Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night - Volume 5.djvu/378

 these three maidens are of the daughters of the Jann and come hither every year for a day, to divert themselves and make merry until mid afternoon, when they return to their own country.' Janshah asked, 'And where is their country?'; and the old man answered, 'By Allah, O my son, I wot not:' presently adding, 'but now take heart and put away this love from thee and come with me, that I may send thee to thine own land with the birds.' When Janshah heard this, he gave a great cry and fell down in a trance; and presently he came to himself, and said, 'O my father indeed I care not to return to my native land: all I want is to foregather with these maidens and know, O my father, that I will never again name my people, though I die before thee.' Then he wept and cried, 'Enough for me that I look upon the face of her I love, although it be only once in the year!' And he sighed deeply and repeated these couplets,

'Would Heaven the Phantom [FN#548] spared the friend at night * And would this love for man were ever dight! Were not my heart afire for love of you, * Tears ne'er had stained my cheeks nor dimmed my sight. By night and day, I bid my heart to bear * Its griefs, while fires of love my body blight.'

Then he fell at Shaykh Nasr's feet and kissed them and wept sore, crying, 'Have pity on me, so Allah take pity on thee and aid me in my strait so Allah aid thee!' Replied the old man, 'By Allah O my son, I know nothing of these maidens nor where may be their country; but, O my son, if thy heart be indeed set on one of them, tarry with me till this time next year for they will assuredly reappear; and, when the day of their coming draweth near, hide thyself under a tree in the garden. As soon as they have alighted and doffed their feather-robes and plunged into the lake and are swimming about at a distance from their clothes, seize the vest of her whom thy soul desireth. When they see thee, they will come a bank and she, whose coat thou hast taken, will accost thee and say to thee with the sweetest of speech and the most witching of smiles, 'Give me my dress, O my brother, that I may don it and veil my nakedness withal.' But if thou yield to her prayer and