"I hear and obey," answered the old
woman and betaking herself to Kuzia Fekan's palace, interceded
with her in his favour. Then she returned to him and said, "Thy
cousin salutes thee and will visit thee this night at the middle
hour." At this he rejoiced and sat down to await the fulfilment
of his cousin's promise. At the appointed hour she came to him,
wrapped in a veil of black silk, and aroused him from sleep,
saying, "How canst thou pretend to love me, when thou art
sleeping, heart-free, after the goodliest fashion?" So he awoke
and said, "O desire of my heart, by Allah, I slept not but hoping
that thine image might visit me in dreams!" Then she chid him
tenderly and repeated the following verses:
Wert thou indeed a lover true and leal, Thou hadst not suffered
slumber on thee creep.
O thou who feign'st to walk the ways of love, The watch of
passion and desire to keep,
Son of my uncle, sure the eyes of those Who're love-distraught
know not the taste of sleep.
When he heard his cousin's words, he was abashed before her and
rose and excused himself. Then they embraced and complained to
each other of the anguish of separation; and thus they did, till
the dawn broke and the day flowered forth over the lands; when
she rose to depart. At this, Kanmakan wept and sighed and
repeated the following verses:
She came to me, after her pride had driven me to despair, She in
whose lips the teeth as the pearls of her necklace were.
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