And, remembered joys we in union joyed, ✿ Praised the Lord who placed us in parting plight.
As soon as it was dark Nur al-Din busied himself with making ready the stallions and patiented till the first watch of the night was past; when, without a moment delay, Nur al-Din the lover full of teen, saddled them with saddles of the goodliest, and leading them forth of the stable, locked the door after him and repaired with them to the city-gate, where he sat down to await the coming of the Princess. Meanwhile, Miriam returned forthright to her private apartment, where she found the one-eyed Wazir seated, elbow-propt upon a cushion stuffed with ostrich-down; but he was ashamed to put forth his hand to her or to bespeak her. When she saw him, she appealed to her Lord in heart, saying, “Allahumma—O my God—bring him not to his will of me nor to me defilement decree after purity!” Then she went up to him and made a show of fondness for him and sat down by his side and coaxed him, saying, “O my lord, what is this aversion thou displayest to me? Is it pride or coquetry on thy part? But the current byword saith:—An the salam-salutation be little in demand, the sitters salute those who stand.[[4]] So if, O my lord, thou come not to me neither accost me, I will go to thee and accost thee.” Said he, “To thee belong favour and kindness, O Queen of the earth in its length and breadth; and what am I but one of thy slaves and the least of thy servants. Indeed, I was ashamed to intrude upon thine illustrious presence, O unique pearl, and my face is on the earth at thy feet.” She rejoined, “Leave this talk and bring us to eat and drink.” Accordingly he shouted to his eunuchs and women an order to serve food, and they set before them a tray containing birds of every kind that walk and fly and in nests increase and multiply, such as sand-grouse and quails and pigeon-poults and lambs and fatted geese and fried poultry and other dishes of all sorts and colours. The Princess put out her hand to the tray and began to eat and feed the Wazir with her fair finger-tips and kiss him on the mouth. They ate till they had enough and washed their hands, after which the handmaidens removed the table of food and set on the service of wine. So Princess Miriam filled the cup and drank and gave the Wazir to drink and served him with assiduous service, so that he was like to fly for joy and his breast broadened and he was of the gladdest. When she saw that the wine had gotten the better of his senses, she thrust her hand into her bosom and brought out a pastile of virgin Cretan-Bhang, which she had provided against such an hour, whereof if an elephant smelt a dirham’s weight, he would sleep from year to year. She distracted his attention and crumbled the drug into the cup: then, filling it up, handed it to the Wazir, who could hardly credit his senses for delight. So he took it and kissing her hand, drank it off, but hardly had it settled in his stomach when he fell head foremost to the ground. Then she rose and filling two great pairs of saddle-bags with what was light of weight and weighty of worth of jewels and jacinths and precious stones, together with somewhat of meat and drink, donned harness of war and armed herself for fight. She also took with her for Nur al-Din what should rejoice him of rich and royal apparel and splendid arms and armour, and shouldering the bags (for indeed her strength equalled her valiancy), hastened forth from the new palace to join her lover. On this wise fared it with the Lady Miriam; but as regards Nur al-Din,——And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.
Now when it was the Eight Hundred and Ninetieth Night,
She resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the Lady Miriam left the new palace, she went straightways to meet her lover for indeed she was as valiant as she was strong; but Nur al-Din the distracted, the full of teen, sat at the city-gate hending the horses’ halters in hand, till Allah (to whom belong Majesty and Might) sent a sleep upon him and he slept—glory be to Him who sleepeth not! Now at that time the Kings of the Islands had spent much treasure in bribing folk to steal the two steeds or one of them; and in those days there was a black slave, who had been reared in the islands skilled in horse-lifting; wherefore the Kings of the Franks seduced him with wealth galore to steal one of the stallions and promised him, if he could avail to lift the two, that they would give him a whole island and endue him with a splendid robe of honour. He had long gone about the city of France in disguise, but succeeded not in taking the horses, whilst they were with the King; but, when he gave them in free gift to the Wazir and the monocular one carried them to his own stable, the blackamoor thief rejoiced with joy exceeding and made sure of success, saying in himself, “By the virtue of the Messiah and the Faith which is no liar, I will certainly steal the twain of them!” Now he had gone out that very night, intending for the stable, to lift them; but, as he walked along, behold, he caught sight of Nur al-Din lying asleep, with the halters in his hands. So he went up to the horses and loosing the halters from their heads, was about to mount one of them and drive the other before him, when suddenly up came the Princess Miriam, carrying on her shoulders the couple of saddle-bags. She mistook the black for Nur al-Din and handed him one pair of bags, which he laid on one of the stallions: after which she gave him the other and he set it on the second steed, without word said to discover that it was not her lover. Then they mounted and rode out of the gate[[5]] in silence till presently she asked, “O my lord Nur al-Din, what aileth thee to be silent?” Whereupon the black turned to her and cried angrily, “What sayst thou, O damsel?” When she heard the slave’s barbarous accents, she knew that the speech was not of Nur al-Din; so raising her eyes she looked at him and saw that he was a black chattel, snub-nosed and wide-mouthed, with nostrils like ewers; whereupon the light in her eyes became night and she asked him, “Who art thou, O Shaykh of the sons of Ham and what among men is thy name?” He answered, “O daughter of the base, my name is Mas’úd, the lifter of horses, when folk slumber and sleep.” She made him no reply, but straightway baring her blade, smote him on the nape and the blade came out gleaming from his throat-tendons, whereupon he fell earthwards, weltering in his blood, and Allah hurried his soul to the Fire and abiding-place dire. Then she took the other horse by the bridle and retraced her steps in search of Nur al-Din, whom she found lying, asleep and snoring, in the place where she had appointed him to meet her, hending the halters in hand, yet knowing not his fingers from his feet. So she dismounted and gave him a cuff,[[6]] whereupon he awoke in affright and said to her, “O my lady, praised be Allah for thy safe coming!” Said she “Rise and back this steed and hold thy tongue!” So he rose and mounted one of the stallions, whilst she bestrode the other, and they went forth the city and rode on awhile in silence. Then said she to him, “Did I not bid thee beware of sleeping? Verily, he prospereth not who sleepeth.” He rejoined, “O my lady, I slept not but because of the cooling of my heart by reason of thy promise. But what hath happened, O my lady?” So she told him her adventure with the black, first and last, and he said, “Praised be Allah for safety!” Then they fared on at full speed, committing their affair to the Subtle, the All-wise and conversing as they went, till they came to the place where the black lay prostrate in the dust, as he were an Ifrit, and Miriam said to Nur al-Din, “Dismount; strip him of his clothes and take his arms.” He answered, “By Allah, O my lady, I dare not dismount nor approach him.” And indeed he marvelled at the blackamoor’s stature and praised the Princess for her deed, wondering the while at her valour and stout-heartedness. They fared on lustily and ceased not so doing all that night and halted not till the day broke with its shine and sheen and the sun shone bright upon plain and height when they came to a wide riverino lea wherein the gazelles were frisking gracefully. Its surface was clothed with green and on all sides fruit trees of every kind were seen: its slopes for flowers like serpents’ bellies showed, and birds sang on boughs aloud and its rills in manifold runnels flowed. And indeed it was as saith the poet and saith well and accomplisheth the hearer’s desire:—
Rosy red Wady hot with summer-glow, ✿ Where twofold tale of common growth was piled.
In copse we halted wherein bent to us ✿ Branches, as bendeth nurse o’er weanling-child.
And pure cold water quenching thirst we sipped: ✿ To cup-mate sweeter than old wine and mild:
From every side it shut out sheen of sun ✿ Screen-like, but wooed the breeze to cool the wild:
And pebbles, sweet as maidens deckt and dight ✿ And soft as threaded pearls, the touch beguiled.
And as saith another:—