Love thou didst show me till I learnt its woe ✿ Then to the growth of grief didst severance show:
I banisht joys of slumber after you ✿ And e’en my pillow garred my wake to grow.
How long in parting shall I pine with pain ✿ While severance-spies[[410]] through night watch every throe?
I’ve left my kingly couch and self withdrew ✿ Therefrom, and taught mine eyelids sleep t’ unknow:
’Twas thou didst teach me what I ne’er can bear: ✿ Then didst thou waste my frame with parting-blow.
By oath I swear thee, blame and chide me not: ✿ Be kind to mourner Love hath stricken low!
For parting-rigours drive him nearer still ✿ To narrow home, ere clad in shroud for clo’:
Have ruth on me, since Love laid waste my frame, ✿ ’Mid thralls enrolled me and lit fires that flame.
Mariyah rolled up the letter and gave it to Shafikah, bidding her bear it to Al-Abbas. Accordingly she took it and going with it to his door, proceeded to enter; but the chamberlains and serving-men forbade her, till they had obtained her leave from the Prince. When she went into him, she found him sitting in the midst of the five damsels before mentioned, whom his father had brought for him; so she gave him the letter and he tare it open and read it. Then he bade one of the damsels, whose name was Khafífah and who came from the land of China, tune her lute and sing anent separation. Thereupon she came forward and tuning her lute, played thereon in four-and-twenty modes: after which she returned to the first and sang these couplets:—
Our friends, when leaving us on parting-day, ✿ Drave us in wolds of severance-grief to stray: