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nor speech. I spoke to him, but he answered me not; and one of his servants said to me, “O my lord, if thou know aught of verse, repeat it, and raise thy voice; and he will be aroused by this and speak with thee.” So I recited the following verses:
Budour’s love hast thou forgotten or art deaf still to her sighs? Wak’st anights, or do thine eyelids close upon thy sleeping eyes?
If thy tears flow fast and freely, night and day long, torrent-wise, Know thou, then, that thou shalt sojourn evermore in Paradise.[1]
When he heard this, he opened his eyes and said, “Welcome, O Ibn Mensour! Verily, the jest is become earnest.” “O my lord,” said I, “is there aught thou wouldst have me do for thee?” “Yes,” answered he; “I would fain write her a letter and send it to her by thee. If thou bring me back an answer, thou shalt have of me a thousand dinars; and if not, two hundred for thy pains.” “Do what seemeth good to thee,” said I. Night cccxxxii So he called to one of his slave-girls for inkhorn and paper and wrote the following verses:
By Allah, O my lady, have ruth on me, I pray! For all my wit by passion is ravished quite away.
Yea, love for thee and longing have mastered me and clad With sickness and bequeathed me abjection and dismay.
Aforetime, O my lady, by love I set small store And deemed it light and easy to bear, until to-day;
But now that Love hath shown me the billows of its sea, Those I excuse, repenting, who languish neath its sway.
Vouchsafe thy grace to grant me; or, if thou wilt me slay, At least, then, for thy victim forget thou not to pray.
Then he sealed the letter and gave it to me. I took it and repairing to Budour’s house, raised the curtain of the door, little by little, as of wont, and looking in, saw ten damsels, high-bosomed maids, like moons, and the lady Budour sitting in their midst, as she were the full moon among stars or the sun, when it is clear of clouds; nor
- ↑ . i.e. as a martyr.
