This was grievous to the princess and it irked her sore that he should not remember her; so she called her slave- girl Shefikeh and said to her, "Go to El Abbas and salute him and say to him, 'What hindereth thee from sending my lady Mariyeh her part of thy booty?'" So Shefikeh betook herself to him and when she came to his door, the chamberlains refused her admission, until they should have gotten her leave and permission. When she entered, El Abbas knew her and knew that she had somewhat of speech [with him]; so he dismissed his mamelukes and said to her, "What is thine errand, O handmaid of good?" "O my lord," answered she, "I am a slave-girl of the Princess Mariyeh, who kisseth thy hands and commendeth her salutation to thee. Indeed, she rejoiceth in thy safety and reproacheth thee for that thou breakest her heart, alone of all the folk, for that thy largesse embraceth great and small, yet hast thou not remembered her with aught of thy booty. Indeed, it is as if thou hadst hardened thy heart against her." Quoth he, "Extolled be the perfection of him who turneth hearts! By Allah, my vitals were consumed with the love of her [aforetime] and of my longing after her, I came forth to her from my native land and left my people and my home and my wealth, and it was with her that began the hardheartedness and the cruelty. Nevertheless, for all this, I bear her no malice and needs must I send her somewhat whereby she may remember me; for that I abide in her land but a few days, after which I set out for the land of Yemen."

Then he called for a chest and bringing out thence a necklace of Greek handiwork, worth a thousand dinars, wrapped it in a mantle of green silk, set with pearls and jewels and inwrought with red gold, and joined thereto two caskets of musk and ambergris. Moreover, he put off upon the girl a mantle of Greek silk, striped with gold, wherein were divers figures and semblants depictured, never saw eyes its like. Therewithal the girl's wit fled for joy and she went forth from his presence and returned to her mistress. When she came in to her, she acquainted her with that which she had seen of El Abbas and that which was with him of servants and attendants and [set out to her] the loftiness of his station and gave her that which was with her.

Mariyeh opened the mantle, and when she saw that necklace, and indeed the place was illumined with the lustre thereof, she looked at her slave-girl and said to her, "By Allah, O Shefikeh, one look at him were liefer to me than all that my hand possesseth! Would I knew what I shall do, whenas Baghdad is empty of him and I hear no tidings of him!" Then she wept and calling for inkhorn* and paper and pen of brass, wrote the following verses:

Still do I yearn, whilst passion's fire flames in my liver aye;
For parting's shafts have smitten me and done my strength
away.
Oft for thy love as I would be consoled, my yearning turns
To-thee- ward still and my desires my reason still gainsay.
My transports I conceal for fear of those thereon that spy; Yet
down my cheeks the tears course still and still my case
bewray.
No rest is there for me, no life wherein I may delight, Nor
pleasant meat nor drink avails to please me, night or day.
To whom save thee shall I complain, of whom relief implore, Whose
image came to visit me, what while in dreams I lay?
Reproach me not for what I did, but be thou kind to one Who's
sick of body and whose heart is wasted all away.
The fire of love-longing I hide; severance consumeth me, A thrall
of care, for long desire to wakefulness a prey.
Midmost the watches of the night I see thee, in a dream; A lying
dream, for he I love my love doth not repay.
Would God thou knewest that for love of thee which I endure! It
hath indeed brought down on me estrangement and dismay.
Read thou my writ and apprehend its purport, for my case This is
and fate hath stricken me with sorrows past allay.
Know, then, the woes that have befall'n a lover, neither grudge
Her secret to conceal, but keep her counsel still, I pray.

Then she folded the letter and giving it to her slave-girl, bade her carry it to El Abbas and bring back his answer thereto. Accordingly, Shefikeh took the letter and carried it to the prince, after the doorkeeper had sought leave of him to admit her. When she came in to him, she found with him five damsels, as they were moons, clad in [rich] apparel and ornaments; and when he saw her, he said to her, "What is thine occasion, O handmaid of good?" So she put out her hand to him with the letter, after she had kissed it, and he bade one of his slave-girls receive it from her. Then he took it from the girl and breaking it open, read it and apprehended its purport; whereupon "We are God's and to Him we return!" exclaimed he and calling for ink- horn and paper, wrote the following verses:

I marvel for that to my love I see thee now incline, What time my
heart, indeed, is fain to turn away from thine.
Whilere, the verses that I made it was thy wont to flout, Saying,
"No passer by the way[FN#105] hath part in me or mine.
How many a king to me hath come, of troops and guards ensued, And
Bactrian camels brought with him, in many a laden line,
And dromedaries, too, of price and goodly steeds and swift Of
many a noble breed, yet found no favour in my eyne!"
Then, after them came I to thee and union did entreat And unto
thee set forth at length my case and my design;
Yea, all my passion and desire and love-longing in verse, As
pearls in goodly order strung it were, I did enshrine.
Yet thou repaidst me with constraint, rigour and perfidy, To
which no lover might himself on any wise resign.
How many a bidder unto love, a secret-craving wight, How many a
swain, complaining, saith of destiny malign,
"How many a cup with bitterness o'erflowing have I quaffed! I
make my moan of woes, whereat it boots not to repine."
Quoth thou, "The goodliest of things is patience and its use: Its
practice still mankind doth guide to all that's fair and
fine."
Wherefore fair patience look thou use, for sure 'tis
praiseworthy; Yea, and its issues evermore are blessed and
benign;
And hope thou not for aught from me, who reck not with a folk To
mix, who may with abjectness infect my royal line.
This is my saying; apprehend its purport, then, and know I may in
no wise yield consent to that thou dost opine.

Then he folded the letter and sealing it, delivered it to the damsel, who took it and carried it to her mistress. When the princess read the letter and apprehended its contents, she said, "Meseemeth he recalleth to me that which I did aforetime." Then she called for inkhorn and paper and wrote the following verses:

Me, till I stricken was therewith, to love thou didst excite, And
with estrangement now, alas! heap'st sorrows on my spright.
The sweet of slumber after thee I have forsworn; indeed The loss
of thee hath smitten me with trouble and affright.
How long shall I, in weariness, for this estrangement pine, What
while the spies of severance[FN#106] do watch me all the
night?
My royal couch have I forsworn, sequestering myself From all, and
have mine eyes forbid the taste of sleep's delight.
Thou taught'st me what I cannot bear; afflicted sore am I; Yea,
thou hast wasted me away with rigour and despite.
Yet, I conjure thee, blame me not for passion and desire, Me whom
estrangement long hath brought to sick and sorry plight.
Sore, sore doth rigour me beset, its onslaughts bring me near
Unto the straitness of the grave, ere in the shroud I'm
dight.
So be thou kind to me, for love my body wasteth sore, The thrall
of passion I'm become its fires consume me quite.

Mariyeh folded the letter and gave it to Shefikeh, bidding her carry it to El Abbas. So she took it and going with it to his door, would have entered; but the chamberlains and serving-men forbade her, till they had gotten her leave from the prince. When she went in to him, she found him sitting in the midst of the five damsels aforesaid, whom his father had brought him. So she gave him the letter and he took it and read it. Then he bade one of the damsels, whose name was Khefifeh and who came from the land of China, tune her lute and sing upon the subject of separation. So she came forward and tuning the lute, played thereon in four-and-twenty modes; after which she returned to the first mode and sang the following verses:

Upon the parting day our loves from us did fare And left us to
endure estrangement and despair.
Whenas the burdens all were bounden on and shrill The
camel-leader's call rang out across the air,
Fast flowed my tears; despair gat hold upon my soul And needs
mine eyelids must the sweet of sleep forbear.
I wept, but those who spied to part us had no ruth On me nor on
the fires that in my vitals flare.
Woe's me for one who burns for love and longing pain! Alas for
the regrets my heart that rend and tear!
To whom shall I complain of what is in my soul, Now thou art gone
and I my pillow must forswear?
The flames of long desire wax on me day by day And far away are
pitched the tent-poles of my fair.
O breeze of heaven, from me a charge I prithee take And do not
thou betray the troth of my despair;
Whenas thou passest by the dwellings of my love, Greet him for me
with peace, a greeting debonair,
And scatter musk on him and ambergris, so long As time endures;
for this is all my wish and care.