Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 6.djvu/252

224 “What wilt thou do with him?” “I will do my endeavour to come at him,” answered I, “that I may bring about reunion between you.” Quoth she, “I will tell thee, on condition that thou carry him a letter.” And I said, “I have no objection to that.” Then said she, “His name is Zemreh ben el Mughaireh, hight Aboussekhaa, and his palace is at El Mirbed.”

Therewith she called to those within for inkhorn and paper and tucking up her sleeves, showed two wrists like bracelets of silver. She headed her letter with “In the name of God etc.;” then wrote as follows, “O my lord, the forbearance of an invocation at the head of this my letter proclaimeth my insufficiency, and know that if my prayer had been answered, thou wouldst not have left me; for how often have I prayed that thou shouldest not leave me, and yet thou didst leave me! Were it not that distress with me transcends the bounds of restraint, that which thy servant hath forced herself to do in writing this letter were succourable to her, for all her despair of thee, of her knowledge of thee that thou wilt forbear to answer. Do thou fulfil her desire, O my lord, of a sight of thee from the porch, as thou passest in the street, wherewith thou wilt revive the dead soul in her. Or better still, do thou write her a letter with thine own hand (which God endow with all excellence!) and appoint it in requital of the privities that were between us in the nights of time past, whereof thou knowest. O my lord, was I not to thee a lover wasted with passion? If thou answer my prayer, I will give thee thanks and to God praise; and so peace be on thee!”

Then she gave me the letter and I went away. Next morning I repaired to the Viceroy’s door, where I found an assembly of the notables of Bassora, and amongst them a youth who adorned the place and surpassed in grace and majesty all who were there; and indeed the Amir