Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night - Volume 5.djvu/72

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  Quoth I (while longing fires flame high and fierce *      In heart, and wasting life's vitality,   And tears like gouts of blood go railing down *      In torrents over cheeks now pale of blee),   'None e'er trod earth that was not born to woe, *      But I will patient dree mine agony,   So help me Allah! till that happy day *      When with my mistress I unite shall be:   Then will I spend my good on lover-wights, *      Who're of my tribe and of the faith of me;   And loose the very birds from jail set free, *      And change my grief for gladdest gree and glee!'"

Then he went on to the third cage, wherein he found a mockingbird [FN#61] which, when it saw him, set up a song, and he recited the following couplets,

  "Pleaseth me yon Hazar of mocking strain *      Like voice of lover pained by love in vain.   Woe's me for lovers! Ah how many men *      By nights and pine and passion low are lain!   As though by stress of love they had been made *      Morn-less and sleep-less by their pain and bane.   When I went daft for him who conquered me *      And pined for him who proved of proudest strain,   My tears in streams down trickled and I cried *      'These long-linkt tears bind like an adamant-chain:'   Grew concupiscence, severance long, and I *      Lost Patience' hoards and grief waxed sovereign:   If Justice bide in world and me unite *      With him I love and Allah veil us deign,   I'll strip my clothes that he my form shall sight *      With parting, distance, grief, how poor of plight!"

Then he went to the fourth cage, where he found a Bulbul [FN#62] which, at sight of him, began to sway to and fro and sing its plaintive descant; and when he heard its complaint, he burst into tears and repeated these couplets.

  "The Bulbul's note, whenas dawn is nigh, *      Tells the lover from strains of strings to fly:   Complaineth for passion Uns al-Wujud, *      For pine that would being to him deny.