Me, till I stricken was therewith, to love thou didst excite, And
with estrangement now, alas! heap'st sorrows on my spright.
The sweet of slumber after thee I have forsworn; indeed The loss
of thee hath smitten me with trouble and affright.
How long shall I, in weariness, for this estrangement pine, What
while the spies of severance[FN#106] do watch me all the
night?
My royal couch have I forsworn, sequestering myself From all, and
have mine eyes forbid the taste of sleep's delight.
Thou taught'st me what I cannot bear; afflicted sore am I; Yea,
thou hast wasted me away with rigour and despite.
Yet, I conjure thee, blame me not for passion and desire, Me whom
estrangement long hath brought to sick and sorry plight.
Sore, sore doth rigour me beset, its onslaughts bring me near
Unto the straitness of the grave, ere in the shroud I'm
dight.
So be thou kind to me, for love my body wasteth sore, The thrall
of passion I'm become its fires consume me quite.

Mariyeh folded the letter and gave it to Shefikeh, bidding her
carry it to El Abbas. So she took it and going with it to his
door, would have entered; but the chamberlains and serving-men
forbade her, till they had gotten her leave from the prince. When
she went in to him, she found him sitting in the midst of the
five damsels aforesaid, whom his father had brought him. So she
gave him the letter and he took it and read it. Then he bade one
of the damsels, whose name was Khefifeh and who came from the
land of China, tune her lute and sing upon the subject of
separation. So she came forward and tuning the lute, played