Vis and Ramin

86 VISEAMIANI
This advice will be bitter to thee, but if thou hearkenest, its
fruit will be as sugar. If thou art wise, listen and learn,
that thou mayst remember this my saying : When
thy folly l
brings evil upon thee, repentance of the past will not avail
thee."
When the Shahinshah's man heard this, he found no sign
of love in Vis. He went away to his master and told her
story and her coldness 2 of heart to Moabad fully, just as
he had heard it from her. Moabad became more mad with
love, and listened to all her message without missing a
3
word ; and of all, this pleased him most : how Vis had said
that her brother had not yet found his heart's desire in her,
and he rejoiced that his wife was a virgin.
they were
wedded Viro was merry; suddenly at the time for repose,
by the will of God, when Vis went towards the bed, at that
39 Now the matter was thus : on the night when |
very moment it came to pass that it was with her after the
manner of women. Viro's wedding night was a disappointment
to him, but he could do nothing, for it is a law with
the fire worshippers that when a woman is unclean her
husband must abstain from her until the proper time, and,
like the Hebrews, must not approach her; and if a woman
hides it, they separate her from her husband. For this
reason they had remained apart from each other. And
then came the soldiers of Moabad, the Gilanis and
Delamis. 4
When Moabad knew of her virginity, he became mad and
hastened impatiently to hi's officers to seek every means
of carrying away Vis. Although the bride be exceedingly
pretty, the wedding of Moabad was very bitter, and also for
Viro it was bitter, for he could not find his heart's desire.
And Fate added war to war, strife to strife, and woe to woe.
He could not repose one minute. In his new virility he
was so much transported that he even forgot his realm.
Viro's soldiers and his also troubled him. Each forgot his
1 Ch., for " folly," "wickedness"
2 Ch., for " coldness," " tyranny " (imperiousness).
3 Beading uclellad for ucudavebad. * 84.