before him somewhat of victual and seeing upon him signs of fine breeding, said to him, “O my son, I grow old and desiring help from thee, I will do away thy necessity.” Nur al-Din replied, “To hear is to obey;” and abode with the old man, who rested and took his ease, while the youth did his service in the mosque, celebrating the praises of Allah and calling the Faithful to prayer and lighting the lamps and filling the spout-pots[314] and sweeping and cleaning out the place of worship on thiswise it befel the young Damascene; but as regards Sitt al-Milah, the Lady Zubaydah, the wife of the Commander of the Faithful, made a banquet in her palace and assembled her slave-girls. And the damsel came, weeping-eyed and heavy-hearted, and those present blamed her for this, whereupon she recited these couplets:— Ye blame the mourner who weeps his woe; ✿ Needs must the mourner sing, weeping sore; An I see not some happy day I’ll weep ✿ Brine-tears till followed by gouts of gore. When she had made an end of her verses, the Lady Zubaydah bade each damsel sing a song, till the turn came round to Sitt al-Milah, whereupon she took the lute and tuning it, carolled thereto four-and-twenty carols in four-and-twenty modes; then she returned to the first and sang these couplets:— The World hath shot me with all her shafts ✿ Departing friends parting-grief t’ aby: So in heart the burn of all hearts I bear ✿ And in eyes the tear-drops of every eye. When she had made an end of her song, she wept till she garred the bystanders weep and the Lady Zubaydah condoled with her and said to her, “Allah upon thee, O Sitt al-Milah, sing us somewhat, so we may hearken to thee.” The damsel replied, “Hearing and obeying,” and sang these couplets:— People of passion, assemble ye! ✿ This day be the day of our agony: The Raven o’ severance croaks at our doors; ✿ Our raven which nigh to us aye see we. The friends we love have appointed us ✿ The grievousest parting-dule to dree. Rise, by your lives, and let all at once ✿ Fare to seek our friends where their sight we see.