away from him this thought, and the damsel had no whit of
knowledge of him. Then she broke out again into song and chanted
the following verses:

"Forget him," quoth my censurers, "forget him; what is he?" "If I
forget him, ne'er may God," quoth I, "remember me!"
Now God forbid a slave forget his liege lord's love! And how Of
all things in the world should I forget the love of thee?
Pardon of God for everything I crave, except thy love, For on the
day of meeting Him, that will my good deed be.

Then she drank three cups and filling the old man other three,
sang the following verses:

His love he'd have hid, but his tears denounced him to the spy,
For the heat of a red-hot coal that 'twixt his ribs did lie.
Suppose for distraction he seek in the Spring and its blooms one
day, The face of his loved one holds the only Spring for his
eye.
O blamer of me for the love of him who denieth his grace, Which
be the delightsome of things, but those which the people
deny?
A sun [is my love;] but his heat in mine entrails still rageth,
concealed; A moon, in the hearts of the folk he riseth, and
not in the sky.

When she had made an end of her song, she threw the lute from her
hand and wept, whilst the old man wept for her weeping. Then she
fell down in a swoon and presently coming to herself, filled the
cup and drinking it off, gave the old man to drink, after which