A plain and literal translation of the Arabian nights entertainments, now entituled The Book of the Thousand Nights and — Part 24

The sword, the sworder and the blood-skin waiting me I sight, ✿ And cry, Alack, mine evil fate! ah, my calamity! How is't I see no loving friend with eye of sense or soul? ✿ What! no one here? I cry to all: will none reply to me? The time is past that formed my life, my death term draweth nigh, ✿ Will no man win the grace of God showing me clemency; And look with pity on my state, and clear my dark despair, ✿ E'en with a draught of water dealt to cool death's agony?

The people fell to weeping over him; and the headsman rose and brought him a draught of water; but the Wazir sprang up from his place and smote the gugglet with his hand and broke it: then he cried out at the executioner and bade him strike off Nur al-Din's head. So he bound the eyes of the doomed man and folk clamoured at the Wazir and loud wailings were heard and much questioning of man and man. At this moment behold, rose a dense dust-cloud filling sky and wold; and when the Sultan, who was sitting in the palace, descried this, he said to his suite, "Go and see what yon cloud bringeth:" Replied Al-Mu'in, "Not till we have smitten this fellow's neck;" but the Sultan said, "Wait ye till we see what this meaneth." Now the dust-cloud was the dust of Ja'afar the Barmecide, Wazir to the Caliph, and his host; and the cause of his coming was as follows. The Caliph passed thirty days without calling to mind the matter of Nur al-Din Ali,[75] and none reminded him of it, till one night, as he passed by the chamber of Anis al-Jalis, he heard her weeping and singing with a soft sweet voice these lines of the poet:—

In thought I see thy form when farthest far or nearest near; ✿ And on my tongue there dwells a name which man shall ne'er unhear.

Then her weeping redoubled; when lo! the Caliph opened the door and, entering the chamber, found Anis al-Jalis in tears. When she saw him she fell to the ground and kissing his feet three times repeated these lines:—

O fertile root and noble growth of trunk; ✿ Ripe-fruitful branch of never sullied race; I mind thee of what pact thy bounty made; ✿ Far be't from thee thou should'st forget my case!