Ho thou, the Fawn, whom I so lief erst gathered to my breast ✿ Enow of severance tasted I to own its might and main,
Thou’rt he whose favours joined in one all beauties known to man, ✿ Yet I thereon have wasted all my Patience’ fair domain.
I entertained him in my heart whereto he brought unrest ✿ But I am satisfied that I such guest could entertain.
My tears for ever flow and flood, likest the surging sea ✿ And would I wot the track to take that I thereto attain.
Yet sore I fear that I shall die in depths of my chagrin ✿ And must despair for evermore to win the wish I’d win.
When Miriam heard the verses of Nur al-Din the loving-hearted, the parted; they kindled in her vitals a fire of desire, and, whilst her eyes ran over with tears, she recited these two couplets:—
I longed for him I love; but, when we met, ✿ I was amazed nor tongue nor eyes I found.
I had got ready volumes of reproach; ✿ But when we met, could syllable no sound.
When Nur al-Din heard the voice of Princess Miriam, he knew it and wept bitter tears, saying, “By Allah, this is the chanting of the Lady Miriam.”——And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.
Note. (p. [93]).—There is something wondrous naïve in a lover who, when asked by his mistress to sing a song in her honour, breaks out into versical praises of her parts. But even the classical Arab authors did not disdain such themes. See in Al-Harírí (Ass. of Mayyáfarikín) where Abú Zayd laments the impotency of old age in form of a Rasy or funeral oration (Preston p. 484, and Chenery p. 221). It completely deceived Sir William Jones, who inserted it into the chapter “De Poesi Funebri,” p. 527 (Poeseos Asiaticæ Commentarii) gravely noting, “Hæc Elegia non admodum dissimilis esse videtur pulcherrimi illius carminis de Sauli et Jonathani obitu; at que adeò versus iste ’ubi provocant adversarios nunquam rediit a pugnæ contentione sine spiculo sanguine imbuto,’ ex Hebræo reddi videtur,