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Then by way of subscription, he wrote the following verses:
Ask of my letter what my pen hath written, and the scroll Will tell the passion and the pain that harbour in my soul.
My hand, what while my tears rain down, writes and desire makes moan Unto the paper by the pen of all my weary dole.
My tears roll ever down my cheeks and overflow the page; Nay, I’d ensue them with my blood, if they should cease to roll.
And at the end he added this other verse:
I send thee back herewith the ring I took whilere of thee, Whenas we companied; so send me that thou hadst of me.
Then he folded up Budour’s ring inside the letter and sealing it, gave it to the eunuch, Night ccv.who went in with it to the princess. She took it from him and opening it, found in it her own ring. Then she read the letter and when she understood its purport and knew that her beloved stood behind the curtain, her reason fled and her breast dilated for joy; and she repeated the following verses:
Long, long have I bewailed the sev’rance 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 as well for gladness as for pain.
Then she rose and setting her feet to the wall, strained with all her might upon the iron collar, till she broke it from her neck and snapped the chains; then going forth, she threw herself on Kemerezzeman and kissed him on the mouth, like a pigeon billing. And she embraced him with all the stress of her love and longing and said to him, ‘O my lord, do I wake or sleep and has God indeed vouchsafed us reunion after separation? Praised be He who hath reknit our loves, after despair!’ When the
