s, home and my father were
forgotten, and I have preferred following my own desires by coming
hither. If thou wilt therefore forward my views; if thou wilt become my
friend by introducing me to thy mistress, who is possessed of such
matchless charms, these precious gems are thine and this coronet of
gold. Perhaps the daughter of Afrasiyab may be induced to listen to my
suit." The nurse was not long in making known the sentiments of the
stranger, and Manijeh was equally prompt in expressing her consent. The
message was full of ardor and affection.

"O gallant youth, no farther roam,
This summer-tent shall be thy home;
Then will the clouds of grief depart
From this enamoured, anxious heart.
For thee I live--thou art the light
Which makes my future fortune bright.
Should arrows pour like showers of rain
Upon my head--'twould be in vain;
Nothing can ever injure me,
Blessed with thy love--possessed of thee!"

Byzun therefore proceeded unobserved to the tent of the princess, who on
meeting and receiving him, pressed him to her bosom; and taking off his
Kaiani girdle, that he might be more at his ease, asked him to sit down
and relate the particulars of his enterprise among the wild boars of the
forest. Having done so, he added that he had left Girgin behind him.

"Enraptured, and impatient to survey
Thy charms, I brook'd no pause upon the way."

He was immediately perfumed with musk and rose-water, and refreshments
of every kind were set before him; musicians played their sweetest airs,
and dark-eyed damsels waited upon him. The walls of the tent were
gorgeously adorned with amber, and gold, and rubies; and the sparkling
old wine was drunk out of crystal goblets. The feast of joy lasted three
nights and three days, Byzun and Manijeh enjoying the precious moments
with unspeakable rapture. Overcome with wine and the felicity of the
scene, he at length sunk into repose, and on the fourth day came the
time of departure; but the princess, unable to relinquish the society of
her lover, ordered a narcotic draught to be administered to him, and
whilst he continued in a state of slumber and insensibility, he was
conveyed secretly and in disguise into Turan. He was taken even to the
palace of Afrasiyab, unknown to all but to the emissaries and domestics
of the princess, and there he awoke from the trance into which he had
been thrown, and found himself clasped in the arms of his idol.
Considering, on com