Jealous am I of breeze-breath fanning thee; ✿ Yea jealous-mad of fair soft-sided fere!

Then he once more fell down in a swoon, and when he came to himself, he found himself without the palace whither they had dragged him on his face; so he rose, stumbling over his skirts and hardly crediting his escape from Nur al-Huda. Now this was grievous to Shawahi; but she dared not remonstrate with the Queen by reason of the violence of her wrath. And forthright Hasan went forth, distracted and knowing not whence to come or whither to go; the world, for all its wideness, was straitened upon him and he found none to speak a kind word with him and comfort him, nor any to whom he might resort for counsel or to apply for refuge; wherefore he made sure of death for that he could not journey to his own country and knew none to travel with him, neither wist he the way thither nor might he pass through the Wady of the Jann and the Land of Beasts and the Islands of Birds. So giving himself up for lost he bewept himself, till he fainted, and when he revived, he bethought him of his children and his wife and of that might befal her with her sister, repenting him of having come to those countries and of having hearkened to none, and recited these couplets:—

Suffer mine eye-babes weep lost of love and tears express: ✿ Rare is my solace and increases my distress:

The cup of Severance-chances to the dregs I’ve drained; ✿ Who is the man to bear love-loss with manliness?

Ye spread the Carpet of Disgrace[[154]] betwixt us twain; ✿ Ah, when shalt be uprolled, O Carpet of Disgrace?

I watched the while you slept; and if you deemed that I ✿ Forgot your love I but forget forgetfulness:

Woe’s me! indeed my heart is pining for the love ✿ Of you, the only leaches who can cure my case:

See ye not what befel me from your fell disdain? ✿ Debased am I before the low and high no less.

I hid my love of you but longing laid it bare, ✿ And burns my heart wi’ fire of passion’s sorest stress:

Ah! deign have pity on my piteous case, for I ✿ Have kept our troth in secresy and patent place!