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of his cousin Kuzia Fekan and begged her to go to her and implore her favour for him. “I hear and obey,” answered the old woman and betaking herself to Kuzia Fekan’s palace, interceded with her in his favour. Then she returned to him and said, “Thy cousin salutes thee and will visit thee this night at the middle hour.” Night cxlii.At this he rejoiced and sat down to await the fulfilment of his cousin’s promise. At the appointed hour she came to him, wrapped in a veil of black silk, and aroused him from sleep, saying, “How canst thou pretend to love me, when thou art sleeping, heart-free, after the goodliest fashion?” So he awoke and said, “O desire of my heart, by Allah, I slept not but hoping that thine image might visit me in dreams!” Then she chid him tenderly and repeated the following verses:
Wert thou indeed a lover true and leal, Thou hadst not suffered slumber on thee creep.
O thou who feign’st to walk the ways of love, The watch of passion and desire to keep,
Son of my uncle, sure the eyes of those Who’re love-distraught know not the taste of sleep.
When he heard his cousin’s words, he was abashed before her and rose and excused himself. Then they embraced and complained to each other of the anguish of separation; and thus they did, till the dawn broke and the day flowered forth over the lands; when she rose to depart. At this, Kanmakan wept and sighed and repeated the following verses:
She came to me, after her pride had driven me to despair, She in whose lips the teeth as the pearls of her necklace were.
I kissed her a thousand times and clipped her close in my arms And lay all night with my cheek pressed close to the cheek of the fair;
Till the day, that must sever our loves, as ’twere the blade of a sword That flashes forth of its sheath, gleamed out on us unaware.
Then she took leave of him and returned to her palace.
