Surely he will abstain and return not to the like of this.'
'I fear,' said the princess, 'that, if I write to him, he will
conceive hopes of me.' Quoth the old woman, 'When he reads thy
threats and menace of punishment, he will desist.' So the
princess called for inkhorn and paper and pen of brass and wrote
the following verses:
O thou who feignest thee the prey of love and wakefulness And
plainst of that thou dost endure for passion and distress
Thinkst thou, deluded one, to win thy wishes of the moon? Did
ever any of a moon get union and liesse?
I rede thee put away the thought of this thou seekst from thee,
For that therein but peril is for thee and weariness.
If thou to this thy speech return, a grievous punishment Shall
surely fall on thee from me and ruin past redress.
By Him, the Almighty God, I swear, who moulded man from clay, Him
who gave fire unto the sun and lit the moon no less
If thou offend anew, for sure, upon a cross of tree I'll have
thee crucified for all thy wealth and goodliness!
Then she folded the letter and giving it to the old woman, said,
'Carry this to him and bid him desist from this talk.' 'I hear
and obey,' replied she, and taking the letter, returned,
rejoicing, to her own house, where she passed the night and in
the morning betook herself to the shop of Taj el Mulouk, whom she
found expecting her.
Pages:
344
345
346
347
348
349
350
351
352
353
354
355
356
357
358
359
360
361
362
363
364
365
366
367
368