But they persisted, "We do not want thy food and thy drink if thou wilt not let us hear thee sing."
So he said, "Then choose a song, and I will sing it to you."
"Sing us such-and-such a song," said they.
So he began singing these lines:
The hidden one heard my voice, and it brought her unrest,
At the end of the night when awakens the dawn.
When the moon is full, her companion knows not
If 'tis her face beside him or the face of the moon.
Nor guardian nor bolt can shut out a voice,
And her tears overflow when at night it visits her.
Could it be so, her feet to my side would bring her,
But such is her tenderness, walking would wound them.
The narrator proceeds: And Zhalfâ heard Sinân's voice, and she went out into the court of the tent. And so it was, that when she heard mention of this beauty of person and elegance, she fancied that it referred entirely to her and her appearance. Then that which had been at rest in her heart was troubled, and her eyes filled with tears, and her sobs were audible.
And Sulaimân awoke; and when he found her absent, he also went out into the court of the tent, and there he saw her in this condition. So he cried, "What means this, O Zhalfâ?"
