Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 7.djvu/185

163 Now the princesses were standing at the door, and when they heard his verses, they said to her, ‘O king’s daughter, hearest thou what this mortal says? How canst thou blame us, seeing that he makes verses for love of thee?’ When she heard this, she rejoiced and was glad, and Hassan abode with her forty days in all delight and solace and contentment and cheer, whilst the damsels made him new festivities every day and overwhelmed him with bounty and gifts and presents; and the princess became reconciled to her sojourn amongst them and forgot her people and friends. At the end of this time, Hassan saw in a dream, one night, his mother mourning for him and indeed her bones were wasted and her body emaciated and she was pale and wan, whilst he was in good case. When she saw him thus, she said to him, ‘O my son Hassan, how is it that thou livest at thine ease and forgettest me? See my plight since thy loss. I do not forget thee, nor will my tongue leave to name thee till I die; and I have made thee a tomb in my house, that I may never forget thee. I wonder, O my son, if I shall live to see thee with me and if we shall ever again be united as we were.’

Hassan awoke from sleep, weeping and lamenting; the tears ran down his cheeks like rain and he became mournful and troubled; his tears ceased not nor did sleep visit him, but he had no rest, and no patience was left to him. When he arose, the princesses came in to him and gave him good-morrow and made merry with him, as of their wont; but he paid no heed to them. So they asked his wife what ailed him and she said, ‘I know not.’ Quoth they, ‘Ask him of his case.’ So she went up to him and said, ‘What ails thee, O my lord?’ Whereupon he sighed and groaned and told her what he had seen in his dream. Then he repeated the following verses: