She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that as soon as Uns al-Wujud had ended his verse, the wood-culver awoke from its brooding and cooed a reply to his lines and shrilled and trilled with its thrilling notes till it all but spake with human speech;[[65]] and the tongue of the case talked for it and recited these couplets:—
O lover, thou bringest to thought a tide ✿ When the strength of my youth first faded and died;
And a friend of whose form I was ‘namourèd, ✿ Seductive and dight with beauty’s pride;
Whose voice, as he sat on the sandhill-tree, ✿ From the Nay’s[[66]] sweet sound turned my heart aside;
A fowler snared him in net, the while ✿ “O that man would leave me at large!” he cried:
I had hoped he might somewhat of mercy show ✿ When a hapless lover he so espied;
But Allah smite him who tore me away, ✿ In his hardness of heart, from my lover’s side;
But aye my desire for him groweth more, ✿ And my heart with the fires of disjunction is fried:
Allah guard a true lover, who strives with love, ✿ And hath borne the torments I still abide!
And, seeing me bound in this cage, with mind ✿ Of ruth, release me my love to find.