Publisher's Synopsis
This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1902 edition. Excerpt: ...breaks away from his beloved Leyla and rushes back into the wilderness. Mejnun's madness being now shown to be beyond cure, Leyla's heart is broken; and in the autumn she dies, watched over by her now sorrowing mother. Zeyd proceeds to the desert, where he tells the sad news to Mejnun, and no sooner does the poor crazed lover realize the truth than he trembles all over and falls down as though smitten by a thunderbolt. Then he rises and cries upon death to take him and calls upon his soul to leave his body. Following Zeyd, he hastens to Leyla's tomb, and, when he sees this yet afar off, he falls upon his face and dragging himself along to it, clasps the stone as though it were his beloved herself. Here he wails and laments, addressing Leyla in the most piteous and tender terms: and then he turns back again to his mountains. But he can no longer remain quietly in the desert; he is ever coming and going between his retreat and Leyla's tomb. His little remaining strength gradually ebbs; and one day of storm he seeks his beloved's grave, and throwing himself upon it, with eyes closed and uplifted hands, he cries upon God to deliver him from his anguish and to re-unite him with his love. And that same moment he dies, all alone, with no one near save one or two of his faithful companions the wild beasts. For a whole year he lies there, guarded by his beasts who will let none approach. But at length the beasts go back into their deserts, and the people gather up the bones of Mejniin and bury them in the grave by those of Leyla. Some time after this, Zeyd, who had always been a faithful friend to the lovers, sees himself in a vision transported to Paradise, and there among the blessed he observes a youth and maiden seated together in loving...