letter to my lord and master I indite * the king of my heart and
my secret sprite * Indeed, wakefulness agitateth me * and
melancholy increaseth on me * and I have no patience to endure
the absence of thee * O thou who excellest sun and moon in
brilliancy * Desire of repose despoileth me * and passion
destroyeth me * and how should it be otherwise with me, seeing
that I am of the number of the dying? *O glory of the world and
Ornament of life, she whose vital spirits are cut off shall her
cup be sweet to quaff? * For that she is neither with the quick
nor with the dead." And she improvised these couplets and said,

"Thy writ, O Masr£r, stirred my sprite to pine * For by Allah,
all patience and solace I tyne:
When I read thy scripture, my vitals yearned * And watered the
herbs of the wold these eyne.
On Night's wings I'd fly an a bird * And sans thee I weet not the
sweets of wine:
Life's unlawful to me since thou faredst far * To bear parting-
lowe is no force of mine."

Then she sprinkled the letter with powder of musk and ambergris
and, having sealed it with her signet, committed it to a
merchant, saying, "Deliver it to none save to my sister." When it
reached Nasim she sent it to Masrur, who kissed it and laid it on
his eyes and wept till he fell into a trance. Such was their
case; but as regards the Jew, he presently heard of their
correspondence and began again to travel from place to place with
Zayn al-Mawasif and her damsels, till she said to him, "Glory to
God! How long wilt thou fare with us and bear us afar from our
homes?" Quoth he, "I will fare on with you a year's journey, so