Thou that wast absent from my stead, yet still with me didst
     bide, Thou wast removed from mine eye, yet still wast by my
     side. 
Thou left’st unto me, after thee, languor and carefulness; I
     lived a life wherein no jot of sweetness I espied. 
For thy sweet sake, as ’twere, indeed, an exile I had been, Lone
     and deserted I became, lamenting, weeping-eyed. 
Alack, my grief!  Thou wast, indeed, grown absent from my yiew,
     Yet art the apple of mine eye nor couldst from me divide.

When she had made an end of her song, she wept and Noureddin wept also.  Then she took the lute and improvised and sang the following verses: 

God knows I ne’er recalled thy memory to my thought, But still
     with brimming tears straightway mine eyes were fraught;
Yea, passion raged in me and love-longing was like To slay me;
     yet my heart to solace still it wrought. 
Light of mine eyes, my hope, my wish, my thirsting eyes With
     looking on thy face can never sate their drought.

When Noureddin heard these his slave-girl’s verses, he fell a-weeping, what while she strained him to her bosom and wiped away his tears with her sleeve and questioned him and comforted his mind.  Then she took the lute and sweeping its strings, played thereon, after such a wise as would move the phlegmatic to delight, and sang the following verses: 

Whenas mine eyes behold thee not, that day As of my life I do not
     reckon aye;
And when I long to look upon thy face, My life is perished with
     desire straightway.

On this wise they abode till the morning, tasting not the savour of sleep; and when the day lightened, behold, the eunuch came with the mule and said to Sitt el Milah, “The Commander of the Faithful calleth for thee.”  So she arose and taking her lord by the hand, committed him to the old man, saying, “I commend him to thy care, under God,[FN#40] till this eunuch cometh to thee; and indeed, O elder, I owe thee favour and largesse such as filleth the interspace betwixt heaven and earth.”

Then she mounted the mule and repairing to the palace of the Commander of the Faithful, went in to him and kissed the earth before him.  Quoth he to her, as who should make mock of her, “I doubt not but thou hast found thy lord.”  “By thy felicity and the length of thy continuance [on life,]” answered she, “I have indeed found him!” Now Er Reshid was leaning back; but, when he heard this, he sat up and said to her, “By my life, [is this thou sayest] true?” “Ay, by thy life!” answered she; and he said, “Bring him into my presence, so I may see him.”  But she replied, “O my lord, there have betided him many stresses and his charms are changed and his favour faded; and indeed the Commander of the Faithful vouchsafed me a month; wherefore I will tend him the rest of the month and then bring him to do his service to the Commander of the Faithful.”  Quoth