Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night - Volume 4.djvu/260

 bent over me and kissed my cheek. At that moment he came in unawares, and, seeing the girl kiss my cheek, straightways turned away in anger, vowing eternal-separation and repeating these two couplets,

'If another share in the thing I love, * I abandon my love and live lorn of love. My beloved is worthless if aught she will, * Save that which her lover doth most approve.

And from the time he left me to this present hour, O Ibn Mansur, he hath neither written to me nor answered my letters.' Quoth I, 'And what purposes" thou to do?' Quoth she, 'I have a mind to send him a letter by thee. If thou bring me back an answer, thou shalt have of me five hundred gold pieces; and if not, then an hundred for thy trouble in going and coming.' I answered, 'Do what seemeth good to thee; I hear and I obey thee.' Whereupon she called to one of her slave-girls, 'Bring me ink case and paper,' and she wrote thereon these couplets,

'Beloved, why this strangeness, why this hate? * When shall thy pardon reunite us two? Why dost thou turn from me in severance? * Thy face is not the face I am wont to know. Yes, slanderers falsed my words, and thou to them * Inclining, madest spite and envy grow. An hast believed their tale, the Heavens forbid * Now thou believe it when dost better bow! By thy life tell what hath reached thine ear, * Thou know'st what said they and so justice show. An it be true I spoke the words, my words * Admit interpreting and change allow: Given that the words of Allah were revealed, * Folk changed the Torah and still changing go: What slanders told they of mankind before! * Jacob heard Joseph blamed by tongue of foe. Yea, for myself and slanderer and thee * An awful day of     reckoning there shall be.'