She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that as soon as Uns al-Wujud had ended his verse, the wood-culver awoke from its brooding and cooed a reply to his lines and shrilled and trilled with its thrilling notes till it all but spake with human speech; [FN#65] and the tongue of the case talked for it and recited these couplets,
"O lover, thou bringest to thought a tide * When the strength of my youth first faded and died; And a friend of whose form I was 'namoured, * Seductive and dight with beauty's pride; Whose voice, as he sat on the sandhill-tree, * From the Nay's [FN#66] sweet sound turned my heart aside; A fowler snared him in net, the while * 'O that man would leave me at large!' he cried; I had hoped he might somewhat of mercy show * When a hapless lover he so espied; But Allah smite him who tore me away, * In his hardness of heart, from my lover's side; But aye my desire for him groweth more, * And my heart with the fires of disjunction is fried: Allah guard a true lover, who strives with love, * And hath borne the torments I still abide! And, seeing me bound in this cage, with mind * Of ruth, release me my love to find."
Then Uns al-Wujud turned to his companion, the Ispahahi, and said, "What palace is this? Who built it and who abideth in it?" Quoth the eunuch, "The Wazir of a certain King built it to guard his daughter, fearing for her the accidents of Time and the incidents of Fortune, and lodged her herein, her and her attendants; nor do we open it save once in every year, when their provision cometh to them." And Uns al-Wujud said to himself, "I have gained my end, though I may have long to wait." Such was his case; but as
