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Far, far from me the camp and those that dwell therein; No
visitation-place again shall us unite.
Patience and reason fled from me, when they fared forth; Sleep
failed me and despair o ercame me, like a blight.
They left me, and with them departed all my joy; Tranquillity and
peace with them have taken flight.
They made mine eyes run down with tears of love laid waste; My
lids for lack of them brim over day and night.
Whenas my sad soul longs to see them once again And waiting and
desire are heavy on my spright,
Midmost my heart of hearts their images I trace, Love and
desireful pain and yearning for their sight.
Then he told the gardener what he had seen pass between the
birds, whereat he wondered; and they both lay down and slept till
the morning. The gardener awoke sick and abode thus two days;
but on the third day, his sickness increased on him, till they
despaired of his life and Kemerezzeman grieved sore for him.
117
Meanwhile, the captain and sailors came and enquired for the
gardener. Kemerezzeman told them that he was sick, and they
said, Where is the young man that is minded to go with us to the
Ebony Islands? He is your servant, answered the prince and
bade them carry the jars of olives to the ship. So they
transported them to the ship, saying, Make haste, for the wind
is fair; and he answered, I hear and obey. Then he carried
his victual on board and returning, to bid the gardener farewell,
found him in the agonies of death. So he sat down at his head
and closed his eyes, and his soul departed his body; whereupon he
laid him out and committed him to the earth to the mercy of God
the Most High. Then he went down to the port, to embark, but
found that the ship had already weighed anchor and set sail; nor
did she cease to cleave the waters, till she disappeared from
his sight. So he returned to the garden, sorrowful and
heavy-hearted, and sitting down, threw dust on his head and
buffeted his face. Then he rented the garden of its owner and
hired a man to help him tend the trees. Moreover, he went down
to the underground chamber and bringing up the rest of the gold,
stowed it in other fifty jars, which he filled up with olives.
Then he enquired of the ship and was told that it sailed but once
a year; at which his affliction redoubled and he mourned sore for
that which had befallen him, above all for the loss of the
princess Budour s talisman, and spent his nights and days weeping
and repeating verses.
Meanwhile, the ship sailed with a favouring wind, till it reached
the Ebony Islands. As fate would have it, the princess Budour
was sitting at a window overlooking the sea and saw the ship cast
anchor in the port. At this sight, her heart throbbed and she
mounted and riding down to the port, with her officers, halted by
the ship, whilst the sailors broke out the cargo and transported
the goods to the storehouses; after which she called the captain
and asked what he had with him. O King, answered he, I have
with me drugs and cosmetics and powders and ointments and
plasters and rich stuffs and Yemen rugs and other costly
merchandise, not to be borne of mule or camel, and all manner
essences and spices and perfumes, civet and ambergris and camphor
and Sumatra aloes-wood, and tamarinds and Asafiri olives to boot,
such as are rare to find in this country. When she heard talk
of Asafiri olives, her heart yearned for them and she said to the
captain, How much olives hast thou? Fifty jars full,
answered he. Their owner is not with us, but the King shall
take what he will of them. Quoth she, Bring them ashore, that
I may see them. So he called to the sailors, who brought her
the fifty jars; and she opened one and looking at the olives,
said to the captain, I will take the whole fifty and pay you
their value, whatever it may be. By Allah, O my lord,
answered he, they have no value in our country and the fifty
jars may be worth some hundred dirhems; but their owner tarried
118
behind us, and he is a poor man. And what are they worth
here? asked she. A thousand dirhems, replied he. I will
take them at that price, quoth she and bade carry the fifty jars
to the palace. When it was night, she called for a jar of olives
and opened it, there being none present but herself and the
princess Heyat en Nufous. Then, taking a dish, she turned into
it the contents of the jar, when behold there fell out into the
dish with the olives a heap of red gold and she said to Heyat en
Nufous, This is nought but gold! So she sent for the rest of
the jars and found each one full of gold and scarce enough olives
in the whole fifty to fill one jar. Moreover, she sought among
the gold and found the talisman, which she took and examined and
knew for that which Kemerezzeman had taken from off the riband of
her trousers; whereupon she cried out for joy and fell down in a
swoon. When she revived, she said in herself, Verily, this
talisman was the cause of my separation from my beloved
Kemerezzeman; but now it is an omen of good. Then she showed it
to Heyat en Nufous and said to her, This was the cause of
separation and now, please God, it shall be the cause of
reunion. As soon as it was day, she seated herself on her
throne and sent for the captain, who came and kissed the ground
before her. Quoth she, Where didst thou leave the owner of
these olives? O King of the age, answered he, we left him in
the land of the Magians and he is a gardener there. Except
thou bring him to me, said she, thou knowest not the harm that
awaits thee and thy ship. Then she bade seal up the merchants
storehouses and said to them, The owner of these olives is my
debtor; and an ye bring him not to me, I will without fail put
you all to death and confiscate your goods. So they all went to [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ] - zanotowane.pl
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