Page:Tales from the Arabic, Vol 3.djvu/132

114 Thou taught’st me what I cannot bear; afflicted sore am I; Yea, thou hast wasted me away with rigour and despite. Yet, I conjure thee, blame me not for passion and desire, Me whom estrangement long hath brought to sick and sorry plight. Sore, sore doth rigour me beset, its onslaughts bring me near Unto the straitness of the grave, ere in the shroud I’m dight. So be thou kind to me, for love my body wasteth sore, The thrall of passion I’m become its fires consume me quite.

Mariyeh folded the letter and gave it to Shefikeh, bidding her carry it to El Abbas. So she took it and going with it to his door, would have entered; but the chamberlains and serving-men forbade her, till they had gotten her leave from the prince. When she went in to him, she found him sitting in the midst of the five damsels aforesaid, whom his father had brought him. So she gave him the letter and he took it and read it. Then he bade one of the damsels, whose name was Khefifeh and who came from the land of China, tune her lute and sing upon the subject of separation. So she came forward and tuning the lute, played thereon in four-and-twenty modes; after which she returned to the first mode and sang the following verses:

Upon the parting day our loves from us did fare And left us to endure estrangement and despair. Whenas the burdens all were bounden on and shrill The camel-leader’s call rang out across the air, Fast flowed my tears; despair gat hold upon my soul And needs mine eyelids must the sweet of sleep forbear.