Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night - Volume 5.djvu/95

 had thy will.  At this his tears streamed down even as the clouds rail rain, and he repeated this verse,

She drew near whenas death was departing us, * And deigned union grant when twas useless all.

Then he groaned one groan and died. So she fell on him, kissing him and weeping and ceased not weeping until she swooned away; and when she came to herself, she charged her people to bury her in his grave and with streaming eyes recited these two couplets,

We lived on earth a life of fair content; * And tribe and house and home of us were proud; But Time in whirling flight departed us, * To join us now in womb of earth and shroud. [FN#100]

Then she fell again to weeping, nor gave over shedding tears and lamenting till she fainted away; and she lay three days, senseless. Then she died and was buried in his grave. This is one of the strange chances of love. [FN#101]  And I have heard related a tale of the

WAZIR OF AL-YAMAN AND HIS YOUNG BROTHER

It is said that Badr al-Din, Wazir of Al-Yaman, had a young brother of singular beauty and kept strait watch over him; so he applied himself to seek a tutor for him and, coming upon a Shaykh of dignified and reverend aspect, chaste and religious, lodged him in a house next his own. This lasted a long time, and he used to come daily from his dwelling to that of Sáhib [FN#102] Badr al-Din and teach the young brother. After a while, the old mans heart was taken with love for the youth, and longing grew upon him and his vitals were troubled, till one day, he bemoaned his case to the boy, who said, What can I do, seeing that I