Vis and Ramin

THE FIRST LETTER OF VIS TO RAMIN 253
miserable and pitiable one to him who is happy in the fulfil-
from her who will carry her love with
ment of every desire ;
her till the day of her death to the deserter and fickle one ;
from the face that was beautiful and is now hideous to the
face that increases (in beauty) every moment ; and from the
heart burned with fire to the (heart) like Chinese 1 2
brocade ;
from the weeping eyes, sleepless day and night, to the eyes
looking according to their desire 3
; from thine own good
lover, ardent in heart, to the evil-doer at enmity with me ;
from one wretched and stunned to the monarch powerful 4
in all the land I have written this letter, in such a state
that my body is become weary of my soul and my soul
of my body.
" I burn in the fire of separation, and thou rejoicest in
drinking and merriment. I am the treasurer of the treasure-house
of love, and thou art the steward 5 of hate.
Now I adjure thee by my love and (our) union, also by God
the Creator of heaven and earth I adjure thee, that thou
read this letter through, that thou mayst know my sorrows
and understand what I have said.
" Knowest thou not, Ramin, that Fate('s wheel) turns?
Man is sometimes sick, sometimes whole ; sometimes sor-
rowful, and sometimes joyful. For some there is life, be it
evil or good ; but in the end there is death. For some,
after death, there is judgment and retribution. In this
world only a story remains. Our story is known to all,
evil and good all that we have done. Thou thyself
knowest which of us two is more blameworthy, which | of 86
us sought with more impurity his desire. I was the purest
that thou couldst see on all the earth, for in purity I was
like the dew of heaven, and in loveliness I was like a rose-
leaf. No man had ever had his will of me, and by Fate
no reproach had fallen on me. I was like a wild ass 8
roaming in the plain, unapproachable by all. No hunter's
face had seen me. Thou wert my slayer and ravisher.
1
Chinuri, 151, 284, 816. * Stavra, 268. B., 672, 1414.
Ncbierad, 294. Mordchmuli. Khhelita up'haK.
* Candjari.