The Six Hundred and Eighty-sixth Night,

Dunyazad said to her, “Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale, that we may cut short the watching of this our latter night!” She replied, “With love and good will!” It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that Prince Yusuf took from the handmaid the pen-case and paper, and waxing void of sense through jealousy, fell to writing the following couplets,

“Indeed I deemed you of memory true * And our hearts as one that
     had once been two;
But I found to my sorrow you kept no pact:  * This much and you
     fain of unfaith I view. 
Ill eye ne’er looketh on aught but love * Save when the lover is
     hater too. 
You now to another than us incline * And leave us and homeward
     path pursue;
And if such doings you dare gainsay, * I can summon witness
     convicting you;
To the Lion, wild dogs from the fount shall drive * And shall
     drink themselves, is none honour due. 
That I’m not of those who a portion take * In love, O Moslems, I
     know ye knew.”

This done, he folded the paper and gave it to the slave-girl crying, “Say me, dost thou know where be Hilal?” and as she replied “Yes,” he told her to fetch him.  So she went and brought him, and when he came his lord dismissed the girl on some pretext; then he opened the Castle-door and turband’d himself with his gear and that of his Mameluke, and the twain went down to the river and swam the stream until they reached the other side.  When they stood on terra firma, the Prince found his horse and saddled and mounted him, taking Hilal upon the crupper, and rode forth to his own country.  Such was the case with Yusuf; but as regards Al-Hayfa, when she awoke a-morn, she asked of her lover and her handmaid handed to her the letter; so she took it and read it and mastered its meaning and significance, after which she wept with excessive weeping until she fainted and the blood issued from her eyes.  Presently she came to herself and dismissed Sahlub and his companions; then she said to Ibn Ibrahim, “Rise thou and depart our presence; haply some wight may come to us and swim the stream and pass into the Palace.”  But Ibn Ibrahim remained behind while Sahlub departed with those about him; and when they had left the company, Al-Hayfa asked, “O Ibn Ibrahim, say me, canst thou keep my secret and my being fascinate[FN#239] by love?” and he answered, “Yea, verily, O my lady, how should I not conceal it for thee, when thou art my mistress and princess and the daughter of my master, even though I keep it inside mine eyes?” So she continued, “O Ibn Ibrahim, there came to me a youth named the Veiled Yusuf of Beauty, son of King Sahl, Sovran of Sind; and I waxed enamoured of him and he waxed enamoured of me, and he abode with me two score of days.  One day of the days,