And when all this was done, the Prince threw himself on the couch, sad-spirited, and heavy-hearted; blaming himself and repenting of his injurious conduct to his father, whenas repentance availed him naught, and saying, “Allah curse marriage and marriageable and married women, the traitresses all!  Would I had hearkened to my father and accepted a wife!  Had I so done it had been better for me than this jail.”  This is how it fared with him; but as regards King Shahri man, he remained seated on his throne all through the day until sundown; then he took the Minister apart and said to him “Know thou, O Wazir, that thou and thou only west the cause of all this that hath come to pass between me and my son by the advice thou west pleased to devise; and so what dost thou counsel me to do now?” Answered he, “O King, leave thy son in limbo for the space of fifteen days:  then summon him to thy presence and bid him wed; and assuredly he shall not gainsay thee again.”—­And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.

      When it was the One Hundred and Seventy-fifth Night,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Wazir, said to King Shahriman, “Leave thy son in limbo for the space of fifteen days; then summon him to thy presence and bid him wed; and assuredly he shall not gainsay thee again.”  The King accepted the Wazir’s opinion and lay down to sleep that night troubled at heart concerning his son; for he loved him with dearest love because he had no other child but this; and it was his wont every night not to sleep, save after placing his arm under his son’s neck.  So he passed that night in trouble and unease on the Prince ’s account, tossing from side to side, as he were laid on coals of Artemisia-wood[FN#235]:  for he was overcome with doubts and fears and sleep visited him not all that livelong night; but his eyes ran over with tears and he began repeating, ;

“While slanderers slumber, longsome is my night; *
     Suffice thee a heart so sad in parting-plight;
I say, while night in care slow moments by, *
     ‘What! no return for thee, fair morning light?’”

And the saying of another,

“When saw I Pleiad-stars his glance escape *
     And Pole star draught of sleep upon him pour;
And the Bier-daughters[FN#236] wend in mourning dight, *
     I knew that morning was for him no more!”

Such was the case with King Shahriman; but as regards Kamar al-Zaman, when the night came upon him the eunuch set the lanthorn before him and lighting the wax-candle, placed it in the candlestick; then brought him somewhat of food.  The Prince ate a little and continually reproached himself for his unseemly treatment of his father, saying to himself, “O my soul, knowest thou not that a son of Adam is the hostage of his tongue, and that a man’s tongue is what casteth him into deadly perils?” Then his eyes ran over with tears and he bewailed that which he had done, from anguished vitals and aching heart, repenting him with exceeding repentance of the wrong wherewith he had wronged his father and repeating,