from her cheeks the envious veil that hid them she had
ta'en.
She shot at me a shaft that reached my heart and I became The
bond- man of despair, worn out with effort all in vain.
Fawn of the palace, knowst thou not that I, to look on thee, The
world have traversed, far and wide, o'er many a hill and
plain?
Read then my writ and pity thou the blackness of my fate, Sick,
love- distraught, without a friend to whom I may complain.

Now the merchant's wife aforesaid, who was the nurse of the
king's daughter, was watching him from a window, unknown of him,
and [when she heard his verses], she knew that there hung some
rare story by him; so she went in to him and said, "Peace be on
thee, O afflicted one, who acquaintest not physician with thy
case! Verily, thou exposest thyself unto grievous peril! I
conjure thee by the virtue of Him who hath afflicted thee and
stricken thee with the constraint of love-liking, that thou
acquaint me with thine affair and discover to me the truth of thy
secret; for that indeed I have heard from thee verses that
trouble the wit and dissolve the body." So he acquainted her with
his case and enjoined her to secrecy, whereof she consented unto
him, saying, "What shall be the recompense of whoso goeth with
thy letter and bringeth thee an answer thereto?" He bowed his
head for shamefastness before her [and was silent]; and she said
to him, "Raise thy head and give me thy letter." So he gave her
the letter and she took it and carrying it to the princess, said
to her, "Read this letter and give me the answer thereto."

Now the liefest of all things to Mariyeh was the recitation of