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

ааааа Would I knew for what crime we are shot, wellaway! With the shafts of estrangement for ever and aye!
ааааа O desire of the heart, to thy dwelling I came, When distress for thy love sorely irked me, one day,
ааааа And I found the house empty, laid waste, and complained Of estrangement and groaned, in my spirit's dismay,
ааааа Then I questioned the walls of my loves that are gone And have taken my heart as a pledge, 'Where are they?'
ааааа And they said, 'They made passion in ambush to lie In the entrails and fared from the dwellings away.'
ааааа They wrote for me lines on the portals, the deed Of the folk that keep faith nor their troth-plight betray.
When Zein el Mewasif heard this, she knew that it was Mesrour and wept, she and her maidens, and said to him, 'I conjure thee by Allah, O Mesrour, turn back, lest my husband see us!' At these words he swooned away; and when he revived, they took leave of each other and he recited the following verses:
ааааа The chief of the caravan to depart calls loud and high, In the darkness ere the dawn, and the zephyr wafts the cry,
ааааа They gird their burdens on and hasten to depart, And on, at the leader's voice, the caravan doth hie.
ааааа They perfume the lands, through which they journey, on every side, And still through the valley's midst their travel in haste they ply.
ааааа Possession they took of my soul in passion and fared away And left me to toil in vain in the track of their passing by.
ааааа Beloved, I purposed indeed to part with you never in life And the earth is drenched with the tears that flow from the wanderer's eye.
ааааа Alack! How hath parting's hand with mine entrails wroughten! Woe's me For my heart! Since my loves are gone, it irketh me like to die.
Then he clung to the litter, weeping and lamenting, whilst she besought him to turn back ere morning, for fear of discovery. So he came up to her and bidding her farewell a second time, fell down in a swoon. He lay a great while without life, and when he came to himself, he found the caravan out of sight. So he turned in the direction of their travel and inhaled the breeze that blew from their quarter, chanting the following verses:
ааааа No wind of nearness to the lover's blown But of the pains of longing he makes moan.
ааааа The breeze of dawning blows on him; he wakes And in the world he finds himself alone.
ааааа Blood, mingled with his streaming tears, he weeps, For languor on the bed of sickness prone;
ааааа For loved ones lost he weeps; his heart with them Fares midst the camels over sand and stone.
ааааа No breeze blows from their quarter but I stand, With eyes attent and nostrils open thrown,
ааааа And on the South wind snuff their musky gale, Whose scent is grateful to the lover lone.
Then he returned, mad with love-longing, to her house, and finding it empty and deserted, wept till he wet his clothes; after which he swooned away and his soul was like to depart his body. When he revived, he recited the following couplet:
ааааа O house, on my abjection have ruth and on my plight, My tears for ever flowing and body wasted quite,
ааааа And waft me the aroma of their sweet-scented breeze, So haply with its fragrance it heal my anguished spright.
ааааа Then he returned to his own house and abode there, confounded and tearful-eyed, for the space of ten days.
Meanwhile, the Jew journeyed on with Zein el Mewasif half a score days, at the end of which time he halted at a certain city and she wrote to Mesrour a letter and gave it to Huboub, saying, 'Send this to Mesrour, so he may know how we have been tricked and how the Jew hath cheated us.' So Huboub despatched it to Mesrour, whom when it reached, its news was grievous to him and he wept till he wet the ground. Then he wrote a reply and sent it to his mistress, subscribing it with the following couplets:
ааааа Where is the road unto the doors of solace? How shall he, Who's all for love-longing on flames of fire consolщd be?
ааааа How pleasant were the days of yore, that now are past away! Ah would some scantling of their times were yet with thee and me!
When the letter reached Zein el Mewasif, she read it and gave it to her maid Huboub, bidding her keep it secret. However, the Jew came to know of their correspondence and removed with her to another city, at a distance of twenty days' journey.
As for Mesrour, sleep was not sweet to him nor was peace or patience left unto him, and he ceased not to be thus till, one night, his eyes closed for weariness and he dreamt that he saw Zein el Mewasif come to him in the garden and embrace him; but presently he awoke and found her not: whereupon he fell into a passion of grief. His reason fled and his eyes ran over with tears; love-longing to the utterest possessed his heart and he recited these verses:
ааааа Peace be on her, whose image came to visit me by night And passion straight in me renewed and longings did excite!
ааааа Indeed, from that my dream I rose, distracted with desire, Fulfilled of love and longing pain for that fair vision's sight.
ааааа Do the imbroglios of sleep say sooth of her I love? Will she let quench my thirst and heal the sickness of my spright?
ааааа Anon she spoke with me, anon she strained me to her breast And now with pleasant speech she soothed my pain and my affright;
ааааа And when our lovers' chiding was accomplished in the dream And in unceasing floods, the tears streamed from mine eyes contrite,
ааааа From out her damask lips, for me, as 'twere the best of wine, Whose scent was as the scent of musk, she poured, that lady bright.
ааааа I marvel at what chanced 'twixt us in dreams; for lo! I got My wish of her and that I sought of solace and delight;
ааааа But, when from sleep I woke, no whit of that fair dream found I Save love-longing and pain; the rest had fled with morning-light.
ааааа And since I've looked on her, I'm grown, by day, as I were mad; Anights I'm drunken without wine, a lone-distracted wight.
ааааа O waftings of the zephyr, go, to them I prithee bear The salutation of my love and longing for their sight,
ааааа And say to them, 'Him, whom ye knew, the shifts of sorry Fate Have given to drink the cup of death, of destiny's despite.'
Then he went out and ceased not to weep till he came to her house and looking on it, saw it deserted. Presently, it seemed to him he saw her image before him, whereupon fires flamed in him and his sorrows redoubled and he fell down in a swoon. When he came to himself, he recited the following verses:
ааааа I snuff the scent of balm from them, wherewith the air is fraught And fare away, with heart fulfilled of passion, love-distraught.
ааааа A miserable slave of love, my longings with the sight Of dwellings, void of all their charms, to salve in vain I've sought.
ааааа It doth but sicken me for woe and severance and desire And all the past-time with my friends recalleth to my thought.
When he had made an end of these verses, he heard a raven croak beside the house and wept, saying, 'Glory be to God! The raven croaks not save over a ruined house.' Then he sighed and groaned and recited the following verses:
ааааа What aileth the raven to croon o'er the house of my love? As I hear, The fires in my bosom rage high; their burning my entrails doth sear,
ааааа For regret for the days of their love, bygone; my heart wanders, for woe, In the mountains of misery lost, distracted with passion and fear.
ааааа I die of love-longing; the flames of desire in my liver still rage, And letters I write, which, alas! I have none to convey to my dear.
ааааа Alas for my body worn waste and my sorrow! My loved one is gone. Will they ever, I wonder, return, her nights, with their solace and cheer?
ааааа O breeze of the East, in the dawn if thou visit the camp of her tribe, Salute her, I prithee, for me, and stay by her stead thy career.