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do not thou commit sin on me, for I am a stranger and come from
Jerusalem, and Abraham the Friend of God be with thee! Come
thou with me, rejoined the eunuch, and tell my lady this with
thine own mouth, for I see none awake but thee. Quoth the
stoker, Hast thou not seen me sitting here and dost thou not
know my station? Thou knowest none can stir from his place,
except the guards seize him. So go thou to thy mistress and if
thou hear any one reciting again, whether it be near or far, it
will be I or some one whom I shall know, and thou shalt not know
of him but by me. Then he kissed the eunuch s head and spoke him
fair, till he went away; but he made a circuit and returning
secretly, came and hid himself behind the stoker, fearing to go
back to his mistress empty-handed. As soon as he was gone, the
stoker aroused Zoulmekan and said to him, Awake and sit up, that
I may tell thee what has happened. So Zoulmekan sat up, and the
stoker told him what had passed, and he answered, Let me alone;
I will take no heed of this and I care for none, for I am near my
own country. Quoth the stoker, Why wilt thou obey thine own
inclinations and the promptings of the devil? If thou fearest no
one, I fear for thee and myself; so God on thee, recite no more
verses, till thou come to thine own country! Indeed, I had not
thought thee so self-willed. Dost thou not know that this lady is
the wife of the Chamberlain and is minded to chide thee for
disturbing her. Belike, she is ill or restless for fatigue, and
this is the second time she hath sent the eunuch to look for
thee. However, Zoulmekan paid no heed to him, but cried out a
third time and repeated the following verses:
The carping tribe I needs must flee; Their railing chafes my
misery.
They blame and chide at me nor know They do but fan the flame in
me.
She is consoled, they say. And I, Can one consoled for country
be?
Quoth they, How beautiful she is! And I, How dear-belov d is
she!
How high her rank! say they; and I, How base is my humility!
Now God forfend I leave to love, Deep though I drink of agony!
Nor will I heed the railing race, Who carp at me for loving thee.
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Hardly had he made an end of these verses when the eunuch, who
had heard him from his hiding, came up to him; whereupon the
stoker fled and stood afar off, to see what passed between them.
Then said the eunuch to Zoulmekan, Peace be on thee, O my lord!
And on thee be peace, replied Zoulmekan, and the mercy of God
and His blessing! O my lord, continued the eunuch, this is
the third time I have sought thee this night, for my mistress
bids thee to her. Quoth Zoulmekan, Whence comes this bitch that
seeks for me? May God curse her and her husband too! And he
began to revile the eunuch, who could make him no answer, because
his mistress had charged him to do Zoulmekan no violence nor
bring him, save of his free will, and if he would not come, to
give him the thousand dinars. So he began to speak him fair and
say to him, O my lord, take this (purse) and go with me. We will
do thee no unright nor wrong thee in aught; but we would have
thee bend thy gracious steps with me to my mistress, to speak
with her and return in peace and safety; and thou shalt have a
handsome present. When Zoulmekan heard this, he arose and went
with the eunuch, stepping over the sleeping folk, whilst the
stoker followed them at a distance, saying to himself, Alas, the
pity of his youth! To-morrow they will hang him. How base it will
be of him, if he say it was I who bade him recite the verses!
And he drew near to them and stood, watching them, without their
knowledge, till they came to Nuzhet ez Zeman s tent, when the
eunuch went in to her and said, O my lady, I have brought thee
him whom thou soughtest, and he is a youth, fair of face and
bearing the marks of gentle breeding. When she heard this, her
heart fluttered and she said, Let him recite some verses, that I
may hear him near at hand, and after ask him his name and
extraction. So the eunuch went out to Zoulmekan and said to him,
Recite what verses thou knowest, for my lady is here hard by,
listening to thee, and after I will ask thee of thy name and
extraction and condition. Willingly, replied he; but as for
my name, it is blotted out and my trace among men is passed away
and my body wasted. I have a story, the beginning of which is not
known nor can the end of it be described, and behold, I am even
as one who hath exceeded in drinking wine, till he hath lost the
mastery of himself and is afflicted with distempers and wanders
from his right mind, being perplexed about his case and drowned
in the sea of melancholy. When Nuzhet ez Zeman heard this, she
broke out into loud weeping and sobbing and said to the eunuch,
Ask him if he have lost a beloved one, such as his father or
mother. The eunuch did as she bade him, and Zoulmekan replied,
Yes, I have lost all whom I loved: but the dearest of all to me
was my sister, from whom Fate hath parted me. When Nuzhet ez
Zeman heard this, she exclaimed, May God the Most High reunite
him with those he loves! Then said she to the eunuch, Tell him
to let me hear somewhat on the subject of his separation from his
people and his country. The eunuch did so, and Zoulmekan sighed
heavily and repeated the following verses:
70
Ah, would that I knew they were ware Of the worth of the heart
they have won!
Would I knew through what passes they fare, From what quarter
they look on the sun! Are they living, I wonder, or dead?
Can it be that their life s race is run?
Ah, the lover is ever distraught And his life for misgivings
undone!
And also these:
I vow, if e er the place shall bless my longing sight, Wherein my
sister dwells, the age s dear delight,[FN65]
I ll take my fill of life and all the sweets of peace, Midst
trees and flowing streams: and maidens fair and bright
The lute s enchanting tones shall soothe me to repose, What while
I quaff full cups of wine like living light
And honeyed dews of love suck from the deep-red lips Of lovelings
sleepy-eyed, with tresses black as night.
When he had finished, Nuzhet ez Zeman lifted up a corner of the
curtain of the litter and looked at him. As soon as her eyes fell
on him, she knew him for certain and cried out, O my brother! O
Zoulmekan! He looked at her and knew her and cried out, O my
sister! O Nuzhet ez Zeman! Then she threw herself upon him, and
he received her in his arms, and they both fell down in a swoon.
When the eunuch saw this, he wondered and throwing over them
somewhat to cover them, waited till they should recover. After
awhile, they came to themselves, and Nuzhet ez Zeman rejoiced
exceedingly. Grief and anxiety left her and joys flocked upon her
and she repeated the following verses:
Fate swore twould never cease to plague my life and make me rue.
Thou hast not kept thine oath, O Fate; so look thou penance
do.
Gladness is come and my belov d is here to succour me; So rise
unto the summoner of joys, and quickly too.
I had no faith in Paradise of olden time, until I won the nectar
of its streams from lips of damask hue.
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