Page:Tales from the Arabic, Vol 3.djvu/100

82 She shot at me a shaft that reached my heart and I became The bondman of despair, worn out with effort all in vain. Fawn of the palace, knowst thou not that I, to look on thee, The world have traversed, far and wide, o’er many a hill and plain? Read then my writ and pity thou the blackness of my fate, Sick, love-distraught, without a friend to whom I may complain.

Now the merchant’s wife aforesaid, who was the nurse of the king’s daughter, was watching him from a window, unknown of him, and [when she heard his verses], she knew that there hung some rare story by him; so she went in to him and said, “Peace be on thee, O afflicted one, who acquaintest not physician with thy case! Verily, thou exposest thyself unto grievous peril! I conjure thee by the virtue of Him who hath afflicted thee and stricken thee with the constraint of love-liking, that thou acquaint me with thine affair and discover to me the truth of thy secret; for that indeed I have heard from thee verses that trouble the wit and dissolve the body.” So he acquainted her with his case and enjoined her to secrecy, whereof she consented unto him, saying, “What shall be the recompense of whoso goeth with thy letter and bringeth thee an answer thereto?” He bowed his head for shamefastness before her [and was silent]; and she said to him, “Raise thy head and give me thy letter.” So he gave her the letter and she took it and carrying it to the princess, said to her, “Read this letter and give me the answer thereto.”

Now the liefest of all things to Mariyeh was the recitation of poems and verses and linked rhymes and the