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the wild ass. When he saw Maimouneh, he kissed the earth before her and standing with his hands clasped behind him, said, ‘What is thy will, O king’s daughter?’ ‘O Keshkesh,’ answered she, ‘I would have thee judge between me and this accursed Dehnesh.’ And she made known to him the whole matter, whereupon he looked at the prince and princess and saw them lying asleep, embraced, each with an arm about the other’s neck, alike in beauty and grace and equal in goodliness. The Marid gazed long and fixedly upon them, marvelling at their beauty, and repeated the following verses:
Cleave fast to her thou lov’st and let the envious rail amain, For calumny and envy ne’er to favour love were fain.
Lo, the Compassionate hath made no fairer thing to see Than when one couch in its embrace enfoldeth lovers twain,
Each to the other’s bosom clasped, clad in their own delight, Whilst hand with hand and arm with arm about their necks enchain.
If in thy time thou find but one to love thee and be true, I rede thee cast the world away and with that one remain.
Lo, when two hearts are straitly knit in passion and desire, But on cold iron smite the folk that chide at them in vain.
Thou that for loving censures the votaries of love, Canst thou assain a heart diseased or heal a cankered brain?
O Lord, O Thou Compassionate, I prithee, ere we die, Though only for a single day, unite us two again!
Then he turned to Maimouneh and Dehnesh and said to them, ‘By Allah, if you will have the truth, they are equal in beauty and grace and perfection, nor is there any difference between them but that of sex. But I have another idea, and it is that we wake each of them in turn, without the other’s knowledge, and whichever is more enamoured of the other shall be held the lesser in beauty and grace.’ ‘This is a good counsel,’ answered Maimouneh, and Dehnesh said, ‘I consent to this.’ Then Dehnesh changed himself to a flea and bit Kemerezzeman on the neck, Night clxxxiii.whereupon the prince awoke with a start and rubbed
