WHEN the unfortunate prince, on his return from hunting, became acquainted of the disastrous event, and was told that his musky fawn had become the prey of the lion, and the exult­ing peacock of his hopes was taken in the talons of the falcon; the fire of sorrow seized his bosom, and the flames of madness glowed in his brain. In the agony of despair, rolling as grass upon the ground, like the rose, he rent his garments, scattered dust upon his head, and shed a flood of scalding tears. Now, like the frantic, he uttered heart-rending lamentations, and asked of the breeze to wave him an odour from the garden of his beloved; and now besought the gale, with piteous entreaties, to bear a mes­sage to the cypress of his favourite stream: and sometimes, like Mujjenou, he would loudly lament at remembrance of his Leila. Relish for sustenance deserted his palate, sleep fled from his eyes, and every instant he quarrelled with the winds, demanding of them tidings of Mherbanou, and exclaiming, “For whom now does she arrange her musky tresses, and before whom does she expand in smiles the rose-bud of her lips? On whom does she fix the intoxicating nergus of her eye, and for whom does she spread the snare with the amber moles that spot her moon-bright face? For heaven’s sake, O breeze, shouldst thou haply pass by the abode of my beloved, communi­cate to her hearing the fate of me, tormented and struggling on the blood-stained ground; tell her that, from longing desire, I am fallen from the throne of royalty into the abyss of wretchedness; that, instead of princely robes, I wear the garb of beggary; that I have cast away my crown, and made the mark of her footsteps my throne; that, from incessant lamenta­tion, I have no longer power to bewail, and from constant search after her, my foot is become incapable of farther exertion. Beg her to have compassion on my unhappy state, and visit me, to cast her cypress-like shade over my pillow, and lift my head from the dust affliction. Tell her to hasten while yet a spark of life is remaining, or she will behold only my lifeless clay, which the wind perhaps may have scattered on every quarter.

In short, when he could find no trace of his beloved partner, madness subdued his senses, and from the distraction of his mind, he uttered incoherent expres­sions, which affected the hearts of acquaintance and strangers, and the bosoms of friends and enemies were rent by his sorrows.

At length, the vizier’s son lifted him up, and said, “Lord of my fate, ah! what can be effected by this violent passion and of what use are these cries and exclamations! Fortify thy heart, nor give thyself up to irresolution. In this world of production and decay, which is a source of vicissitudes, many such cases as thine have befallen the dependants on the table of mortality, and numberless afflictions constantly occur. In every revolution of the azure skies, thousands of accidents are involved; and in each fold of the heavenly umbrella lie concealed innu­merable changes. It is the distin­guishing superiority of heroes in the field of resolution, that striving to attain perfect reliance on God, and, like the mountain, planting their feet on the base of fortitude, they are not to be moved by any storms. At a period when adversity arrives and calamity descends, they do not sink in the waves of despondency; but having formed some approved plan, they by noble exertions reach the shore of repose and safety from the whirlpool of misfortune.

“At present, reason (which is the guide of the bewildered in the path of perplexity) suggests, that our com­panion, the young fisherman, who is singularly skilled in finding out paths and tracing the footsteps of passen­gers, having bound fast the girdle of assistance, should explore the road, so that a direction may be obtained to the stage of our desires. When, through divine help, we reach the wished for country, we can in any way that policy may demand, rear the ladder of contrivance to the bat­tlement of our object.”

The prince, by advice of the vizier’s son, having distributed all the effects and treasures he possessed to needy persons and distressed devotees, submitted to the disguise of a pilgrim; and, according to the guidance of the fisherman, measured the path of the windings of hope. When they arrived at the river before men­tioned, no boat was to be procured; on which account they remained a short time in the circle of delay; but the fish­erman having cut down the branches of some trees, formed a raft, and the prince with his companions passed easily over the rapid stream. Having discovered the right path, they pursued their route, and after winding many dangerous ways and toilsome marches, at length reached the temple, which Mherbanou had cho­sen as the place of her devotions. Imme­diately as they arrived at this auspicious spot, the officers entrusted with the charge of entertaining strangers, agreeably to the rules of hospitality and courtesy to guests, conducted the weary travellers to the house of alms, and having set before them whatever was proper of eatables and drinkables, fulfilled the duties of liberal hosts and charitable purveyors.