Because he hath lain a night
with thee, thou endurest this torture and wilt not confess upon
him. It is only like that pities like." Then he turned to me and
said, "O mortal, dost thou not know this woman?" "Who is she?"
answered I. "I never saw her till now." "Then," said he "take
this sword and strike off her head and I will believe that thou
knowest her not and will let thee go and do thee no hurt." Quoth
I, "It is well;" and taking the sword, went up to her briskly and
raised my hand. But she signed to me with her eyebrows, as who
should say, "What hurt have I done thee? Is it thus thou
requitest me?" I understood what she would say and replied in the
same manner, "I will ransom thee with my life." And the tongue of
the case repeated the following verses:
How many a lover with his eyelids speaks And doth his thought
unto his mistress tell
He flashes signals to her with his eyes, And she at once is ware
of what befell.
How swift the looks that pass betwixt the twain! How fair,
indeed, and how delectable!
One with his eyelids writes what he would say: The other with her
eyes the writ doth spell.
Then my eyes ran over with tears and I said, "O mighty Afrit and
doughty hero! if a woman, lacking sense and religion, deem it
unlawful to strike off my head, how can I, who am a man, bring
myself to slay her whom I never saw in my life? Never will I
do it, though I drink the cup of death and ruin!" And I threw
the sword from my hand.
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