Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 5.djvu/259

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When the Amir heard this, he wept till he lost his senses and said, ‘There is no god but God, the Living, the Eternal, who ceaseth not!’ Then he entered the palace and was confounded at its beauty and the goodliness of its ordinance. He diverted himself awhile by viewing the figures and images therein, till he came to another door, over which also were written verses, and said to the Sheikh, ‘Come, read me these.’ So he came forward and read as follows:

At this the Amir wept sore; the world grew pale before his eyes and he said, ‘Verily, we were created for a mighty matter!’ Then they proceeded to explore the palace and found it desert and void of living thing, its chambers and dwelling-places laid waste and desolate. In the midst stood a lofty pavilion, with a dome rising high into the air, and about it were four hundred tombs, builded of yellow marble. The Amir drew near unto these and behold, amongst them was a great tomb, wide and long,