Pagina 648 van 1116

Lastly the Wazir sent for Ajib; and when his father saw him he

cried, "And this is he who struck me with the stone!" Quoth the

Wazir, "This is thy son!" And Badr al-Din Hasan threw himself

upon his boy and began repeating:-

"Long have I wept o'er severance ban and bane, * Long from mine

eyelids tear-rills rail and rain: And vowed I if Time re-union

bring * My tongue from name of "Severance" I'll restrain: Joy

hath o'ercome me to this stress that I * From joy's revulsion to

shed tears am fain: Ye are so trained to tears, O eyne of me! *

You weep with pleasure as you weep with pain." [FN#482]

When he had ended his verse his mother came in and threw herself

upon him and began reciting:-

"When we met we complained, * Our hearts were sore wrung: But

plaint is not pleasant * Fro' messenger's tongue."