第52章 KEMEREZZEMAN AND BUDOUR.(14)

Belike，it may come to thy fathers ears and who shall deliver us from his hand？I tell thee，'rejoined Budour，there lay a youth with me last night，one of the fairest-faced of men.'God preserve thy reason！'exclaimed the nurse.'Indeed，no one lay with thee last night.'The princess looked at her hand and seeing her own ring gone and Kemerezzemans ring on her finger in its stead，said to the nurse，Out on thee，thou accursed traitress，wilt thou lie to me and tell me that none lay with me last night and forswear thyself to me？By Allah，'replied the nurse，I do not lie to thee nor have I sworn falsely！'Her words incensed the princess and drawing a sword she had by her，she smote the old woman with it and slew her；whereupon the eunuch and the waiting-women cried out at her and running to her father，acquainted him with her case.So he went to her forthright and said to her，O my daughter，what ails thee？O my father，'answered she，where is the young man that lay with me last night？Then her reason left her and she cast her eyes right and left and rent her dress even to the skirt.When the King saw this，he bade the women lay hands on her；so they seized and bound her，then putting a chain of iron about her neck，made her fast to the window and there left her.As for her father，the world was straitened upon him，when he saw what had befallen her，for that he loved her and her case was not a little thing to him.So he summoned the doctors and astrologers and magicians and said to them，Whoso cureth my daughter of her disorder，I will marry him to her and give him half my kingdom；but whoso cometh to her and cureth her not，I will strike off his head and hang it over her palace-gate.'Accordingly，all who went in to her，but failed to cure her，he beheaded and hung their heads over her palace-gate，till he had beheaded forty physicians and crucified as many astrologers on her account；wherefore all the folk held aloof from her，for all the physicians failed to cure her malady and her case was a puzzle to the men of science and the magicians.And as her longing and passion redoubled and love and distraction were sore upon her，she poured forth tears and repeated the following verses：

My longing after thee，my moon，my foeman is；The thought of thee by night doth comrade with me dwell.

I pass the darksome hours，and in my bosom flames A fire，for heat thats like the very fire of hell.

Im smitten with excess of ardour and desire；By which my pain is grown an anguish fierce and fell.

Then she sighed and repeated these also：

My peace on the belovéd ones，whereer they light them down！I weary for the neighbourhood of those I love，full sore.

My salutation unto you，--not that of taking leave，But greetings of abundant peace，increasing evermore！

For，of a truth，I love you dear and love your land no less；But woe is me！Im far away from that I weary for.

Then she wept till her eyes grew weak and her cheeks pale and withered： and thus she abode three years.Now she had a foster-brother，by name Merzewan，who was absent from her all this time，travelling in far countries.He loved her with an exceeding love，passing that of brothers；so when he came back，he went in to his mother and asked for his foster-sister the princess Budour.'Alas，my son，'answered she，thy sister has been smitten with madness and has passed these three years，with an iron chain about her neck；and all the physicians and men of science have failed of curing her.'When he heard this，he said，I must needs go in to her；peradventure I may discover what ails her，and be able to cure her.'So be it，'replied his mother；

but wait till to-morrow，that I may make shift for thee.'Then she went to the princesss palace and accosting the eunuch in charge of the door，made him a present and said to him，I have a married daughter，who was brought up with thy mistress and is sore concerned for what has befallen her，and I desire of thy favour that my daughter may go in to her and look on her awhile，then return whence she came，and none shall know it.'This may not be，except by night，'replied the eunuch，after the King has visited the princess and gone away；then come thou and thy daughter.'She kissed the eunuchs hand and returning home，waited till the morrow at nightfall，when she dressed her son in womans apparel and taking him by the hand，carried him to the palace.When the eunuch saw her，he said，Enter，but do not tarry long.'So they went in and when Merzewan saw the princess in the aforesaid plight，he saluted her，after his mother had taken off his womans attire： then pulling out the books he had brought with him and lighting a candle，he began to recite certain conjurations.The princess looked at him and knowing him，said to him，O my brother，thou hast been absent on thy travels and we have been cut off from news of thee.'True，

answered he；but God has brought me back in safety and I am now minded to set out again；nor has aught delayed me but the sad news I hear of thee；wherefore my heart ached for thee and I came to thee，so haply I may rid thee of thy malady.'O my brother，rejoined she，thinkest thou it is madness ails me？Yes，answered he，and she said，Not so，by Allah！It is even as says the poet：

Quoth they，'Thourt surely mad for him thou lovst；'and I replied，'Indeed the sweets of life belong unto the raving race.

Lo，those who love have not，for that，the upper hand of fate；

Only the madman tis，I trow，oercometh time and space.

Yes，I am mad；so bring me him for whom ye say Im mad；And if he heal my madness，spare to blame me for my case.'

Then she told him that she was in love，and he said，Tell me thy story and what befell thee： peradventure God may discover to me a means of deliverance for thee.'Know then，'said she，that one night I awoke from sleep，in the last watch of the night，and sitting up，saw by my side the handsomest of youths，as he were a willow-wand or an Indian cane，the tongue fails to describe him.