for him. They questioned her of her case and she told them how
she was heavy at heart for her brother, because he was sick and
for ten days no food had found way into his stomach. So they
asked the cause of his sickness and she answered, "The reason was
our severance from him and our leaving him desolate; for these
days we have been absent from him were longer to him than a
thousand years and scant blame to him, seeing he is a stranger,
and solitary and we left him alone, with none to company with him
or hearten his heart; more by token that he is but a youth and
may be he called to mind his family and his mother, who is a
woman in years, and bethought him that she weepeth for him all
whiles of the day and watches of the night, ever mourning his
loss; and we used to solace him with our society and divert him
from thinking of her." When her sisters heard these words they
wept in the stress of their distress for him and said,
"Wa'll hi--'fore Allah, he is not to blame!" Then they went out
to the army and dismissed it, after which they went into Hasan
and saluted him with the salam. When they saw his charms changed
with yellow colour and shrunken body, they wept for very pity and
sat by his side and comforted him and cheered him with converse,
relating to him all they had seen by the way of wonders and
rarities and what had befallen the bridegroom with the bride.
They abode with him thus a whole month, tendering him and
caressing him with words sweeter than syrup; but every day
sickness was added to his sickness, which when they saw, they
bewept him with sore weeping, and the youngest wept even more
than the rest. At the end of this time, the Princesses having
made up their minds to ride forth a-hunting and a-birding invited
their sister to accompany them, but she said, "By Allah, O my
sisters, I cannot go forth with you whilst my brother is in this