Volume Seven-第110章

Zaman，he abode with the gardener in the garden for no short time，weeping night and day and repeating verses bewailing the past time of enjoyment and delight；whilst the gardener kept comforting him and assuring him that the ship would set sail for the land of the Moslems at the end of the year. And in this condition he continued till one day he saw the folk crowding together and wondered at this；but the gardener came in to him and said，'O my son，give over work for this day nor lead water to the trees；for it is a festival day，whereon folk visit one another. So take thy rest and only keep shine eye on the garden，whilst I go look after the ship for thee；for yet but a little while and I send thee to the land of the Moslems.'Upon this，he went forth from the garden leaving to himself Kamar alZaman，who fell to musing upon his case till his heart was like to break and the tears streamed from his eyes. So he wept with excessive weeping till he swooned away and，when he recovered，he rose and walked about the garden，pondering what Time had done with him and bewailing the long endurance of his estrangement and separation from those he loved. As he was thus absorbed in melancholy thought，his foot stumbled and he fell on his face，his forehead striking against the projecting root of a tree；and the blow cut it open and his blood ran down and mingled with his tears Then he rose and，wiping away the blood，dried his tears and bound his brow with a piece of rag；then continued his walk about the garden engrossed by sad reverie. Presently，he looked up at a tree and saw two birds quarrelling thereon，and one of them rose up and smote the other with its beak on the neck and severed from its body its head，wherewith it flew away，whilst the slain bird fell to the ground before Kamar alZaman. As it lay，behold，two great birds swooped down upon it alighting，one at the head and the other at the tail，and both drooped their wings and bowed their bills over it and，extending their necks towards it，wept. Kamar alZaman also wept when seeing the birds thus bewail their mate，and called to mind his wife and father，And Shahrazed perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.