165
princess Budour rose from the throne and betaking herself to the bride-chamber, found the candles lighted and the princess Heyat en Nufous sitting awaiting her; whereupon she bethought her of her husband and recalling the early severance of their loves, wept and sighed and groaned groan upon groan, repeating the following verses:
I swear the tidings of my woes fills all the country-side, Like the sun shining on the hills of Nejed far and wide.
His gesture speaks, but hard to tell the meaning of it is, And thus my yearning without end is ever magnified.
I hate fair patience since the hour I fell in love with thee. Hast seen a lover hating love at any time or tide?
One, in whose glances sickness lies, hath smitten me to death, For looks are deadliest of the things, wherein doth sickness bide.
He shook his clustered ringlets down and laid his chin-band by, And beauty thus in him, at once both black and white, I spied.
Sickness and cure are in his hands; for, to the sick of love, By him alone who caused their dole can healing be applied.
The softness of his waist hath made his girdle mad for love And of his hips, for jealousy, to rise he is denied.
His forehead, covered with his curls, is as a mirky night; Unveiled, ’tis as a shining moon that thrusts the dark aside.
When she had finished, she would have risen to pray, but Heyat en Nufous caught her by the skirt, saying, ‘O my lord, art thou not ashamed to neglect me thus, after all the favour my father hath done thee?’ When Budour heard this, she sat down again and said, ‘O my beloved, what is this thou sayest?’ ‘What I say,’ answered Heyat en Nufous, ‘is that I never saw any so self-satisfied as thou. Is every fair one so disdainful? I say not this to incline thee to me, but only of my fear for thee from King Armanous; for he purposes, an thou go not in to me to-night and do away my maidenhead, to strip thee of the kingship on the morrow and banish thee the realm; and belike his much anger may lead him to kill thee. But I,
