The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night — Volume 08 (of 10)
General
The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night — Volume 08 (of 10)
Fairy tales; Tales -- Arab countries
She continued, When Hasan went in to his wife he saw his children and
heard her repeating the verses afore mentioned.[FN#168] Then she turned
right and left, seeking the cause of her children's crying out, "O our
father!" but saw no one and marvelled that her sons should name their
sire at that time and call upon him. But when Hasan heard her verses,
he wept till he swooned away and the tears railed down his cheeks like
rain. Then he drew near the children and raised the cap from his head
unseen of his wife, whereupon they saw him and they knew him and cried
out, saying, "O our father!" Their mother fell a-weeping again, when
she heard them name their sire's name and said, "There is no avoiding
the doom which Almighty Allah hath decreed!" adding, "O Strange! What
garreth them think of their father at this time and call upon him,
albeit it is not of their wont?" Then she wept and recited these
couplets,
"The land of lamping moon is bare and drear; * O eyne of me pour
forth the brimming tear!
They marched: how shall I now be patient? * That I nor heart nor
patience own I swear!
O ye, who marched yet bide in heart of me, * Will you, O lords of
me, return to that we were?
What harm if they return and I enjoy * Meeting, and they had ruth
on tears of care?
Upon the parting-day they dimmed these eyne, * For sad surprise,
and lit the flames that flare.
Sore longed I for their stay, but Fortune stayed * Longings and
turned my hope to mere despair.
Return to us (O love!) by Allah, deign! * Enow of tears have
flowed for absence-bane."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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