O Mohammed,
when you are here I am in paradise; but when you are away, I feel
myself in hell! Therefore, remain with me. Do not leave me here in
the dark night. See, the stars are all hidden, and the moon is
covered with clouds. Oh, I was wrong when I said there was no night.
When you are with me, the sun shines, though it be night without.
But when you are not with me, it is dark night, even though the sun
be shining without. Do not leave me alone, remain with your Masa, my
Mohammed; stay, stay, at least to-night."
Can he resist such sweet entreaty? Can he tear himself from the fair
arms that are entwined about him and draw him back, and rush out
into the night? Can he speak of prudence and worldly wisdom, while
she whispers such words to him in her sweet voice?
Let come what will in the world without, let all be over-whelmed in
ruin, love is here, paradise is open, and you, Masa, are its angel-
occupant. Let the world pass away; let the firm rocks be shattered;
let the sea swallow all and leave but a desert of water about us, I
am content, Masa, to embark with you in a little boat, you and I
alone, to ride over the waves and listen to the melodies which the
naiads sing to us from the deep, and to what the voice of the wind
proclaims. O my houri, alone with you in the boat, what care I for
the world, for magnificence and renown? Let others seek them, they
are welcome.
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