Page:The Celebrated Romance of the Stealing of the Mare.djvu/56

Yieldeth thee to my hand and blindeth thee to thy peril."
And Sahel begun to curse her, and to the tree he drew her.
And she knew her hour was come, and her heart within was shaken.
And he clutched with violent hands at her necklace as for strangling,
Till at his feet on the stones she fell. Ah ! pitiful maiden.
And he bound her with cords and cried, " Confess thy faith e'er thou diest."
And she entreated him, saying "O Sahel, wilt thou not spare me,
So may the Lord requite thee." But he, " There is no sparing."
And to Zohwa she cried " This is he I feared, the son of perdition,
And thou thyself art deceiver." But she answered her with tauntings,
" Be it so, I deceived thee. Go to. We shall see this Sahel
Prove himself of his skill when he loppeth thee, legs and shoulders."
But Alia prayed to Sahel, " Do thou recite the Fatha,
So shall the cup of death to my lips be found less bitter."
But he answered, cc Wert thou blameless, so truly would I recite it ;
The Fatha is not for thee." But she wailed aloud and lamented,