She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Abu al-Hasan went with the girl to the house of Ali son of Bakkar, where he left her standing at the door and walked in to his great joy. And Abu al-Hasan said to him, "The reason of my coming is that such an one hath sent his handmaid to thee with a letter, containing his greeting to thee and mentioning therein that the cause of his not coming to thee was a matter that hath betided him. The girl standeth even now at the door: shall she have leave to enter?"; and he signed to him that it was Shams al-Nahar's slave-girl. Ali understood his signal and answered, "Bring her in," and when he saw her, he shook for joy and signed to her, "How doth thy lord?; Allah grant him health and healing!" "He is well," answered she and pulling out the letter gave it to him. He took it and kissing it, opened and read it; after which he handed it to Abu al-Hasan, who found these verses written therein:—
This messenger shall give my news to thee; ✿ Patience what while my sight thou canst not see:
A lover leav'st in love's insanity, ✿ Whose eyne abide on wake incessantly:
I suffer patience-pangs in woes that none ✿ Of men can medicine;—such my destiny!
Keep cool thine eyes; ne'er shall my heart forget, ✿ Nor without dream of thee one day shall be.
Look what befel thy wasted frame, and thence ✿ Argue what I am doomed for love to dree!
"And afterwards[[200]]: Without fingers[[201]] I have written to thee, and without tongue I have spoken to thee ✿ to resume my case, I have an eye wherefrom sleeplessness departeth not ✿ and a heart whence sorrowful thought stirreth not ✿ It is with me as though health I had never known ✿ nor in sadness ever ceased to wone ✿ nor spent an hour in pleasant place ✿ but it is as if I were made up of pine and of the pain of passion and chagrin ✿ Sickness unceasingly troubleth ✿ and my yearning ever redoubleth ✿ desire still groweth ✿ and longing in my heart still gloweth ✿ I pray Allah to hasten our union ✿ and dispel of my mind the confusion ✿ And I would fain thou favour me ✿ with some words of thine ✿ that I may cheer my heart in pain and repine ✿ Moreover, I would have thee put on a patience lief, until Allah vouchsafe relief ✿ And His peace be with thee."[[202]] When Ali bin Bakkar had read this letter he said in weak accents and feeble voice, "With what hand shall I write and with what tongue shall I make moan and lament? Indeed she addeth sickness to my sickness and draweth death upon my death!" Then he sat up and taking in hand ink-case and paper, wrote the following reply:—"In the name of Allah, the Compassionating, the Compassionate![[203]] Thy letter hath reached me, O my lady, and hath given ease to a sprite worn out with passion and love-longing, and hath brought healing to a wounded heart cankered with languishment and sickness; for indeed I am become even as saith the poet:—
Straitenèd bosom; reveries dispread; ✿ Slumberless eyelids; body wearièd;
Patience cut short; disunion longsomest; ✿ Reason deranged and heart whose life is fled!
And know that complaining is unavailing; but it easeth him whom love-longing disordereth and separation destroyeth and, with repeating:—Union, I keep myself comforted and how fine is the saying of the poet who said:—