When he had made an end of his verses, he folded the letter and delivering it to the nurse, charged her keep the secret.  So she took it and carrying it to Mariyeh, gave it to her.  The princess broke it open and read it and apprehended its purport.  Then said she, “By Allah, O nurse, my heart is burdened with an exceeding chagrin, never knew I a dourer, because of this correspondence and of these verses.”  And the muse made answer to her, saying, “O my lady, thou art in thy dwelling and thy place and thy heart is void of care; so return him an answer and reck thou not” Accordingly, the princess called for inkhorn and paper and wrote the following verses: 

Thou that the dupe of yearning art, how many a melting wight In
     waiting for the unkept tryst doth watch the weary night! 
If in night’s blackness thou hast plunged into the desert’s heart
     And hast denied thine eyes the taste of sleep and its
     delight,
If near and far thy toiling feet have trod the ways and thou
     Devils and Marids hast ensued nor wouldst be led aright,
And dar’dst, O dweller in the tents, to lift thine eyes to me,
     Hoping by stress to win of me the amorous delight,
Get thee to patience fair, if thou remember thee of that Whose
     issues (quoth the Merciful) are ever benedight.[FN#89]
How many a king for my sweet sake with other kings hath vied,
     Still craving union with me and suing for my sight! 
Whenas En Nebhan strove to win my grace, himself to me With
     camel- loads he did commend of musk and camphor white,
And aloes-wood, to boot, he brought and caskets full of pearls
     And priceless rubies and the like of costly gems and bright;
Yea, and black slaves he proffered me and slave-girls big with
     child And steeds of price, with splendid arms and trappings
     rich bedight. 
Raiment of silk and sendal, too, he brought to us for gift, And
     me in marriage sought therewith; yet, all his pains despite,
Of me he got not what he sought and brideless did return, For
     that estrangement and disdain were pleasing in my sight. 
Wherefore, O stranger, dare thou not approach me with desire,
     Lest ruin quick and pitiless thy hardihood requite.

When she had made an end of her verses, she folded the letter and delivered it to the nurse, who took it and carried it to El Abbas.  He broke it open and read it and apprehended its purport; then took inkhorn and paper and wrote the following verses: 

Indeed, thou’st told the tale of kings and men of might, Each one
     a lion fierce, impetuous in the fight,
Whose wits (like mine, alack!) thou stalest and whose hearts With
     shafts from out thine eyes bewitching thou didst smite. 
Yea, and how slaves and steeds and good and virgin girls Were
     proffered thee to gift, thou hast not failed to cite,
How presents in great store thou didst refuse and