When I heard this, O Commander of the Faithful, I wept and looked at him and began repeating these couplets:—
"To severance you doom my love and all unmoved remain; * My tear sore lids you sleepless make and sleep while I complain:
You make firm friendship reign between mine eyes and insomny; * Yet can my heart forget you not, nor tears can I restrain:
You made me swear with many an oath my troth to hold for aye; * But when you reigned my bosom's lord you wrought me traitor bane:
I loved you like a silly child who wots not what is Love; * Then spare the learner, let her not be by the master slain!
By Allah's name I pray you write, when I am dead and gone, * Upon my tomb, This died of Love whose senses Love had ta'en:
Then haply one shall pass that way who fire of Love hath felt, * And treading on a lover's heart with ruth and woe shall melt."
When I ended my verses tears came again; but the poetry and the weeping only added fury to his fury, and he recited:—
"'Twas not satiety bade me leave the dearling of my soul, * But that she sinned a mortal sin which clipt me in its clip:
She sought to let another share the love between us twain, * But my True Faith of Unity refuseth partnership."[FN#348]
When he ceased reciting I wept again and prayed his pardon and humbled myself before him and spoke him softly, saying to myself, "I will work on him with words; so haply he will refrain from slaying me, even though he take all I have." So I complained of my sufferings and began to repeat these couplets:—
"Now, by thy life and wert thou just my life thou hadst not ta'en, * But who can break the severance law which parteth lovers twain!
Thou loadest me with heavy weight of longing love, when I * Can hardly bear my chemisette for weakness and for pain:
I marvel not to see my life and soul in ruin lain: * I marvel much to see my frame such severance pangs sustain."
When I ended my verse I wept again; and he looked at me and reviled me in abusive language,[FN#349] repeating these couplets:—
"Thou wast all taken up with love of other man, not me; * 'Twas thine to show me severance face, ’twas only mine to see:
I'll leave thee for that first thou wast of me to take thy leave * And patient bear that parting blow thou borest so patiently:
E'en as thou soughtest other love, so other love I'll seek, * And make the crime of murdering love thine own atrocity."
When he had ended his verses he again cried out to the slave, "Cut her in half and free us from her, for we have no profit of her. So the slave drew near me, O Commander of the Faithful and I ceased bandying verses and made sure of death and, despairing of life, committed my affairs to Almighty Allah, when behold, the old woman rushed in and threw herself at my husband's feet and kissed them and wept and said, "O my son, by the rights of my fosterage and by my long service to thee, I conjure thee pardon this young lady, for indeed she hath done nothing deserving such doom. Thou art a very young man and I fear lest her death be laid at thy door; for it is said:—Whoso slayeth shall be slain. As for this wanton (since thou deemest her such) drive her out from thy doors, from thy love and from thy heart." And she ceased not to weep and importune him till he relented and said, 'I pardon her, but needs must I set on her my mark which shall show upon her all her life." Then he bade the slaves drag me along the ground and lay me out at full length, after stripping me of all my clothes;[FN#350] and when the slaves had so sat upon me that I could not move, he fetched in a rod of quince tree and came down with it upon my body, and continued beating me on the back and sides till I lost consciousness from excess of pain, and I despaired of life. Then he commanded the slaves to take me away as soon as it was dark, together with the old woman to show them the way and throw me upon the floor of the house wherein I dwelt before my marriage. They did their lord's bidding and cast me down in my old home and went their ways. I did not revive from my swoon till dawn appeared, when I applied myself to the dressing of my wounds with ointments and other medicaments; and I medicined myself, but my sides and ribs still showed signs of the rod as thou hast seen. I lay in weakly case and confined to my bed for four months before I was able to rise and health returned to me. At the end of that time I went to the house where all this had happened and found it a ruin; the street had been pulled down endlong and rubbish heaps rose where the building erst was; nor could I learn how this had come about. Then I betook myself to this my sister on my father's side and found her with these two black bitches. I saluted her and told her what had betided me and the whole of my story and she said, "O my sister, who is safe from the despite of Time and secure? Thanks be to Allah who has brought thee off safely;" and she began to say:—
"Such is the World, so bear a patient heart * When riches leave thee and when friends depart!"