Love thou didst show me till I learnt its woe ✿ Then to the growth of grief didst severance show: I banisht joys of slumber after you ✿ And e’en my pillow garred my wake to grow. How long in parting shall I pine with pain ✿ While severance-spies[410] through night watch every throe? I’ve left my kingly couch and self withdrew ✿ Therefrom, and taught mine eyelids sleep t’ unknow: ’Twas thou didst teach me what I ne’er can bear: ✿ Then didst thou waste my frame with parting-blow. By oath I swear thee, blame and chide me not: ✿ Be kind to mourner Love hath stricken low! For parting-rigours drive him nearer still ✿ To narrow home, ere clad in shroud for clo’: Have ruth on me, since Love laid waste my frame, ✿ ’Mid thralls enrolled me and lit fires that flame. Mariyah rolled up the letter and gave it to Shafikah, bidding her bear it to Al-Abbas. Accordingly she took it and going with it to his door, proceeded to enter; but the chamberlains and serving-men forbade her, till they had obtained her leave from the Prince. When she went into him, she found him sitting in the midst of the five damsels before mentioned, whom his father had brought for him; so she gave him the letter and he tare it open and read it. Then he bade one of the damsels, whose name was Khafífah and who came from the land of China, tune her lute and sing anent separation. Thereupon she came forward and tuning her lute, played thereon in four-and-twenty modes: after which she returned to the first and sang these couplets:— Our friends, when leaving us on parting-day, ✿ Drave us in wolds of severance-grief to stray: When bound the camels’ litters bearing them, ✿ And cries of drivers urged them on the way, Outrusht my tears, despair gat hold of me ✿ And sleep betrayed mine eyes to wake a prey. The day they went I wept, but showed no ruth ✿ The severance-spy and flared the flames alwày: Alas for lowe o’ Love that fires me still! ✿ Alack for pine that melts my heart away! To whom shall I complain of care, when thou ✿ Art gone, nor fain a-pillow head I lay? And day by day Love’s ardours grow on me, ✿ And far’s the tent that holds my fondest may: O Breeze o’ Heaven, bear for me a charge ✿ (Nor traitor-like my troth in love betray!), Whene’er thou breathest o’er the loved one’s land ✿ Greet him with choice salam fro’ me, I pray: Dust him with musk and powdered ambergris ✿ While time endures! Such is my wish for aye.