"How long shall last, how long this rigour rife of woe * May not suffice thee all these tears thou seest flow? Our parting thus with purpose fell thou dost prolong * Is't not enough to glad the heart of envious foe? Were but this lying world once true to lover heart * He had not watched the weary night in tears of woe: Oh pity me whom overwhelmed thy cruel will * My lord, my king, 'tis time some ruth to me thou show: To whom reveal my wrongs, O thou who murdered me? * Sad, who of broken troth the pangs must undergo! Increase wild love for thee and phrenzy hour by hour * And days of exile minute by so long, so slow; O Moslems, claim vendetta[FN#184] for this slave of Love * Whose sleep Love ever wastes, whose patience Love lays low: Doth law of Love allow thee, O my wish! to lie * Lapt in another's arms and unto me cry Go!? Yet in thy presence, say, what joys shall I enjoy * When he I love but works my love to overthrow?" When the portress heard the third song she cried aloud; and, laying hands on her garments, rent them down to the very skirt and fell to the ground fainting a third time, again showing the scars of the scourge. Then said the three Kalandars, "Would Heaven we had never entered this house, but had rather nighted on the mounds and heaps outside the city! for verily our visit hath been troubled by sights which cut to the heart." The Caliph turned to them and asked, "Why so?" and they made answer, "Our minds are sore troubled by this matter." Quoth the Caliph, "Are ye not of the household?" and quoth they, "No; nor indeed did we ever set eyes on the place till within this hour." Hereat the Caliph marvelled and rejoined, "This man who sitteth by you, would he not know the secret of the matter?" and so saying he winked and made signs at the Porter. So they questioned the man but he replied, "By the All might of Allah, in love all are alike![FN#185] I am the growth of Baghdad, yet never in my born days did I darken these doors till to day and my companying with them was a curious matter." "By Allah," they rejoined, "we took thee for one of them and now we see thou art one like ourselves." Then said the Caliph, "We be seven men, and they only three women without even a fourth to help them; so let us question them of their case; and, if they answer us not, fain we will be answered by force." All of them agreed to this except Ja'afar who said,[FN#186] "This is not my recking; let them be; for we are their guests and, as ye know, they made a compact and condition with us which we accepted and promised to keep: wherefore it is better that we be silent concerning this matter; and, as but little of the night remaineth, let each and every of us gang his own gait." Then he winked at the Caliph and whispered to him, "There is but one hour of darkness left and I can bring them before thee to morrow, when thou canst freely question them all concerning their story." But the Caliph raised his head haughtily