"
"Even if thy heart," I told her, "be rock in very deed, Yet hath
God made fair water well from the rock, I ween."
When she saw me, she laughed and said, "How is it that thou art
awake and that sleep hath not overcome thee. Now that thou hast
passed the night without sleep, I know that thou art in love, for
it is the mark of a lover to watch the night for stress of
longing." Then she signed to her women and they went away,
whereupon she came up to me and strained me to her bosom and
kissed me and sucked my upper lip, whilst I kissed her and sucked
her lower lip. I put my hand to her waist and pressed it and we
came to the ground at the same moment. Then she undid her
trousers and they fell down to her anklets and we fell to
clipping and toying and cricketing and speaking softly and biting
and intertwining of legs and going round about the House and the
corners thereof,[FN#133] till her senses failed her for delight
and she swooned away. And indeed that night was heart-gladdening
and eye-refreshing, even as says the poet:
The sweetest of all the nights that ever the world can show! The
cup in it stinted never from hand to hand to go.
Therein I did dissever mine eyes from sleep and made The
ear-drop[FN#134] and the anklet[FN#135] foregather evermo'.
We lay together till the morning, when I would have gone away,
but she stopped me, saying, "Stay, till I tell thee somewhat and
give thee a charge.
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