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Be at thine ease, for all things’ destiny Is in His hands who fashioned earth and sea.
Nothing of Him forbidden shall befall Nor aught of Him appointed fail to thee.
And what another saith:
Let the days pass, as they list, and fare, And enter thou not the house of despair.
Full oft, when the quest of a thing is hard, The next hour brings us the end of our care.
And a third:
Be mild what time thou’rt ta’en with anger and despite And patient, if there fall misfortune on thy head.
Indeed, the nights are quick and great with child by Time And of all wondrous things are hourly brought to bed.
And a fourth:
Take patience, for therein is good; an thou be learn’d in it, Thou shalt be calm of soul nor drink of anguish any whit.
And know that if, with a good grace, thou do not thee submit, Yet must thou suffer, will or nill, that which the Pen hath writ.
She abode thus another whole month’s space, judging the folk and commanding and forbidding by day, and by night weeping and bewailing her separation from her lord Ali Shar. On the first day of the fifth month, she bade spread the banquet as usual and sat down at the head of the tables, whilst the people awaited the signal to fall to, leaving the space before the dish of rice vacant. She sat with eyes fixed upon the gate of the tilting-ground, noting all who entered and saying, ‘O Thou that restoredst Joseph to Jacob and didst away the affliction of Job, vouchsafe of Thy power and greatness to restore me my lord Ali Shar; for Thou canst all things! O Lord of all creatures, O Guide of the erring, O Hearer of those that cry, O Answerer of prayer, answer Thou my prayer, O Lord of all creatures!’
Hardly had she made an end of her prayer, when she
