I mixed them with becoming share of patience self to excuse, ✿ But Patience for the loss of you her solace doth refuse.
Now when she ended her lines, she mounted and they set forward with her crossing and cutting over wold and wild and riant dale and rugged hill, till they came to the shore of the Sea of Treasures here they pitched their tents and built her a great ship, wherein they went down with her and her suite and carried them over to the mountain. The Minister had ordered them, on reaching the journey’s end, to set her in the castle and to make their way back to the shore, where they were to break up the vessel. So they did his bidding and returned home, weeping over what had befallen. Such was their case; but as regards Uns al-Wujud, he arose from sleep and prayed the dawn-prayer, after which he took horse and rode forth to attend upon the Sultan. On his way, he passed by the Wazir’s house, thinking perchance to see some of his followers as of wont; but he saw no one and, looking upon the door, he read written thereon the verses aforesaid. At this sight, his senses failed him; fire was kindled in his vitals and he returned to his lodging, where he passed the day in trouble and transports of grief, without finding ease or patience, till night darkened upon him, when his yearning and love-longing redoubled. Thereupon, by way of concealment, he disguised himself in the ragged garb of a Fakir,[[42]] and set out wandering at random through the glooms of night, distracted and knowing not whither he went. So he wandered on all that night and next day, till the heat of the sun waxed fierce and the mountains flamed like fire and thirst was grievous upon him. Presently, he espied a tree, by whose side was a thin thread of running water; so he made towards it and sitting down in the shade, on the bank of the rivulet, essayed to drink, but found that the water had no taste in his mouth;[[43]] and, indeed his colour had changed and his face had yellowed, and his feet were swollen with travel and travail. So he shed copious tears and repeated these couplets:—
The lover is drunken with love of friend; ✿ On a longing that groweth his joys depend:
Love-distracted, ardent, bewildered, lost ✿ From home, nor may food aught of pleasure lend:
How can life be delightsome to one in love, ✿ And from lover parted, ‘twere strange, unkenned!
I melt with the fire of my pine for them, ✿ And the tears down my cheek in a stream descend.
Shall I see them, say me, or one that comes ✿ From the camp, who th’ afflicted heart shall tend?
And after thus reciting he wept till he wetted the hard dry ground; but anon without loss of time he rose and fared on again over waste and wold, till there came out upon him a lion, with a neck buried in tangled mane, a head the bigness of a dome, a mouth wider than the door thereof and teeth like elephants’ tusks. Now when Uns al-Wujud saw him, he gave himself up for lost and, turning[[44]] towards the Temple of Meccah, pronounced the professions of the faith and prepared for death. He had read in books that whoso will flatter the lion, beguileth him,[[45]] for that he is readily duped by smooth speech and gentled by being glorified; so he began and said, “O Lion of the forest! O Lord of the waste! O terrible Leo! O father of fighters! O Sultan of wild beasts! Behold, I am a lover in longing, whom passion and severance have been wronging; since I parted from my dear, I have lost my reasoning gear; wherefore, to my speech do thou give ear and have ruth on my passion and hope and fear.” When the lion heard this, he drew back from him and sitting down on his hind-quarters, raised his head to him and began to frisk tail and paws; which when Uns al-Wujud saw, he recited these couplets:—
Lion of the wold wilt thou murther me, ✿ Ere I meet her who doomed me to slavery?
I am not game and I bear no fat; ✿ For the loss of my love makes me sickness dree;