He fell into long and far thought , and Dil-aram looked at him and said : ' O my life and my soul ! do not be sad . If you would like this woman killed , I will put poison into her cup so that she will never lift her head from her drugged sleep again . ' ' O Dil-aram ! such a vengeance is not manly . I shall not rest till I have gone to Waq of the Caucasus and have cleared up the matter . ' Then they repeated the agreement about their marriage , and bade one another goodbye . The prince now went back to the village , and told the old man that he was setting out on a long journey , and begged him not to be anxious , and to keep safe the goods which had been entrusted to him . The prince had not the least knowledge of the way to Waq of the Caucasus , and was cast down by the sense of his helplessness . He was walking along by his horse 's side when there appeared before him an old man of serene countenance , dressed in green and carrying a staff , who resembled Khizr . -LSB- 8 -RSB- The prince thanked heaven , laid the hands of reverence on his breast and salaamed . The old man returned the greeting graciously , and asked : ` How fare you ? Whither are you bound ? You look like a traveller . ' ' O revered saint ! I am in this difficulty : I do not know the way to Waq of the Caucasus . ' The old man of good counsel looked at the young prince and said : ` Turn back from this dangerous undertaking . Do not go ; choose some other task ! If you had a hundred lives you would not bring one out safe from this journey . ' But his words had no effect on the prince 's resolve .
` What object have you , ' the old man asked , ` XXXXX thus consuming your life ? ' '
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