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59 strangerhood, of my expectation that I should see him and solace myself with him; and now thou tellest me that he is dead! Marry, blood discovered unto me that thou wast the son of my brother, and indeed I knew thee from amongst all the lads; although thy father, when I left him, was not yet married. And now, O my son Alaeddin,” continued he, “I have lost my consolation and my joy in thy father, my brother, whom I had hoped, after my strangerhood, to see ere I died; but separation hath afflicted me in him and there is no fleeing from that which is nor is there any resource against the ordinance of God the Most High.”

Then he took Alaeddin and said to him, “O my son, I have no comfort but in thee and thou art [to me]