o me.' Quoth she, Quoth she, 'Better is
'Better is death to me death to me than the wrath
than the wrath of God and wreak of Allah the
the Most High.' And Most Highest; and she
she left the food rose and left the food untouched
untouched [461] and went away [461] and went away
repeating the following repeating these couplets:
verses:

O, Thou, the only God, whose O, Thou, the One, whose grace
grace embraceth all that be, doth all the world embrace;
Thine ears have heard my Thine ears have heard, Thine
moan, Thine eyes have seen eyes have seen my case!
my misery;

Indeed, privation and distress Privation and distress have dealt
are heavy on my head; I me heavy blows; the woes
cannot tell of all the woes that weary me no utterance
that do beleaguer me. can trace.

I'm like a man athirst, that I am like one athirst who eyes
looks upon a running stream, the landscape's eye, yet may
yet may not drink a single not drink a draught of
draught of all that he doth streams that rail and race.
see.

My flesh would have me buy its My flesh would tempt me by the
will, alack, its pleasures sight of savoury food whose
flee! The sin that pays their joys shall pass away and
price abides to all eternity. pangs maintain their place.

[The girl, "worn out with want," came a third time, and met with the
same answer. But then remorse seized upon the blacksmith and he
bade her, "eat, and fear not."]

"When she heard this "Then she raised her eyes
she raised her eyes to to heaven and said,
heaven and said,

"'O my God, if this "'O my God, if this man
man be sincere, I pray say sooth, I pray thee
Thee forbid fire to do forbid fire to harm him
him hurt in this world in this world and the
and the next, for Thou art next, for Thou over all
He that answereth prayer things art Omnipotent and
and art powerful to do Prevalent in answering the
whatsoever Thou wilt!' prayer of the penitent!'

"Then I left her and Then I left her and went
went to put out the fire to put out the fire in
in the brasier. Now the the brazier. Now the
time was the winter-cold, season was winter and the
and a hot coal fell on weather cold, and a live
my body; but by the