My daughter
heard my words and rising, went into another chamber, whither I
followed her and found her lying, with her head on a cushion,
as I had told of the young man. I shook her and behold, she
was dead. So we laid her out and set forth next morning with
her funeral, whilst the friends of the young man carried him
out, likewise, to bury him. As we were on the way to the
burial-place, we met a third funeral and enquiring whose it
was, were told that it was that of the singing-girl, who,
hearing of my daughter's death, had done even as she and was
dead. So we buried them all three on one day, and this is the
rarest story that ever was heard of lovers."
THE LOVERS OF THE BENOU TAI.
Quoth a man of the Benou Temim (cited by Casim ben Adi), I went
out one day in search of a stray beast and coming to the waters
of the Benou Tai, saw two companies of people, near one
another, and those of each company were disputing among
themselves. So I watched them and observed, in one of the
companies, a young man, wasted with sickness, as he were a
worn-out water-skin. As I looked on him, he repeated the
following verses:
What ails the fair that she returneth not to me? Is't
grudgingness in her or inhumanity?
I sickened, and my folk to visit me came all.
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