When he ended his verse he swooned away and the Wazir sprinkled rose-water on him, till the Prince came to himself, when the Minister said to him, “O King’s son, possess thy soul in patience; for the consequence of patience is consolation, and behold, thou art on the way to whatso thou wishest.” And he ceased not to bespeak him fair and comfort him till his trouble subsided; and they continued their journey with all diligence. Presently, the Prince again became impatient of the length of the way and bethought him of his beloved and recited these couplets, “Longsome is absence, restlessness increaseth and despite; * And burn my vitals in the blaze my love and longings light: Grows my hair gray from pains and pangs which I am doomèd bear * For pine, while tear-floods stream from eyes and sore offend my sight: I swear, O Hope of me, O End of every wish and will, * By Him who made mankind and every branch with leafage dight, A passion-load for thee, O my Desire, I must endure, * And boast I that to bear such load no lover hath the might. Question the Night of me and Night thy soul shall satisfy * Mine eyelids never close in sleep throughout the livelong night.” Then he wept with sore weeping and ‘plained of that he suffered for stress of love-longing; but the Wazir comforted him and spoke him fair, promising him the winning of his wish; after which they fared on again for a few days, when they drew near to the White City, the capital of King Abd al-Kadir, soon after sunrise. Then said the Minister to the Prince, “Rejoice, O King’s son, in all good; for see, yonder is the White City, that which thou seekest.” Whereat the Prince rejoiced with exceeding joy and recited these couplets, “My friends, I yearn in heart distraught for him; * Longing abides and with sore pains I brim: I mourn like childless mother, nor can find * One to console me when the light grows dim; Yet when the breezes blow from off thy land, * I feel their freshness shed on heart and limb; And rail mine eyes like water-laden clouds, * While in a tear-sea shed by heart I swim.” Now when they entered the White City they asked for the Merchants’ Khan, a place of moneyed men; and when shown the hostelry they hired three magazines and on receiving the keys[FN#264] they laid up therein all their goods and gear. They abode in the Khan till they were rested, when the Wazir applied himself to devise a device for the Prince,——And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say. When it was the Seven Hundred and Twenty-first Night,