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When he heard her words, he wept till he swooned away and she sprinkled water on his face, till he came to himself, when he continued to weep, so that he wet his clothes with his tears, for the much trouble and chagrin that betided him by reason of her words. And indeed he despaired of life and said to the old woman, ‘O my lady, and how shall I turn back, after having won hither? Verily, I thought not thou wouldst forsake me nor fail of the accomplishment of my desire, especially as thou art the chief of the army of girls.’ ‘O my son,’ answered Shewahi, ‘I doubted not but thy wife was a maid of the maids, and had I known that she was the king’s daughter, I had not suffered thee to come hither nor had I shown thee [the girls], for all the love I bear thee. But now, O my son, thou hast seen all the girls naked; so tell me which of them pleaseth thee and I will give her to thee, in lieu of thy wife, and do thou put it that thy wife and children are dead and take her and return to thine own country in safety, ere thou fall into the king’s hand and I have no means of delivering thee. I conjure thee, by Allah, hearken to me. Choose thyself one of these damsels, in the stead of yonder woman, and return presently to thy country in safety and cause me not quaff the cup of thine anguish. For, by Allah, thou hast cast thyself into sore affliction and grievous peril, wherefrom none may avail to deliver thee!’ But Hassan bowed his head and wept sore and recited these verses:
‘Reproach me not,’ to those who censured me I said; ‘For sure my lids for tears and nought but tears were made.’
They fill my eyes and thence o’erflow my cheeks, for those I cherish have my love with cruelty repaid.
My body’s wasted sore, yet I my madness love: Leave me to love and cease my passion to upbraid.
Belovéd mine, desire is sore on me for you: Will ye not pity one for love of you decayed?
