Page:The Celebrated Romance of the Stealing of the Mare.djvu/122

Slaying the traitors twain, and dealing sure destruction.
For they were together there for a foul deed in the darkness,
And Abu Zeyd gave ear when they complained of thy doing,
How thou hadst slain his father and seized upon his riches,
And how he desired a vengeance, even on thy daughter Alia.
And when that Zohwa heard him, she said, ' I will bring her to thee.'
And to Alia's tent came she and remained with her the night through.
Talking till well two-thirds of the night were spent in discourses,
And afterwards she said, * And who is this dog of the Arabs ?
Is not thy father king, and lord, and sheykh of the Arabs ? '
So she went with her through the night, and fate shut fast her eyelids,
And when they were come to the desert, then Sahel, the dog, assailed her.
Seized her strait by the throat, and clutched her necklace of jewels.
And she called to him, ' Nay, spare me.' But he denied her pleadings.
And she cried aloud to her Lord, and made her supplication.