Yea, I will laud thee while the ring-dove moans, ✿ Though fail my wish of due and lawful scope: Ne’er was I whirled in bliss and joys gone by ✿ Wherein I found thee not both root and rope.[143]
The Queen shook her head and bowed it in thought a long time; then, raising it, she said to Hasan (and indeed she was wroth), “I have ruth on thee and am resolved to show thee in review all the girls in the city and in the provinces of my island; and in case thou know thy wife, I will deliver her to thee; but, an thou know her not and know not her place, I will put thee to death and crucify thee over the old woman’s door.” Replied Hasan, “I accept this from thee, O Queen of the Age, and am content to submit to this thy condition. There is no Majesty and there is no Might save in Allah, the Glorious, the Great!” And he recited these couplets:—
You’ve roused my desire and remain at rest,— ✿ Waked my wounded lids while you slept with zest. And ye made me a vow ye would not hang back ✿ But your guile when you chained me waxt manifest. I loved you in childhood unknowing Love; ✿ Then slay me not who am sore opprest. Fear ye not from Allah when slaying a friend ✿ Who gazeth on stars when folk sleep their best? By Allah, my kinsmen, indite on my tomb ✿ “This man was the slave of Love’s harshest hest!” Haps a noble youth, like me Love’s own thrall, ✿ When he sees my grave on my name shall call.
Then Queen Nur al-Huda commanded that not a girl should abide in the city but should come up to the palace and pass in review before Hasan and moreover she bade Shawahi go down in person and bring them up herself. Accordingly all the maidens in the city presented themselves before the Queen, who caused them to go in to Hasan, hundred after hundred, till there was no girl left in the place, but she had shown her to him; yet he saw not his wife amongst them. Then said she to him, “Seest thou her amongst these?”; and he replied, “By thy life, O Queen, she is not amongst them.” With this she was sore enraged against him and said to the old woman, “Go in and bring out all who are in the palace and show them to him.” So she displayed to him every one of the palace-girls, but he saw not his wife among them and said to the Queen, “By the life of thy head, O Queen, she is not among these.” Whereat the Queen was wroth and cried out at those around her, saying, “Take him and hale him along, face to earth, and cut off his head, least any adventure himself after him and intrude upon us in our country and spy out our estate by thus treading the soil of our islands.” So they threw him down on his face and dragged him along; then, covering his eyes with his skirt, stood at his head with bared brands awaiting royal permission. Thereupon Shawahi came forward and kissing the ground before the Queen, took the hem of her garment and laid it on her head, saying, “O Queen, by my claim for fosterage, be not hasty with him, more by token of thy knowledge that this poor wretch is a stranger, who hath adventured himself and suffered what none ever suffered before him, and Allah (to whom belong Might and Majesty,) preserved him from death, for that his life was ordained to be long. He heard of thine equity and entered thy city and guarded site;[144] wherefore, if thou put him to death, the report will dispread abroad of thee, by means of the travellers, that thou hatest strangers and slayest them. He is in any case at thy mercy and the slain of thy sword, if his wife be not found in thy dominions; and whensoever thou desireth his presence, I can bring him back to thee. Moreover, in very sooth I took him under my protection only of my trust in thy magnanimity through my claim on thee for fosterage, so that I engaged to him that thou wouldst bring him to his desire, for my knowledge of thy justice and quality of mercy. But for this, I had not brought him into thy kingdom; for I said to myself:—The Queen will take pleasure in looking upon him, and hearing him speak his verses and his sweet discourse and eloquent which is like unto pearls strung on string. Moreover, he hath entered our land and eaten of our meat; wherefore he hath a claim upon us.”——And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.