Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 7.djvu/267

245 and terrors of the road, such as none may escape, not even one of the rebellious Jinn. Depart, therefore, forthright and add not anguish to my anguish and trouble to my trouble, neither do thou pretend to rescue me from this my plight; for who shall bring me to thy country, through all these valleys and thirsty deserts and fatal places?’ ‘By thy life, O light of mine eyes,’ rejoined Hassan, ‘I will not depart this place but with thee!’ ‘O man,’ quoth she, ‘thou knowest not what thou sayst! How canst thou avail unto this thing and what manner of man art thou? None can escape from these realms, even had he command over Jinn and Afrits and warlocks. So fly and leave me; peradventure God will bring about a change.’ ‘O lady of fair ones,’ answered Hassan, ‘I came but to deliver thee with this wand and cap.’ And he told her what had befallen him with the two boys; but, whilst he was speaking, up came the queen and heard them talking.

When he was ware of her, he put on the cap and was hidden from sight, and she entered and said to the princess, ‘O harlot, who is he with whom thou wast talking?’ ‘Who is with me that should talk with me,’ answered Menar es Sena, ‘except these little ones?’ Then the queen took the whip and beat her, whilst Hassan stood by, nor did she leave beating her till she fainted; whereupon she bade remove her to another place. So they loosed her and carried her to another chamber, whilst Hassan followed [unseen]. There they cast her down, senseless, and stood looking upon her, till she revived and recited the following verses:

Long, long have I bewailed the sev’rance of our loves, With tears that from my lids streamed down like burning rain, And vowed that, if the days should reunite us two, My lips should never speak of severance again,