Page:Tales from the Arabic, Vol 3.djvu/101

83 twanging [of the strings of the lute], and she was versed in all tongues; so she took the letter and opening it, read that which was therein and apprehended its purport. Then she cast it on the ground and said, “O nurse, I have no answer to make to this letter.” Quoth the nurse, “Indeed, this is weakness in thee and a reproach unto thee, for that the people of the world have heard of thee and still praise thee for keenness of wit and apprehension; so do thou return him an answer, such as shall delude his heart and weary his soul.” “O nurse,” rejoined the princess, “who is this that presumeth upon me with this letter? Belike he is the stranger youth who gave my father the rubies.” “It is himself,” answered the woman, and Mariyeh said, “I will answer his letter on such a wise that thou shalt not bring me other than it [from him].” Quoth the nurse, “So be it.” So the princess called for inkhorn and paper and wrote the following verses:

O’erbold art thou in that to me, a stranger, thou hast sent These verses; ’twill but add to thee unease and miscontent. Now God forbid thou shouldst attain thy wishes! What care I If thou have looked on me a look that caused thee languishment? Who art thou, wretch, that thou shouldst hope to win me? With thy rhymes What wouldst of me? Thy reason, sure, with passion is forspent. If to my favours thou aspire and covet me, good lack! What leach such madness can assain or what medicament? Leave rhyming, madman that thou art, lest, bound upon the cross, Thou thy presumption in the stead of abjectness repent.