“O thou Pilgrim of Love, after parting far ✿ From us driven by malice of jealous foe! My life for the friend in affection comes; ✿ Naught dearer to me than such boon can show; Full many a writ have I written thee ✿ Nor union nor grace of return I know. In this world I see him with single heart ✿ O my wish! and Allah ne’er part us two.”
And when she had ended her verses she bade the slave-girls convey Ibn Ibrahim and Hilal to the gardens, after which she led Yusuf to the saloon of session and the twain passed the night together he and she, in joyance and enjoyment, for that night was indeed a night of delight. But when Allah bade the morn to morrow, Al-Hayfa arose and cried, “How short it is for a night: Ah that it had been longer for us! but ’tis for me to say even as said Imr al-Kays[262] in sundry of his verses upon a similar theme:—
“On me Night waxeth long nor would I shorten Night; ✿ Yet hasteth Morn when I for longer Nights would sue: It brings me union till ’My lover’s mine’ I cry ✿ Yet when with him unite disunion comes to view.”
Now when it was the second day, Al-Hayfa took seat in the assembly of converse.——And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased to say her permitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, “How sweet is thy story, O sister mine, and how enjoyable and delectable!” Quoth she, “And where is this compared with that I would relate to you on the coming night an the King suffer me to survive?” Now when it was the next night and that was
Dunyazad said to her, “Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching of this our latter night.” She replied:——With love and good will! It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that Al-Hayfa repaired to the saloon of séance, she and Yusuf, and summoned Ibn Ibrahim and bade the handmaids bring everything that was in the closet. They obeyed her bidding and fetched her all the contents, amongst which were ten robes of honour and three coffers of silk and fine linen and a packet of musk and a parcel of rubies and pearls and jacinths and corals and similar objects of high price. And she conferred the whole of this upon Mohammed ibn Ibrahim, the while improvising these verses:—