Blame me not for loving her, now on self of Love I swear
For her sake, for her only, these pains my soul torment.

She hath all the lere of Lukman[FN#292] and Yusuf’s beauty lief;
Sweet singer David’s voice and Maryam’s chastity: 

While I’ve all Jacob’s mourning and Jonah’s prison-grief,
And the sufferings of Job and old Adam’s history: 

Yet kill her not, albeit of my love for her I die;
But ask her why my blood to her was lawful. ask her why?”

When Marzawan recited this ode, the words fell upon Kamar al-Zaman’s heart as freshness after fever and returning health; and he sighed and, turning his tongue in his mouth, said to his sire, “O my father, let this youth come and sit by my side.”—­And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

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

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Kamar al-Zaman said to his sire, “O my father, allow this youth to come and sit by my side.”  Now when the King heard these words from his son, he rejoiced with exceeding joy, though at the first his heart had been set against Marzawan and he had determined that the stranger’s head needs must be stricken off:  but when he heard Kamar al-Zaman speak, his anger left him and he arose and drawing Marzawan to him, seated him by his son and turning to him said, “Praised be Allah for thy safety!” He replied, “Allah preserve thee! and preserve thy son to thee!” and called down blessings on the King.  Then the King asked, “From what country art thou?”; and he answered, “From the Islands of the Inland Sea, the kingdom of King Ghayur, Lord of the Isles and the Seas and the Seven Palaces.”  Quoth King Shahriman, “Maybe thy coming shall be blessed to my son and Allah vouchsafe to heal what is in him.”  Quoth Marzawan, “Inshallah, naught shall be save what shall be well!” Then turning to Kamar al-Zaman, he said to him in his ear unheard of the King and his court, ’O my lord! be of good cheer, and hearten thy heart and let shine eyes be cool and clear and, with respect to her for whose sake thou art thus, ask not of her case on shine account.  But thou keptest thy secret and fellest sick, while she told her secret and they said she had gone mad; so she is now in prison, with an iron chain about her neck, in most piteous plight; but, Allah willing, the healing of both of you shall come from my hand.”  Now when Kamar al-Zaman heard these words, his life returned to him and he took heart and felt a thrill of joy and signed to his father to help him sit up; and the King was like to fly for gladness and rose hastily and lifted him up.  Presently, of his fear for his son, he shook the kerchief of dismissal[FN#293]; and all the Emirs and Wazirs withdrew; then he set two pillows for his son to lean upon, after which he bade them perfume the palace with saffron and decorate the city, saying to Marzawan, “By Allah, O my son, of a