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 Khafifah 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:
When bound the camels' litters bearing them, * And cries of
drivers urged them on the way,
Outrusht my tears, despair gat hold of me * And sleep betrayed
mine eyes to wake a prey.
The day they went I wept, but showed no ruth * The severance-spy
and flared the flames alwày:
Alas for lowe o' Love that fires me still! * Alack for pine that
melts my heart away!
To whom shall I complain of care, when thou * Art gone, nor fain
a-pillow head I lay?
And day by day Love's ardours grow on me, * And far's the tent
that holds my fondest may:
O Breeze o' Heaven, bear for me a charge * (Nor traitor-like my
troth in love betray!),
Whene'er thou breathest o'er the loved one's land * Greet him
with choice salam fro' me, I pray:
Dust him with musk and powdered ambergris * While time endures!
Such is my wish for aye."
When the damsel had made an end of her song, Al-Abbas swooned away and they sprinkled on him musked rose-water, till he recovered from his fainting-fit, when he called another damsel (now there was on her of linen and raiment and ornaments that which undoeth description, and she was a model of beauty and brightness and loveliness and symmetry and perfect grace, such as shamed the crescent moon, and she was a Turkish girl from the land of the Roum and her name was Háfizah) and said to her, "O Hafizah, close thine eyes and tune thy lute and sing to us upon the days of severance." She answered him, "To hear is to obey" and taking the lute, tightened its strings and cried out from her head,[411] in a plaintive voice, and sang these couplets,
"My friends! tears flow in painful mockery, * And sick my heart
from parting agony:
My frame is wasted and my vitals wrung * And love-fires grow and
eyes set tear-floods free:
And when the fire burns high beneath my ribs * With tears I
quench it as sad day I see.
Love left me wasted, baffled, pain-begone, * Sore frighted, butt
to spying enemy:
When I recal sweet union wi' their loves * I chase dear sleep
from the sick frame o' me.
Long as our parting lasts the rival joys * And spies with fearful
prudence gain their gree.
I fear me for my sickly, langourous frame * Lest dread of parting
slay me incontinently."
When Hafizah had ended her song, Al-Abbas cried to her, "Brava! Verily, thou quickenest hearts from griefs." Then he called another maiden of the daughters of Daylam by name Marjánah, and said to her, "O Marjanah, sing to me upon the days of parting." She said, "Hearing and obeying," and recited these couplets,
"'Cleave to fair Patience! Patience 'gendereth weal': * Such is
the rede to us all sages deal:
How oft I plained the lowe of grief and love * Mid passions cast
my soul in sore unheal.
How oft I waked and drained the bitter cup * And watched the
stars, nor sleep mine eyes would seal!
Enough it were an deal you grace to me * In writ a-morn and
garred no hope to feel.
But Thoughts which probed its depths would sear my heart * And
start from eye-brows streams that ever steal:
Nor cease I suffering baleful doom and nights * Wakeful, and
heart by sorrows rent piece-meal:
But Allah purged my soul from love of you * When all knew secrets
cared I not reveal.
I march to-morrow from your country and * Haply you'll speed me
nor fear aught unweal;
And, when in person you be far from us, * Would heaven we knew
who shall your news reveal.
Who kens if home will e'er us two contain * In dearest life with
union naught can stain!"
When Marjanah had made an end of her song, the Prince said to her, "Brava, O damsel! Indeed, thou sayest a thing which had occurred to my mind and my tongue was near to speaking it." Then he signed to the fourth damsel, who was a Cairene, by name Sitt al-Husn, and bade her tune her lute and sing to him upon the same theme. So the Lady of Beauty tuned her lute and sang these couplets,
"Patience is blest for weal comes after woe * And all things
stated time and ordinance show;
Haps the Sultan, hight Fortune, prove unjust * Shifting the
times, and man excuse shall know:
Bitter ensueth sweet in law of change * And after crookedness
things straightest grow.
Then guard thine honour, nor to any save * The noble knowledge of
the hid bestow:
These be vicissitudes the Lord commands * Poor men endure, the
sinner and the low."
When Al-Abbas heard her make an end of her verses, they pleased him and he said to her, "Brava, O Sitt al-Husn! Indeed, thou hast done away with anxiety from my heart and hast banished the things which had occurred to my thought." Then he sighed and signing to the fifth damsel, who was from the land of the Persians and whose name was Marzíyah (now she was the fairest of them all and the sweetest of speech and she was like unto a lustrous star, a model of beauty and loveliness and perfection and brightness and justness of shape and symmetric grace and had a face like the new moon and eyes as they were gazelle's eyes) and said to her, "O Marziyah, come forward and tune thy lute and sing to us on the same theme, for indeed we are resolved upon faring to the land of Al-Yaman." Now this maiden had met many of the monarchs and had foregathered with the great; so she tuned her lute and sang these couplets,
"Friend of my heart why leave thou lone and desolate these eyne?
* Fair union of our lots ne'er failed this sitting-stead of
mine!
And ah! who dwellest singly in the heart and sprite of me, * (Be
I thy ransom!) desolate for loss of friend I pine!
By Allah! O thou richest form in charms and loveliness, * Give
alms to lover who can show of patience ne'er a sign!
Alms of what past between us tway (which ne'er will I divulge) *
Of privacy between us tway that man shall ne'er divine:
Grant me approval of my lord whereby t' o'erwhelm the foe * And
let my straitness pass away and doubtful thoughts malign:
Approof of thee (an gained the meed) for me high rank shall gain
* And show me robed in richest weed to eyes of envy fain."