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When he had finished, Nuzhet ez Zeman lifted up a corner of the curtain of the litter and looked at him. As soon as her eyes fell on him, she knew him for certain and cried out, “O my brother! O Zoulmekan!” He looked at her and knew her and cried out, “O my sister! O Nuzhet ez Zeman!” Then she threw herself upon him, and he received her in his arms, and they both fell down in a swoon. When the eunuch saw this, he wondered and throwing over them somewhat to cover them, waited till they should recover. After awhile, they came to themselves, and Nuzhet ez Zeman rejoiced exceedingly. Grief and anxiety left her and joys flocked upon her and she repeated the following verses:
Fate swore ’twould never cease to plague my life and make me rue. Thou hast not kept thine oath, O Fate; so look thou penance do.
Gladness is come and my belov’d is here to succour me; So rise unto the summoner of joys, and quickly too.
I had no faith in Paradise of olden time, until I won the nectar of its streams from lips of damask hue.
When Zoulmekan heard this, he pressed his sister to his breast, whilst, for the excess of his joy, the tears streamed from his eyes and he repeated the following verses:
Long time have I bewailed the severance of our loves, With tears that from my lids streamed down like burning rain,
And vowed that, if the days should reunite us two, My lips should never speak of severance again.
Joy hath o’erwhelmed me so, that, for the very stress Of that which gladdens me, to weeping I am fain.
Tears are become to you a habit, O my eyes, So that ye weep alike for gladness and for pain.
They sat awhile at the door of the litter, conversing, till she said to him, “Come with me into the litter and tell me all that has befallen thee, and I will do the like.” So they entered and Zoulmekan said, “Do thou begin.” Accordingly, she told him all that had happened to her since
