year: yet hath my sorrow waxed greater and my grief and
affliction were but increased by my visit to the Islands of
Camphor and the Castle of Crystal. Now these islands are seven
in number and are ruled by a King, by name Shahriman,[FN#7] who
hath a daughter called Dunya;[FN#8] and I was told that it was
she who wrought these gazelles and that this piece in my
possession was of her embroidery. When I knew this, my yearning
redoubled and I burnt with the slow fire of pining and was
drowned in the sea of sad thought; and I wept over myself for
that I was become even as a woman, without manly tool like other
men, and there was no help for it. From the day of my quitting
the Camphor Islands, I have been tearful eyed and heavy hearted,
and such hath been my case for a long while and I know not
whether it will be given me to return to my native land and die
beside my mother or not; for I am sick from eating too much of
the world. Thereupon the young merchant wept and groaned and
complained and gazed upon the gazelles; whilst the tears rolled
down his cheeks in streams and he repeated these two couplets,

"Joy needs shall come," a prattler 'gan to prattle: *
"Needs cease thy blame!" I was commoved to rattle:
'In time,' quoth he: quoth I ' 'Tis marvellous! *
Who shall ensure my life, O cold of tattle!'"[FN#9]

And he repeated also these,

"Well Allah weets that since our severance day *
I've wept till forced to ask of tears a loan:
'Patience! (the blamer cries): thou'lt have her yet!' *
Quoth I, 'O blamer where may patience wone?'"