Page:Tales from the Arabic, Vol 3.djvu/143

125 returned together to the royal pavilion and when they had seated themselves and the guards had taken up their station in attendance on them, the king said to El Abbas, “O my son, make ready thine affair, so we may go to our own land, for that the folk in our absence are become as they were sheep without a shepherd.” El Abbas looked at his father and wept till he swooned away, and when he recovered from his swoon, he improvised and recited the following verses:

I clipped her in mine arms and straight grew drunken with the scent Of a fresh branch that had been reared in affluence and content. ’Twas not of wine that I had drunk; her mouth’s sweet honeyed dews It was intoxicated me with bliss and ravishment. Upon the table of her cheek beauty hath writ, “Alack, Her charms! ’Twere well thou refuge sought’st with God incontinent.” Since thou hast looked on her, mine eye, be easy, for by God Nor mote nor ailment needst thou fear nor evil accident. Beauty her appanage is grown in its entirety, And for this cause all hearts must bow to her arbitrament. If with her cheek and lustre thou thyself adorn, thou’lt find But chrysolites and gold, with nought of baser metal blent. When love-longing for her sweet sake I took upon myself, The railers flocked to me anon, on blame and chiding bent;