There was onceamong the Benou Udhreha handsome and accomplished manwho was never a day out of loveand it chanced that he became enamoured of a beautiful woman of his own tribe and sent her many messages；but she ceased not to use him with cruelty and disdaintillfor stress of passion and longing and distractionhe fell exceeding sick and took to his bed and forswore sleep. His sickness grew on him and his anguish redoubled upon himtill he was all but dead；and his case became known and his passion noised abroad among the folk.
His family and hers were instant with her to visit himbut she refusedtill he was at the point of deathwhenbeing told of thisshe relented towards him and vouchsafed him a visit. When he saw herhis eyes ran over with tears and he repeated the following versesfrom a broken heart：
Ifby thy lifethere pass thee by my funeral trainto witA bier borne on the necks of fourwilt grudge to follow it？
Wilt thou not follow in its trackthat so thou mayst salute The sepulchre of one who's deadcommitted to the pit？
When she heard thisshe wept sore and said to him'By Allah，I thought not that passion had come to such a pass with thee，as to cast thee into the arms of death！ Had I known thisI had been favourable to theeand thou shouldst have enjoyed thy desire.'At thishis tears streamed downlike the cloud-showersand he repeated the following verse：
She draweth near to mewhen death hath come betwixt us two And proffereth unionwhen it no profit can me do.
Then he gave one sigh and diedand she fell on himkissing him and weepingtill she swooned away. When she came to herself she charged her people bury her in his grave and recited the following verseswith streaming eyes：
We lived upon the earth a life of comfort and delight： Country and tribe and dwelling-place alike of us were proud；But Fortune and the shifts of time did rend our loves apart，And now the grave uniteth us within a single shroud.
Then she fell again to weeping and ceased not from tears and lamenttill she swooned away. She lay three dayssenseless；then died and was buried in his grave. This is one of the strange chances of love.
