A message from a trusted friend--
  "Your love's marriage tonight is set,
   The Sultan's firm hand will not bend;
   To her you must fly, your heart you must fetch."

My horse prepared to ride straight off,
The desert night will be my cloak.
Beds of sand I sped across,
And sprays of dust behind me broke.

The palace with long shadows endowed
Would not conceal as I crept past--
Tulwars and scimitars frayed loud!
One and then two foul foes dispatched.

I found her court, she stood within;
Veiled dark eyes regarded me warm.
  "We must away, our time grows thin--
   He will not forgive a marriage forsworn."

We clasped our hands and joined we ran;
The old escaped, our new lives began.