THE NURSE'S SECOND VISIT TO RAMIN 89 God with entreaty to keep me in peace and to preserve my tongue from evil speaking; as long as I live may the preservation of my purity rejoice my friends and grieve my enemies; and may the God of Shahro preserve me from an evil wisher like thee and from such an inviter to deeds of misfortune." 100 | CHAPTER XIX THE NURSE PARTS FROM VIS AND SEES RAMIN FOR THE THIRD TIME WHEN the sun rose next morning the nurse went to the place where Ramin awaited Vis's answer. The nurse was exceeding sad, and spoke thus: "Why dost thou trouble thyself in vain? How long wilt thou seek water in fire? The wind cannot be enthralled 1 nor the sea dried up with one hand, nor can Vis's stony heart be softened so that one may lie at her side in bed. From a hard rock 2 love makes water to flow, but not from her. In love even a mountain is better. If one cries out to a rock, it gives a man a reply; but she, unfeeling, gives no reply, says nothing. She is like a scorpion. I have delivered thy message, she gave me no answer for thee. But she insulted me greatly. And at this in her do I marvel still more, that neither by witchcraft, nor incantation, nor cunning, can anything be done. My seductions have no more effect on her than physicking a drunken man. As water is not wounded by a stone, so my efforts and incantations touch her not." 3 101 When the disheartened Ramin heard these words, like a wounded partridge in the claws of a falcon, he became helpless, the world was darkened and hope was cut off; death was near, and mischance seemed like a cloud; there was dew in his eyes and lightning in his heart. From hopelessness his heart became shrunken, the point of a 1 Shepqroba. Cf. sheupqra, R., 277. 2 Tinisa cldisagan, 208. R., 404, 731. 4 Gava, 103. R., 14, 118, etc. THE NURSE'S THIRD VISIT TO RAMIN 91 thousand arrows pierced his heart, with a loud voice he cried and shouted: "O nurse! By the Most High, I adjure thee by the Most High! But once more give me thine aid. I have none on earth save thee. We hang upon thy bosom and neck; I and my joy are devoted to thee by oath. If I have no hope from thee, even now my life will be drained to the dregs. I can endure no longer. I shall become quite mad; I shall make known the secret of my heart; I shall remain in the land a byword and a reproach. If but once again thou wilt try, wilt pity me, and will let that sun know of my unhappiness, as long as I live my life1 is thine as a gift. I shall never forget thy service.2 Meseems her hard heart will soften towards me and become merciful, and cause the candle of love to be lighted. Surely she will repent of her obduracy, of her anger against thee the other day; she will not make to flow the blood which is guiltless towards her, and not bereave me of my soul, generously devoted to the increase of her days.3 Yield her much homage from me, and say thus: 'O hope of the aged and the young! Thou hast my heart for melting, like wax; and it befits thee to possess it, for thou knowest how to keep a heart. Thou art sovereign over my head and body, and such sovereignty befits and beseems thee. And if thou once showest me thy heart, I shall spend my days in thy service. Of a truth thou knowest that I 102 shall render thee service if thou findest me worthy, and acceptest me as thy slave. Once thou wilt love me with love, then shalt thou learn how pleasant is love. Though thou hadst a hundred thousand lovers, thou couldst not find among them one so devoted as I am to thee. Thou art the sun, and if thou shinest on me from love, I shall become as a jacinth. Do not desire me not to serve thee, let my love not seem a reproach to thee; save me from everlasting 4 1 Sulni, 224. R., 487. 2 Sheni monoba, "that I am thy slave." 3 Mist'ha dedat'hat'huis has been amended to mist'ha dghet'hathvis in the translation. 4 Shenakhva. 5 Var., “I shall be turned from saffron to jacinth." woe and unhappiness; make me live that I may spend my days in thy service and at thy will. If thou desirest me to give up the ghost, what can be easier? And if thou dost not show me mercy, I am even now become powerless. I cannot endure thy wrath. I will cast myself from a great rock or into a great stream, that I may free myself from being. In yonder world it is thou that shalt be asked concerning my fault,1 and it shall be exacted from thee, for I have spoken to that God, the Creator and Judge of all, and Him have I appointed my witness." After this discourse he lost consciousness through excess of weeping, he entreated the nurse, and the nurse yet again had pity on him. She went to Vis, for her heart was still more pained for Ramin. She went and sat down with boiling heart, she calmed herself, and in her heart prepared a speech concerning Ramin's affair. Thus she spoke : 66 O sovereign of all beauties! For thy sake die alike those who are near and those who are afar off. I have 103 a secret from thee, and my tongue is bound from shame of thee. I fear also Shah Moabad, for from the wicked everything is to be feared. I protect myself from shame and reproach lest ill should befall me. I fear hell, too, lest I should burn guilty in it; but what can I do? When I think on Ramin's affair, and his face sometimes yellowed and sometimes reddened, ever bathed in tears, for his sake the eye of my conscience is continually closed and my heart is inflamed. He has adjured me by such an oath that fear has forsaken me, and the world is become hateful to me for pity of him. I pity him so much that I would not grudge my life to help him. I have seen many a wretched lover, with fire in his heart and tears of blood in his eyes, but I have never seen lover wretched after his pattern.2 His moan alone consumes a thousand lovers. His words cut me, and his ever-tearful eyes. My endurance is cut off by his sword, and by the flowing of his tears my house is overthrown. I very much fear even that he may 1 For suicide cƒ. R., 728, 768, 815, 854, 945, 1169, 1278a, 1279. 2 Aracad, 143. 93 What harm will it do thee consumed by these griefs? whether thou fleest from him God neither will create, nor THE NURSE'S THIRD VISIT TO RAMIN suddenly die, and God will exact of me punishment for his faults. Thy pitilessness towards him is not profitable. Do not so, my light; take pity on his powerless plight soil not thy skirt with his blood. not to suffer his days to be What does it matter to thee1 or not, since he is for thee. has He created, another like him. He has made him in every way faultlessly fair, for | he is thy peer, else peer- 104 less. God has guarded thee a virgin under His protection, that He might give thy person to Ramin; be he and thou our sovereigns, and let him remove thy seal. It can only be done by him, for he will be thy lord,2 and thou shalt taste for him a wife's love, and you shall rejoice in each other.” As the nurse spoke and sware thus, Vis was convinced3 in her heart, and loved Ramin in her heart. She began to pity him and abandoned enmity. Love appeared, and smoke was added to her fire. The time of Ramin's joy was come, and the sharp tongue was blunted for replying. Her silence was a sign of her belief in the nurse's discourse, and she sought means not to have it perceived. She looked round about for shame, her complexion turned many colours, sometimes yellow, sometimes red; as from a spring, tears and sweat flowed. She was seized with fear of blame. 5 PARABLE (Araci): The heart of the lover draws the heart from the body, as the loadstone draws iron. A onesided love can no more be cherished than an ass can be loaded with a one-sided burden. The sorceress nurse perceived that the arrow had hit the mark, she had caught the fleet wild ass in a net, by witchcraft and incantation she had fettered the wind. 1 Ggava, 100, 188. 2 Ukhutzesi, 94-senior, seigneur. 3 Idasturebda. Haeri, 128 (cf. Lexicon in N. Marr's Gregory of Khandzt'ha), radiance as well as air. R., 988. Б Lit., "the air of her face turned in many ways." • Maghniti-kua-magnet-stone. |