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his presumption may be cut off and his fear magnified.’ And she ceased not to persuade her, till she called for inkhorn and paper and wrote him the following verses:
O thou that feignest thee the prey of love and wakefulness, Thou that for passion spendst the nights in transport and distress,
O self-deluder, dost thou seek enjoyment of a moon? Did ever any of the moon win grace and love-liesse?
I rede thee hearken to my word; I give thee counsel fair; Desist, for danger, ay, and death do hard upon thee press.
If thou to this request return, a grievous punishment Shall surely fall on thee from us and ruin past redress.
Be reasonable, then: behold, I give thee good advice: Return unto thy wit and stint from this thy frowardness.
By Him who did all things that be from nothingness create, Who with the golden glittering stars the face of heaven did dress,
I’ll surely have thee crucified upon a cross of tree, If in the like of this thy speech thou do again transgress!
Then she folded the letter and gave it to the old woman, Night dccxxiii.who repaired to Ardeshir’s shop and delivered it to him, saying, ‘Here is thine answer, and thou must know that, when she read thy verses, she was exceeding wroth; but I soothed her and spoke her fair, till she consented to write thee an answer.’ He took the letter joyfully, but, when he had read it and apprehended its purport, he wept sore, whereat the old woman’s heart ached and she said, ‘O my son, may God spare thine eyes to weep and thy heart to mourn! What can be more gracious than that she should answer thy letter, under the circumstances?’ ‘O my mother,’ answered he, ‘how shall I do for a subtler device? Behold, she writes to me, threatening me with death and crucifixion and forbidding me from writing to her, and by Allah, I see my death to be better than my life; but I beg thee of thy favour to carry her another letter from me.’ ‘Write,’ said she, ‘and I warrant I’ll bring thee an answer. By Allah, I will venture my life to bring thee to thy desire, though I die to pleasure thee!’
