They ceased not to laugh and play, whilst Hasan stood still
a-watching them, forgetting meat and drink, till near the hour of
mid-afternoon prayer, when the beauty, the chief damsel, said to
her mates, "O Kings' daughters, it waxeth late and our land is
afar and we are weary of this stead. Come, therefore, let us
depart to our own place." So they all arose and donned their
feather vests, and becoming birds as they were before, flew away
all together, with the chief lady in their midst. Then, Hasan,
despairing of their return, would have arisen and gone down into
the palace but could not move or even stand; wherefore the tears
ran down his cheeks and passion was sore on him and he recited
these couplets,

"May God deny me boon of troth if I * After your absence sweets
of slumber know:
Yea; since that sev'rance never close mine eyes, * Nor rest
repose me since departed you!
'Twould seem as though you saw me in your sleep; * Would Heaven
the dreams of sleep were real-true!
Indeed I dote on sleep though needed not, * For sleep may bring
me that dear form to view."

Then Hasan walked on, little by little, heeding not the way he
went, till he reached the foot of the stairs, whence he dragged
himself to his own chamber; then he entered and shutting the
door, lay sick eating not nor drinking and drowned in the sea of
his solitude. He spent the night thus, weeping and bemoaning
himself, till the morning, and when it morrowed he repeated these
couplets,