Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 1.djvu/150

132 For lo! the age’s pearl, the darling of his folk, The mould of every grace, was singled out to die! I call him back: “Would God thine hour had never come!” What while the case takes speech and doth forestall my cry. Which is the speediest way to win to thee, my son! My soul had paid the price, if that thy life might buy. The sun could not compare with him, for lo! it sets. Nor yet the moon that wanes and wasteth from the sky. Alas, my grief for thee and my complaint of fate! None can console for thee nor aught thy place supply. Thy sire is all distraught with languishment for thee; Since death upon thee came, his hopes are gone awry. Surely, some foe hath cast an envious eye on us: May he who wrought this thing his just deserts aby!

Then he sobbed once and gave up the ghost; whereupon the slaves cried out, “Alas, our master!” and strewed dust on their heads and wept sore. Then they carried the two bodies to the ship and set sail. As soon as they were out of sight, I came down from the tree and raising the trap-door, went down into the underground dwelling, where the sight of some of the youth’s gear recalled him to my mind, and I repeated the following verses:

Then I went up again and spent the day in walking about the island, returning to the underground dwelling for the night. Thus I lived for a month, during which time I became aware that the sea was gradually receding day by day from the western side of the island, till by the end of the month, I found that the water was become low enough to afford a passage to the mainland. At this I rejoiced, making sure of delivery, and fording the little water that remained, made shift to reach the mainland, where I found great heaps of sand, in which even a camel