I sought!” Then he followed the Wazir up to the palace, where the Minister seated himself at the Prince’s feet; but Marzawan found forsooth nothing to do but go up to Kamar al-Zaman and stand before him at gaze.  Upon this the Wazir, died of affright in his skin, and kept looking at Marzawan and signalling him to wend his way; but he feigned not to see him and gave not over gazing upon Kamar al-Zaman, till he was well assured that it was indeed he whom he was seeking,—­And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

     When it was the One Hundred and Ninety-seventh Night,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Marzawan looked upon Kamar al-Zaman and knew that it was indeed he whom he was seeking, he cried, “Exalted be Allah, Who hath made his shape even as her shape and his complexion as her complexion and his cheek as her cheek!’’ Upon this Kamar al-Zaman opened his eyes and gave earnest ear to his speech; and, when Marzawan saw him inclining to hear, he repeated these couplets[FN#287],

“I see thee full of song and plaint and love’s own ecstasy; Delighting in describing all the charms of loveliness: 

Art smit by stroke of Love or hath shaft-shot wounded thee?  None save the wounded ever show such signals of distress!

Ho thou! crown the wine cup and sing me singular
Praises to Sulayma, Al-Rabab, Tan’oum addrest;[FN#288]

Go round the grape-vine sun[FN#289] which for mansion hath a jar;
Whose East the cup boy is, and here my mouth that opes for West.

I’m jealous of the very clothes that dare her sides enroll
When she veils her dainty body of the delicatest grace: 

I envy every goblet of her lips that taketh toll
When she sets the kissing cup on that sweetest kissing-place.

But deem not by the keen-edged scymitar I’m slain—­
The hurts and harms I dree are from arrows of her eyes.

I found her finger tips, as I met her once again,
Deep-reddened with the juice of the wood that ruddy dyes;[FN#290]

And cried, ’Thy palms thou stainedst when far away was I
And this is how thou payest one distracted by his pine!’

Quoth she (enkindling in my heart a flame that burned high Speaking as one who cannot hide of longing love the sign),

’By thy life, this is no dye used for dyeing; so forbear Thy blame, nor in charging me with falsing Love persist!

But when upon our parting-day I saw thee haste to fare, The while were bared my hand and my elbow and my wrist;

’I shed a flood of blood-red tears and with fingers brushed away;
Hence blood-reddened were the tips and still blood-red they
     remain.’

Had I wept before she wept, to my longing-love a prey,
Before repentance came, I had quit my soul of pain;

But she wept before I wept and I wept to see her care
And I said, ’All the merit to precedent;’[FN#291]