Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 8.djvu/139

127 So Noureddin took the ten dirhems and donning his own clothes, went out to the market and walked about the city, till he knew its highways and gates; after which he returned to the church and saw the Princess Meryem come up, attended by four hundred damsels, high-bosomed maids like moons, amongst whom was the daughter of the one-eyed vizier and those of the amirs and grandees of the realm; and she walked in their midst as she were the moon among the stars. When he saw her, he could not contain himself, but cried out from the bottom of his heart, saying, ‘O Meryem! O Meryem!’ Which when the damsels heard, they ran at him with shining swords, like flashes of lightning and would have killed him forthright. But the princess turned and looking on him, knew him but too well and said to her maidens, ‘Leave this youth; doubtless he is mad, for the signs of madness appear on his face.’

When Noureddin heard this, he uncovered his head and made signs with his hands and twisted his legs, rolling his eyes and foaming at the mouth. ‘Did I not tell you he was mad?’ said the princess. ‘Bring him to me and stand off from him, that I may hear what he saith; for I know the speech of the Arabs and will look into his case and see if his madness be curable or not.’ So they laid hold of him and brought him to her; after which they withdrew to a distance and she said to him, ‘Hast thou come hither on my account and ventured thy life and feignest thyself mad?’ ‘O my lady,’ answered he, ‘hast thou not heard the saying of the poet:

‘By Allah, O Noureddin,’ rejoined she, ‘thou hast sinned against thyself, for I warned thee of this before