Thou’rt he, whose face, by Allah shown to man, ✿ Doth ward off death, decay and hoary hair.
When he heard from me this praise of the Apostle he turned towards us and repeated these lines:—
Well Allah wotteth I am sorely plagued: ✿ Nor can I show my pain to human sight.
Two souls have I; one soul is here contained, ✿ While other woneth in another site
Meseems the absent soul’s like present soul, ✿ And that she suffers what to me is dight.
Then he asked us, “Have I said well or said ill?” And we answered, “Thou hast said the clean contrary of ill, well and right well.” Then he put out his hand to a stone, that was by him and took it up; whereupon thinking he would throw it at us we fled from him; but he fell to beating upon his breast therewith violent blows and said to us, “Fear not, but draw near and hear somewhat from me and receive it from me.” So we came back, and he repeated these couplets:—
When they made their camels yellow-white kneel down at dawning grey, ✿ They mounted her on crupper and the camel went his way,
Mine eye-balls through the prison-wall beheld them, and I cried ✿ With streaming eyelids and a heart that burnt in dire dismay,
“O camel-driver turn thy beast that I farewell my love! ✿ In parting and farewelling her I see my doomèd day:
I’m faithful to my vows of love which I have never broke; ✿ Would Heaven I kenned what they have done with vows that vowèd they!”