Who should there be, 'mongst the riders on camels with haltered
head, Save a lover whose dear-beloved the camel-litters
contain!
A moon, in your tents that rises, to Allah I commend, One my
heart loves and tenders, shut in from the sight of her
swain.
Anon she is kind, anon angry: how goodly her coquetry is! For all
that is done of a loved one must needs to her lover be fain.
When I had finished, she said to me, "God assain thy body and
sweeten thy voice! Verily, thou art perfect in beauty and good
breeding and singing. But now rise and return to thy place, ere
the lady Dunya come back, lest she find thee not and he wroth
with thee." So I kissed the earth before her and the old woman
forewent me to the door whence I came. I entered and going up to
the couch, found that my wife had come back and was lying asleep
there. So I sat down at her feet and rubbed them; whereupon she
opened her eyes and seeing me, drew up her feet and gave me a
kick that threw me off the couch, saying, "O traitor, thou hast
been false to thine oath and hast perjured thyself. Thou sworest
to me that thou wouldst not stir from thy place; yet didst thou
break thy promise and go to the lady Zubeideh. By Allah, but that
I fear scandal, I would pull down the palace over her head!" Then
said she to her black slave, "Harkye, Sewab, arise and strike off
this lying traitor's head, for we have no further need of him.
Pages:
503
504
505
506
507
508
509
510
511
512
513
514
515
516
517
518
519
520
521
522
523
524
525
526
527