I Went one year on the pilgrimage to the Holy House of Allah, and when I had accomplished my pilgrimage, I turned back for visitation of the tomb of the Prophet, whom Allah bless and keep! One night, as I sat in the garden, between the tomb and the pulpit, I heard a low moaning in a soft voice; so I listened to it and it said,

"Have the doves that moan in the lotus tree Woke grief in your heart and bred misery? Or does memory of maiden in beauty deckt Cause this doubt in you, this despondency? O night, you are longsome for love sick sprite Complaining of Love and its ecstacy: You make him wakeful, who burns with fire Of a love, like the live coal's ardency. The moon is witness my heart is held By a moonlight brow of the brightest blee: I reckt not to see me by Love ensnared Till ensnared before I could reck or see."

Then the voice ceased and not knowing from where it came to me I abode perplexed; but lo! it again took up its lament and recited,

"Came Rayya's phantom to grieve your sight In the thickest gloom of the black haired Night! And has love of slumber deprived those eyes And the phantom vision vexed your sprite? I cried to the Night, whose glooms were like Seas that surge and billow with might, with might: 'O Night, you are longsome to lover who Has no aid nor help save the morning light!' She replied, 'Complain not that I am long: 'Tis love is the cause of your longsome plight!'"

Now, at the first of the couplets, I sprang up and made for the quarter from where the sound came, nor had the voice ended repeating them, before I was with the speaker and saw a youth of the utmost beauty, the hair of whose side face had not sprouted and in whose cheeks tears had worn twin trenches. —

When it was the Six Hundred and Eighty first night

He said, "And you also! Who are you?" I replied, "Abdullah bin Ma'amar al-Kaysi;" and he said, "Do you want anything?" I rejoined, "I was sitting in the garden and nothing has troubled me this night but your voice. With my life would I ransom you! What ails you?" He said, "Sit you down." So I sat down and he continued, "I am Otbah bin al-Hubab bin al-Mundhir bin al-Jamuh the Ansari. I went out in the morning to the Mosque al-Ahzab and occupied myself there awhile with prayer bows and prostrations, after which I withdrew apart, to worship privily. But lo! up came women, as they were moons, walking with a swaying gait, and surrounding a damsel of passing loveliness, perfect in beauty and grace, who stopped before me and said, 'O Otbah, what sayst you of union with one who seeks union with you?' Then she left me and went away; and since that time I have had no tidings of her nor come upon any trace of her; and behold, I am distracted and do nothing but remove from place to place." Then he cried out and fell to the ground fainting.

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When he came to himself, it was as if the damask of his cheeks were dyed with safflower, and he recited these couplets,

"I see you with my heart from far countrie Would Heaven you also me from far could see My heart and eyes for you are sorrowing; My soul with you abides and you with me. I take no joy in life when you're unseen Or Heaven or Garden of Eternity."

I said, "O Otbah, O son of my uncle, repent to your Lord and crave pardon for your sin; for before you is the terror of standing to Judgment." He replied, "Far be it from me so to do. I shall never leave to love till the two mimosa gatherers return." I abode with him till daybreak, when I said to him, "Come let us go to the Mosque al-Ahzab." So we went there and sat there, till we had prayed the midday prayers, when lo! up came the women; but the damsel was not among them. They said to him, "O Otbah, what think you of her who seeks union with you?" He said, "And what of her?"; and they replied, "Her father has taken her and departed to al-Samawah." I asked them the name of the damsel and they said, "She is called Rayya, daughter of Al-Ghitríf al-Sulami." Whereupon Otbah raised his head and recited these verses,

"My friends, Rayya has mounted soon as morning shone, And to Samawah's wilds her caravan is gone. My friends, I've wept till I can weep no more, Oh, say, Has any one a tear that I can take on loan."

Then I said to him, "O Otbah, I have brought with me great wealth, wherewith I desire to succour generous men; and By God, I will lavish it before you, so you may attain your desire and more than your desire! Come with me to the assembly of the Ansaris." So we rose and went, till we entered their assembly, when I salam'd to them and they returned my greeting civilly. Then I said, "O assembly, what say you of Otbah and his father?": and they replied, "They are of the princes of the Arabs." I continued, "Know that he is smitten with the calamity of love and I desire your furtherance to Al- Samawah." And they said, "I hear and I obey." So they mounted with us, the whole party, and we rode till we drew near the place of the Banu Sulaym. Now when Ghitrif heard of our being near, he hastened forth to meet us, saying, "Long life to you, O nobles!"; whereto we replied, "And to you also! Behold we are your guests." He said, "You have lighted down at a most hospitable abode and ample;" and alighting he cried out, "Ho, all you slaves, come down!"

So they came down and spread skin rugs and cushions and slaughtered sheep and cattle; but we said, "We will not taste of your food, till you have accomplished our need." He asked, "And what is your need?"; and we answered, "We demand your noble daughter in marriage for Otbah bin Hubab bin Mundhir the illustrious and well born." "O my brethren," he said, "she whom you demand is owner of herself, and I will go in to her and tell her." So he rose in wrath and went in to Rayya, who said to him, "O my papa, why do I see you show anger?" And he replied, saying, "Certain of the Ansaris have come upon me to demand your hand of me in marriage." She said, "They are noble chiefs; the Prophet, on whom be the choicest blessings and peace, interceds for them with Allah. For whom among them do they ask me?" He said, "For a youth known as Otbah bin al-Hubab," and she said, "I have heard of Otbah that he performs what he promised and finds what he seeks." Ghitrif cried, "I swear that I will never marry you to him; no, never, for there has been reported to me something of your converse with him." She said,

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"What was that? But in any case, I swear that the Ansaris shall not be uncivilly rejected; Why do you offer them a fair excuse." "How so?" "Make the dowry heavy to them and they will desist." "You sayst well," he said, and going out in haste, told the Ansaris, "The damsel of the tribe consents; but she requires a dowry worthy herself. Who engages for this?" "I," answered I. Then he said, "I require for her a thousand bracelets of red gold and five thousand dirhams of the coinage of Hajar and a hundred pieces of woollen cloth and striped stuffs of Al-Yaman and five bladders of ambergris." I said, "You will have that much; do you consent?"; and he said, "I do consent." So I despatched to al-Medinah the Illumined a party of the Ansaris, who brought all for which I had become surety, whereupon they slaughtered sheep and cattle and the folk assembled to eat of the food. We abode thus forty days when Ghitrif said to us, "Take your bride." So we sat her in a dromedary litter and her father equipped her with thirty camel loads of things of price; after which we farewelled him and journeyed till we came within a day's journey of al-Medinah the Illumined, when there fell upon us horsemen, with intent to plunder, and I think they were of the Banu Sulaym, Otbah drove at them and slew of them much people, but fell back, wounded by a lance thrust, and presently dropped to the earth. Then there came to us succour of the country people, who drove away the highwaymen; but Otbah's days were ended. So we said, "Alas for Otbah, oh!;" and the damsel hearing it cast herself down from the camel and throwing herself upon him, cried out grievously and repeated these couplets,

"Patient I seemed, yet Patience shown by me Was but self guiling till your sight I see: Had my soul done as due my life had gone, Had fled before mankind forestalling you: Then, after me and you none shall to friend Be just, nor any soul with soul agree."

Then she sobbed a single sob and gave up the ghost. We dug one grave for them and laid them in the earth, and I returned to the dwellings of my people, where I abode seven years. Then I betook me again to Al-Hijaz and entering Al-Medinah the Illumined for pious visitation said in my mind, "By God, I will go again to Otbah's tomb!" So I repaired there, and, behold, over the grave was a tall tree, on which hung fillets of red and green and yellow stuffs. So I asked the people of the place, "How be this tree called?"; and they answered, "The tree of the Bride and the Bridegroom." I abode by the tomb a day and a night, then went my way; and this is all I know of Otbah. Almighty Allah have mercy upon him! And they also tell this tale of