O ye who broke up camp, you've left behind ○ My spirit wearied and my heart a-cold:
In my hearts core ye dwell, and now these eyne ○ Roll blood-drops with the tears they whilome rolled:
The absent will I ransom with my soul; ○ All can my yearning for their sight behold:
I have an eye whose babe,[1] for love of thee, ○ Rejected sleep nor hath its tears controlled.
The foeman bids me patient bear his loss, ○ Ne'er may mine ears accept the ruth he doled!
I tricks their deme of me, and won my wish ○ Of Kamar al-Zaman's joys manifold:
He joins all perfect gifts like none before, ○ Boasted such might and main no King of old:
Seeing his gifts, Bin Zá'idah's[2] largesse ○ Forget we, and Mu'áwiyah mildest-soul'd:[3]
Were verse not feeble and o'er short the time ○ I had in laud of him used all of rhyme.
Then Queen Budur stood up and wiped away her tears and, making the lesser ablution,[4] applied her to pray: nor did she give over praying till drowsiness overcame the Lady Hayat al-Nufus and she slept, whereupon the Lady Budur came and lay by her till the morning. At daybreak, she arose and prayed the dawn-prayer; and presently seated herself on the royal throne and passed the day in ordering and counter ordering and giving laws and administering justice. This is how it fared with her; but as regards King Armanus he went in to his daughter and asked her how she did; so she told him all that had befallen her and repeated to him the verses which Queen Budur had recited, adding, "O my father, never saw I one more abounding in sound sense and modesty than my husband, save that he cloth nothing but weep and sigh." He answered, "O my daughter, have patience with
- ↑ Arab. "Insánu-há"=her (i.e. their) man: i.e. the babes of the eyes: the Assyrian Ishon, dim. of Ish=Man; which the Hebrews call "Bábat" or "Bit" (the daughter) the Arabs "Bubu (or Hadakat) al-Aye"; the Persians "Mardumak-i-chashm" (mannikin of the eye); the Greeks i`k0 and the Latins pupa, pupula, pupilla. I have noted this in the Lyricks of Camoens (p. 449).
- ↑ Ma'an bin Záidah, a soldier and statesman of the eighth century.
- ↑ The mildness of the Caliph Mu'áwiyah, the founder of the Ommiades, proverbial among the Arabs, much resembles the "meekness" of Moses the Law-giver, which commentators seem to think has been foisted into Numbers xii. 3.
- ↑ Showing that there had been no consummation of the marriage which would have demanded "Ghusl," or total ablution, at home or in the Hammam.