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’Tis thou that hast trodden the road of aversion and coyness; not I Vouchsafe me the promised delight, for the time of fulfilment draws nigh.
O thou that mak’st morning to dawn with the lustre and light of thy brows And eke, with thy brow-locks unloosed, the night to sink down from the sky,
Thou hast, with an idol’s aspéct, seduced me and made me thy slave And hast stirred me up troubles galore in many a season past by.
And yet it is just that my heart with the ardour of passion should burn, For the fire is their due who adore aught other than God the Most High.
Thou sellest the like of myself for nothing, yea, free, without price; If needs thou must sell, and no help, take a price, then, of those that would buy.
When he heard this, he said to her, ‘Wilt thou come to my lodging or shall I go with thee to thine?’ At this, she hung her head bashfully and repeated the words of the Most High, ‘Men shall have precedence over women, for that God hath preferred these over those.’[1] By this, Amjed understood that she wished to go with him Night ccxxxi.and felt himself bounden to find a place wherein to receive her, but was ashamed to carry her to the house of his host, the tailor. So he walked on and she followed him from street to street, till she was tired and said to him, ‘O my lord, where is thy house?’ ‘But a little way before us,’ answered he. Then he turned aside into a handsome street, followed by the young lady, and walked on, till he came to the end, when he found it had no issue and exclaimed, ‘There is no power and no virtue but in God the Most High, the Supreme!’ Then, raising his eyes, he saw, at the upper end of the street, a great door, with two stone benches; but it was locked. So he sat down on one of the benches and the lady on the other; and she said to him, ‘O my lord, wherefore waitest thou?’ He bowed his head awhile, then raised it and answered, ‘I am waiting for my servant, who has the key: for I bade him make me ready meat and drink and
- ↑ Koran iv. 38.
