwán converted it to Guebrism. It is
now easily visited but to little purpose; excursions in the
neighbourhood being deadly dangerous. Moreover the Turkish garrison
would probably murder a stranger who sympathised with the Arabs, and
the Arabs kill one who took part with their hated and hateful
conquerors. The late Mr. Shapira of Jerusalem declared that he had
visited it and Jews have great advantages in such travel. But his
friends doubted him.
Footnote 20:
The Bresl. Edit. (iii. 347) prints three vile errors in four lines.
Footnote 21:
Alcove is a corruption of the Arab. Al-Kubbah (the dome) through Span.
and Port.
Footnote 22:
Easterns as a rule sleep with head and body covered by a sheet or in
cold weather a blanket. The practice is doubtless hygienic, defending
the body from draughts when the pores are open; but Europeans find it
hard to adopt; it seems to stop their breathing. Another excellent
practice in the East and, indeed amongst barbarians and savages
generally, is training children to sleep with mouths shut: in after
life they never snore and in malarious lands they do not require
Outram’s “fever-guard,” a swathe of muslin over the mouth. Mr. Catlin
thought so highly of the “shut mouth” that he made it the subject of a
book.
Footnote 23:
Arab. “Hanzal” = coloquintida, an article often mentioned by Arabs in
verse and prose; the bright coloured little gourd attracts every eye
by its golden glance when travelling through the brown-yellow waste of
sand and clay. A favourite purgative (enough for a horse) is made by
filling the inside with sour milk which is drunk after a night’s
soaking: it is as active as the croton-nut of the Gold Coast.
Footnote 24:
The Bresl. Edit. iii. 354 sends him to the “land of Sín” (China).
Footnote 25:
Arab. “Yá Kisrawi!” = O subject of the Kisrá or Chosroë; the latter
explained in vol. i., 75. “Fars” is the origin of “Persia”; and there
is a hit at the prodigious lying of the modern race, whose forefathers
were so famous as truth-tellers. “I am a Persian, but I am not lying
now,” is a phrase familiar to every traveller.
Footnote 26:
There is no such name: perhaps it is a clerical error for “Har jáh” =
(a man of) any place. I know an Englishman who in Persian called
himself “Mirza Abdullah-i-Híchmakáni” = Master Abdullah of Nowhere.
Footnote 27:
The Bresl. Edit. (loc. cit.) gives a comical description of the Prince
assuming the dress of an astrologer-doctor, clapping an old book under
his arm, fumbling a rosary of beads, enlarging his turband,
lengthening his sleeves and blackening his eyelids with antimony.
Here, however, it would be out of place. Very comical also is the way
in which he pretends to cure the maniac by “muttering unknown words,
blowing in her face, biting her ear,” etc.
Footnote 28:
Arab. “Sar’a” = falling sickness. Here again we have in all its
simplicity the old nursery idea of “possession” by evil spirits.
Footnote 29:
Arab. “Nafahát” = breathings, benefits, the Heb. Neshamah opp. to
Nephesh (soul) and Ruach (spirit). Healing by the breath is a popular
idea throughout the East and not unknown to Western Magnetists and
Mesmerists. The miraculous cures of the Messiah were, according to
Moslems, mostly performed by aspiration. They hold that in the days of
Isa physic had reached its highest development, and thus his miracles
were mostly miracles of medicine; whereas, in Mohammed’s time,
eloquence had attained its climax and accordingly his miracles were
those of eloquence, as shown in the Koran and Ahádís.
UNS AL-WUJUD AND THE WAZIR’S DAUGHTER AL-WARD FI’L-AKMAM OR
ROSE-IN-HOOD.[30]
There was once, in days of yore and in ages and times long gone before,
a King of great power and lord of glory and dominion galore; who had a
Wazir Ibrahim hight, and this Wazir’s daughter was a damsel of
extraordinary beauty and loveliness, gifted with passing brilliancy and
the perfection of grace, possessed of abundant wit, and in all good
breeding complete. But she loved wassail and wine and the human face
divine and choice verses and rare stories; and the delicacy of her inner
gifts invited all hearts to love, even as saith the poet, describing
her:—
Like moon she shines amid the starry sky, ✿ Robing in tresses blackest
ink outvie.
The morning-breezes give her boughs fair drink, ✿ And like a branch she
sways with supple ply:
She smiles in passing us. O thou that art ✿ Fairest in yellow robed, or
cramoisie,
Thou playest with my wit in love, as though ✿ Sparrow in hand of playful
boy were I.[31]
Her name was Rose-in-Hood and she was so named for her young and tender
beauty and the freshness of her brilliancy; and the King loved her in
his cups because of her accomplishments and fine manners. Now it was the
King’s custom yearly to gather together all the nobles of his realm and
play with the ball.[32] So when the day came round whereon the folk
assembled for ball-play, the Minister’s daughter seated herself at her
lattice, to divert herself by looking on at the game; and, as they were
at play, her glance fell upon a youth among the guards than whom never
was seen a comelier face nor a goodlier form; for he was bright of
favour showing white teeth when he smiled, tall-statured and
broad-shouldered. She looked at him again and again and could not take
her fill of gazing; and presently said to her nurse, “What is the name
of yonder handsome young man among the troops?” Replied the nurse, “O my
daughter, the dear fellows are all handsome. Which of them dost thou
mean?” Said Rose-in-Hood, “Wait till he come past and I will point him
out to thee.” So she took an apple and as he rode by dropped it on him,
whereupon he raised his head, to see who did this, and espied the
Wazir’s daughter at the window, as she were the moon of fullest light in
the darkness of the night; nor did he withdraw his eyes, till his heart
was utterly lost to her, and he recited these lines:—
Was’t archer shot me, or was’t thine eyes ✿ Ruined lover’s heart that
thy charms espies?
Was the notchèd shaft[33] from a host outshot, ✿ Or from latticed window
in sudden guise?
When the game was at an end, and all had left the ground, she asked her
nurse, “What is the name of that youth I showed thee?”; and the good
woman answered, “His name is Uns al-Wujud;” whereat Rose-in-Hood shook
her head and lay down on her couch, with thoughts a-fire for love. Then,
sighing deeply, she improvised these couplets:—
He missed not who dubbed thee, “World’s delight,” ✿ A world’s love
conjoining to bounty’s light:[34]
O thou, whose favour the full moon favours, ✿ Whose charms make life and
the living bright!
Thou hast none equal amongst mankind; ✿ Sultan of Beauty, and proof I’ll
cite:
Thine eyebrows are likest a well-formed Nún,[35] ✿ And thine eyes a
Sád,[36] by His hand indite;
Thy shape is the soft, green bough that gives ✿ When asked to all with
all-gracious sprite:
Thou excellest knights of the world in stowre, ✿ With delight and beauty
and bounty dight.
When she had finished her verses, she wrote them on a sheet of paper,
which she folded in a piece of gold-embroidered silk and placed under
her pillow. Now one of her nurses had seen her; so she came up to her
and held her in talk till she slept, when she stole the scroll from
under her pillow; and, after reading it, knew that she had fallen in
love with Uns al-Wujud. Then she returned the scroll to its place and
when her mistress awoke, she said to her, “O my lady, indeed I am to
thee a true counsellor and am tenderly anxious on thy account. Know that
love is a tyrant and the hiding it melteth iron and entaileth sickness
and unease; nor for whoso confesseth it is there aught of reproach.”
Rejoined Rose-in-Hood, “And what is the medicine of passion, O nurse
mine?” Answered the nurse, “The medicine of passion is enjoyment.” Quoth
she, “And how may one come by enjoyment?” Quoth the other, “By letters
and messages, my lady; by whispered words of compliment and by greetings
before the world;[37] all this bringeth lovers together and makes hard
matters easy. So if thou have aught at heart, mistress mine, I am the
fittest to keep thy secret and do thy desires and carry thy letters.”
Now when the damsel heard this, her reason flew and fled for joy; but
she restrained herself from speech till she should see the issue of the
matter, saying within herself, “None knoweth this thing of me, nor will
I trust this one with my secret, till I have tried her.” Then said the
woman, “O my lady, I saw in my sleep as though a man came to me and
said:—Thy mistress and Uns al-Wujud love each other; so do thou serve
their case by carrying their messages and doing their desires and
keeping their secrets; and much good shall befal thee. So now I have
told thee my vision and it is thine to decide.” Quoth Rose-in-Hood,
after she heard of the dream,——And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day
and ceased to say her permitted say.
Now when it was the Three Hundred and Seventy-second Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King that Rose-in-Hood asked
her nurse after hearing of the dream, “Tell me, canst thou keep a
secret, O my nurse?”; whereto she answered, “And how should I not keep
secrecy, I that am of the flower of the free?”[38] Then the maiden
pulled out the scroll, whereon she had written the verses and said,
“Carry me this my letter to Uns al-Wujud and bring me his reply.” The
nurse took the letter and, repairing to Uns al-Wujud, kissed his hands
and greeted him right courteously, then gave him the paper; and he read
it and, comprehending the contents, wrote on the back these couplets:—
I soothe my heart and my love repel; ✿ But my state interprets my love
too well:
When tears flow I tell them mine eyes are ill, ✿ Lest the censor see and
my case foretell,
I was fancy-free and unknew I Love; ✿ But I fell in love and in madness
fell.
I show you my case and complain of pain, ✿ Pine and ecstasy that your
ruth compel:
I write you with tears of eyes, so belike ✿ They explain the love come
my heart to quell;
Allah guard a face that is veiled with charms, ✿ Whose thrall is Moon
and the Stars as well:
In her beauty I never beheld the like; ✿ From her sway the branches
learn sway and swell:
I beg you, an ‘tis not too much of pains, ✿ To call;[39] ‘twere boon
without parallel.
I give you a soul you will haply take. ✿ To which Union is Heaven,
Disunion Hell.
Then he folded the letter and kissing it, gave it to the go-between and
said to her, “O nurse, incline thy lady’s heart to me.” “To hear is to
obey,” answered she and carried the script to her mistress, who kissed
it and laid it on her head, then she opened it and read it and
understood it and wrote at the foot of it these couplets:—
O whose heart by our beauty is captive ta’en, ✿ Have patience and all
thou shalt haply gain!
When we knew that thy love was a true affect, ✿ And what pained our
heart to thy heart gave pain,
We had granted thee wished-for call and more; ✿ But hindered so doing
the chamberlain.
When the night grows dark, through our love’s excess ✿ Fire burns our
vitals with might and main:
And sleep from our beds is driven afar, ✿ And our bodies are tortured by
passion-bane.
“Hide Love!” in Love’s code is the first command; ✿ And from raising his
veil thy hand restrain:
I fell love-fulfillèd by yon gazelle: ✿ Would he never wander from where
I dwell!
Then she folded the letter and gave it to the nurse, who took it and
went out from her mistress to seek the young man; but, as she would fare
forth, the chamberlain met her and said to her, “Whither away?” “To the
bath,” answered she; but in her fear and confusion, she dropped the
letter, without knowing it, and went off unrecking what she had done;
when one of the eunuchs, seeing it lying in the way, picked it up. When
the nurse came without the door, she sought for it, but found it not, so
turned back to her mistress and told her of this and what had befallen
her. Meanwhile, the Wazir came out of the Harim and seated himself on
his couch; whereupon behold, the eunuch, who had picked up the letter,
came in to him, hending it in hand and said, “O my lord, I found this
paper lying upon the floor and picked it up.” So the Minister took it
from his hand, folded as it was, and opening it, read the verses as
above set down. Then, after mastering the meaning, he examined the
writing and knew it for his daughter’s hand; whereupon he went to her
mother, weeping so abundant tears that his beard was wetted. His wife
asked him, “What maketh thee weep, O my lord?”; and he answered, “Take
this letter and see what is therein.” So she took it and found it to be
a love-letter from her daughter Rose-in-Hood to Uns al-Wujud: whereupon
the ready drops sprang to her eyes; but she composed her mind, and,
gulping down her tears, said to her husband, “O my lord, there is no
profit in weeping: the right course is to cast about for a means of
keeping thine honour and concealing the affair of thy daughter.” And she
went on to comfort him and lighten his trouble; but he said, “I am
fearful for my daughter by reason of this new passion. Knowest thou not
that the Sultan loveth Uns al-Wujud with exceeding love? And my fear
hath two causes. The first concerneth myself; it is, that she is my
daughter: the second is on account of the King; for that Uns al-Wujud is
a favourite with the Sultan and peradventure great troubles shall come
out of this affair. What deemest thou should be done?”——And Shahrazad
perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.
Now when it was the Three Hundred and Seventy-third Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Wazir, after
recounting the affair of his daughter, asked his wife, “What deemest
thou should be done?” And she answered, “Have patience whilst I pray the
prayer for right direction.” So she prayed a two-bow prayer according to
the prophetic[40] ordinance for seeking divine guidance; after which she
said to her husband, “In the midst of the Sea of Treasures[41] standeth
a mountain named the Mount of the Bereaved Mother (the cause of which
being so called shall presently follow in its place, Inshallah!); and
thither can none have access, save with pains and difficulty and
distress: do thou make that same her abiding-place.” Accordingly the
Minister and his wife agreed to build on that mountain a virgin castle
and lodge their daughter therein with the necessary provision to be
renewed year by year and attendants to cheer and to serve her.
Accordingly he collected carpenters, builders and architects, and
despatched them to the mountain, where they builded her an impregnable
castle, never saw eyes the like thereof. Then he made ready vivers and
carriage for the journey and, going in to his daughter by night, bade
her prepare to set out on a pleasure-excursion. Thereupon her heart
presaged the sorrows of separation and, when she went forth and saw the
preparations for the journey, she wept with sore weeping and wrote that
upon the door which might acquaint her lover with what had passed and
with the transports of passion and grief that were upon her, transports
such as would make the flesh to shiver and hair to stare, and melt the
hardest stone with care, and tear from every eye a tear. And what she
wrote were these couplets:—
By Allah, O thou house, if my beloved a morn go by, ✿ And greet with
signs and signals lover e’er is wont to fly,
I pray thee give him our salams in pure and fragrant guise, ✿ For he
indeed may never know where we this eve shall lie.
I wot not whither they have fared, thus bearing us afar ✿ At speed, and
lightly-quipt, the lighter from one love to fly:
When starkens night, the birds in brake or branches snugly perched ✿
Wail for our sorrow and announce our hapless destiny:
The tongue of their condition saith, “Alas, alas for woe, ✿ And heavy
brunt of parting-blow two lovers must aby”:
When viewed I separation-cups were fillèd to the brim ✿ And us with
merest sorrow-wine Fate came so fast to ply,
I mixed them with becoming share of patience self to excuse, ✿ But
Patience for the loss of you her solace doth refuse.