Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night - Volume 5.djvu/298

 thou yield thy person to me.' Quoth she, 'Death, but not disobedience to the Lord!' Then she went away and returned after two days with the same prayer for food as before. I made her a like answer, and she entered and sat down in my house being nigh upon death. I set food before her, whereupon her eyes brimmed with tears and she cried, 'Give me meat for the love of Allah, to whom belong Honour and Glory!' But I answered, 'Not so, by Allah, except thou yield thyself to me.' Quoth she, 'Better is death to me than the wrath and wreak of Allah the Most Highest;' and she rose and left the food untouched"--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

When it was the Four Hundred and Seventy-second Night,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the man set food before her, the woman said, "Give me meat for the love of Allah to whom be Honour and Glory!' But I answered, 'Not so, by Allah, except thou yield to me thy person.' Quoth she, 'Better is death than the wrath and wreak of Allah;' and she rose and left the food untouched and went away repeating these couplets,

'O Thou, the One, whose grace doth all the world embrace; * Thine ears have heard, Thine eyes have seen my case! Privation and distress have dealt me heavy blows; * The woes that weary me no utterance can trace. I am like one athirst who eyes the landscape's eye, * Yet may not drink a draught of streams that rail and race. My flesh would tempt me by the sight of savoury food * Whose joys shall pass away and pangs maintain their place.'

She then disappeared for two days, when she again came and knocked at the door; so I went out to her, and lo! hunger had taken away her voice; but, after a rest she said, 'O my brother, I am worn out with want and know not what to do, for I cannot show my face to any man but to thee. Say, wilt thou feed me for the love of Allah Almighty?' But I answered, 'Not so, except thou yield to me thy person.' And she entered my house and sat down. Now I had no food ready; but, when the meat was dressed and I laid it in a saucer, behold, the grace of Almighty Allah entered into me and I said to myself, 'Out on thee! This woman, weak of wit and faith, hath refrained from food till she can no