How much and much I warded parting, but ✿ ‘When Destiny descends she blinds our eyes?’

And when he had ended his verse, he sobbed with loud sobs and repeated also these couplets:—

Enrobes with honour sands of camp her foot-step wandering lone; ✿ Pines the poor mourner as she wins the stead where wont to wone:

She turns to resting-place of tribe, and yearns thereon to view ✿ The spring-camp lying desolate with ruins overstrown:

She stands and questions of the site, but with the tongue of case ✿ The mount replies, ‘There is no path that leads to union, none!

‘Tis as the lightning flash erewhile bright glittered o’er the camp ✿ And died in darkling air no more to be for ever shown.’

And he repented when repentance availed him naught, and wept and rent his raiment. Then he hent in hand two stones and went round about the city, beating his breast with the stones and crying, “O Zumurrud!” whilst the small boys flocked round him, calling out, “A madman! A madman!” and all who knew him wept for him, saying, “This is such an one: what evil hath befallen him?” Thus he continued doing all that day and, when night darkened on him, he lay down in one of the city-lanes and slept till morning. On the morrow, he went round about town with the stones till eventide, when he returned to his saloon to pass therein the night. Presently, one of his neighbours saw him, and this worthy old woman said to him, “O my son, Heaven give thee healing! How long hast thou been mad?” And he answered her with these two couplets:[[292]]—

They said, Thou ravest upon the person thou lovest. And I replied, The sweets of life are only for the mad.

Drop the subject of my madness, and bring her upon whom I rave. If she cure my madness do not blame me.

So his old neighbour knew him for a lover who had lost his beloved and said, “There is no Majesty and there is no Might, save in Allah, the Glorious, the Great! O my son, I wish thou wouldest acquaint me with the tale of thine affliction. Peradventure Allah may enable me to help thee against it, if it so please Him.” So he told her all that had befallen him with Barsum the Nazarene and his brother the wizard who had named himself Rashid al-Din and, when she understood the whole case, she said, “O my son, indeed thou hast excuse.” And her eyes railed tears and she repeated these two couplets:—