And as her longing and passion redoubled and love
and distraction were sore upon her, she poured forth tears and
repeated the following verses:
My longing after thee, my moon, my foeman is; The thought of thee
by night doth comrade with me dwell.
I pass the darksome hours, and in my bosom flames A fire, for
heat that's like the very fire of hell.
I'm smitten with excess of ardour and desire; By which my pain is
grown an anguish fierce and fell.
Then she sighed and repeated these also:
My peace on the belov?d ones, where'er they light them down! I
weary for the neighbourhood of those I love, full sore.
My salutation unto you,--not that of taking leave, But greetings
of abundant peace, increasing evermore!
For, of a truth, I love you dear and love your land no less; But
woe is me! I'm far away from that I weary for.
Then she wept till her eyes grew weak and her cheeks pale and
withered: and thus she abode three years. Now she had a
foster-brother, by name Merzewan, who was absent from her all
this time, travelling in far countries. He loved her with an
exceeding love, passing that of brothers; so when he came back,
he went in to his mother and asked for his foster-sister the
princess Budour.
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