Page:Tales from the Arabic, Vol 3.djvu/130

112 bade her carry it to El Abbas and bring back his answer thereto. Accordingly, Shefikeh took the letter and carried it to the prince, after the doorkeeper had sought leave of him to admit her. When she came in to him, she found with him five damsels, as they were moons, clad in [rich] apparel and ornaments; and when he saw her, he said to her, “What is thine occasion, O handmaid of good?” So she put out her hand to him with the letter, after she had kissed it, and he bade one of his slave-girls receive it from her. Then he took it from the girl and breaking it open, read it and apprehended its purport; whereupon “We are God’s and to Him we return!” exclaimed he and calling for inkhorn and paper, wrote the following verses:

I marvel for that to my love I see thee now incline, What time my heart, indeed, is fain to turn away from thine. Whilere, the verses that I made it was thy wont to flout, Saying, “No passer by the way hath part in me or mine. How many a king to me hath come, of troops and guards ensued, And Bactrian camels brought with him, in many a laden line, And dromedaries, too, of price and goodly steeds and swift Of many a noble breed, yet found no favour in my eyne!” Then, after them came I to thee and union did entreat And unto thee set forth at length my case and my design; Yea, all my passion and desire and love-longing in verse, As pearls in goodly order strung it were, I did enshrine. Yet thou repaidst me with constraint, rigour and perfidy, To which no lover might himself on any wise resign.