Page:Tales from the Arabic, Vol 3.djvu/37

21 of the Faithful said to her, “O damsel, thou art in love.” “Yes,” answered she. And he said, “With whom?” Quoth she, “With my lord and my master, my love for whom is as the love of the earth for rain, or as the love of the female for the male; and indeed the love of him is mingled with my flesh and my blood and hath entered into the channels of my bones. O Commander of the Faithful, whenas I call him to mind, mine entrails are consumed, for that I have not accomplished my desire of him, and but that I fear to die, without seeing him, I would assuredly kill myself.” And he said, “Art thou in my presence and bespeakest me with the like of these words? I will assuredly make thee forget thy lord.”

Then he bade take her away; so she was carried to her chamber and he sent her a black slave-girl, with a casket, wherein were three thousand dinars and a carcanet of gold, set with pearls, great and small, and jewels, worth other three thousand, saying to her, “The slave-girl and that which is with her are a gift from me to thee.” When she heard this, she said, “God forbid that I should be consoled for the love of my lord and my master, though with the earth full of gold!” And she improvised and recited the following verses:

I swear by his life, yea, I swear by the life of my love without peer, To please him or save him from hurt, I’d enter the fire without fear! “Console thou thyself for his love,” quoth they, “with another than he;” But, “Nay, by his life,” answered I, “I’ll never forget him my dear!”