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the monks, one after another, till he had sent all the forty; but each who saw her fell in love with her and plied her with blandishments galore and sought her favours for himself, without naming Danis, whilst she denied herself to them and rebuffed them all with harsh answers.
When Danis’s patience was at an end and his passion was sore on him, he said in himself, ‘Verily, the proverb says, “Nothing scratches my body but my own nail and nought runs my errands like my own feet.”’ So he rose and made ready rich meats, and it was the ninth day of her sojourn in the convent. Then he carried them in to her and set them before her, saying, ‘In the name of God, favour us [by partaking] of the best of the food at our command.’ So she put out her hand, saying, ‘In the name of God the Compassionate, the Merciful!’ and ate, she and her maidens. When she had made an end of eating, he said to her, ‘O my lady, I wish to recite to you some verses.’ ‘Say on,’ quoth she; and he recited the following:
Thou hast made conquest of my heart by dint of cheek and eye; In love of thee my prose and verse with one another vie.
Wilt thou forsake a lover sick with passion and desire? E’en in my dreams ’gainst love I strive, with many a tear and sigh.
With my delights, I have th’ affairs of this my convent left: Leave me not prostrate, love-distraught, to languish and to die.
O lovely one, that holdest right the shedding of my blood In love, have pity on my case, give ear unto my cry.
When she heard this, she answered him with these verses:
O thou that seek’st of me delight, let not vain hope thy wit Delude; of thy soliciting I prithee hold me quit.
Let not thy spirit covet that which it may not possess: Disquietude with covetise was ever straitly knit.
