Oh ye gone from the gaze of these lidded eyne, ✿ Ye whose sight in my spirit shall ever dwell! Your charms are gone, but this heart of me ✿ Hath no sweet, and no pleasures its sour dispel; If Allah's grace make us meet again, ✿ In long-drawn love-tale my love I'll tell.
And when he had ended his verse, he wept and the Fireman said to him, "O my son, we hardly believed that thy health had returned;[238] so take heart and do not weep, for I fear a relapse for thee." And he ceased not comforting and cheering him, whilst Zau al-Makan sighed and moaned over his strangerhood and separation from his sister and his family; and tears streamed from his eyes and he recited these couplets:—
Get thee provaunt in this world ere thou wend upon thy way; ✿ And know how surely Death descends thy life-lot to waylay: All thy worldly goods are pride and the painfullest repine; ✿ All thy worldly life is vexing of thy soul in vain display: Say is not worldly wone like a wanderer's place of rest, ✿ Where at night he "nakhs[239]" his camels and moves off at dawn of day?
And he continued to weep and wail over his separation; whilst the Fireman also bewept the loss of his wife, yet ceased not to comfort Zau al-Makan till morning dawned. When the sun rose, he said to him, "Meseemeth thou yearnest for thy native land?" "Yes," replied Zau al-Makan, "and I can no longer tarry here; so I will commend thee to Allah's care and set out with these folk and journey with them, little by little, till I come to my motherland." Said the Stoker, "And I with thee; for of a truth I cannot bear to part with thee. I have done thee kindly service and I mean to complete it by tending thee on thy travel." At this, Zau al-Makan rejoiced and said, "Allah abundantly requite thee for me!" and was pleased with the idea of their travelling together. The Fireman at once went forth and bought another ass, selling the camel; and laid in his provaunt and said to Zau al-Makan, "This is for thee to ride by the way; and, when thou art weary of riding, thou canst dismount and walk." Said Zau al-Makan, "May Allah bless thee and aid me to requite thee! for verily thou hast dealt with me more lovingly than one with his brother." Then he waited till it was dark night, when he laid the provisions and baggage on that ass and set forth upon their journey. This much befel Zau al-Makan and the Fireman; but as regards what happened to his sister Nuzhat al-Zaman, when she left her brother in the Khan where they abode and, wrapped in the old camlet, went out to seek service with some one, that she might earn wherewithal to buy him the roast meat he longed for, she fared on, weeping and knowing not whither to go, whilst her mind was occupied with thoughts of her brother and of her family and her native land. So she implored Allah Almighty to do away with these calamities from them and began versifying:—