Arabian Nights Anonymous Vol3

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man and I also. O Vizier, said Merzewan, I conjure thee by
Allah, tell me of thy favour, the cause of this youth s malady.
I know none, answered the Vizier, save that, three years ago,
his father pressed him to marry, but he refused; whereat the King
was wroth and imprisoned him. On the morrow, he would have it
that he had had, for a bedfellow, the night before, a young lady
of surpassing beauty, beggaring description, with whom he had
exchanged rings; but we know not the meaning of all this. So by
Allah, O my son, when thou comest up into the palace, look not on
the prince, but go thy way; for the King s heart is full of anger
against me. By Allah, said Merzewan in himself, this is he
whom I sought! Then he followed the Vizier up to the palace,
where the latter seated himself at the prince s feet; but
Merzewan must needs go up to Kemerezzeman and stand before him,
gazing on him. At this, the Vizier was like to die of affright
and signed to Merzewan to go his way; but he feigned not to see
him and gave not over gazing upon Kemerezzeman, till he was
assured that it was indeed he of whom he was in search. Then,
Glory be to God, cried he, who hath made his shape even as her
shape and his complexion as her complexion and his cheek as her
cheek! At this Kemerezzeman opened his eyes and gave ear to his
speech; and when Merzewan saw him listening, he repeated the
following verses:
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I see thee full of song and plaint and ecstasy amain, And to the
setting forth in words of charms I find thee fain.
Can it be love hath wounded thee or art thou shot with shafts?
For sure these fashions but belong unto a smitten swain.
Ho, pour me out full cups of wine and sing me eke, in praise Of
Tenam, Suleyma, Reb�b,[FN35] a glad and lovesome strain!
Yea, let the grape-vine s sun[FN36] go round, whose mansion is
its jar, Whose East the cupbearer and West my thirsty mouth
I feign.
I m jealous of the very clothes she dights upon her side, For
that upon her body soft and delicate they ve lain;
And eke I m envious of the cups that touch her dainty lips, When
to the kissing-place she sets them ever and again.
Think not that I in anywise with sword am done to death; Tis by
the arrows of a glance, alack! that I am slain.
Whenas we met again, I found her fingers dyed with red, As twere
the juice of tragacanth had steeped them in its stain.
Said I to her, Thou st dyed thy palms,[FN37] whilst I was far
away. This then is how the slave of love is quited for his
pain.
Quoth she (and cast into my heart the flaming fires of love,
Speaking as one who hath no care love s secret to contain),
No, by thy life, this is no dye I ve used! So haste thou not To
heap accusings on my head and slander me in vain.
For, when I saw thee get thee gone upon our parting day, My eyes,
for very dreariment, with tears of blood did rain.
I wiped them with my hand, and so my fingers with my blood Were
all to-reddened and do yet their ruddy tint retain.
Had I for very passion wept, or e er my mistress did, I should,
before repentance came, have solaced heart and brain;
But she before my weeping wept; her tears drew mine and so Quoth
I, Unto the precedent the merit doth pertain.
Chide not at me for loving her, for by Love s self I swear, My
heart with anguish for her sake is well-nigh cleft in twain.
I weep for one whose face is decked by Beauty s self; there s
none, Arab or foreigner, to match with her, in hill or
plain.
The lore of Locman[FN38] hath my love and Mary s chastity, with
Joseph s loveliness to boot and David s songful vein;
Whilst Jacob s grief to me belongs and Jonah s dreariment, Ay,
and Job s torment and despite and Adam s plight of bane.
Slay ye her not, although I die for love of her, but ask, How
came it lawful unto her to shed my blood in vain.
When Kemerezzeman heard these verses, they brought refreshment
and healing to his heart, and he sighed and turning his tongue in
his mouth, said to the King, O my father, let this young man
come and sit by my side. The King, hearing these words from his
son, rejoiced exceedingly, though at the first he had been wroth
with Merzewan and thought in himself to have stricken off his
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head: but when he heard Kemerezzeman speak, his anger left him
and he arose and drawing Merzewan to him, made him sit down by
his son and said to him, Praised be God for thy safety! May
God bless thee, answered Merzewan, and preserve thy son to
thee! Then said the King, From what country comest thou?
From the Islands of the Inland Sea, replied he, the kingdom of
King Gha�our, lord of the Islands and the seas and the Seven
Palaces. Quoth the King, Maybe thy coming shall be blessed to
my son and God vouchsafe to heal him of his malady. God
willing, rejoined Merzewan, all shall yet be well. Then
turning to Kemerezzeman, he said to him in his ear, unheard of
the King and his court, Be of good cheer, O my lord, and take
heart and courage. As for her for whose sake thou art thus, ask
not of her condition on thine account. Thou keptest thy secret
and fellest sick, but she discovered hers and they said she was
mad; and she is now in prison, with an iron chain about her neck,
in most piteous case; but, God willing, the healing of both of
you shall be at my hand. When Kemerezzeman heard this, his life
returned to him and he took heart and courage and signed to his
father to help him sit up; at which the King was like to lose his
reason for joy and lifting him up, set two pillows for him
to lean upon. Then, of his fear for his son, he shook the
handkerchief of dismissal and all the Amirs and Viziers withdrew;
after which he bade perfume the palace with saffron and decorate
the city, saying to Merzewan, By Allah, O my son, thou hast a
lucky and a blessed aspect! And he made much of him and called [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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