Then he sighed heavily and wept， till the old woman wept also and taking the letter， said to him， "Take heart and be of good cheer，for it shall go hard but I bring thee to thy desire." Then she rose and leaving him on coals of fire， returned to the princess，whom she found still pale with rage at Taj el Mulouk"s first letter. The nurse gave her his second letter， whereupon her anger redoubled and she said， "Did I not say he would conceive hopes of us？" "What is this dog，" replied the old woman， "that he should conceive hopes of thee？" Quoth the princess， "Go back to him and tell him that， if he write to me again， I will have his head cut off." "Write this in a letter，" answered the nurse， "and I will take it to him， that his fear may be the greater." So she took a scroll and wrote thereon the following verses：
Harkye thou that letst the lessons of the past unheeded lie， Thou that lookst aloft， yet lackest power to win thy goal on high，Thinkest thou to reach Es Suha，[FN#149] O deluded one， although Even the moon"s too far to come at， shining in the middle sky？
How then dar"st thou hope my favours and aspire to twinned delight And my spear-straight shape and slender in thine arms to girdle sigh？
Leave this purpose， lest mine anger fall on thee some day of wrath， Such as e"en the parting-places shall with white for terror dye.
Then she folded the letter and gave it to the old woman， who took it and returned to Taj el Mulouk. When he saw her， he rose to his feet and exclaimed， "May God not bereave me of the blessing of thy coming！" Quoth she， "Take the answer to thy letter." He took it and reading it， wept sore and said， "Would some one would slay me now， for indeed death were easier to me than this my state！"
Then he took pen and inkhorn and paper and wrote the following verses：
O my hope， have done with rigour； lay disdain and anger by， Visit one who， drowned in passion， doth for love and longing sigh.
Think not， under thine estrangement， that my life I will endure.
Lo， my soul， for very severance from thy sight， is like to die.
Then he folded the letter and gave it to the old woman， saying，"Grudge it not to me， though I have wearied thee to no purpose."
And he bade Aziz give her other thousand dinars， saying， "O my mother， needs must this letter result in perfect union or complete separation." "O my son，" replied she， "by Allah， I desire nought but thy weal； and it is my wish that she be thine，for indeed thou art the resplendent moon and she the rising sun.
If I do not bring you together， there is no profit in my life：
these ninety years have I lived in the practice of wile and intrigue； so how should I fail to unite two lovers， though in defiance of law？" Then she took leave of him， after comforting his heart， and returned to the palace. Now she had hidden the letter in her hair： so she sat down by the princess and rubbing her head， said， "O my lady， maybe thou wilt comb out my hair： for it is long since I went to the bath." The princess bared her arms to the elbow and letting down the old woman"s hair， began to comb it， when out dropped the letter and Dunya seeing it， asked what it was. Quoth the nurse， "This paper must have stuck to me， as I sat in the merchant"s shop： give it me， that I may return it to him； belike it contains some reckoning of which he hath need."
But the princess opened it， and reading it， cried out， "This is one of thy tricks， and hadst thou not reared me， I would lay violent hands on thee forthright！ Verily God hath afflicted me with this merchant： but all that hath befallen me with him is of thy contrivance. I know not whence this fellow can have come：
none but he would venture to affront me thus， and I fear lest this my case get wind， the more that it concerns one who is neither of my rank nor of my peers." "None would dare speak of this，" rejoined the old woman， "for fear of thine anger and awe of thy father； so there can be no harm in sending him an answer."
"O my nurse，" said the princess， "verily this fellow is a devil.
How can he dare to use such language to me and not dread the Sultan"s wrath？ Indeed， I am perplexed about his case： if I order him to be put to death， it were unjust； and if I leave him， his presumption will increase." "Write him a letter，" rejoined the old woman； "it may be he will desist." So she called for pen and ink and paper and wrote the following verses：
Again and again I chide thee， yet folly ever again Lures thee：
how long， with my writing， in verse shall I bid thee refrain，Whilst thou but growest in boldness for all forbidding？ But I No grace save to keep thy secret， unto thy prayers may deign.
Conceal thy passion nor ever reveal it； for， an thou speak， I will surely show thee no mercy nor yet my wrath contain.
If to thy foolish daring thou turn thee anew， for sure， The raven of evil omen shall croak for thee death and bane；
And slaughter shall come upon thee ere long， and under the earth To seek for a place of abiding， God wot， thou shalt be fain.
Thy people， O self-deluder， thou"lt leave in mourning for thee；
Ay， all their lives they shall sorrow for thee， fordone and slain.
Then she folded the letter and committed it to the old woman， who took it and returning to Taj el Mulouk， gave it to him. When he read it， he knew that the princess was hard-hearted and that he should not win to her； so he complained to the Vizier and besought his advice. Quoth he， "Nothing will profit thee save that thou write to her and invoke the wrath of God upon her." And he said to Aziz， "O my brother， do thou write to her in my name，according to thy knowledge." So Aziz took a scroll and wrote the following verses：
O Lord， by the Five Elders， deliver me， I pray， And her， for whom I suffer， in like affliction lay！
Thou knowest that I weary in raging flames of love； Whilst she I love is cruel and saith me ever nay.
How long shall I be tender to her， despite my pain？ How long shall she ride roughshod o"er my weakness night and day？
In agonies I wander of never-ceasing death And find nor friend nor helper， O Lord， to be my stay.
Full fain would I forget her； but how can I forget， When for desire my patience is wasted all away？
