TALE OF TAJ AL-MULUK AND THE PRINCESS DUNYA: THE LOVER AND THE LOVED.
Project Gutenberg EPUB3 edition
Burton, Richard Francis, Sir
Now when it was the Hundred-and-twelfth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the young merchant said to Taj al-Muluk, "I did not refuse to show thee my goods save on this account, for I cannot let thee look upon it." Whereupon Taj al-Muluk retorted, "Perforce I must and will see it;" and insisted and became angry. So the youth drew it out from under his thigh, and wept and moaned and redoubled his sighs and groans, and repeated these verses:—
Now blame him not; for blame brings only irk and pain! ✿ Indeed, I spake him sooth but ne'er his ear could gain:
May Allah guard my moon which riseth in the vale ✿ Beside our camp, from loosed robe like skyey plain:[479]
I left him but had Love vouchsafed to leave for me ✿ Some peace in life such leave of him I ne'er had ta'en:
How long he pleaded for my sake on parting morn, ✿ While down his cheeks and mine tears ran in railing rain:
Allah belie me not: the garb of mine excuse ✿ This parting rent, but I will mend that garb again!
No couch is easy to my side, nor on such wise ✿ Aught easeth him, when all alone without me lain:
Time with ill-omened hand hath wrought between us two, ✿ And made my waxing joys to wane and his to wane,
And poured mere grief and woe, what time Time fain had crowned ✿ The bowl he made me drink and gave for him to drain.
When he ended his recitation, quoth Taj al-Muluk, "I see thy conduct without consequence; tell me then why weepest thou at the sight of this rag!" When the young merchant heard speak of the piece of linen, he sighed and answered, "O my lord, my story is a strange and my case out of range, with regard to this piece of linen and to her from whom I brought it and to her who wrought on it these figures and emblems." Hereupon, he spread out the piece of linen, and behold, thereon was the figure of a gazelle wrought in silk and worked with red gold, and facing it was another gazelle traced in silver with a neck-ring of red gold and three bugles[480] of chrysolite upon the ring. When Taj al-Muluk saw the beauty of these figures, he exclaimed, "Glory be to Allah who teacheth man that which he knoweth not!"[481] And his heart yearned to hear the youth's story; so he said to him, "Tell me thy story with her who owned these gazelles." Replied the young man:—Hear, O my Lord, the