Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 7.djvu/186

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His wife repeated what he had said to the princesses, who, hearing the verses, took pity on him and said to him, ‘In God’s name, do as thou wilt, for we may not hinder thee from visiting thy mother, but will rather help thee thereto by all means in our power. But it behoves that thou desert us not, but visit us, though it be but once a year.’ And he answered, ‘I hear and obey.’ Then they arose forthright and making him ready victual [for the journey], equipped the bride for him with clothes and ornaments and everything of price, such as beggar description. Moreover, they bestowed on him gifts and presents, such as the pen availeth not to set forth, amongst the rest five-and-twenty chests of gold and fifty of silver. Then they beat the drum and up came dromedaries from all sides. They chose of them such as availed to carry all the gear they had prepared and mounting Hassan and his bride on others, rode with them three days, wherein they accomplished three months’ journey.

Then they bade them farewell and addressed themselves to return; whereupon the youngest threw herself on Hassan’s neck and wept till she fainted. When she came to herself, she repeated the following verses:

Then she bade him farewell, straitly charging him, whenas he should have come to his native land and foregathered with his mother and set his heart at ease, to fail not of paying her a visit once in every six months