abiding-place." Accordingly the Minister and his wife agreed to
build on that mountain a virgin castle and lodge their daughter
therein with the necessary provision to be renewed year by year
and attendants to cheer and to serve her. Accordingly he
collected carpenters, builders and architects and despatched them
to the mountain, where they builded her an impregnable castle,
never saw eyes the like thereof. Then he made ready vivers and
carriage for the journey and, going in to his daughter by night,
bade her prepare to set out on a pleasure-excursion. Thereupon
her heart presaged the sorrows of separation and, when she went
forth and saw the preparations for the journey, she wept with
sore weeping and wrote that upon the door which might acquaint
her lover with what had passed and with the transports of passion
and grief that were upon her, transports such as would make the
flesh to shiver and hair to stare, and melt the hardest stone
with care, and tear from every eye a tear. And what she wrote
were these couplets,

"By Allah, O thou house, if my beloved a morn go by, *
And greet with signs and signals lover e'er is wont to fly,
I pray thee give him our salams in pure and fragrant guise, *
For he indeed may never know where we this eve shall lie.
I wot not whither they have fared, thus bearing us afar *
At speed, and lightly-quipt, the lighter from one love to
fly:
When starkens night, the birds in brake or branches snugly
perched * Wail for our sorrow and announce our hapless
destiny:
The tongue of their condition saith, 'Alas, alas for woe, *
And heavy brunt of parting-blow two lovers must aby':