I have taken note of Allah hath favoured thee, thine assiduity [in and have seen the truth of religious exercises], but it with mine eyes.  Moreover, find in thee no special I have taken note fervour of piety, such as of thine assiduity in distinguisheth those in religious exercises, but find whom such miraculous in thee no such piety as gifts are manifest. distinguished those who work “Whence, then, cometh saintly miracles; whence, this to thee?” “I will then cometh this to thee?” tell thee,” answered the “I will tell thee,” smith. answered the smith.

“Know that I was once           “Know that I was once
passionately enamoured of       passionately enamoured
a certain damsel and            of a slave girl and oft-times
required her many a time        sued her for loveliesse,
of love, but could not          but could not prevail
prevail upon her, for           upon her, because she
that she still clave fast       still held fast by her
unto chastity.   Presently       chastity.   Presently there
there came a year of            came a year of drought and
drought and hunger and          hunger and hardship, food
hardship; food failed and       failed, and there befell a
there befell a sore famine      sore famine.   As I was
in the land.   I was sitting     sitting one day at home,
one day in my house,            somebody knocked at the
when one knocked at the         door; so I went out, and,
door; so I went out and         behold, she was standing
found her standing there;       there; and she said to
and she said to me, ’O          me, ’O my brother, I am
my brother, I am stricken       sorely an hungered and I
with excessive hunger, and      lift mine eyes to thee,
I lift mine eyes to thee,       beseeching thee to feed me,
beseeching thee to feed         for Allah’s sake!’  Quoth
me for God’s sake!’                I, ’Wottest thou not how
Quoth I, ’Dost thou not         I love thee and what I have
know how I love thee            suffered for thy sake?   Now
and what I have suffered        I will not give thee one
for thy sake!   I will give      bittock of bread except
thee no whit of food,           thou yield thy person
except thou yield thyself       to me.’   Quoth she,
to me.’   But she said,          ’Death, but not
‘Better death than              disobedience to the Lord!’
disobedience to God.’   Then     Then she went away and
she went away and               returned after two days with
returned after two days         the same prayer for food
with the same petition          as before.   I made her a
for food.   I made her a like    like answer, and she
answer, and she entered         entered and sat down in my
and sat down, being nigh        house, being nigh upon
upon death.   I set food         death.   I set food before
before her, whereupon her       her, whereupon her eyes
eyes ran over with tears,       brimmed with tears, and