"Payne Volume VIII" - читать интересную книгу автора (Paynes Versions)

ааааа 'Look to thyself,' quoth she; but, when she put her fingers out, Mid-most a pitch-black night, most like her sable hair in dye,
ааааа I had no power to move the white, to rescue them from her And passion caused the tide of tears in me run fierce and high.
ааааа On, with the queens, fall pawns and rooks; they charge the host of white, And these give way, discomfited, and turn their backs to fly;
ааааа Yea, and she launched at me, to boot, an arrow of her looks, And to the kernel of my heart the quivering shaft did hie.
ааааа 'Twixt the two hosts she gave me choice, and I chose that which whiteWas with the whiteness of the moon that shineth in the sky.
ааааа 'The white, indeed, are those which best beseem to me and they Are what I fain would have; so take the red to thee,' quoth I.
ааааа Then played she with me for a stake agreed 'twixt us; but Fate did unto me the wished-for boon of her consent deny.
ааааа Alas, the misery of my heart! Alas, my longing sore For the enjoyment of a maid who with the moon doth vie!
ааааа It is not for my goods and lands my heart is all a-fire But that, alack! familiar 'tis grown with the [evil] eye.
ааааа Distraught I'm grown and stupefied for dreariment, and Fate, For what's betided me, I chide with many a tear and cry.
ааааа 'What ails thee to be dazed?' asked she, and I, 'Shall wine-bibbers Be whole of wit, when drunkenness their sense doth stupefy?'
ааааа A mortal maid hath ta'en my wit with her fair shape; if it Be soft, her bowels are like rock, uneath to mollify.
ааааа Myself I heartened, saying, 'Her to-day I shalt possess Upon the wager, fearing not defeat I should aby.
ааааа My heart ceased not to covet her, till I to poverty Became reduced, and beggared now in goods and hope am I.
ааааа Will he who is in love forswear a love that irketh him, Though in the oceans of desire he struggle like to die?
ааааа So is the slave grown penniless, to love and longing thrall, All unaccomplished yet the hope he staked his all to buy.
Zein el Mewasif marvelled at the eloquence of his tongue and said to him, 'O Mesrour, leave this madness and return to thy senses and go thy ways; for thou hast wasted all thy substance at the game of chess, yet hast not attained to thy desire, nor hast thou any resource whereby thou mayst accomplish it.' But he turned to her and said, 'O my lady, ask of me what thou wilt and I will bring it to thee and lay it at thy feet.' 'O Mesrour,' answered she, 'thou hast no money left.' 'O goal of all hopes,' rejoined he, 'if I have no money, the folk will help me.' Quoth she, 'Shall the giver turn asker?' And he said, 'I have friends and kinsfolk, and whatsoever I seek of them, they will give me.' Then said she, 'O Mesrour, I will have of thee four bladders of musk and four vases of civet and four pounds of ambergris and four thousand dinars and four hundred pieces of coloured brocade, wroughten with gold. Bring me these things, and I will grant thee my favours.' 'This is a light matter to me, O thou that puttest the moons to shame,' replied he and went forth to fetch her what she sought.
She sent Huboub after him, to see what interest he had with the folk of whom he had spoken to her; but, as he went along the streets, he turned and seeing her afar off, waited till she came up to him and said to her, 'Whither away, O Huboub?' So she told him what her mistress had said to her and he said, 'By Allah, O Huboub, I have nothing!' 'Then why didst thou promise her?' asked she; and he answered, 'How many a promise is unkept of its maker! Fine words needs must be in love-matters.' When she heard this, she said to him, 'O Mesrour, be of good heart and cheerful eye, for, by Allah, I will be the means of thy coming to enjoy her!' Then she left him and returned, weeping sore, to her mistress, to whom said she, 'O my lady, indeed he is a man of great consideration, well-reputed among the folk.' Quoth Zein el Mewasif, 'There is no resource against the ordinance of the Most High! Verily, this man found not in me a compassionate heart, for that I spoiled him of his substance and he got of me neither affection nor complaisance in granting him the amorous mercy; but, if I incline to his desire, I fear lest the thing be bruited abroad.' 'O my lady,' answered Huboub, 'verily, his present plight and the loss of his good is grievous upon us, and thou hast with thee none but myself and thy slave-girl Sukoub; so which of us two would dare prate of thee, and we thy hand-maids?'
With this, she bowed her head and the damsels said to her, 'O my lady, it is our counsel that thou send after him and show him favour and suffer him not ask of the sordid; for how bitter is asking!' So she accepted their counsel and calling for inkhorn and paper, wrote him the following verses:
ааааа Fulfilment draws near, O Mesrour: rejoice in fair presage and true, For, to-night, when the darkness falls down, the deed without fail thou shalt do;
ааааа And ask not the sordid, O youth, for money to mend thine estate: Indeed, I was drunken, but now my wit is restored me anew.
ааааа Moreover, thy good that I took shall all unto thee be restored, And to crown, O Mesrour, my largesse, I'll add thee my favours thereto;
ааааа Since patience thou hadst and in the long-suffering and sweetness there was With a loved one's unkindness to bear, who wronged thee with rigours undue.
ааааа So hasten forthright to enjoy my possession, fair fall thee thereof! And tarry not neither neglect, lest my folk come to know of us two.
ааааа Then come to us quickly, I pray, and loiter not neither delay, And eat of the fruits of delight, whilst my husband is absent, the Jew.
Then she folded the letter and gave it to Huboub, who carried it to Mesrour and found him weeping and reciting the following verses, in a transport of passion and love-longing:
ааааа There blew upon my heart a breeze of love and wantonness, And all my entrails crumbled were with passion pitiless.
ааааа My longing, since my loved one's loss, is passing sore on me And still mine eyelids overflow for very tears' excess.
ааааа My heart with doubts and fears is racked, which did I but reveal Unto hard rocks and stones, forthright they'd soften for distress.
ааааа Ah, would I knew if I shall live to win to my delight, if, in th' enjoyment of my wish, my hope I shall possess!
ааааа Shall parting's nights, the wide outspread, be folded up again And shall I e'er of that be healed which doth my heart oppress?
As he was repeating these verses, Huboub knocked at the door; so he rose and opened to her, and she entered and gave him the letter. He read it and said to her, 'O Huboub, what news bringest thou of thy mistress?' 'O my lord,' answered she, 'in this letter is what dispenses me from answering, for thou art of the folk of understanding.' And he rejoiced with an exceeding joy and repeated the following verses:
ааааа The letter came, and its contents rejoiced us, heart and brain, And in my very heart of hearts to keep it I were fain.
ааааа Yea, I redouble in desire, whene'er the writ I kiss; For 'tis as if 't the very pearl of passion did contain.
Then he wrote a letter in answer and gave it to Huboub, who returned with it to her mistress and fell to extolling his charms to her and expatiating on his generosity and good qualities; for she was become a helper to him, to bring about his union with her. 'O Huboub,' said Zein el Mewasif, 'indeed he tarrieth to come to us.' And Huboub answered, 'He will certainly come speedily.' Hardly had she made an end of speaking when he knocked at the door, and she opened to him and brought him in to her mistress, who saluted him and bade him welcome and seated him by her side.
Then she said to Huboub, 'Bring me a suit of the goodliest of apparel;' so she brought a dress embroidered with gold and Zein el Mewasif threw it over him, whilst she herself donned one of the richest of dresses and covered her head with a net of pearls of the finest water. About this she bound a fillet of brocade, embroidered with pearls and rubies and other jewels, from beneath which fell down two tresses [of plaited silk], each looped with a pendant of ruby, charactered with glittering gold, and she let down her hair, as it were the sombre night. Moreover she incensed herself with aloes-wood and scented herself with musk and ambergris, and Huboub said to her, 'God guard thee from the [evil] eye!' Then she began to walk, with a graceful swimming gait, whilst Huboub, who excelled in verse-making, recited the following in her honour:
ааааа She shames the cassia-branches with every step she tries And sore besets her lovers with glances from her eyes.
ааааа A moon from out the darkness appearing of her hair, It is as from her browlocks the very sun did rise.
ааааа Happy by whom the night long with all her charms she lies And happy he who, swearing by her life, for her dies!
Zein el Mewasif thanked her and went up to Mesrour, as she were the full moon all displayed. When he saw her, he rose to his feet and exclaimed, 'Except my thought deceive me, she is no mortal, but one of the brides of Paradise!' Then she called for food and they brought a table, about whose marge were written the following verses:
ааааа Dip thou with spoons in saucers four and gladden heart and eye With many a various kind of stew and fricassee and fry.
ааааа Thereon fat quails (ne'er shall I cease to love and tender them) And rails and fowls and dainty birds of all the kinds that fly.
ааааа Glory to God for the kabobs, for redness all aglow, And potherbs steeped in vinegar, in porringers thereby!
ааааа Fair fall the rice with sweet milk dressed, wherein the hands did plungeAnd eke the forearms of the fair were buried, bracelet-high!
ааааа How my heart yearneth with regret over two plates of fish That by two manchet-cakes of bread of Tewarij (8) did lie!
Then they ate and drank and made merry, after which the servants removed the table of food and set on the wine service. The cup and the bowl passed round between them and their hearts were gladdened. Then Mesrour filled the cup and saying, 'To her whose I am and who is my mistress!' chanted the following verses:
ааааа I marvel at mine eyes that feed their fill upon the charms Of a fair maid whose beauty bright enlightens every place.
ааааа In all her time she hath no like nor any may compare With her for very goodliness and sweet harmonious grace.
ааааа The willow sapling envies her the slimness of her shape, When, in her symmetry arrayed, she fares with stately pace.
ааааа The crown of her, for radiance, is as the crescent moon, Ay, and the full moon of the dark she shames with shining face.