You are my wish, of creatures brightest-light ✿ I deem you lief as hearing, fain as sight: You hold my heart which hath become your home ✿ And since you left me, lords, right sore’s my plight: Then think not I have yielded up your love, ✿ Your love which set this wretch in fierce affright: You went and went my joy whenas you went; ✿ And waned and waxèd wan the brightest light: You left me lone to watch the stars in woe: ✿ Railing tears likest rain-drops infinite. Thou’rt longsome to the wight, who pining lies ✿ On wake, moon-gazing through the night, O Night! Wind! an thou pass the tribe where they abide ✿ Give them my greeting, life is fain of flight. And tell them somewhat of the pangs I bear: ✿ The loved one kenneth not my case aright
Then he wept with sore weeping till he fainted away; and when he came to himself, Shaykh Abd al-Kaddus said to him, “O my son, thou hast a mother; make her not taste the torment of thy loss.” Hasan replied, “By Allah, O my lord, I will never return except with my wife, or my death shall overtake me.” And he wept and wailed and recited these couplets:—
By Love’s right! naught of farness thy slave can estrange ✿ Nor am _I_ one to fail in my fealty: I suffer such pains did I tell my case ✿ To folk, they’d cry, “Madness! clean witless is he!” Then ecstasy, love-longing, transport and lowe! ✿ Whose case is such case how shall ever he be?
With this the old man knew that he would not turn from his purpose, though it cost him his life; so he handed him the scroll and prayed for him and charged him how he should do, saying “I have in this letter given a strict charge concerning thee to Abú al-Ruwaysh,[112] son of Bilkís, daughter of Mu’ín, for he is my Shaykh and my teacher, and all, men and Jinn, humble themselves to him and stand in awe of him. And now go with the blessing of God.” Hasan forthright set out giving the horse the rein, and it flew off with him swiftlier than lightning, and stayed not in its course ten days, when he saw before him a vast loom black as night, walling the world from East to West. As he neared it, the stallion neighed under him, whereupon there flocked to it horses in number as the drops of rain, none could tell their tale or against them prevail, and fell to rubbing themselves against it. Hasan was affrighted at them and fared forwards surrounded by the horses, without drawing rein till he came to the cavern which Shaykh Abd al-Kaddus had described to him. The steed stood still at the door and Hasan alighted and bridged the bridle over the saddle-bow[113]; whereupon the steed entered the cavern, whilst the rider abode without, as the old man had charged him, pondering the issue of his case in perplexity and distraction and unknowing what would befal him.——And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.