for love of thee!" Thereupon Zayn al-Mawasif became wroth with
exceeding wrath and said to him, "I take refuge with Allah from
this! Allah upon thee, begone about thy business ere the
neighbours espy thee and there betide us sore reproach," adding,
"Harkye, man! Let not thy soul covet that it shall not obtain.
Thou weariest thyself in vain; for I am a merchant's wife and a
merchant's daughter and thou art a druggist; and when sawest thou
a druggist and a merchant's daughter conjoined by such
sentiment?" He replied, "O my lady, never lacked love-liesse
between folk[FN#319]; so cut thou not off from me hope of this
and whatsoever thou seekest of me of money and raiment and
ornaments and what not else, I will give thee." Then he abode
with her in discourse and mutual blaming whilst she still
redoubled in anger, till it was black night, when he said to her,
"O my lady, take this gold piece and fetch me a little wine, for
I am athirst and heavy hearted." So she said to the slave-girl
Hubub, "Fetch him wine and take naught from him, for we have no
need of his dinar." So she went whilst Masrur held his peace and
bespake not the lady, who suddenly improvised these lines,

"Leave this thy design and depart, O man! * Nor tread paths where
lewdness and crime trepan!
Love is a net shall enmesh thy sprite, * Make thee rise a-morning
sad, weary and wan:
For our spy thou shalt eke be the cause of talk; * And for thee
shall blame me my tribe and clan:
Yet scant I marvel thou lovest a Fair:-- * Gazelles hunting lions
we aye shall scan!"

And he answered her with these,