continued their journey, cutting across river vales and plains,
words and stony wastes, till one night, as Taj al-Muluk was
sleeping, he dreamt that his beloved was with him and that he
embraced her and pressed her to his bosom; and he awoke
quivering, shivering with pain, delirious with emotion, and
improvised these verses,

"Dear friend, my tears aye flow these cheeks adown, *
With longsome pain and pine, my sorrow's crown:
I plain like keening woman child bereft, *
And as night falls like widow dove I groan:
An blow the breeze from land where thou cost wone, *
I find o'er sunburnt earth sweet coolness blown.
Peace be wi' thee, my love, while zephyr breathes, *
And cushat flies and turtle makes her moan."

And when he had ended his versifying, the Wazir came to him and
said, "Rejoice; this is a good sign: so be of good cheer and keep
thine eyes cool and clear, for thou shalt surely compass thy
desire." And Aziz also came to him and exhorted him to patience
and applied himself to divert him, talking with him and telling
him tales. So they pressed on, marching day and night, other two
months, till there appeared to them one day at sunrise some white
thing in the distance and Taj al-Muluk said to Aziz, "What is
yonder whiteness?" He replied, "O my lord! yonder is the Castle
of Crystal and that is the city thou seekest." At this the Prince
rejoiced, and they ceased not faring forwards till they drew near
the city and, as they approached it, Taj al-Muluk joyed with
exceeding joy, and his care ceased from him. They entered in
trader guise, the King's son being habited as a merchant of