expounded The Faith to their troops, who all made profession with heart and tongue. After this, Gharib sent for Sabur and his son Ward Shah, and upbraided them for their evil dealing and expounded Al-Islam to them; but they refused to profess wherefore he crucified them on the gate of the city and the people decorated the town and held high festival. Then Gharib crowned Murad Shah with the crown of the Chosroës and made him King of the Persians and Turks and Medes; moreover, he made his uncle Al-Damigh, King over Al-Irak, and all the peoples and lands submitted themselves to Gharib. Then he abode in his kingship, doing justice among his lieges, wherefore all the people loved him, and he and his wives and comrades ceased not from all solace of life, till there came to them the Destroyer of Delights and Sunderer of Societies, and extolled be the perfection of Him whose glory endureth for ever and aye and whose boons embrace all His creatures! This is every thing that hath come down to us of the history of Gharib and Ajib. And Abdullah bin Ma’amar al Kaysi hath thus related the tale of OTBAH[FN#79] AND RAYYA. I went one year on the pilgrimage to the Holy House of Allah, and when I had accomplished my pilgrimage, I turned back for visitation of the tomb of the Prophet, whom Allah bless and keep! One night, as I sat in the garden,[FN#80] between the tomb and the pulpit, I heard a low moaning in a soft voice; so I listened to it and it said, “Have the doves that moan in the lotus-tree * Woke grief in thy heart and bred misery? Or doth memory of maiden in beauty deckt * Cause this doubt in thee, this despondency? O night, thou art longsome for love-sick sprite * Complaining of Love and its ecstasy: Thou makest him wakeful, who burns with fire * Of a love, like the live coal’s ardency. The moon is witness my heart is held * By a moonlight brow of the brightest blee: I reckt not to see me by Love ensnared * Till ensnared before I could reck or see.” Then the voice ceased and not knowing whence it came to me I abode perplexed; but lo! it again took up its lament and recited, “Came Rayya’s phantom to grieve thy sight * In the thickest gloom of the black-haired Night! And hath love of slumber deprived those eyes * And the phantom-vision vexed thy sprite? I cried to the Night, whose glooms were like * Seas that surge and billow with might, with might: ‘O Night, thou art longsome to lover who * Hath no aid nor help save the morning light!’ She replied, ‘Complain not that I am long: * ’Tis love is the cause of thy longsome plight!’”