She came on the day when departure afflicted, in black robes, biting her fingers like one regretful, confounded:
And night lowered on her morn, and a branch supported them both, and she bit into crystal with pearls.
Then did the company set high his value, and deem that his steady rain was a plenteous one; and they made pleasant their converse with him, and gave him goodly clothing. Said the teller of this story: Now when I saw the blazing of his firebrand, and the gleam of his unveiled brightness, I fixed a long look to guess at him, and made my eye to stray over his countenance. And lo! he was our Shaykh of Seruj; but now his dark night was moon-lit. Then I congratulated myself on his coming thither, and hastened to kiss his hand: and said to him, "What has changed thy appearance, so that I could not recognize thee? what has made thy beard gray, so that I knew not thy countenance?" And he indited and said:
The stroke of calamities makes us hoary, and fortune to men is a changer.
If it yields to-day to any, to-morrow it overcomes him.
Trust not the gleam of its lightning, for it is a deceitful gleam.
But be patient if it hounds calamities against thee, and drives them on.
For there is no disgrace on the pure gold when it is turned about in the fire.
Then he rose and departed from his place, and carried away our hearts with him.