She then handed the paper to Ibn Ibrahim who again set out and sought the Prince and kissed his hand and gave him the letter; whereupon said he, “O Ibn Ibrahim, come not thou again bringing me aught of missive—­ever or any more after this one.”  Quoth Ibn Ibrahim, “Wherefore, O my lord, shall I not do on such wise?” and quoth Yusuf “Suffer her to learn the fates of men-kind.”  Said the other, “I conjure thee, by Allah Almighty, ho thou the King, inasmuch as thou art of the seed of mighty monarchs, disappoint her not of her question; and Allah upon thee, unless thou show pity to her heart it haply will melt away with melancholy and love and madness for thy sake; and all of this is for the truth of her affection.”  Hereupon Yusuf smiled and taking up his pen wrote these couplets,

“Stay thy tears; for hindrance and parting hie, * And the endless
     of Empire aye glorify: 
From my core of heart fly all cark and care * After parting that
     seemed all Time defy. 
A Lion am I for the love of him * Whom the slanderer’s part ne’er
     can satisfy: 
My mind and soul be this day with you * But my heart and thought
     are at enmity: 
Thought and mind delight in Love’s cruelty * While heart and soul
     for re-union cry: 
And if mind and thought e’er can overcome * Soul and heart,
     Re-union thou ne’er shalt ’spy.”

And when Yusuf had finished his writing, he gifted Ibrahim with an hundred dinars and sent him again to Al-Hayfa with the letter, and she on receiving it shed tears and said, “O Ibn Ibrahim, seeing that his soul and heart be with us, Allah Almighty availeth to turn his thoughts and his fancy and the mind of him.”  Hereupon she took writing materials and wrote,

“Calm, O my lord, thy vitals’ painful plight, * O thou whose
     semblance lighteth sooty night: 
O gladding heart, O sweet of union, Oh * Whose charms the tribe
     in festal hours delight: 
O high in honour passing height of Kings, * O thou with purest
     blood ’mid Kings bedight,
Fear’st not the Throne[FN#254] of God (O hope of me!) * When
     harming heart whereon all pains alight? 
Then deign thou grant me union, for such wise * Shall rest my
     heartstrings and dark care wax bright: 
From none, except that Lion O’ men Ali[FN#255] * Comes pardon
     proving to man- kind his might.”

Then she passed her missive to Ibn Ibrahim giving him an hundred gold pieces and he pushed his pace till he reached the city of Sind, where he went in to Yusuf and kissed his hands and feet.  The Prince taking the letter smiled and laughed and said, “O Ibn Ibrahim, when Allah (be He extolled and exalted!) shall decree my faring I will fare to them[FN#256] within a short while; but do thou return and let know that I intend forgathering with them.”  Quoth the other, “Ah!  O my lord, do thou indite her a reply, otherwise she will have no trust in me; so the Prince fell to penning these lines,