The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night, Vol. 5

...to drink, but he found that the water had no taste in his mouth This means his lips and palate were extremely swollen from thirst.. Indeed, his color had changed and his face had turned yellow, and his feet were swollen from the journey and his labor. So he shed many tears and repeated these verses:

The lover is drunk with love for his friend;
His joys depend on a longing that only grows:
Distracted by love, passionate, bewildered, and lost
Far from home; not even food can bring him pleasure:
How can life be delightful to one in love
When parted from their lover? It would be strange and unknown!
I melt with the fire of my yearning for them,
And the tears stream down my cheeks.
Tell me, shall I see them, or someone coming
From the camp, who might care for this afflicted heart?

After reciting this, he wept until he soaked the hard, dry ground; but soon, without wasting any time, he rose and traveled on again over the wasteland and open country original: "wold," meaning an open, elevated region., until a lion came out toward him. This lion had a neck buried in a tangled mane, a head the size of a dome, a mouth wider than a doorway, and teeth like elephants' tusks. When Uns al-Wujud saw the beast, he gave himself up for lost. Turning toward the Temple of Mecca original: "Kiblah," the direction of the temple in Mecca toward which Muslims pray., he recited the profession of faith The Shahada: "There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is His messenger." and prepared for death.

He had read in books that whoever flatters a lion can deceive it, because the animal is easily tricked by smooth speech and calmed by being praised. So he began to say, "O Lion of the forest! O Lord of the wasteland! O terrible Leo original: "Leo," Latin for lion.! O father of fighters! O Sultan of wild beasts! Behold, I am a lover full of longing, wronged by passion and separation. Since I parted from my dear one, I have lost my mind; therefore, listen to my words and have pity on my passion, my hope, and my fear." When the lion heard this, he drew back and sat on his hindquarters. He raised his head toward him and began to wag his tail and move his paws playfully. When Uns al-Wujud saw this, he recited these verses:

1. This means his lips and palate were extremely swollen from thirst.

2. It is a pious act in times of mortal danger to face the Qibla or the Meccan temple, as if standing in prayer.

3. This is still a belief among the Bedouin original: "Badawi" who try to appeal to the animal's compassion: "O great King, I am a poor man with a wife and family; spare me so that Allah may spare you!" and so forth. If the lion is not starving, it will often walk away while looking back; however, the person will never return by the same path, for they say, "Perhaps the Father of Roaring may repent his wasted opportunity." These lion stories are very common, as seen in the tale of Androcles in Rome and many others. Una and her lion is another version of this theme. It was left to Mr. Jules Gérard—first the lion-hunter original: "chasseur" and then the lion-killer original: "tueur du lion"—to attack the lion’s reputation and the lioness’s honor.