Have ruth on one who once was rich and great， Whom villainy hath brought to low estate.
She weeps with never-ceasing tears and says， "There"s no recourse against the laws of Fate."
Then she turned to the merchant and said to him， in a low voice，"By Allah， do not leave me with this tyrant， who knows not God the Most High！ If I pass this night with him， I shall kill myself with my own hand： save me from him， and God will save thee from hell-fire." So the merchant said to the Bedouin， "O chief of the Arabs， this girl is none of thine affair； so do thou sell her to me for what thou wilt." "Take her，" said the Bedouin， "and pay me down her price， or I will carry her back to the camp and set her to feed the camels and gather their droppings."[FN#28] Quoth the merchant， "I will give thee fifty thousand dinars for her." "God will open，"[FN#29] replied the Bedouin. "Seventy thousand，" said the merchant. "God will open，" repeated the other； "she hath cost me more than that， for she hath eaten barley-bread with me to the value of ninety thousand dinars." Quoth the merchant， "Thou and all thy people and thy whole tribe in all your lives have not eaten a thousand dinars" worth of barley： but I will make thee one offer， which if thou accept not， I will set the Viceroy of Damascus on thee， and he will take her from thee by force." "Say on，" rejoined the Bedouin. "A hundred thousand，" said the merchant. "I will sell her to thee at that price，" answered the Bedouin； "I shall be able to buy salt with that." The merchant laughed and going to his house， returned with the money and gave it to the Bedouin， who took it and made off， saying， "I must go to Jerusalem： it may be I shall happen on her brother， and I will bring him here and sell him." So he mounted and journeyed to Jerusalem， where he went to the khan and enquired for Zoulmekan，but could not find him.
Meanwhile， the merchant threw his gaberdine over Nuzhet ez Zeman and carried her to his house， where he dressed her in the richest clothes he could buy. Then he carried her to the bazaar， where he bought her what jewellery she chose and put it in a bag of satin，which he laid before her， saying， "This is all for thee， and I ask nothing of thee in return but that， when thou comest to the Viceroy of Damascus， thou tell him what I gave for thee and that it was little compared with thy value： and if he buy thee， tell him how I have dealt with thee and ask of him for me a royal patent， with a recommendation to his father King Omar Ben Ennuman， lord of Baghdad， to the intent that he may forbid the taking toll on my stuffs or other goods in which I traffic." When she heard his words， she wept and sobbed， and the merchant said to her， "O my mistress， I note that， every time I mention Baghdad， thine eyes fill with tears： is there any one there whom thou lovest？ If it be a merchant or the like， tell me； for I know all the merchants and so forth there； and an thou wouldst send him a message， I will carry it for thee." "By Allah，" replied she， "I have no acquaintance among merchants and the like！ I know none there but King Omar ben Ennuman." When the merchant heard this， he laughed and was greatly rejoiced and said in himself，"By Allah， I have gotten my desire！" Then he said to her， "Hast thou then been shown to him？" "No，" answered she； "but I was brought up with his daughter and he holds me dear and I have much credit with him； so if thou wouldst have him grant thee a patent of exemption， give me ink-horn and paper， and I will write thee a letter， which， when thou reachest Baghdad， do thou deliver into the King"s own hand and say to him， "Thy handmaid Nuzhet ez Zeman salutes thee and would have thee to know that the changing chances of the nights and days have smitten her， so that she has been sold from place to place and is now with the Viceroy of Damascus."" The merchant wondered at her eloquence and his affection for her increased and he said to her， "I cannot think but that men have abused thine understanding and sold thee for money. Tell me， dost thou know the Koran？" "I do，" answered she；
"and I am also acquainted with philosophy and medicine and the Prolegomena and the commentaries of Galen the physician on the Canons of Hippocrates， and I have commented him， as well as the Simples of Ibn Beltar， and have studied the works of Avicenna，according to the canon of Mecca， as well as other treatises. I can solve enigmas and establish parallels[FN#30] and discourse upon geometry and am skilled in anatomy. I have read the books of the Shafiyi[FN#31] sect and the Traditions of the Prophet， I am well read in grammar and can argue with the learned and discourse of all manner of sciences. Moreover I am skilled in logic and rhetoric and mathematics and the ****** of talismans and calendars and the Cabala， and I understand all these branches of knowledge thoroughly. But bring me ink-horn and paper， and I will write thee a letter that will profit thee at Baghdad and enable thee to dispense with passports." When the merchant heard this，he cried out， "Excellent！ Excellent！ Happy he in whose palace thou shalt be！" Then he brought her ink-horn and paper and a pen of brass and kissed the earth before her， to do her honour. She took the pen and wrote the following verses：
"What ails me that sleep hath forsaken my eyes and gone astray？
Have you then taught them to waken， after our parting day！
How comes it your memory maketh the fire in my heart to rage？
Is"t thus with each lover remembers a dear one far away？
How sweet was the cloud of the summer， that watered our days of yore！ "Tis flitted， before of its pleasance my longing I could stay.
I sue to the wind and beg it to favour the slave of love， The wind that unto the lover doth news of you convey.
A lover to you complaineth， whose every helper fails. Indeed， in parting are sorrows would rend the rock in sway.
