第19章

Now the Princesses were standing at the door and when they heard his verses，they said to her，'O King's daughter，hearest thou the words of this mortal？ How canst thou blame us，seeing that he maketh poetry for love of thee and indeed he hath so done a thousand times.'[77]When she heard this she rejoiced and was glad and felt happy and Hasan abode with her forty[78] days in all solace and delight；joyance and happiest plight，whilst the damsels renewed festivities for him every day and overwhelmed him with bounty and presents and rarities；and the King's daughter became reconciled to her sojourn amongst them and forgot her kith and kin.At the end of the forty days，Hasan saw in a dream，one night，his mother mourning for him and indeed her bones were wasted and her body had waxed shrunken and her complexion had yellowed and her favour had changed the while he was in excellent case.When she saw him in this state，she said to him，'O my son，O Hasan，how is it that thou livest thy worldly life at thine ease and forgettest me？ Look at my plight since thy loss！ I do not forget thee，nor will my tongue cease to name thy name till I die；and I have made thee a tomb in my house，that I may never forget thee.Would Heaven I knew[79] if I shall live，O my son，to see thee by my side and if we shall ever again foregather as we were.' Thereupon Hasan awoke from sleep，weeping and wailing，the tears railed down his cheeks like rain and he became mournful and melancholy；his tears dried not nor did sleep visit him，but he had no rest，and no patience was left to him.When he arose，the Princesses came in to him and gave him good-morrow and made merry with him as was their wont；but he paid no heed to them；so they asked his wife concerning his case and she said，'I ken not.' Quoth they，'Question him of his condition.' So she went up to him and said，'What aileth thee，O my lord？'

Whereupon he moaned and groaned and told her what he had seen in his dream and repeated these two couplets；'Indeed afflicted sore are we and all distraught，* Seeking for union；yet we find no way：

And Love's calamities upon us grow * And Love though light with heaviest weight doth weigh.'

His wife repeated to the Princesses what he said and they；hearing the verses，had pity on him and said to him，'In Allah's name，do as thou wilt，for we may not hinder thee from visiting thy mother；nay，we will help thee to thy wish by what means we may.But it behoveth that thou desert us not，but visit us；though it be only once a year.'And he answered，'To hear is to obey： be your behest on my head and eyes！'Then they arose forthright and making him ready victual for the voyage，equipped the bride for him with raiment and ornaments and everything of price，such as defy deion，and they bestowed on him gifts and presents which pens of ready writers lack power to set forth.

Then they beat the magical kettle-drum and up came the dromedaries from all sides.They chose of them such as could carry all the gear they had prepared；amongst the rest five-and-twenty chests of gold and fifty of silver；and，mounting Hasan and his bride on others，rode with them three days，wherein they accomplished a march of three months.Then they bade them farewell and addressed themselves to return；whereupon his sister，the youngest damsel，threw herself on Hasan's neck and wept till she fainted.When she came to herself，she repeated these two couplets；'Ne'er dawn the severance-day on any wise * That robs of sleep these heavy-lidded eyes.

From us and thee it hath fair union torn * It wastes our force and makes our forms its prize.'

Her verses finished she farewelled him，straitly charging him；whenas he should have come to his native land and have foregathered with his mother and set his heart at ease，to fail not of visiting her once in every six months and saying，'If aught grieve thee or thou fear aught of vexation，beat the Magian's kettle-drum，whereupon the dromedaries shall come to thee；and do thou mount and return to us and persist not in staying away.' He swore thus to do and conjured them to go home.

So they returned to the palace，mourning for their separation from him，especially the youngest，with whom no rest would stay nor would Patience her call obey，but she wept night and day.

Thus it was with them；but as regards Hasan and his wife，they fared on by day and night over plain and desert site and valley and stony heights through noon-tide glare and dawn's soft light；

and Allah decreed them safety，so that they reached Bassorah-city without hindrance and made their camels kneel at the door of his house.Hasan then dismissed the dromedaries and，going up to the door to open it，heard his mother weeping and in a faint strain；from a heart worn with parting-pain and on fire with consuming bane，reciting these couplets；'How shall he taste of sleep who lacks repose * Who wakes a-night when all in slumber wone？

He owned wealth and family and fame * Yet fared from house and home an exile lone：

Live coal beneath his[80] ribs he bears for bane，* And mighty longing，mightier ne'er was known：

Passion hath seized him，Passion mastered him；* Yet is he constant while he maketh moan：

His case for Love proclaimeth aye that he，* （As prove his tears）

is wretched，woebegone.'

When Hasan heard his mother weeping and wailing he wept also and knocked at the door a loud knock.Quoth she，'Who is at the door？'；and quoth he，'Open！'Whereupon she opened the door and knowing him at first sight fell down in a fainting fit；but he ceased not to tend her till she came to herself，when he embraced her and she embraced him and kissed him，whilst his wife looked on mother and son.Then he carried his goods and gear into the house，whilst his mother，for that her heart was comforted and Allah had reunited her with her son versified with these couplets；'Fortune had ruth upon my plight * Pitied my long long bane and blight；

Gave me what I would liefest sight；* And set me free from all afright.

So pardon I the sin that sin * n？d she in days evanisht quite；

E'en to the sin she sinned when she * Bleached my hair-parting silvern white.'