Meanwhile, the news spread abroad that Bihzad, son of the king, was lost, whereupon his father sent letters in quest of him [to all the kings and amongst others to him with whom he was imprisoned].  When the letter reached the latter, he praised God the Most High for that he had not anydele hastened in Bihzad’s affair and letting bring him before himself, said to him, ’Art thou minded to destroy thyself?’ Quoth Bihzad, ’[I did this] for fear of reproach;’ and the king said, ’An thou fear reproach, thou shouldst not practise haste [in that thou dost]; knowest thou not that the fruit of haste is repentance?  If we had hasted, we also, like unto thee, we had repented.’

Then he conferred on him a dress of honour and engaged to him for the completion of the dowry and sent to his father, giving him the glad news and comforting his heart with [the tidings of] his son’s safety; after which he said to Bihzad, Arise, O my son, and go to thy father.’  ‘O king,’ rejoined the prince, ’complete thy kindness to me by [hastening] my going-in to my wife; for, if I go back to my father, till he send a messenger and he return, promising me, the time will be long.’  The king laughed and marvelled at him and said to him, ’I fear for thee from this haste, lest thou come to shame and attain not thy desire.’  Then he gave him wealth galore and wrote him letters, commending him to the father of the princess, and despatched him to them.  When he drew near their country, the king came forth to meet him with the people of his realm and assigned him a handsome lodging and bade hasten the going-in of his daughter to him, in compliance with the other king’s letter.  Moreover, he advised the prince’s father [of his son’s coming] and they busied themselves with the affair of the damsel.

When it was the day of the going-in,[FN#110] Bihzad, of his haste and lack of patience, betook himself to the wall, which was between himself and the princess’s lodging and in which there was a hole pierced, and looked, so he might see his bride, of his haste.  But the bride’s mother saw him and this was grievous to her; so she took from one of the servants two red-hot iron spits and thrust them into the hole through which the prince was looking.  The spits ran into his eyes and put them out and he fell down aswoon and joyance was changed and became mourning and sore concern.  See, then, O king,” continued the youth, “the issue of the prince’s haste and lack of deliberation, for indeed his haste bequeathed him long repentance and his joy was changed to mourning; and on like wise was it with the woman who hastened to put out his eyes and deliberated not.  All this was the doing of haste; wherefore it behoveth the king not to be hasty in putting me to death, for that I am under the grasp of his hand, and what time soever thou desirest my slaughter, it shall not escape [thee].”

When the king heard this, his anger subsided and he said, “Carry him back to prison till to-morrow, to we may look into his affair.”