Then I sent thee verses whose very sound ✿ Burns the heart of shame with a fiery throe;

Yet the world with falsehood hath falsèd me, ✿ Though Fortune was never so false as thou,

Who dubbest me stranger and homeless one ✿ A witless fool and a slave-girl’s son!

Then he folded the letter and committed it to the nurse and gave her five hundred dinars, saying, “Accept this from me, for by Allah thou hast indeed wearied thyself between us.” She replied, “By Allah, O my lord, my aim is to bring about forgathering between you, though I lose that which my right hand possesseth.” And he said, “May the Lord of All-might requite thee with good!” Then she carried the letter to Mariyah and said to her, “Take this letter; haply it may be the end of the correspondence.” So she took it and breaking it open, read it, and when she had made an end of it, she turned to the nurse and said to her, “This one foisteth lies upon me and asserteth unto me that he hath cities and horsemen and footmen at his command and submitting to his allegiance; and he wisheth of me that which he shall not win; for thou knowest, O nurse, that kings’ sons have sought me in marriage, with presents and rarities; but I have paid no heed unto aught of this; how, then, shall I accept of this fellow, who is the ignoramus of his time and possesseth naught save two caskets of rubies, which he gave to my sire, and indeed he hath taken up his abode in the house of Al-Ghitrif and abideth without silver or gold? Wherefore, Allah upon thee, O nurse, return to him and cut off his hope of me.” Accordingly the nurse rejoined Al-Abbas, without letter or answer; and when she came in to him, he looked at her and saw that she was troubled, and he noted the marks of anger on her face; so he said to her, “What is this plight?” Quoth she, “I cannot set forth to thee that which Mariyah said; for indeed she charged me return to thee without writ or reply.” Quoth he, “O nurse of kings, I would have thee carry her this letter and return not to her without it.” Then he took ink-case and paper and wrote these couplets:—

My secret now to men is known though hidden well and true ✿ By me: enough is that I have of love and love of you:

I left familiars, friends, and kin to weep the loss of me ✿ With floods of tears which like the tide aye flowed and flowed anew:

Then, left my home myself I bore to Baghdad-town one day, ✿ When parting drave me there his pride and cruelty to rue:

I have indeed drained all the bowl whose draught repression[[390]] was ✿ Handed by friend who bitter gourd[[391]] therein for drinking threw.

And, oft as strove I to enjoin the ways of troth and faith, ✿ So often on refusal’s path he left my soul to sue.

Indeed my body molten is with care I’m doomèd dree; ✿ And yet I hoped relenting and to win some grace, my due.