diff options
Diffstat (limited to 'old/gm11v10.txt')
| -rw-r--r-- | old/gm11v10.txt | 9998 |
1 files changed, 0 insertions, 9998 deletions
diff --git a/old/gm11v10.txt b/old/gm11v10.txt deleted file mode 100644 index cecd73a..0000000 --- a/old/gm11v10.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,9998 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg Etext of The Shaving of Shagpat by Meredith, Entire -#11 in our series by George Meredith - -Copyright laws are changing all over the world. Be sure to check the -copyright laws for your country before distributing this or any other -Project Gutenberg file. - -We encourage you to keep this file, exactly as it is, on your -own disk, thereby keeping an electronic path open for future -readers. Please do not remove this. - -This header should be the first thing seen when anyone starts to -view the etext. Do not change or edit it without written permission. -The words are carefully chosen to provide users with the -information they need to understand what they may and may not -do with the etext. - - -**Welcome To The World of Free Plain Vanilla Electronic Texts** - -**Etexts Readable By Both Humans and By Computers, Since 1971** - -*****These Etexts Are Prepared By Thousands of Volunteers!***** - -Information on contacting Project Gutenberg to get etexts, and -further information, is included below. We need your donations. - -The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a 501(c)(3) -organization with EIN [Employee Identification Number] 64-6221541 - - - -Title: The Shaving of Shagpat, Complete - -Author: George Meredith - -Release Date: September, 2003 [Etext #4405] -[Yes, we are more than one year ahead of schedule] -[This file was first posted on December 21, 2001] - -Edition: 10 - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -The Project Gutenberg Etext of Shaving of Shagpat by Meredith, Entire -*********This file should be named gm11v10.txt or gm11v10.zip******** - -Corrected EDITIONS of our etexts get a new NUMBER, gm11v11.txt -VERSIONS based on separate sources get new LETTER, gm11v10a.txt - -This etext was produced by Pat Castevans <Patcat@ctnet.net> -and David Widger <widger@cecomet.net> - -Project Gutenberg Etexts are often created from several printed -editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the US -unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we usually do not -keep etexts in compliance with any particular paper edition. - -We are now trying to release all our etexts one year in advance -of the official release dates, leaving time for better editing. -Please be encouraged to tell us about any error or corrections, -even years after the official publication date. - -Please note neither this listing nor its contents are final til -midnight of the last day of the month of any such announcement. -The official release date of all Project Gutenberg Etexts is at -Midnight, Central Time, of the last day of the stated month. A -preliminary version may often be posted for suggestion, comment -and editing by those who wish to do so. - -Most people start at our sites at: -http://gutenberg.net or -http://promo.net/pg - -These Web sites include award-winning information about Project -Gutenberg, including how to donate, how to help produce our new -etexts, and how to subscribe to our email newsletter (free!). - - -Those of you who want to download any Etext before announcement -can get to them as follows, and just download by date. This is -also a good way to get them instantly upon announcement, as the -indexes our cataloguers produce obviously take a while after an -announcement goes out in the Project Gutenberg Newsletter. - -http://www.ibiblio.org/gutenberg/etext03 or -ftp://ftp.ibiblio.org/pub/docs/books/gutenberg/etext03 - -Or /etext02, 01, 00, 99, 98, 97, 96, 95, 94, 93, 92, 92, 91 or 90 - -Just search by the first five letters of the filename you want, -as it appears in our Newsletters. - - -Information about Project Gutenberg (one page) - -We produce about two million dollars for each hour we work. The -time it takes us, a rather conservative estimate, is fifty hours -to get any etext selected, entered, proofread, edited, copyright -searched and analyzed, the copyright letters written, etc. Our -projected audience is one hundred million readers. If the value -per text is nominally estimated at one dollar then we produce $2 -million dollars per hour in 2001 as we release over 50 new Etext -files per month, or 500 more Etexts in 2000 for a total of 4000+ -If they reach just 1-2% of the world's population then the total -should reach over 300 billion Etexts given away by year's end. - -The Goal of Project Gutenberg is to Give Away One Trillion Etext -Files by December 31, 2001. [10,000 x 100,000,000 = 1 Trillion] -This is ten thousand titles each to one hundred million readers, -which is only about 4% of the present number of computer users. - -At our revised rates of production, we will reach only one-third -of that goal by the end of 2001, or about 4,000 Etexts. We need -funding, as well as continued efforts by volunteers, to maintain -or increase our production and reach our goals. - -The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation has been created -to secure a future for Project Gutenberg into the next millennium. - -We need your donations more than ever! - -As of November, 2001, contributions are being solicited from people -and organizations in: Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, -Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, -Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New -Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, -Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, -Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, -and Wyoming. - -*In Progress - -We have filed in about 45 states now, but these are the only ones -that have responded. - -As the requirements for other states are met, additions to this list -will be made and fund raising will begin in the additional states. -Please feel free to ask to check the status of your state. - -In answer to various questions we have received on this: - -We are constantly working on finishing the paperwork to legally -request donations in all 50 states. If your state is not listed and -you would like to know if we have added it since the list you have, -just ask. - -While we cannot solicit donations from people in states where we are -not yet registered, we know of no prohibition against accepting -donations from donors in these states who approach us with an offer to -donate. - -International donations are accepted, but we don't know ANYTHING about -how to make them tax-deductible, or even if they CAN be made -deductible, and don't have the staff to handle it even if there are -ways. - -All donations should be made to: - -Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation -PMB 113 -1739 University Ave. -Oxford, MS 38655-4109 - -Contact us if you want to arrange for a wire transfer or payment -method other than by check or money order. - - -The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation has been approved by -the US Internal Revenue Service as a 501(c)(3) organization with EIN -[Employee Identification Number] 64-622154. Donations are -tax-deductible to the maximum extent permitted by law. As fundraising -requirements for other states are met, additions to this list will be -made and fundraising will begin in the additional states. - -We need your donations more than ever! - -You can get up to date donation information at: - -http://www.gutenberg.net/donation.html - - -*** - -If you can't reach Project Gutenberg, -you can always email directly to: - -Michael S. Hart <hart@pobox.com> - -Prof. Hart will answer or forward your message. - -We would prefer to send you information by email. - - -**The Legal Small Print** - - -(Three Pages) - -***START**THE SMALL PRINT!**FOR PUBLIC DOMAIN ETEXTS**START*** -Why is this "Small Print!" statement here? You know: lawyers. -They tell us you might sue us if there is something wrong with -your copy of this etext, even if you got it for free from -someone other than us, and even if what's wrong is not our -fault. So, among other things, this "Small Print!" statement -disclaims most of our liability to you. It also tells you how -you may distribute copies of this etext if you want to. - -*BEFORE!* YOU USE OR READ THIS ETEXT -By using or reading any part of this PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm -etext, you indicate that you understand, agree to and accept -this "Small Print!" statement. If you do not, you can receive -a refund of the money (if any) you paid for this etext by -sending a request within 30 days of receiving it to the person -you got it from. If you received this etext on a physical -medium (such as a disk), you must return it with your request. - -ABOUT PROJECT GUTENBERG-TM ETEXTS -This PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm etext, like most PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm etexts, -is a "public domain" work distributed by Professor Michael S. Hart -through the Project Gutenberg Association (the "Project"). -Among other things, this means that no one owns a United States copyright -on or for this work, so the Project (and you!) can copy and -distribute it in the United States without permission and -without paying copyright royalties. Special rules, set forth -below, apply if you wish to copy and distribute this etext -under the "PROJECT GUTENBERG" trademark. - -Please do not use the "PROJECT GUTENBERG" trademark to market -any commercial products without permission. - -To create these etexts, the Project expends considerable -efforts to identify, transcribe and proofread public domain -works. Despite these efforts, the Project's etexts and any -medium they may be on may contain "Defects". Among other -things, Defects may take the form of incomplete, inaccurate or -corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other -intellectual property infringement, a defective or damaged -disk or other etext medium, a computer virus, or computer -codes that damage or cannot be read by your equipment. - -LIMITED WARRANTY; DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES -But for the "Right of Replacement or Refund" described below, -[1] Michael Hart and the Foundation (and any other party you may -receive this etext from as a PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm etext) disclaims -all liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including -legal fees, and [2] YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE OR -UNDER STRICT LIABILITY, OR FOR BREACH OF WARRANTY OR CONTRACT, -INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE -OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES, EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE -POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. - -If you discover a Defect in this etext within 90 days of -receiving it, you can receive a refund of the money (if any) -you paid for it by sending an explanatory note within that -time to the person you received it from. If you received it -on a physical medium, you must return it with your note, and -such person may choose to alternatively give you a replacement -copy. If you received it electronically, such person may -choose to alternatively give you a second opportunity to -receive it electronically. - -THIS ETEXT IS OTHERWISE PROVIDED TO YOU "AS-IS". NO OTHER -WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, ARE MADE TO YOU AS -TO THE ETEXT OR ANY MEDIUM IT MAY BE ON, INCLUDING BUT NOT -LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A -PARTICULAR PURPOSE. - -Some states do not allow disclaimers of implied warranties or -the exclusion or limitation of consequential damages, so the -above disclaimers and exclusions may not apply to you, and you -may have other legal rights. - -INDEMNITY -You will indemnify and hold Michael Hart, the Foundation, -and its trustees and agents, and any volunteers associated -with the production and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm -texts harmless, from all liability, cost and expense, including -legal fees, that arise directly or indirectly from any of the -following that you do or cause: [1] distribution of this etext, -[2] alteration, modification, or addition to the etext, -or [3] any Defect. - -DISTRIBUTION UNDER "PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm" -You may distribute copies of this etext electronically, or by -disk, book or any other medium if you either delete this -"Small Print!" and all other references to Project Gutenberg, -or: - -[1] Only give exact copies of it. Among other things, this - requires that you do not remove, alter or modify the - etext or this "small print!" statement. You may however, - if you wish, distribute this etext in machine readable - binary, compressed, mark-up, or proprietary form, - including any form resulting from conversion by word - processing or hypertext software, but only so long as - *EITHER*: - - [*] The etext, when displayed, is clearly readable, and - does *not* contain characters other than those - intended by the author of the work, although tilde - (~), asterisk (*) and underline (_) characters may - be used to convey punctuation intended by the - author, and additional characters may be used to - indicate hypertext links; OR - - [*] The etext may be readily converted by the reader at - no expense into plain ASCII, EBCDIC or equivalent - form by the program that displays the etext (as is - the case, for instance, with most word processors); - OR - - [*] You provide, or agree to also provide on request at - no additional cost, fee or expense, a copy of the - etext in its original plain ASCII form (or in EBCDIC - or other equivalent proprietary form). - -[2] Honor the etext refund and replacement provisions of this - "Small Print!" statement. - -[3] Pay a trademark license fee to the Foundation of 20% of the - gross profits you derive calculated using the method you - already use to calculate your applicable taxes. If you - don't derive profits, no royalty is due. Royalties are - payable to "Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation" - the 60 days following each date you prepare (or were - legally required to prepare) your annual (or equivalent - periodic) tax return. Please contact us beforehand to - let us know your plans and to work out the details. - -WHAT IF YOU *WANT* TO SEND MONEY EVEN IF YOU DON'T HAVE TO? -Project Gutenberg is dedicated to increasing the number of -public domain and licensed works that can be freely distributed -in machine readable form. - -The Project gratefully accepts contributions of money, time, -public domain materials, or royalty free copyright licenses. -Money should be paid to the: -"Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation." - -If you are interested in contributing scanning equipment or -software or other items, please contact Michael Hart at: -hart@pobox.com - -[Portions of this header are copyright (C) 2001 by Michael S. Hart -and may be reprinted only when these Etexts are free of all fees.] -[Project Gutenberg is a TradeMark and may not be used in any sales -of Project Gutenberg Etexts or other materials be they hardware or -software or any other related product without express permission.] - -*END THE SMALL PRINT! FOR PUBLIC DOMAIN ETEXTS*Ver.10/04/01*END* - - - - - -This etext was produced by Pat Castevans <Patcat@ctnet.net> -and David Widger <widger@cecomet.net> - - - - - -THE SHAVING OF SHAGPAT - -By George Meredith - - -AN ARABIAN ENTERTAINMENT - -1898/1909 - - - - -CONTENTS: - -THE THWACKINGS -THE STORY OF BHANAVAR THE BEAUTIFUL -THE BETROTHAL -PUNISHMENT OF SHAHPESH, THE PERSIAN, ON KHIPIL, THE BUILDER -THE GENIE KARAZ -THE WELL OF PARAVID -THE HORSE GARRAVEEN -THE TALKING HAWK -GOORELKA OF OOLB -THE LILY OF THE ENCHANTED SEA -STORY OF NOORNA BIN NOORKA, THE GENIE KARAZ, AND THE PRINCESS OF OOLB -THE WILES OF RABESQURAT -THE PALACE OF AKLIS -THE SONS OF AKLIS -THE SWORD OF AKLIS -KOOROOKH -THE VEILED FIGURE -THE BOSOM OF NOORNA -THE REVIVAL -THE PLOT -THE DISH OF POMEGRANATE GRAIN -THE BURNING OF THE IDENTICAL -THE FLASHES OF THE BLADE -CONCLUSION - - - - - -THE SHAVING OF SHAGPAT - - -BOOK I. - -THE THWACKINGS -THE STORY OF BHANAVAR THE BEAUTIFUL - - -THE THWACKINGS - -It was ordained that Shibli Bagarag, nephew to the renowned Baba -Mustapha, chief barber to the Court of Persia, should shave Shagpat, the -son of Shimpoor, the son of Shoolpi, the son of Shullum; and they had -been clothiers for generations, even to the time of Shagpat, the -illustrious. - -Now, the story of Shibli Bagarag, and of the ball he followed, and of the -subterranean kingdom he came to, and of the enchanted palace he entered, -and of the sleeping king he shaved, and of the two princesses he -released, and of the Afrite held in subjection by the arts of one and -bottled by her, is it not known as 'twere written on the finger-nails of -men and traced in their corner-robes? As the poet says: - - Ripe with oft telling and old is the tale, - But 'tis of the sort that can never grow stale. - -Now, things were in that condition with Shibli Bagarag, that on a certain -day he was hungry and abject, and the city of Shagpat the clothier was -before him; so he made toward it, deliberating as to how he should -procure a meal, for he had not a dirhem in his girdle, and the -remembrance of great dishes and savoury ingredients were to him as the -illusion of rivers sheening on the sands to travellers gasping with -thirst. - -And he considered his case, crying, 'Surely this comes of wandering, and -'tis the curse of the inquiring spirit! for in Shiraz, where my craft is -in favour, I should be sitting now with my uncle, Baba Mustapha, the -loquacious one, cross-legged, partaking of seasoned sweet dishes, dipping -my fingers in them, rejoicing my soul with scandal of the Court!' - -Now, he came to a knoll of sand under a palm, from which the yellow domes -and mosques of the city of Shagpat, and its black cypresses, and marble -palace fronts, and shining pillars, and lofty carven arches that spanned -half-circles of the hot grey sky, were plainly visible. Then gazed he -awhile despondingly on the city of Shagpat, and groaned in contemplation -of his evil plight, as is said by the poet: - - The curse of sorrow is comparison! - As the sun casteth shade, night showeth star, - We, measuring what we were by what we are, - Behold the depth to which we are undone. - -Wherefore he counselleth: - - Look neither too much up, nor down at all, - But, forward stepping, strive no more to fall. - -And the advice is excellent; but, as is again said: - - The preacher preacheth, and the hearer heareth, - But comfort first each function requireth. - -And 'wisdom to a hungry stomach is thin pottage,' saith the shrewd reader -of men. Little comfort was there with Shibli Bagarag, as he looked on -the city of Shagpat the clothier! He cried aloud that his evil chance -had got the better of him, and rolled his body in the sand, beating his -breast, and conjuring up images of the profusion of dainties and the -abundance of provision in Shiraz, exclaiming, 'Well-a-way and woe's me! -this it is to be selected for the diversion of him that plotteth against -man.' Truly is it written: - - On different heads misfortunes come: - One bears them firm, another faints, - While this one hangs them like a drum - Whereon to batter loud complaints. - -And of the three kinds, they who bang the drum outnumber the silent ones -as do the billows of the sea the ships that swim, or the grains of sand -the trees that grow; a noisy multitude. - -Now, he was in the pits of despondency, even as one that yieldeth without -further struggle to the waves of tempest at midnight, when he was ware of -one standing over him,--a woman, old, wrinkled, a very crone, with but -room for the drawing of a thread between her nose and her chin; she was, -as is cited of them who betray the doings of Time, - - Wrinkled at the rind, and overripe at the core, - -and every part of her nodded and shook like a tree sapped by the waters, -and her joints were sharp as the hind-legs of a grasshopper; she was -indeed one close-wrecked upon the rocks of Time. - -Now, when the old woman had scanned Shibli Bagarag, she called to him, 'O -thou! what is it with thee, that thou rollest as one reft of his wits?' - -He answered her, 'I bewail my condition, which is beggary, and the lack -of that which filleth with pleasantness.' - -So the old woman said, 'Tell me thy case.' - -He answered her, 'O old woman, surely it was written at my birth that I -should take ruin from the readers of planets. Now, they proclaimed that -I was one day destined for great things, if I stood by my tackle, I, a -barber. Know then, that I have had many offers and bribes, seductive -ones, from the rich and the exalted in rank; and I heeded them not, -mindful of what was foretold of me. I stood by my tackle as a warrior -standeth by his arms, flourishing them. Now, when I found great things -came not to me, and 'twas the continuance of sameness and satiety with -Baba Mustapha, my uncle, in Shiraz,--the tongue-wagger, the endless -tattler,--surely I was advised by the words of the poet to go forth in -search of what was wanting, and he says: - - "Thou that dreamest an Event, - While Circumstance is but a waste of sand, - Arise, take up thy fortunes in thy hand, - And daily forward pitch thy tent." - -Now, I passed from city to city, proclaiming my science, holding aloft my -tackle. Wullahy! many adventures were mine, and if there's some day -propitiousness in fortune, O old woman, I'll tell thee of what befell me -in the kingdom of Shah Shamshureen: 'tis wondrous, a matter to draw down -the lower jaw with amazement! Now, so it was, that in the eyes of one -city I was honoured and in request, by reason of my calling, and I fared -sumptuously, even as a great officer of state surrounded by slaves, -lounging upon clouds of silk stuffs, circled by attentive ears: in -another city there was no beast so base as I. Wah! I was one hunted of -men and an abomination; no housing for me, nought to operate upon. I was -the lean dog that lieth in wait for offal. It seemeth certain, O old -woman, that a curse hath fallen on barbercraft in these days, because of -the Identical, whose might I know not. Everywhere it is growing in -disrepute; 'tis languishing! Nevertheless till now I have preserved my -tackle, and I would descend on yonder city to exercise it, even for a -livelihood, forgetting awhile great things, but that I dread men may have -changed there also,--and there's no stability in them, I call Allah -(whose name be praised!) to witness; so should I be a thing unsightly, -subject to hateful castigation; wherefore is it that I am in that state -described by the poet, when, - - "Dreading retreat, dreading advance to make, - Round we revolve, like to the wounded snake." - -Is not my case now a piteous one, one that toucheth the tender corner in -man and woman?' - -When she that listened had heard him to an end, she shook her garments, -crying, 'O youth, son of my uncle, be comforted! for, if it is as I -think, the readers of planets were right, and thou art thus early within -reach of great things--nigh grasping them.' - -Then she fell to mumbling and reciting jigs of verse, quaint measures; -and she pored along the sand to where a line had been drawn, and saw that -the footprints of the youth were traced along it. Lo, at that sight she -clapped her hands joyfully, and ran up to the youth, and peered in his -face, exclaiming, 'Great things indeed! and praise thou the readers of -planets, O nephew of the barber, they that sent thee searching the Event -thou art to master. Wullahy! have I not half a mind to call thee already -Master of the Event?' - -Then she abated somewhat in her liveliness, and said to him, 'Know that -the city thou seest is the city of Shagpat, the clothier, and there's no -one living on the face of earth, nor a soul that requireth thy craft more -than he. Go therefore thou, bold of heart, brisk, full of the -sprightliness of the barber, and enter to him. Lo, thou'lt see him -lolling in his shop-front to be admired of this people--marvelled at. -Oh! no mistaking of Shagpat, and the mole might discern Shagpat among -myriads of our kind; and enter thou to him gaily, as to perform a -friendly office, one meriting thanks and gratulations, saying, ''I will -preserve thee the Identical!'' Now he'll at first feign not to understand -thee, dense of wit that he is! but mince not matters with him, perform -well thy operation, and thou wilt come to great things. What say I? 'tis -certain that when thou hast shaved Shagpat thou wilt have achieved the -greatest of things, and be most noteworthy of thy race, thou, Shibli -Bagarag, even thou! and thou wilt be Master of the Event, so named in -anecdotes and histories and records, to all succeeding generations.' - -At her words the breast of Shibli Bagarag took in a great wind, and he -hung his head a moment to ponder them; and he thought, 'There's -provokingness in the speech of this old woman, and she's one that -instigateth keenly. She called me by my name! Heard I that? 'Tis a -mystery!' And he thought, 'Peradventure she is a Genie, one of an ill -tribe, and she's luring me to my perdition in this city! How if that be -so?' And again he thought, 'It cannot be! She's probably the Genie that -presided over my birth, and promised me dower of great things through the -mouths of the readers of planets.' - -Now, when Shibli Bagarag had so deliberated, he lifted his sight, and lo, -the old woman was no longer before him! He stared, and rubbed his eyes, -but she was clean gone. Then ran he to the knolls and eminences that -were scattered about, to command a view, but she was nowhere visible. So -he thought, ''Twas a dream!' and he was composing himself to despair upon -the scant herbage of one of those knolls, when as he chanced to gaze down -the city below, he saw there a commotion and a crowd of people flocking -one way; he thought, ''Twas surely no dream? come not Genii, and go they -not, in the fashion of that old woman? I'll even descend on yonder city, -and try my tackle on Shagpat, inquiring for him, and if he is there, I -shall know I have had to do with a potent spirit. Allah protect me!' - -So, having shut together the clasps of resolve, he arose and made for the -gates of the city, and entered it by the principal entrance. It was a -fair city, the fairest and chief of that country; prosperous, powerful; a -mart for numerous commodities, handicrafts, wares; round it a wild -country and a waste of sand, ruled by the lion in his wrath, and in it -the tiger, the camelopard, the antelope, and other animals. Hither, in -caravans, came the people of Oolb and the people of Damascus, and the -people of Vatz, and they of Bagdad, and the Ringheez, great traders, and -others, trading; and there was constant flow of intercourse between them -and the city of Shagpat. Now as Shibli Bagarag paced up one of the -streets of the city, he beheld a multitude in procession following one -that was crowned after the manner of kings, with a glittering crown, clad -in the yellow girdled robes, and he sporting a fine profusion of hair, -unequalled by all around him, save by one that was a little behind, -shadowed by his presence. So Shibli Bagarag thought, 'Is one of this -twain Shagpat? for never till now have I seen such rare growths, and -'twere indeed a bliss to slip the blade between them and those masses of -darkness that hang from them.' Then he stepped before the King, and made -himself prominent in his path, humbling himself; and it was as he -anticipated, the King prevented his removal by the slaves that would have -dragged him away, and desired a hearing as to his business, and what -brought him to the city, a stranger. - -Thereupon Shibli Bagarag prostrated himself and cried, 'O great King, -Sovereign of the Time! surely I am one to be looked on with the eye of -grace; and I am nephew to Baba Mustapha, renowned in Shiraz, a barber;--I -a barber, and it is my prayer, O King of the Age, that thou take me under -thy protection and the shield of thy fair will, while I perform good work -in this city by operating on the unshorn.' - -When he had spoken, the King made a point of his eyebrows, and exclaimed, -'Shiraz? So they hold out against Shagpat yet, aha? Shiraz! that nest -of them! that reptile's nest!' Then he turned to his Vizier beside him, -and said, 'What shall be done with this fellow?' - -So the Vizier replied, ''Twere well, O King, he be summoned to a sense of -the loathsomeness of his craft by the agency of fifty stripes.' - -The King said, ''Tis commanded!' - -Then he passed forward in his majesty, and Shibli Bagarag was ware of the -power of five slaves upon him, and he was hurried at a quick pace through -the streets and before the eyes of the people, even to the common -receptacle of felons, and there received from each slave severally ten -thwacks with a thong: 'tis certain that at every thwack the thong took an -airing before it descended upon him. Then loosed they him, to wander -whither he listed; and disgust was strong in him by reason of the -disgrace and the severity of the administration of the blows. He strayed -along the streets in wretchedness, and hunger increased on him, assailing -him first as a wolf in his vitals, then as it had been a chasm yawning -betwixt his trunk and his lower members. And he thought, 'I have been -long in chase of great things, and the hope of attaining them is great; -yet, wullahy! would I barter all for one refreshing meal, and the sense -of fulness. 'Tis so, and sad is it!' And he was mindful of the poet's -words,-- - - Who seeks the shadow to the substance sinneth, - And daily craving what is not, he thinneth: - His lean ambition how shall he attain? - For with this constant foolishness he doeth, - He, waxing liker to what he pursueth, - Himself becometh what he chased in vain! - -And again: - - Of honour half my fellows boast,-- - A thing that scorns and kills us: - Methinks that honours us the most - Which nourishes and fills us. - -So he thought he would of a surety fling far away his tackle, discard -barbercraft, and be as other men, a mortal, forgotten with his -generation. And he cried aloud, 'O thou old woman! thou deceiver! what -halt thou obtained for me by thy deceits? and why put I faith in thee to -the purchase of a thwacking? Woe's me! I would thou hadst been but a -dream, thou crone! thou guileful parcel of belabouring bones!' - -Now, while he lounged and strolled, and was abusing the old woman, he -looked before him, and lo, one lolling in his shop-front, and people -standing outside the shop, marking him with admiration and reverence, and -pointing him out to each other with approving gestures. He who lolled -there was indeed a miracle of hairiness, black with hair as he had been -muzzled with it, and his head as it were a berry in a bush by reason of -it. Then thought Shibli Bagarag, ''Tis Shagpat! If the mole could swear -to him, surely can I.' So he regarded the clothier, and there was naught -seen on earth like the gravity of Shagpat as he lolled before those -people, that failed not to assemble in groups and gaze at him. He was as -a sleepy lion cased in his mane; as an owl drowsy in the daylight. Now -would he close an eye, or move two fingers, but of other motion made he -none, yet the people gazed at him with eagerness. Shibli Bagarag was -astonished at them, thinking, 'Hair! hair! There is might in hair; but -there is greater might in the barber! Nevertheless here the barber is -scorned, the grower of crops held in amazing reverence.' Then thought -he, ''Tis truly wondrous the crop he groweth; not even King Shamshureen, -after a thousand years, sported such mighty profusion! Him I sheared: it -was a high task!--why not this Shagpat?' - -Now, long gazing on Shagpat awoke in Shibli Bagarag fierce desire to -shear him, and it was scarce in his power to restrain himself from flying -at the clothier, he saying, 'What obstacle now? what protecteth him? -Nay, why not trust to the old woman? Said she not I should first essay -on Shagpat? and 'twas my folly in appealing to the King that brought on -me that thwacking. 'Tis well! I'll trust to her words. Wullahy! will -it not lead me to great things?' - -So it was, that as he thought this he continued to keep eye on Shagpat, -and the hunger that was in him passed, and became a ravenous vulture that -flew from him and singled forth Shagpat as prey; and there was no help -for it but in he must go and state his case to Shagpat, and essay -shearing him. - -Now, when he was in the presence, he exclaimed, 'Peace, O vendor of -apparel, unto thee and unto thine!' - -Shagpat answered, 'That with thee!' - -Said Shibli Bagarag, 'I have heard of thee, O thou wonder! Wullahy! I -am here to render homage to that I behold.' - -Shagpat answered, ''Tis well!' - -Then said Shibli Bagarag, 'Praise my discretion! I have even this day -entered the city, and it is to thee I offer the first shave, O tangle of -glory!' - -At these words Shagpat darkened, saying gruffly, 'Thy jest is offensive, -and it is unseasonable for staleness and lack of holiness.' - -But Shibli Bagarag cried, 'No jest, O purveyor to the outward of us! but -a very excellent earnest.' - -Thereat the face of Shagpat was as an exceeding red berry in a bush, and -he said angrily, 'Have done! no more of it! or haply my spleen will be -awakened, and that of them who see with more eyes than two.' - -Nevertheless Shibli Bagarag urged him, and he winked, and gesticulated, -and pointed to his head, crying, 'Fall not, O man of the nicety of -measure, into the trap of error; for 'tis I that am a barber, and a -rarity in this city, even Shibli Bagarag of Shiraz! Know me nephew of -the renowned Baba Mustapha, chief barber to the Court of Persia. -Languishest thou not for my art? Lo! with three sweeps I'll give thee a -clean poll, all save the Identical! and I can discern and save it; fear -me not, nor distrust my skill and the cunning that is mine.' - -When he had heard Shibli Bagarag to a close, the countenance of Shagpat -waxed fiery, as it had been flame kindled by travellers at night in a -thorny bramble-bush, and he ruffled, and heaved, and was as when dense -jungle-growths are stirred violently by the near approach of a wild -animal in his fury, shouting in short breaths, 'A barber! a barber! Is't -so? can it be? To me? A barber! O thou, thou reptile! filthy thing! -A barber! O dog! A barber? What? when I bid fair for the highest -honours known? O sacrilegious wretch! monster! How? are the Afrites -jealous, that they send thee to jibe me?' - -Thereupon he set up a cry for his wife, and that woman rushed to him from -an inner room, and fell upon Shibli Bagarag, belabouring him. - -So, when she was weary of this, she said, 'O light of my eyes! O golden -crop and adorable man! what hath he done to thee?' - -Shagpat answered, ''Tis a barber! and he hath sworn to shave me, and leave -me not save shorn!' - -Hardly had Shagpat spoken this, when she became limp with the hearing of -it. Then Shibli Bagarag slunk from the shop; but without the crowd had -increased, seeing an altercation, and as he took to his heels they -followed him, and there was uproar in the streets of the city and in the -air above them, as of raging Genii, he like a started quarry doubling -this way and that, and at the corners of streets and open places, -speeding on till there was no breath in his body, the cry still after him -that he had bearded Shagpat. At last they came up with him, and -belaboured him each and all; it was a storm of thwacks that fell on the -back of Shibli Bagarag. When they had wearied themselves in this -fashion, they took him as had he been a stray bundle or a damaged bale, -and hurled him from the gates of the city into the wilderness once more. - -Now, when he was alone, he staggered awhile and then flung himself to the -earth, looking neither to the right nor to the left, nor above. All he -could think was, 'O accursed old woman!' and this he kept repeating to -himself for solace; as the poet says: - - 'Tis sure the special privilege of hate, - To curse the authors of our evil state. - -As he was thus complaining, behold the very old woman before him! And -she wheezed, and croaked, and coughed, and shook herself, and screwed her -face into a pleasing pucker, and assumed womanish airs, and swayed -herself, like as do the full moons of the harem when the eye of the -master is upon them. Having made an end of these prettinesses, she said, -in a tone of soft insinuation, 'O youth, nephew of the barber, look upon -me.' - -Shibli Bagarag knew her voice, and he would not look, thinking, 'Oh, what -a dreadful old woman is this! just calling on her name in detestation -maketh her present to us.' So the old woman, seeing him resolute to shun -her, leaned to him, and put one hand to her dress, and squatted beside -him, and said, 'O youth, thou hast been thwacked!' - -He groaned, lifting not his face, nor saying aught. Then said she, 'Art -thou truly in search of great things, O youth?' - -Still he groaned, answering no syllable. And she continued, ''Tis surely -in sweet friendliness I ask. Art thou not a fair youth, one to entice a -damsel to perfect friendliness?' - -Louder yet did he groan at her words, thinking, 'A damsel, verily!' So -the old woman said, 'I wot thou art angry with me; but now look up, O -nephew of the barber! no time for vexation. What says the poet?-- - - "Cares the warrior for his wounds - When the steed in battle bounds?" - -Moreover: - - "Let him who grasps the crown strip not for shame, - Lest he expose what gain'd it blow and maim!" - -So be it with thee and thy thwacking, O foolish youth! Hide it from -thyself, thou silly one! What! thou hast been thwacked, and refusest the -fruit of it--which is resoluteness, strength of mind, sternness in -pursuit of the object!' - -Then she softened her tone to persuasiveness, saying, ''Twas written I -should be the head of thy fortune, O Shibli Bagarag! and thou'lt be -enviable among men by my aid, so look upon me, and (for I know thee -famished) thou shah presently be supplied with viands and bright wines -and sweetmeats, delicacies to cheer thee.' - -Now, the promise of food and provision was powerful with Shibli Bagarag, -and he looked up gloomily. And the old woman smiled archly at him, and -wriggled in her seat like a dusty worm, and said, 'Dost thou find me -charming, thou fair youth?' - -He was nigh laughing in her face, but restrained himself to reply, 'Thou -art that thou art!' - -Said she, 'Not so, but that I shall be.' Then she said, 'O youth, pay me -now a compliment!' - -Shibli Bagarag was at a loss what further to say to the old woman, for -his heart cursed her for her persecutions, and ridiculed her for her -vanities. At last he bethought himself of the saying of the poet, truly -the offspring of fine wit, where he says: - - Expect no flatteries from me, - While I am empty of good things; - I'll call thee fair, and I'll agree - Thou boldest Love in silken strings, - When thou bast primed me from thy plenteous store! - But, oh! till then a clod am I: - No seed within to throw up flowers: - All's drouthy to the fountain dry: - To empty stomachs Nature lowers: - The lake was full where heaven look'd fair of yore! - -So, when he had spoken that, the old woman laughed and exclaimed, 'Thou -art apt! it is well said! Surely I excuse thee till that time! Now -listen! 'Tis written we work together, and I know it by divination. -Have I not known thee wandering, and on thy way to this city of Shagpat, -where thou'lt some day sit throned? Now I propose to thee this--and 'tis -an excellent proposal--that I lead thee to great things, and make thee -glorious, a sitter in high seats, Master of an Event?' - -Cried he, 'A proposal honourable to thee, and pleasant in the ear.' - -She added, 'Provided thou marry me in sweet marriage.' - -Thereat he stared on vacancy with a serious eye, and he could scarce -credit her earnestness, but she repeated the same. So presently he -thought, 'This old hag appeareth deep in the fountain of events, and she -will be a right arm to me in the mastering of one, a torch in darkness, -seeing there is wisdom in her as well as wickedness. The thwackings?-- -sad was their taste, but they're in the road leading to greatness, and I -cannot say she put me out of that road in putting me where they were. -Her age?--shall I complain of that when it is a sign she goeth shortly -altogether?' - -As he was thus debating he regarded the old woman stealthily, and she was -in agitation, so that her joints creaked like forest branches in a wind, -and the puckers of her visage moved as do billows of the sea to and fro, -and the anticipations of a fair young bride are not more eager than what -was visible in the old woman. Wheedlingly she looked at him, and shaped -her mouth like a bird's bill to soften it; and she drew together her -dress, to give herself the look of slimness, using all fascinations. He -thought, ''Tis a wondrous old woman! Marriage would seem a thing of -moment to her, yet is the profit with me, and I'll agree to it.' So he -said, ''Tis a pact between us, O old woman!' - -Now, the eyes of the old woman brightened when she heard him, and were as -the eyes of a falcon that eyeth game, hungry with red fire, and she -looked brisk with impatience, laughing a low laugh and saying, 'O youth, -I must claim of thee, as is usual in such cases, the kiss of contract.' - -So Shibli Bagarag was mindful of what is written, - - If thou wouldst take the great leap, be ready for the little jump, - -and he stretched out his mouth to the forehead of the old woman. When he -had done so, it was as though she had been illuminated, as when light is -put in the hollow of a pumpkin. Then said she, 'This is well! this is a -fair beginning! Now look, for thy fortune will of a surety follow. Call -me now sweet bride, and knocker at the threshold of hearts!' - -So Shibli Bagarag sighed, and called her this, and he said, 'Forget not -my condition, O old woman, and that I am nigh famished.' - -Upon that she nodded gravely, and arose and shook her garments together, -and beckoned for Shibli Bagarag to follow her; and the two passed through -the gates of the city, and held on together through divers streets and -thoroughfares till they came before the doors of a palace with a pillared -entrance; and the old woman passed through the doors of the palace as one -familiar to them, and lo! they were in a lofty court, built all of -marble, and in the middle of it a fountain playing, splashing silvery. -Shibli Bagarag would have halted here to breathe the cool refreshingness -of the air, but the old woman would not; and she hurried on even to the -opening of a spacious Hall, and in it slaves in circle round a raised -seat, where sat one that was their lord, and it was the Chief Vizier of -the King. - -Then the old woman turned round sharply to Shibli Bagarag, and said, 'How -of thy tackle, O my betrothed?' - -He answered, 'The edge is keen, the hand ready.' - -Then said she, ''Tis well.' - -So the old woman put her two hands on the shoulders of Shibli Bagarag, -saying, 'Make thy reverence to him on the raised seat; have faith in thy -tackle and in me. Renounce not either, whatsoever ensueth. Be not -abashed, O my bridegroom to be!' - -Thereupon she thrust him in; and Shibli Bagarag was abashed, and played -foolishly with his fingers, knowing not what to do. So when the Chief -Vizier saw him he cried out, 'Who art thou, and what wantest thou?' - -Now, the back of Shibli Bagarag tingled when he heard the Vizier's voice, -and he said, 'I am, O man of exalted condition, he whom men know as -Shibli Bagarag, nephew to Baba Mustapha, the renowned of Shiraz; myself -barber likewise, proud of my art, prepared to exercise it.' - -Then said the Chief Vizier, 'This even to our faces! Wonderful is the -audacity of impudence! Know, O nephew of the barber, thou art among them -that honour not thy art. Is it not written, For one thing thou shaft be -crowned here, for that thing be thwacked there? So also it is written, -The tongue of the insolent one is a lash and a perpetual castigation to -him. And it is written, O Shibli Bagarag, that I reap honour from thee, -and there is no help but that thou be made an example of.' - -So the Chief Vizier uttered command, and Shibli Bagarag was ware of the -power of five slaves upon him; and they seized him familiarly, and placed -him in position, and made ready his clothing for the reception of fifty -other thwacks with a thong, each several thwack coming down on him with a -hiss, as it were a serpent, and with a smack, as it were the mouth of -satisfaction; and the people assembled extolled the Chief Vizier, saying, -'Well and valiantly done, O stay of the State! and such-like to the -accursed race of barbers.' - -Now, when they had passed before the Chief Vizier and departed, lo! he -fell to laughing violently, so that his hair was agitated and was as a -sand-cloud over him, and his countenance behind it was as the sun of the -desert reflected ripplingly on the waters of a bubbling spring, for it -had the aspect of merriness; and the Chief Vizier exclaimed, 'O Shibli -Bagarag, have I not made fair show?' - -And Shibli Bagarag said, 'Excellent fair show, O mighty one!' Yet knew -he not in what, but he was abject by reason of the thwacks. - -So the Vizier said, 'Thou lookest lean, even as one to whom Fortune oweth -a long debt. Tell me now of thy barbercraft: perchance thy gain will be -great thereby?' - -And Shibli Bagarag answered, 'My gain has been great, O eminent in rank, -but of evil quality, and I am content not to increase it.' And he broke -forth into lamentations, crying in excellent verse:-- - - Why am I thus the sport of all-- - A thing Fate knocketh like a ball - From point to point of evil chance, - Even as the sneer of Circumstance? - While thirsting for the highest fame, - I hunger like the lowest beast: - To be the first of men I aim - And find myself the least. - -Now, the Vizier delayed not when he heard this to have a fair supply set -before Shibli Bagarag, and meats dressed in divers fashions, spiced, and -coloured, and with herbs, and wines in golden goblets, and slaves in -attendance. So Shibli Bagarag ate and drank, and presently his soul -arose from its prostration, and he cried, 'Wullahy! the head cook of King -Shamshureen could have worked no better as regards the restorative -process.' - -Then said the Chief Vizier, 'O Shibli Bagarag, where now is thy tackle?' - -And Shibli Bagarag winked and nodded and turned his head in the manner of -the knowing ones, and he recited the verse: - - 'Tis well that we are sometimes circumspect, - And hold ourselves in witless ways deterred: - One thwacking made me seriously reflect; - A SECOND turned the cream of love to curd: - Most surely that profession I reject - Before the fear of a prospective THIRD. - -So the Vizier said, ''Tis well, thou turnest verse neatly' And he -exclaimed extemporaneously: - - If thou wouldst have thy achievement as high - - As the wings of Ambition can fly: - If thou the clear summit of hope wouldst attain, - And not have thy labour in vain; - Be steadfast in that which impell'd, for the peace - Of earth he who leaves must have trust: - He is safe while he soars, but when faith shall cease, - Desponding he drops to the dust. - -Then said he, 'Fear no further thwacking, but honour and prosperity in -the place of it. What says the poet?-- - - "We faint, when for the fire - There needs one spark; - We droop, when our desire - Is near its mark." - -How near to it art thou, O Shibli Bagarag! Know, then, that among this -people there is great reverence for the growing of hair, and he that is -hairiest is honoured most, wherefore are barbers creatures of especial -abhorrence, and of a surety flourish not. And so it is that I owe my -station to the esteem I profess for the cultivation of hair, and to my -persecution of the clippers of it. And in this kingdom is no one that -beareth such a crop as I, saving one, a clothier, an accursed one!--and -may a blight fall upon him for his vanity and his affectation of solemn -priestliness, and his lolling in his shop-front to be admired and -marvelled at by the people. So this fellow I would disgrace and bring to -scorn,--this Shagpat! for he is mine enemy, and the eye of the King my -master is on him. Now I conceive thy assistance in this matter, Shibli -Bagarag,--thou, a barber.' - -When Shibli Bagarag heard mention of Shagpat, and the desire for -vengeance in the Vizier, he was as a new man, and he smelt the sweetness -of his own revenge as a vulture smelleth the carrion from afar, and he -said, 'I am thy servant, thy slave, O Vizier!' Then smiled he as to his -own soul, and he exclaimed, 'On my head be it!' - -And it was to him as when sudden gusts of perfume from garden roses of -the valley meet the traveller's nostril on the hill that overlooketh the -valley, filling him with ecstasy and newness of life, delicate visions. -And he cried, 'Wullahy! this is fair; this is well! I am he that was -appointed to do thy work, O man in office! What says the poet?-- - - "The destined hand doth strike the fated blow: - Surely the arrow's fitted to the bow!" - -And he says: - - "The feathered seed for the wind delayeth, - The wind above the garden swayeth, - The garden of its burden knoweth, - The burden falleth, sinketh, soweth."' - -So the Vizier chuckled and nodded, saying, 'Right, right! aptly spoken, O -youth of favour! 'Tis even so, and there is wisdom in what is written: - - "Chance is a poor knave; - Its own sad slave; - Two meet that were to meet: - Life 's no cheat."' - -Upon that he cried, 'First let us have with us the Eclipser of Reason, -and take counsel with her, as is my custom.' - -Now, the Vizier made signal to a slave in attendance, and the slave -departed from the Hall, and the Vizier led Shibli Bagarag into a closer -chamber, which had a smooth floor of inlaid silver and silken hangings, -the windows looking forth on the gardens of the palace and its fountains -and cool recesses of shade and temperate sweetness. While they sat there -conversing in this metre and that, measuring quotations, lo! the old -woman, the affianced of Shibli Bagarag--and she sumptuously arrayed, in -perfect queenliness, her head bound in a circlet of gems and gold, her -figure lustrous with a full robe of flowing crimson silk; and she wore -slippers embroidered with golden traceries, and round her waist a girdle -flashing with jewels, so that to look on she was as a long falling water -in the last bright slant of the sun. Her hair hung disarranged, and -spread in a scattered fashion off her shoulders; and she was younger by -many moons, her brow smooth where Shibli Bagarag had given the kiss of -contract, her hand soft and white where he had taken it. Shibli Bagarag -was smitten with astonishment at sight of her, and he thought, 'Surely -the aspect of this old woman would realise the story of Bhanavar the -Beautiful; and it is a story marvellous to think of; yet how great is the -likeness between Bhanavar and this old woman that groweth younger!' - -And he thought again, 'What if the story of Bhanavar be a true one; this -old woman such as she--no other?' - -So, while he considered her, the Vizier exclaimed, 'Is she not fair--my -daughter?' - -And the youth answered, 'She is, O Vizier, that she is!' - -But the Vizier cried, 'Nay, by Allah! she is that she will be.' And the -Vizier said, ''Tis she that is my daughter; tell me thy thought of her, as -thou thinkest it.' - -And Shibli Bagarag replied, 'O Vizier, my thought of her is, she seemeth -indeed as Bhanavar the Beautiful--no other.' - -Then the Vizier and the Eclipser of Reason exclaimed together, 'How of -Bhanavar and her story, O youth? We listen!' - -So Shibli Bagarag leaned slightly on a cushion of a couch, and narrated -as followeth. - - - - -AND THIS IS THE STORY OF BHANAVAR THE BEAUTIFUL - -Know that at the foot of a lofty mountain of the Caucasus there lieth a -deep blue lake; near to this lake a nest of serpents, wise and ancient. -Now, it was the habit of a damsel to pass by the lake early at morn, on -her way from the tents of her tribe to the pastures of the flocks. As -she pressed the white arch of her feet on the soft green-mossed grasses -by the shore of the lake she would let loose her hair, looking over into -the water, and bind the braid again round her temples and behind her -ears, as it had been in a lucent mirror: so doing she would laugh. Her -laughter was like the falls of water at moonrise; her loveliness like the -very moonrise; and she was stately as a palm-tree standing before the -moon. - -This was Bhanavar the Beautiful. - -Now, the damsel was betrothed to the son of a neighbouring Emir, a youth -comely, well-fashioned, skilled with the bow, apt in all exercises; one -that sat his mare firm as the trained falcon that fixeth on the plunging -bull of the plains; fair and terrible in combat as the lightning that -strideth the rolling storm; and it is sung by the poet: - - When on his desert mare I see - My prince of men, - I think him then - As high above humanity - As he shines radiant over me. - - Lo! like a torrent he doth bound, - Breasting the shock - From rock to rock: - A pillar of storm, he shakes the ground, - - His turban on his temples wound. - - Match me for worth to be adored - A youth like him - In heart and limb! - Swift as his anger is his sword; - Softer than woman his true word. - -Now, the love of this youth for the damsel Bhanavar was a consuming -passion, and the father of the damsel and the father of the youth looked -fairly on the prospect of their union, which was near, and was plighted -as the union of the two tribes. So they met, and there was no voice -against their meeting, and all the love that was in them they were free -to pour forth far from the hearing of men, even where they would. Before -the rising of the sun, and ere his setting, the youth rode swiftly from -the green tents of the Emir his father, to waylay her by the waters of -the lake; and Bhanavar was there, bending over the lake, her image in the -lake glowing like the fair fulness of the moon; and the youth leaned to -her from his steed, and sang to her verses of her great loveliness ere -she was wistful of him. Then she turned to him, and laughed lightly a -welcome of sweetness, and shook the falls of her hair across the blushes -of her face and her bosom; and he folded her to him, and those two would -fondle together in the fashion of the betrothed ones (the blessing of -Allah be on them all!), gazing on each other till their eyes swam with -tears, and they were nigh swooning with the fulness of their bliss. -Surely 'twas an innocent and tender dalliance, and their prattle was that -of lovers till the time of parting, he showing her how she -looked best--she him; and they were forgetful of all else that is, in -their sweet interchange of flatteries; and the world was a wilderness to -them both when the youth parted with Bhanavar by the brook which bounded -the tents of her tribe. - -It was on a night when they were so together, the damsel leaning on his -arm, her eyes toward the lake, and lo! what seemed the reflection of a -large star in the water; and there was darkness in the sky above it, -thick clouds, and no sight of the heavens; so she held her face to him -sideways and said, 'What meaneth this, O my betrothed? for there is -reflected in yonder lake a light as of a star, and there is no star -visible this night.' - -The youth trembled as one in trouble of spirit, and exclaimed, 'Look not -on it, O my soul! It is of evil omen.' - -But Bhanavar kept her gaze constantly on the light, and the light -increased in lustre; and the light became, from a pale sad splendour, -dazzling in its brilliancy. Listening, they heard presently a gurgling -noise as of one deeply drinking. Then the youth sighed a heavy sigh and -said, 'This is the Serpent of the Lake drinking of its waters, as is her -wont once every moon, and whoso heareth her drink by the sheening of that -light is under a destiny dark and imminent; so know I my days are -numbered, and it was foretold of me, this!' Now the youth sought to -dissuade Bhanavar from gazing on the light, and he flung his whole body -before her eyes, and clasped her head upon his breast, and clung about -her, caressing her; yet she slipped from him, and she cried, 'Tell me of -this serpent, and of this light.' - -So he said, 'Seek not to hear of it, O my betrothed!' - -Then she gazed at the light a moment more intently, and turned her fair -shape toward him, and put up her long white fingers to his chin, and -smoothed him with their softness, whispering, 'Tell me of it, my life!' - -And so it was that her winningness melted him, and he said, 'Bhanavar! -the serpent is the Serpent of the Lake; old, wise, powerful; of the brood -of the sacred mountain, that lifteth by day a peak of gold, and by night -a point of solitary silver. In her head, upon her forehead, between her -eyes, there is a Jewel, and it is this light.' - -Then she said, 'How came the Jewel there, in such a place?' - -He answered, ''Tis the growth of one thousand years in the head of the -serpent.' - -She cried, 'Surely precious?' - -He answered, 'Beyond price!' - -As he spake the tears streamed from him, and he was shaken with grief, -but she noted nought of this, and watched the wonder of the light, and -its increasing, and quivering, and lengthening; and the light was as an -arrow of beams and as a globe of radiance. Desire for the Jewel waxed in -her, and she had no sight but for it alone, crying, ''Tis a Jewel -exceeding in preciousness all jewels that are, and for the possessing it -would I forfeit all that is.' - -So he said sorrowfully, 'Our love, O Bhanavar? and our hopes of -espousal?' - -But she cried, 'No question of that! Prove now thy passion for me, O -warrior! and win for me that Jewel.' - -Then he pleaded with her, and exclaimed, 'Urge not this! The winning of -the Jewel is worth my life; and my life, O Bhanavar--surely its breath is -but the love of thee.' - -So she said, 'Thou fearest a risk?' - -And he replied, 'Little fear I; my life is thine to cast away. This -Jewel it is evil to have, and evil followeth the soul that hath it.' - -Upon that she cried, 'A trick to cheat me of the Jewel! thy love is -wanting at the proof.' - -And she taunted the youth her betrothed, and turned from him, and -hardened at his tenderness, and made her sweet shape as a thorn to his -caressing, and his heart was charged with anguish for her. So at the -last, when he had wept a space in silence, he cried, 'Thou hast willed -it; the Jewel shall be thine, O my soul!' - -Then said he, 'Thou hast willed it, O Bhanavar! and my life is as a grain -of sand weighed against thy wishes; Allah is my witness! Meet me -therefore here, O my beloved, at the end of one quarter-moon, even -beneath the shadow of this palm-tree, by the lake, and at this hour, and -I will deliver into thy hands the Jewel. So farewell! Wind me once -about with thine arms, that I may take comfort from thee.' - -When their kiss was over the youth led her silently to the brook of their -parting--the clear, cold, bubbling brook--and passed from her sight; and -the damsel was exulting, and leapt and made circles in her glee, and she -danced and rioted and sang, and clapped her hands, crying, 'If I am now -Bhanavar the Beautiful how shall I be when that Jewel is upon me, the -bright light which beameth in the darkness, and needeth to light it no -other light? Surely there will be envy among the maidens and the widows, -and my name and the odour of my beauty will travel to the courts of far -kings.' - -So was she jubilant; and her sisters that met her marvelled at her and -the deep glow that was upon her, even as the glow of the Great Desert -when the sun has fallen; and they said among themselves, 'She is covered -all over with the blush of one that is a bride, and the bridegroom's kiss -yet burneth upon Bhanavar!' - -So they undressed her and she lay among them, and was all night even as a -bursting rose in a vase filled with drooping lilies; and one of the -maidens that put her hand on the left breast of Bhanavar felt it full, -and the heart beneath it panting and beating swifter than the ground is -struck by hooves of the chosen steed sent by the Chieftain to the city of -his people with news of victory and the summons for rejoicing. - -Now, the nights and the days of Bhanavar were even as this night, and she -was as an unquiet soul till the appointed time for the meeting with her -lover had come. Then when the sun was lighting with slant beam the green -grass slope by the blue brook before her, Bhanavar arrayed herself and -went forth gaily, as a martial queen to certain conquest; and of all the -flowers that nodded to the setting,--yea, the crimson, purple, pure -white, streaked-yellow, azure, and saffron, there was no flower fairer in -its hues than Bhanavar, nor bird of the heavens freer in its glittering -plumage, nor shape of loveliness such as hers. Truly, when she had taken -her place under the palm by the waters of the lake, that was no -exaggeration of the poet, where he says: - - Snows of the mountain-peaks were mirror'd there - Beneath her feet, not whiter than they were; - Not rosier in the white, that falling flush - Broad on the wave, than in her cheek the blush. - -And again: - - She draws the heavens down to her, - So rare she is, so fair she is; - They flutter with a crown to her, - And lighten only where she is. - -And he exclaims, in verse that applieth to her: - - Exquisite slenderness! - Sleek little antelope! - Serpent of sweetness! - Eagle that soaringly - Wins me adoringly! - Teach me thy fleetness, - Vision of loveliness; - Turn to my tenderness! - -Now, when the sun was lost to earth, and all was darkness, Bhanavar fixed -her eyes upon an opening arch of foliage in the glade through which the -youth her lover should come to her, and clasped both hands across her -bosom, so shaken was she with eager longing and expectation. In her -hunger for his approach, she would at whiles pluck up the herbage about -her by the roots, and toss handfuls this way and that, chiding the -peaceful song of the nightbird in the leaves above her head; and she was -sinking with fretfulness, when lo! from the opening arch of the glade a -sudden light, and Bhanavar knew it for the Jewel in the fingers of her -betrothed, by the strength of its effulgence. Then she called to him -joyfully a cry of welcome, and quickened his coming with her calls, and -the youth alighted from his mare and left it to pasture, and advanced to -her, holding aloft the Jewel. And the Jewel was of great size and -purity, round, and all-luminous, throwing rays and beams everywhere about -it, a miracle to behold,--the light in it shining, and as the very life -of the blood, a sweet crimson, a ruby, a softer rose, an amethyst of -tender hues: it was a full globe of splendours, showing like a very -kingdom of the Blest; and blessed was the eye beholding it! So when he -was within reach of her arm, the damsel sprang to him and caught from his -hand the Jewel, and held it before her eyes, and danced with it, and -pressed it on her bosom, and was as a creature giddy with great joy in -possessing it. And she put the Jewel in her bosom, and looked on the -youth to thank him for the Jewel with all her beauty; for the passion of -a mighty pride in him who had won for her the Jewel exalted Bhanavar, and -she said sweetly, 'Now hast thou proved to me thy love of me, and I am -thine, O my betrothed,--wholly thine. Kiss me, then, and cease not -kissing me, for bliss is in me.' - -But the youth eyed her sorrowfully, even as one that hath great yearning, -and no power to move or speak. - -So she said again, in the low melody of deep love-tones, 'Kiss me, O my -lover! for I desire thy kiss.' - -Still he spake not, and was as a pillar of stone. - -And she started, and cried, 'Thou art whole? without a hurt?' Then sought -she to coax him to her with all the softness of her half-closed eyes and -budded lips, saying, ''Twas an idle fear! and I have thee, and thou art -mine, and I am thine; so speak to me, my lover! for there is no music -like the music of thy voice, and the absence of it is the absence of all -sweetness, and there is no pleasure in life without it.' - -So the tenderness of her fondling melted the silence in him, and -presently his tongue was loosed, and he breathed in pain of spirit, and -his words were the words of the proverb: - - He that fighteth with poison is no match for the prick of a thorn. - -And he said, 'Surely, O Bhanavar, my love for thee surpasseth what is -told of others that have loved before us, and I count no loss a loss that -is for thy sake.' And he sighed, and sang: - - Sadder than is the moon's lost light, - Lost ere the kindling of dawn, - To travellers journeying on, - - The shutting of thy fair face from my sight. - Might I look on thee in death, - With bliss I would yield my breath. - - Oh! what warrior dies - With heaven in his eyes? - O Bhanavar! too rich a prize! - The life of my nostrils art thou, - The balm-dew on my brow; - - Thou art the perfume I meet as I speed o'er the plains, - The strength of my arms, the blood of my veins. - -Then said he, 'I make nothing matter of complaint, Allah witnesseth! not -even the long parting from her I love. What will be, will be: so was it -written! 'Tis but a scratch, O my soul! yet am I of the dead and them -that are passed away. 'Tis hard; but I smile in the face of bitterness.' - -Now, at his words the damsel clutched him with both her hands, and the -blood went from her, and she was as a block of white marble, even as one -of those we meet in the desert, leaning together, marking the wrath of -the All-powerful on forgotten cities. And the tongue of the damsel was -dry, and she was without speech, gazing at him with wide-open eyes, like -one in trance. Then she started as a dreamer wakeneth, and flung herself -quickly on the breast of the youth, and put up the sleeve from his arm, -and beheld by the beams of the quarter-crescent that had risen through -the leaves, a small bite on the arm of the youth her betrothed, spotted -with seven spots of blood in a crescent; so she knew that the poison of -the serpent had entered by that bite; and she loosened herself to the -violence of her anguish, shrieking the shrieks of despair, so that the -voice of her lamentation was multiplied about and made many voices in the -night. Her spirit returned not to her till the crescent of the moon was -yellow to its fall; and lo! the youth was sighing heavy sighs and leaning -to the ground on one elbow, and she flung herself by him on the ground, -seeking for herbs that were antidotes to the poison of the serpent, -grovelling among the grasses and strewn leaves of the wood, peering at -them tearfully by the pale beams, and startling the insects as she moved. -When she had gathered some, she pressed them and bruised them, and laid -them along his lips, that were white as the ball of an eye; and she made -him drink drops of the juices of the herbs, wailing and swaying her body -across him, as one that seeketh vainly to give brightness again to the -flames of a dying fire. But now his time was drawing nigh, and he was -weak, and took her hand in his and gazed on her face, sighing, and said, -'There is nothing shall keep me by thee now, O my betrothed, my -beautiful! Weep not, for it is the doing of fate, and not thy doing. So -ere I go, and the grave-cloth separates thy heart from my heart, listen -to me. Lo, that Jewel! it is the giver of years and of powers, and of -loveliness beyond mortal, yet the wearing of it availeth not in the -pursuit of happiness. Now art thou Queen over the serpents of this lake: -it was the Queen-serpent I slew, and her vengeance is on me here. Now -art thou mighty, O Bhanavar! and look to do well by thy tribe, and that -from which I spring, recompensing my father for his loss, pouring -ointment on his affliction, for great is the grief of the old man, and he -loveth me, and is childless.' - -Then the youth fell back and was still; and Bhanavar put her ear to his -mouth, and heard what seemed an inner voice murmuring in him, and it was -of his infancy and his boyhood, and of his father the Emir's first gift -to him, his horse Zoora, in old times. Presently the youth revived -somewhat, and looked upon her; but his sight was glazed with a film, and -she sang her name to him ere he knew her, and the sad sweetness of her -name filled his soul, and he replied to her with it weakly, like a far -echo that groweth fainter, 'Bhanavar! Bhanavar! Bhanavar!' Then a -change came over him, and the pain of the poison and the passion of the -death-throe, and he was wistful of her no more; but she lay by him, -embracing him, and in the last violence of his anguish he hugged her to -his breast. Then it was over, and he sank. And the twain were as a -great wave heaving upon the shore; lo, part is wasted where it falleth; -part draweth back into the waters. So was it! - -Now the chill of dawn breathed blue on the lake and was astir among the -dewy leaves of the wood, when Bhanavar arose from the body of the youth, -and as she rose she saw that his mare Zoora, his father's first gift, was -snuffing at the ear of her dead master, and pawing him. At that sight -the tears poured from her eyelids, and she sobbed out to the mare, 'O -Zoora! never mare bore nobler burden on her back than thou in Zurvan my -betrothed. Zoora! thou weepest, for death is first known to thee in the -dearest thing that was thine; as to me, in the dearest that was mine! -And O Zoora, steed of Zurvan my betrothed, there's no loveliness for us -in life, for the loveliest is gone; and let us die, Zoora, mare of Zurvan -my betrothed, for what is dying to us, O Zoora, who cherish beyond all -that which death has taken?' - -So spake she to Zoora the mare, kissing her, and running her fingers -through the long white mane of the mare. Then she stooped to the body of -her betrothed, and toiled with it to lift it across the crimson saddle- -cloth that was on the back of Zoora; and the mare knelt to her, that she -might lay on her back the body of Zurvan; when that was done, Bhanavar -paced beside Zoora the mare, weeping and caressing her, reminding her of -the deeds of Zurvan, and the battles she had borne him to, and his -greatness and his gentleness. And the mare went without leading. It was -broad light when they had passed the glade and the covert of the wood. -Before them, between great mountains, glimmered a space of rolling grass -fed to deep greenness by many brooks. The shadow of a mountain was over -it, and one slant of the rising sun, down a glade of the mountain, -touched the green tent of the Emir, where it stood a little apart from -the others of his tribe. Goats and asses of the tribe were pasturing in -the quiet, but save them nothing moved among the tents, and it was deep -peacefulness. Bhanavar led Zoora slowly before the tent of the Emir, and -disburdened Zoora of the helpless weight, and spread the long fair limbs -of the youth lengthwise across the threshold of the Emir's tent, sitting -away from it with clasped hands, regarding it. Ere long the Emir came -forth, and his foot was on the body of his son, and he knew death on the -chin and the eyes of Zurvan, his sole son. Now the Emir was old, and -with the shock of that sight the world darkened before him, and he gave -forth a groan and stumbled over the sunken breast of Zurvan, and -stretched over him as one without life. When Bhanavar saw that old man -stretched over the body of his son, she sickened, and her ear was filled -with the wailings of grief that would arise, and she stood up and stole -away from the habitations of the tribe, stricken with her guilt, and -wandered beyond the mountains, knowing not whither she went, looking on -no living thing, for the sight of a thing that moved was hateful to her, -and all sounds were sounds of lamentation for a great loss. - -Now, she had wandered on alone two days and two nights, and nigh morn she -was seized with a swoon of weariness, and fell forward with her face to -the earth, and lay there prostrate, even as one that is adoring the -shrine; and it was on the sands of the desert she was lying. It chanced -that the Chieftain of a desert tribe passed at midday by the spot, and -seeing the figure of a damsel unshaded' by any shade of tree or herb or -tent-covering, and prostrate on the sands, he reined his steed and leaned -forward to her, and called to her. Then as she answered nothing he -dismounted, and thrust his arm softly beneath her and lifted her gently; -and her swoon had the whiteness of death, so that he thought her dead -verily, and the marvel of her great loveliness in death smote the heart -on his ribs as with a blow, and the powers of life went from him a moment -as he looked on her and the long dark wet lashes that clung to her -colourless face, as at night in groves where the betrothed ones wander, -the slender leaves of the acacia spread darkly over the full moon. And -he cried, ''Tis a loveliness that maketh the soul yearn to the cold bosom -of death, so lovely, exceeding all that liveth, is she!' - -After he had contemplated her longwhile, he snatched his sight from her, -and swung her swiftly on the back of his mare, and leaned her on one arm, -and sped westward over the sands of the desert, halting not till he was -in the hum of many tents, and the sun of that day hung a red half-circle -across the sand. He alighted before the tent of his mother, and sent -women in to her. When his mother came forth to the greetings of her son, -he said no word, but pointed to the damsel where he had leaned her at the -threshold of her tent. His mother kissed him on the forehead, and turned -her shoulder to peer upon the damsel. But when she had close view of -Bhanavar, she spat, and scattered her hair, and stamped, and cried aloud, -'Away with her! this slut of darkness! there's poison on her very -skirts, and evil in the look of her.' - -Then said he, 'O Rukrooth, my mother! art thou lost to charity and the -uses of kindliness and the laws of hospitality, that thou talkest this of -the damsel, a stranger? Take her now in, and if she be past help, as I -fear; be it thy care to give her decent burial; and if she live, O my -mother, tend her for the love of thy son, and for the love of him be -gentle with her.' - -While he spake, Rukrooth his mother knelt over the damsel, as a cat that -sniffeth the suspected dish; and she flashed her eyes back on him, -exclaiming scornfully, 'So art thou befooled, and the poison is already -in thee! But I will not have her, O my son! and thou, Ruark, my son, -neither shalt thou have her. What! will I not die to save thee from a -harm? Surely thy frown is little to me, my son, if I save thee from a -harm; and the damsel here is--I shudder to think what; but never lay -shadow across my threshold dark as this!' - -Now, Ruark gazed upon his mother, and upon Bhanavar, and the face of -Bhanavar was as a babe in sleep, and his soul melted to the parted -sweetness of her soft little curved red lips and her closed eyelids, and -her innocent open hands, where she lay at the threshold of the tent, -unconscious of hardness and the sayings of the unjust. So he cried -fiercely, 'No paltering, O Rukrooth, my mother: and if not to thy tent, -then to mine!' - -When she heard him say that in the voice of his anger, Rukrooth fixed her -eyes on him sorrowfully, and sighed, and went up to him and drew his head -once against her heart, and retreated into the tent, bidding the women -that were there bring in the body of the damsel. - -It was the morning of another day when Bhanavar awoke; and she awoke in a -dream of Zoora, the mare of Zurvan her betrothed, that was dead, and the -name of Zoora was on her tongue as she started up. She was on a couch of -silk and leopard-skins; at her feet a fair young girl with a fan of -pheasant feathers. She stared at the hangings of the tent, which were -richer than those of her own tribe; the cloths, and the cushions, and the -embroideries; and the strangeness of all was pain to her, she knew not -why. Then wept she bitterly, and with her tears the memory of what had -been came back to her, and she opened her arms to take into them the -little girl that fanned her, that she might love something and be beloved -awhile; and the child sobbed with her. After a time Bhanavar said, -'Where am I, and amongst whom, my child, my sister?' - -And the child answered her, 'Surely in the tent of the mother of Ruark, -the chief, even chief of the Beni-Asser, and he found thee in the desert, -nigh dead. 'Tis so; and this morning will Ruark be gone to meet the -challenge of Ebn Asrac, and they will fight at the foot of the Snow -Mountains, and the shadow of yonder date-palm will be over our tent here -at the hour they fight, and I shall sing for Ruark, and kneel here in the -darkness of the shadow.' - -While the child was speaking there entered to them a tall aged woman, -with one swathe of a turban across her long level brows; and she had hard -black eyes, and close lips and a square chin; and it was the mother of -Ruark. She strode forward toward Bhanavar to greet her, and folded her -legs before the damsel. Presently she said, 'Tell me thy story, and of -thy coming into the hands of Ruark my son.' - -Bhanavar shuddered. So Rukrooth dismissed the little maiden from the -chamber of the tent, and laid her left hand on one arm of Bhanavar, and -said, 'I would know whence comest thou, that we may deal well by thee and -thy people that have lost thee.' - -The touch of a hand was as the touch of a corpse to Bhanavar, and the -damsel was constrained to speak by a power she knew not of, and she told -all to Rukrooth of what had been, the great misery, and the wickedness -that was hers. Then Ruark's mother took hold of Bhanavar a strong grasp, -and eyed her long, piteously, and with reproach, and rocked forward and -back, and kept rocking to and fro, crying at intervals, 'O Ruark! my son! -my son! this feared I, and thou art not the first! and I saw it, I saw -it! Well-away! why came she in thy way, why, Ruark, my son, my fire-eye? -Canst thou be saved by me, fated that thou art, thou fair-face? And wilt -thou be saved by me, my son, ere thy story be told in tears as this one, -that is as thine to me? And thou wilt seize a jewel, Ruark, O thou soul -of wrath, my son, my dazzling Chief, and seize it to wear it, and think -it bliss, this lovely jewel; but 'tis an anguish endless and for ever, my -son! Woe's me! an anguish is she without end.' - -Rukrooth continued moaning, and the thought that was in the mother of -Ruark struck Bhanavar like a light in the land of despair that darkly -illumineth the dreaded gulfs and abysses of the land, and she knew -herself black in evil; and the scourge of her guilt was upon her, and she -cursed herself before Rukrooth, and fawned before her, abasing her body. -So Rukrooth was drawn to the damsel by the violence of her self-accusing -and her abandonment to grief, and lifted her, and comforted her, and -after awhile they had gentle speech together, and the two women opened -their hearts and wept. Then it was agreed between them that Bhanavar -should depart from the encampment of the tribe before the return of -Ruark, and seek shelter among her own people again, and aid them and the -tribe of Zurvan, her betrothed, by the might of the Jewel which was hers, -fulfilling the desire of Zurvan. The mind of the damsel was lowly, and -her soul yearned for the blessing of Rukrooth. - -Darkness hung over the tent from the shadow of the date-palm when -Bhanavar departed, and the blessing of Rukrooth was on her head. She -went forth fairly mounted on a fresh steed; beside her two warriors of -them that were left to guard the encampment of the tribe of Ruark in his -absence; and Rukrooth watched at the threshold of her tent for the coming -of Ruark. - -When it was middle night, and the splendour of the moon was beaming on -the edge of the desert, Bhanavar alighted to rest by the twigs of a -tamarisk that stood singly on the sands. The two warriors tied the -fetlocks of their steeds, and spread shawls for her, and watched over her -while she slept. And the damsel dreamed, and the roaring of the lion was -hoarse in her dream, and it was to her as were she the red whirlwind of -the desert before whom all bowed in terror, the Arab, the wild horsemen, -and the caravans of pilgrimage; and none could stay her, neither could -she stay herself, for the curse of Allah was on men by reason of her -guilt; and she went swinging great folds of darkness across kingdoms and -empires of earth where joy was and peace of spirit; and in her track -amazement and calamity, and the whitened bones of noble youths, valorous -chieftains. In that horror of her dream she stood up suddenly, and -thrust forth her hands as to avert an evil, and advanced a step; and with -the act her dream was cloven and she awoke, and lo! it was sunrise; and -where had been two warriors of the Beni-Asser, were now five, and besides -her own steed five others, one the steed of Ruark, and Ruark with them -that watched over her: pale was the visage of the Chief. Ruark eyed -Bhanavar, and signalled to his followers, and they, when they had lifted -the damsel to her steed and placed her in their front, mounted likewise, -and flourished their lances with cries, and jerked their heels to the -flanks of their steeds, and stretched forward till their beards were -mixed with the tossing manes, and the dust rose after them crimson in the -sun. So they coursed away, speeding behind their Chief and Bhanavar; -sweet were the desert herbs under their crushing hooves! Ere the shadow -of the acacia measured less than its height they came upon a spring of -silver water, and Ruark leaped from his steed, and Bhanavar from hers, -and they performed their ablutions by that spring, and ate and drank, and -watered their steeds. While they were there Bhanavar lifted her eyes to -Ruark, and said, 'Whither takest thou me, O my Chief?' - -His brow was stern, and he answered, 'Surely to the dwelling of thy -tribe.' - -Then she wept, and pulled her veil close, murmuring, ''Tis well!' - -They spake no further, and pursued their journey toward the mountains and -across the desert that was as a sea asleep in the blazing heat, and the -sun till his setting threw no shade upon the sands bigger than what was -broad above them. By the beams of the growing moon they entered the -first gorge of the mountains. Here they relaxed the swiftness of their -pace, picking their way over broken rocks and stunted shrubs, and the -mesh of spotted creeping plants; all around them in shadow a freshness of -noisy rivulets and cool scents of flowers, asphodel and rose blooming in -plots from the crevices of the crags. These, as the troop advanced, -wound and widened, gradually receding, and their summits, which were -silver in the moonlight, took in the distance a robe of purple, and the -sides of the mountains were rounded away in purple beyond a space of -emerald pasture. Now, Ruark beheld the heaviness of Bhanavar, and that -she drooped in her seat, and he halted her by a cave at the foot of the -mountains, browed with white broom. Before it, over grass and cresses, -ran a rill, a branch from others, larger ones, that went hurrying from -the heights to feed the meadows below, and Bhanavar dipped her hand in -the rill, and thought, 'I am no more as thou, rill of the mountain, but a -desert thing! Thy way is forward, thy end before thee; but I go this way -and that; my end is dark to me; not a life is mine that will have its -close kissing the cold cheeks of the saffron-crocus. Cold art thou, and -I--flames! They that lean to thee are refreshed, they that touch me -perish.' Then she looked forth on the stars that were above the purple -heights, and the blushes of inner heaven that streamed up the sky, and a -fear of meeting the eyes of her kindred possessed her, and she cried out -to Ruark, 'O Chief of the Beni-Asser, must this be? and is there no help -for it, but that I return among them that look on me basely?' - -Ruark stooped to her and said, 'Tell me thy name.' - -She answered, 'Bhanavar is my name with that people.' - -And he whispered, 'Surely when they speak of thee they say not Bhanavar -solely, but Bhanavar the Beautiful?' - -She started and sought the eye of the Chief, and it was fixed on her face -in a softened light, as if his soul had said that thing. Then she -sighed, and exclaimed, 'Unhappy are the beautiful! born to misery! Allah -dressed them in his grace and favour for their certain wretchedness! Lo, -their countenances are as the sun, their existence as the desert; barren -are they in fruits and waters, a snare to themselves and to others!' - -Now, the Chief leaned to her yet nearer, saying, 'Show me the Jewel.' - -Bhanavar caught up her hands and clenched them, and she cried bitterly, -''Tis known to thee! She told thee, and there be none that know it not!' - -Arising, she thrust her hand into her bosom, and held forth the Jewel in -the palm of her white hand. When Ruark beheld the marvel of the Jewel, -and the redness moving in it as of a panting heart, and the flashing eye -of fire that it was, and all its glory, he cried, 'It was indeed a Jewel -for queens to covet from the Serpent, and a prize the noblest might risk -all to win as a gift for thee.' - -Then she said, 'Thy voice is friendly with me, O Ruark! and thou scornest -not the creature that I am. Counsel me as to my dealing with the Jewel.' - -Surely the eyes of the Chief met the eyes of Bhanavar as when the -brightest stars of midnight are doubled in a clear dark lake, and he sang -in measured music: - - 'Shall I counsel the moon in her ascending? - Stay under that tall palm-tree through the night; - Rest on the mountain-slope - By the couching antelope, - O thou enthroned supremacy of light! - And for ever the lustre thou art lending, - Lean on the fair long brook that leaps and leaps,-- - Silvery leaps and falls. - Hang by the mountain walls, - Moon! and arise no more to crown the steeps, - For a danger and dolour is thy wending! - -And, O Bhanavar, Bhanavar the Beautiful! shall I counsel thee, moon of -loveliness,--bright, full, perfect moon!--counsel thee not to ascend and -be seen and worshipped of men, sitting above them in majesty, thou that -art thyself the Jewel beyond price? Wah! What if thou cast it from -thee?--thy beauty remaineth!' - -And Bhanavar smote her palms in the moonlight, and exclaimed, 'How then -shall I escape this in me, which is a curse to them that approach me?' - -And he replied: - - Long we the less for the pearl of the sea - Because in its depths there 's the death we flee? - Long we the less, the less, woe's me! - Because thou art deathly,--the less for thee? - -She sang aloud among the rocks and the caves and the illumined waters: - - Destiny! Destiny! why am I so dark? - I that have beauty and love to be fair. - Destiny! Destiny! am I but a spark - Track'd under heaven in flames and despair? - Destiny! Destiny! why am I desired - Thus like a poisonous fruit, deadly sweet? - Destiny! Destiny! lo, my soul is tired, - Make me thy plaything no more, I entreat! - -Ruark laughed low, and said, 'What is this dread of Rukrooth my mother -which weigheth on thee but silliness! For she saw thee willing to do -well by her; and thou with thy Jewel, O Bhanavar, do thou but well by -thyself, and there will be no woman such as thou in power and excellence -of endowments, as there is nowhere one such as thou in beauty.' Then he -sighed to her, 'Dare I look up to thee, O my Queen of Serpents?' And he -breathed as one that is losing breath, and the words came from him, -'My soul is thine!' - -When she heard him say this, great trouble was on the damsel, for his -voice was not the voice of Zurvan her betrothed; and she remembered the -sorrow of Rukrooth. She would have fled from him, but a dread of the -displeasure of the Chief restrained her, knowing Ruark a soul of wrath. -Her eyelids dropped and the Chief gazed on her eagerly, and sang in a -passion of praises of her; the fires of his love had a tongue, his speech -was a torrent of flame at the feet of the damsel. And Bhanavar -exclaimed, 'Oh, what am I, what am I, who have slain my love, my lover!-- -that one should love me and call on me for love? My life is a long -weeping for him! Death is my wooer!' - -Ruark still pleaded with her, and she said in fair gentleness, 'Speak not -of it now in the freshness of my grief! Other times and seasons are -there. My soul is but newly widowed!' - -Fierce was the eye of the Chief, and he sprang up, crying, 'By the life -of my head, I know thy wiles and the reading of these delays: but I'll -never leave thee, nor lose sight of thee, Bhanavar! And think not to fly -from me, thou subtle, brilliant Serpent! for thy track is my track, and -thy condition my condition, and thy fate my fate. By Allah! this is so.' - -Then he strode from her swiftly, and called to his Arabs. They had -kindled a fire to roast the flesh of a buffalo, slaughtered by them from -among a herd, and were laughing and singing beside the flames of the -fire. So by the direction of their Chief the Arabs brought slices of -sweet buffalo-flesh to Bhanavar, with cakes of grain: and Bhanavar ate -alone, and drank from the waters before her. Then they laid for her a -couch within the cave, and the aching of her spirit was lulled, and she -slept there a dreamless sleep till morning. - -By the morning light Bhanavar looked abroad for the Chief, and he was -nowhere by. A pang of violent hope struck through her, and she pressed -her bosom, praying he might have left her, and climbed the clefts and -ledges of the mountain to search over the fair expanse of pasture beyond, -for a trace of him departing. The sun was on the heads of the heavy -flowers, and a flood of gold down the gorges, and a delicate rose hue on -the distant peaks and upper dells of snow, which were as a crown to the -scene she surveyed; but no sight of Ruark had she. And now she was -beginning to rejoice, but on a sudden her eye caught far to east a -glimpse of something in motion across an even slope of the lower hills -leaning to the valley; and it was a herd that rushed forward, like a -black torrent of the mountains flinging foam this way and that, and after -the herd and at the sides of the herd she distinguished the white cloaks -and scarfs and glittering steel of the Arabs of Ruark. Presently she saw -a horseman break from the rest, and race in a line toward her. She knew -this one for Ruark, and sighed and descended slowly to meet him. The -greeting of the Chief was sharp, his manner wild, and he said little ere -he said, 'I will see thee under the light of the Jewel, so tie it in a -band and set it on thy brow, Bhanavar!' - -Her mouth was open to intercede with his desire, but his forehead became -black as night, and he shouted in the thunder of his lion-voice, 'Do -this!' - -She took the Jewel from its warm bed in her bosom, and held it, and got -together a band of green weeds, and set it in the middle of the band, and -tied the band on her brow, and lifted her countenance to the Chief. -Ruark stood back from her and gazed on her; and he would have veiled his -sight from her, but his hand fell. Then the might of her loveliness -seized Bhanavar likewise, and the full orbs of her eyes glowed on the -Chief as on a mirror, -and she moved her serpent figure scornfully, and smiled, saying, 'Is it -well?' - -And he, when he could speak, replied, ''Tis well! I have seen thee! for -now can I die this day, if it be that I am to die. And well it is! for -now know I there is truly no place but the tomb can hold me from thee!' - -Bhanavar put the Jewel from her brow into her bosom, and questioned him, -'What is thy dread this day, O my Chief?' - -He answered her gravely, 'I have seen Rukrooth my mother while I slept; -and she was weeping, weeping by a stream, yea, a stream of blood; and it -was a stream that flowed in a hundred gushes from her own veins. The sun -of this dawn now, seest thou not? 'tis overcrimson; the vulture hangeth -low down yonder valley.' And he cried to her, 'Haste! mount with me; for -I have told Rukrooth a thing; and I know that woman crafty in the -thwarting of schemes; such a fox is she where aught accordeth not with -her forecastings, and the judgment of her love for me! By Allah! 'twere -well we clash not; for that I will do I do, and that she will do doth -she.' - -So the twain mounted their steeds, and Ruark gathered his Arabs and -placed them, some in advance, some on either side of Bhanavar; and they -rode forward to the head of the valley, and across the meadows, through -the blushing crowds of flowers, baths of freshest scents, cool breezes -that awoke in the nostrils of the mares neighings of delight; and these -pranced and curvetted and swung their tails, and gave expression to their -joy in many graceful fashions; but a gloom was on Ruark, and a quick fire -in his falcon-eye, and he rode with heels alert on the flanks of his -mare, dashing onward to right and left, as do they that beat the jungle -for the crouching tiger. Once, when he was well-nigh half a league in -front, he wheeled his mare, and raced back full on Bhanavar, grasping her -bridle, and hissing between his teeth, 'Not a soul shall have thee save -I: by the tomb of my fathers, never, while life is with us!' - -And he taunted her with bitter names, and was as one in the madness of -intoxication, drunken with the aspect of her matchless beauty and with -exceeding love for her. And Bhanavar knew that the dread of a mishap was -on the mind of the Chief. - -Now, the space of pasture was behind them a broad lake of gold and -jasper, and they entered a region of hills, heights, and fastnesses, -robed in forests that rose in rounded swells of leafage, each over each-- -above all points of snow that were as flickering silver flames in the -farthest blue. This was the country of Bhanavar, and she gazed -mournfully on the glades of golden green and the glens of iron blackness, -and the wild flowers, wild blossoms, and weeds well known to her that -would not let her memory rest, and were wistful of what had been. And -she thought, 'My sisters tend the flocks, my mother spinneth with the -maidens of the tribe, my father hunteth; how shall I come among them but -strange? Coldly will they regard me; I shall feel them shudder when they -take me to their bosoms.' - -She looked on Ruark to speak with him, but the mouth of the Chief was set -and white; and even while she looked, cries of treason and battle arose -from the Arabs that were ahead, hidden by a branching wind of the way -round a mountain slant. Then the eyes of the Chief reddened, his -nostrils grew wide, and the darkness of his face was as flame mixed with -smoke, and he seized Bhanavar and hastened onward, and lo! yonder were -his men overmatched, and warriors of the mountains bursting on them from -an ambush on all sides. Ruark leapt in his seat, and the light of combat -was on him, and he dug his knees into his mare, and shouted the war-cry -of his tribe, lifting his hands as it were to draw down wrath from the -very heavens, and rushed to the encounter. Says the poet: - - Hast thou seen the wild herd by the jungle galloping close? - With a thunder of hooves they trample what heads may oppose: - Terribly, crushingly, tempest-like, onward they sweep: - But a spring from the reeds, and the panther is sprawling in air, - And with muzzle to dust and black beards foam-lash'd, here and there, - Scatter'd they fly, crimson-eyed, track'd with blood to the deep. - -Such was the onset of Ruark, his stroke the stroke of death; and ere the -echoes had ceased rolling from that cry of his, the mountain-warriors -were scattered before him on the narrow way, hurled down the scrub of the -mountain, even as dead leaves and loosened stones; so like an arm of -lightning was the Chief! - -Now Ruark pursued them, and was lost to Bhanavar round a slope of the -mountain. She quickened her pace to mark him in the glory of the battle, -and behold! a sudden darkness enveloped her, and she felt herself in the -swathe of tightened folds, clasped in an arm, and borne rapidly she knew -not whither, for she could hear and see nothing. It was to her as were -she speeding constantly downward in darkness to the lower realms of the -Genii of the Caucasus, and every sense, and even that of fear, was -stunned in her. How long an interval had elapsed she knew not, when the -folds were unwound; but it was light of day, and the faces of men, and -they were warriors that were about her, warriors of the mountain; but of -Ruark and his Arabs no voice. So she said to them, 'What do ye with me?' - -And one among them, that was a youth of dignity and grace, and a -countenance like morning on the mountains, answered, 'The will of -Rukrooth, O lady! and it is the plight of him we bow to with Rukrooth, -mother of the Desert-Chief.' - -She cried, 'Is he here, the Prince, that I may speak with him?' - -The same young warrior made answer, 'Not so; forewarned was he, and well -for him!' - -Bhanavar drew her robe about her and was mute. Ere the setting of the -moon they journeyed on with her; and continued so three days and nights -through the defiles and ravines and matted growths of the mountains. On -the fourth dawn they were on the summit of a lofty mountain-rise; below -them the sun, shooting a current of gold across leagues of sea. Then he -that had spoken with Bhanavar said, 'A sail will come,' and a sail came -from under the sun. Scarce had the ship grated shore when the warriors -lifted Bhanavar, and waded through the water with her, and placed her -unwetted in the ship, and one, the fair youth among the warriors, sprang -on board with her, remaining by her. So the captain pushed off, and the -wind filled the sails, and Bhanavar was borne over the lustre of the sea, -that was as a changing opal in its lustre, even as a melted jewel flowing -from the fingers of the maker, the Almighty One. The ship ceased not -sailing till they came to a narrow strait, where the sea was but a river -between fair sloping hills alight with towers and palaces, opening a way -to a great city that was in its radiance over the waters of the sea as -the aspect of myriad sheeny white doves breasting the wave. Hitherto the -young warrior had held aloof in coldness of courtesy from Bhanavar; but -now he sat by her, and said, 'The bond between my prince and Rukrooth is -accomplished, and it was to snatch thee from the Chief of the Beni-Asser -and bring thee even to this city.' - -Bhanavar exclaimed, 'Allah be praised in all things, and his will be -done!' - -The youth continued, 'Thou art alone here, O lady, exposed to the perils -of loneliness; surely it were well if I linger with thee awhile, and see -to thy welfare in this city, even as a brother with a sister; and I will -deal honourably by thee.' - -Bhanavar looked on the young warrior and blushed at his exceeding -sweetness with her; the soft freshness of his voice was to her as the -blossom-laden breeze in the valleys of the mountains, and she breathed -low the words of her gratitude, saying, 'If I am not a burden, let this -be so.' - -Then said he, 'Know me by my name, which is Almeryl; and that we seem -indeed of one kin, make known unto me thine.' - -She replied, 'Ill-omened is it, this name of Bhanavar!' - -The youth among warriors gazed on her a moment with the fluttering eye of -bashfulness, and said, 'Can they that have marked thee call thee other -than Bhanavar the Beautiful?' - -She remembered that Ruark had spoken in like manner, and the curse of her -beauty smote her, and she thought, 'This fair youth, he hath not a mother -to watch over him and ward off souls of evil. I dread there will come a -mishap to him through me; Allah shield him from it!' And she sought to -dissuade him from resting by her, but he cried, ''Tis but a choice to -dwell with thee or with the dogs in the street outside thy door, O -Bhanavar!' - -Now, the ship sailed close up to the quay, and cast anchor there in the -midst of other ships of merchandise. Almeryl then threw a robe over his -mountain dress and spoke with the captain apart, and he and Bhanavar took -leave of the captain, and landed on the quay among the porters, and of -these one stepped forward to them and shouted cheerily, 'Where be the -burdens and the bales, O ye, fair couple fashioned in the eye of elegant -proportions? Ye twin palm-trees, male and female! Wullahy! broad is the -back of your servant.' - -Almeryl beckoned to him that he should follow them, and he followed them, -blessing the wind that had brought them to that city and the day. So -they passed through the streets and lanes of the city, and the porter -pointed out this house and that house wanting an occupant, and Almeryl -fixed on one in an open thoroughfare that had before it a grass-plot, and -behind a garden with fountains and flowers, and grass-knolls shaded by -trees; and he paid down the half of its price, and had it furnished -before nightfall sumptuously, and women in it to wait on Bhanavar, and -stuffs and goods, and scents for the bath,--all luxuries whatsoever that -tradesmen and merchants there could give in exchange for gold. Then -Almeryl dismissed the porter in Allah's name, and gladdened his spirit -with a gift over the due of his hire that exalted him in the eyes of the -porter, and the porter went from him, exclaiming, 'In extremity Ukleet is -thy slave!' and he sang: - - Shouldst thou see a slim youth with a damsel arriving, - Be sure 'tis the hour when thy fortune is thriving; - A generous fee makes the members so supple - That over the world they could carry this couple. - -Now so it was that the youth Almeryl and the damsel Bhanavar abode in the -city they had come to weeks and months, and life to either of them as the -flowing of a gentle stream, even as brother and sister lived they, -chastely, and with temperate feasting. Surely the youth loved her with a -great love, and the heart of Bhanavar turned not from him, and was won -utterly by his gentleness and nobleness and devotion; and they relied on -each other's presence for any joy, and were desolate in absence, as the -poet says: - - When we must part, love, - Such is my smart, love, - Sweetness is savourless, - Fairness is favourless! - But when in sight, love, - We two unite, love, - Earth has no sour to me; - Life is a flower to me! - -And with the increase of every day their passion increased, and the -revealing light in their eyes brightened and was humid, as is sung by him -that luted to the rage of hearts: - - Evens star yonder - Comes like a crown on us, - Larger and fonder - Grows its orb down on us; - So, love, my love for thee - Blossoms increasingly; - So sinks it in the sea, - Waxing unceasingly. - -On a night, when the singing-girls had left them, the youth could contain -himself no more, and caught the two hands of Bhanavar in his, saying, -'This that is in my soul for thee thou knowest, O Bhanavar! and 'tis -spoken when I move and when I breathe, O my loved one! Tell me then the -cause of thy shunning me whenever I would speak of it, and be plain with -thee.' - -For a moment Bhanavar sought to release herself from his hold, but the -love in his eyes entangled her soul as in a net, and she sank forward to -him, and sighed under his chin, ''Twas indeed my very love of thee that -made me.' - -The twain embraced and kissed a long kiss, and leaned sideways together, -and Bhanavar said, 'Hear me, what I am.' - -Then she related the story of the Serpent and the Jewel, and of the death -of her betrothed. When it was ended, Almeryl cried, 'And was this all?-- -this that severed us?' And he said, 'Hear what I am.' - -So he told Bhanavar how Rukrooth, the mother of Ruark, had sent -messengers to the Prince his father, warning him of the passage of Ruark -through the mountains with one a Queen of Serpents, a sorceress, that had -bewitched him and enthralled him in a mighty love for her, to the ruin of -Ruark; and how the Chief was on his way with her to demand her in -marriage at the hands of her parents; and the words of Rukrooth were, 'By -the service that was between thee and my husband, and by the death he -died, O Prince, rescue the Chief my son from this damsel, and entrap her -from him, and have her sent even to the city of the inland sea, for no -less a distance than that keepeth Ruark from her.' - -And Almeryl continued, 'I questioned the messengers myself, and they told -me the marvel of thy loveliness and the peril to him that looked on it, -so I swore there was no power should keep me from a sight of thee, O my -loved one! my prize! my life! my sleek antelope of the hills! Surely -when my father appointed the warriors to lie in wait for thy coming, I -slipped among them, so that they thought it ordered by him I should head -them. The rest is known to thee, O my fountain of blissfulness! but the -treachery to Ruark was the treachery of Ebn Asrac, not of such warriors -as we; and I would have fallen on Ebn Asrac, had not Ruark so routed that -man without faith. 'Twas all as I have said, blessed be Allah and his -decrees!' - -Bhanavar gazed on her beloved, and the bridal dew overflowed her -underlids, and she loosed her hair to let it flow, part over her -shoulders, part over his, and in sighs that were the measure of music she -sang: - - I thought not to love again! - But now I love as I loved not before; - I love not; I adore! - O my beloved, kiss, kiss me! waste thy kisses like a rain. - Are not thy red lips fain? - Oh, and so softly they greet! - Am I not sweet? - Sweet must I be for thee, or sweet in vain: - Sweet to thee only, my dear love! - The lamps and censers sink, but cannot cheat - These eyes of thine that shoot above - Trembling lustres of the dove! - A darkness drowns all lustres: still I see - Thee, my love, thee! - Thee, my glory of gold, from head to feet! - Oh, how the lids of the world close quite when our lips meet! - -Almeryl strained her to him, and responded: - - My life was midnight on the mountain side; - Cold stars were on the heights: - There, in my darkness, I had lived and died, - Content with nameless lights. - Sudden I saw the heavens flush with a beam, - And I ascended soon, - And evermore over mankind supreme, - Stood silver in the moon. - -And he fell playfully into a new metre, singing: - - Who will paint my beloved - In musical word or colour? - Earth with an envy is moved: - Sea-shells and roses she brings, - Gems from the green ocean-springs, - Fruits with the fairy bloom-dews, - Feathers of Paradise hues, - Waters with jewel-bright falls, - Ore from the Genii-halls: - All in their splendour approved; - All; but, match'd with my beloved, - Darker, and denser, and duller. - -Then she kissed him for that song, and sang: - - Once to be beautiful was my pride, - And I blush'd in love with my own bright brow: - Once, when a wooer was by my side, - I worshipp'd the object that had his vow: - Different, different, different now, - Different now is my beauty to me: - Different, different, different now! - For I prize it alone because prized by thee. - -Almeryl stretched his arm to the lattice, and drew it open, letting in -the soft night wind, and the sound of the fountain and the bulbul and the -beam of the stars, and versed to her in the languor of deep love: - - Whether we die or we live, - Matters it now no more: - Life has nought further to give: - Love is its crown and its core. - Come to us either, we're rife,-- - Death or life! - - Death can take not away, - Darkness and light are the same: - We are beyond the pale ray, - Wrapt in a rosier flame: - Welcome which will to our breath; - Life or death! - -So did these two lovers lute and sing in the stillness of the night, -pouring into each other's ears melodies from the new sea of fancy and -feeling that flowed through them. - -Ere they ceased their sweet interchange of tenderness, which was but one -speech from one soul, a glow of light ran up the sky, and the edge of a -cloud was fired; and in the blooming of dawn Almeryl hung over Bhanavar, -and his heart ached to see the freshness of her wondrous loveliness; and -he sang, looking on her: - - The rose is living in her cheeks, - The lily in her rounded chin; - She speaks but when her whole soul speaks, - And then the two flow out and in, - And mix their red and white to make - The hue for which I'd Paradise forsake. - - Her brow from her black falling hair - Ascends like morn: her nose is clear - As morning hills, and finely fair - With pearly nostrils curving near - The red bow of her upper lip; - Her bosom's the white wave beneath the ship. - - The fair full earth, the enraptured skies, - She images in constant play: - Night and the stars are in her eyes, - But her sweet face is beaming day, - A bounteous interblush of flowers: - A dewy brilliance in a dale of bowers. - -Then he said, 'And this morning shall our contract of marriage be written -and witnessed?' - -She answered, 'As my lord willeth; I am his.' - -Said he, 'And it is thy desire?' - -She nestled to him and dinted his bare arm with the pearls of her mouth -for a reply. - -So that morning their contract of marriage was written, and witnessed by -the legal number of witnesses in the presence of the Cadi, with his -license on it endorsed; and Bhanavar was the bride of Almeryl, he her -husband. Never was youth blessed in a bride like that youth! - -Now, the twain lived together the circle of a full year of delightful -marriage, and love lessened not in them, but was as the love of the first -day. Little cared they, having each other, for the loneliness of their -dwelling in that city, where they knew none save the porter Ukleet, who -went about their commissions. Sometimes to amuse themselves with his -drolleries, they sent for him, and were bountiful with him, and made him -drink with them on the lawn of their garden leaning to an inlet of the -sea; and then he would entertain them with all the scandal and gossip of -the city, and its little folk and great. When he was outrageously -extravagant in these stories of his, Bhanavar exclaimed, 'Are such -things, now? can it be true?' - -And he nodded in his conceit, and replied loftily, ''Tis certain, O my -Prince and Princess! ye be from the mountains, unused to the follies and -dissipations of men where they herd; and ye know them not, men!' - -The lamps being lit in the garden to the edges of the water, where they -lay one evening, Ukleet, who had been in his briskest mood, became grave, -and put his forefinger to the side of his nose and began, 'Hear ye aught -of the great tidings? Wullahy! no other than the departure of the wife -of Boolp, the broker, into darkness. 'Tis of Boolp ye hire this house, -and had ye a hundred houses in this city ye might have had them from -Boolp the broker, he that's rich; and glory to them whom Allah -prospereth, say I! And I mention this matter, for 'tis certain now Boolp -will take another wife to him to comfort him, for there be two things -beloved of Boolp, and therein manifesteth he taste and the discernment of -excellence, and what is approved; and of these two things let the love of -his hoards of the yellow-skinned treasure go first, and after that -attachment to the silver-skinned of creation, the fair, the rapturous; -even to them! So by this see ye not Boolp will yearn in his soul for -another spouse? Now, O ye well-matched pair! what a chance were this, -knew ye but a damsel of the mountains, exquisite in symmetry, a moon to -enrapture the imagination of Boolp, and in the nature of things herit his -possessions! for Boolp is an old man, even very old.' - -They laughed, and cried, 'We know not of such a damsel, and the broker -must go unmarried for us.' - -When next Ukleet sat before them, Almeryl took occasion to speak of Boolp -again, and said, 'This broker, O Ukleet, is he also a lender of money?' - -Ukleet replied, 'O my Prince, he is or he is not: 'tis of the maybes. I -wot truly Boolp is one that baiteth the hook of an emergency.' - -The brows of the Prince were downcast, and he said no more; but on the -following morning he left Bhanavar early under a pretext, and sallied -forth from the house of their abode alone. - -Since their union in that city they had not been once apart, and Bhanavar -grieved and thought, 'Waneth his love for me?' and she called her women -to her, and dressed in this dress and that dress, and was satisfied with -none. The dews of the bath stood cold upon her, and she trembled, and -fled from mirror to mirror, and in each she was the same surpassing -vision of loveliness. Then her women held a glass to her, and she -examined herself closely, if there might be a fleck upon her anywhere, -and all was as the snow of the mountains on her round limbs sloping in -the curves of harmony, and the faint rose of the dawn on slants of snow -was their hue. Twining her fingers and sighing, she thought, 'It is not -that! he cannot but think me beautiful.' She smiled a melancholy smile at -her image in the glass, exclaiming, 'What availeth it, thy beauty? for he -is away and looketh not on thee, thou vain thing! And what of thy -loveliness if the light illumine it not, for he is the light to thee, -and it is darkness when he's away.' - -Suddenly she thought, 'What's that which needeth to light it no other -light? I had well-nigh forgotten it in my bliss, the Jewel!' Then she -went to a case of ebony-wood, where she kept the Jewel, and drew it -forth, and shone in the beam of a pleasant imagination, thinking, ''Twill -surprise him!' And she robed herself in a robe of saffron, and set -lesser gems of the diamond and the emerald in the braid of her hair, and -knotted the Serpent Jewel firmly in a band of gold-threaded tissue, and -had it woven in her hair among the braids. In this array she awaited his -coming, and pleased her mind with picturing his astonishment and the joy -that would be his. Mute were the women who waited on her, for in their -lives they had seen no such sight as Bhanavar beneath the beams of the -Jewel, and the whole chamber was aglow with her. - -Now, in her anxiety she sent them one and one repeatedly to look forth at -the window for the coming of the Prince. So, when he came not she went -herself to look forth, and stretched her white neck beyond the casement. -While her head was exposed, she heard a cry of some one from the house in -the street opposite, and Bhanavar beheld in the house of the broker an -old wrinkled fellow that gesticulated to her in a frenzy. She snatched -her veil down and drew in her head in anger at him, calling to her maids, -'What is yonder hideous old dotard?' - -And they answered, laughing, ''Tis indeed Boolp the broker, O fair -mistress and mighty!' - -To divert herself she made them tell her of Boolp, and they told her a -thousand anecdotes of the broker, and verses of him, and the constancy of -his amorous condition, and his greediness. And Bhanavar was beguiled of -her impatience till it was evening, and the Prince returned to her. So -they embraced, and she greeted him as usual, waiting what he would say, -searching his countenance for a token of wonderment; but the youth knew -not that aught was added to her beauty, for he looked nowhere save in her -eyes. Bhanavar was nigh weeping with vexation, and pushed him from her, -and chid him with lack of love and weariness of her; and the eye of the -Prince rose to her brow to read it, and he saw the Jewel. Almeryl -clapped his hands, crying, 'Wondrous! And this thy surprise for me, my -fond one? beloved of mine!' Then he gazed on her a space, and said, -'Knowest thou, thou art terrible in thy beauty, Bhanavar, and hast the -face of lightning under that Jewel of the Serpent?' - -She kissed him, whispering, 'Not lightning to thee! Yet lovest thou -Bhanavar?' - -He replied, 'Surely so; and all save Bhanavar in this world is the -darkness of oblivion to me.' - -When it was the next morning, Almeryl rose to go forth again. Ere he had -passed the curtain of the chamber Bhanavar caught him by the arm, and she -was trembling violently. Her visage was a wild inquiry: 'Thou goest?-- -and again? There is something hidden from me!' - -Almeryl took her to his heart, and caressed her with fond flatteries, -saying, 'Ask but what is beating under these two pomegranates, and thou -learnest all of me.' - -But she stamped her foot, crying, 'No! no! I will hear it! There's a -mystery.' - -So he said, 'Well, then, it is this only; small matter enough. I have a -business with the captain of the vessel that brought us hither, and I -must see him ere he setteth sail; no other than that, thou jealous, -watchful star! Pierce me with thine eyes; it is no other than that.' - -She levelled her lids at him till her lustrous black eyelashes were as -arrows, and mimicked him softly, 'No other than that?' - -And he replied, 'Even so.' - -Then she clung to him like a hungry creature, repeating, 'Even so,' and -let him go. Alone, she summoned a slave, a black, and bade him fetch to -her without delay Ukleet the porter, and the porter was presently ushered -in to her, protesting service and devotion. So, she questioned him of -Almeryl, and the Prince's business abroad, what he knew of it. Ukleet -commenced reciting verses on the ills of jealousy, but Bhanavar checked -him with an eye that Ukleet had seen never before in woman or in man, and -he gaped at her helplessly, as one that has swallowed a bone. She -laughed, crying, 'Learn, O thou fellow, to answer my like by the letter.' - -Now, what she heard from Ukleet when he had recovered his wits, was that -the Prince had a business with none save the lenders of money. So she -spake to Ukleet in a kindly tone, 'Thou art mine, to serve me?' - -He was as one fascinated, and delivered himself, 'Yea, O my mistress! -with tongue-service, toe-service, back-service, brain-service, whatso -pleaseth thy sweet presence.' - -Said she, 'Hie over to the broker opposite, and bring him hither to me.' - -Ukleet departed, saying, 'To hear is to obey.' - -She sat gazing on the Jewel and its counterchanging splendours in her -hand, and the thought of Almeryl and his necessity was her only thought. -Not ten minutes of the hour had passed before the women waiting on her -announced Ukleet and the broker Boolp. Bhanavar gave little heed to the -old fellow's grimaces, and the compliments he addressed her, but handed -him the Jewel and desired his valuation of its worth. The face of Boolp -was a keen edge when he regarded Bhanavar, but the sight of the Jewel -sharpened it tenfold, and he tossed his arms, exclaiming, 'A jewel, -this!' - -So Bhanavar cried to him, 'Fix a price for it, O thou broker!' - -And Boolp, the old miser, debated, and began prating, - -'O lady! the soul of thy slave is abashed by a double beam, this the -jewel of jewels, thou truly of thy sex; and saving thee there's no jewel -of worth like this one, and together ye be--wullahy! never felt I aught -like this since my espousal of Soolka that 's gone, and 'twas nothing -like it then! Now, O my Princess, confess it freely--this is but a -pretext, this valuation of the Jewel, and Ukleet our go-between; and -leave the rewarding of him to me. Wullahy! I can be generous, and my -days of favour with fair ladies be not yet over. Blessed be Allah for -this day! And thinkest thou those eyes fell on me with discriminating -observation ere my sense of perception was struck by thee? Not so, for I -had noted thee, O moon of hearts, from my window yonder.' - -In this fashion Boolp the broker went on prating, and bowing, and -screwing the corners of his little acid eyes to wink the wink of common -accord between himself and Bhanavar. Meantime she had spoken aside to -one of her women, and a second black slave entered the chamber, bearing -in his hand a twisted scourge, and that slave laid it on the back of -Boolp the broker, and by this means he was brought quickly to the -valuation of the Jewel. Then he named a sum that was a great sum, -but not the value of the Jewel to the fiftieth part, nay nor the five- -hundredth part, of its value; and Ukleet remonstrated with him, but he -was resolute, saying, 'Even that sum leaves me a beggar.' - -So Bhanavar said, 'My desire is for immediate payment of the money, and -the Jewel is thine for that sum.' - -Now the broker went to fetch the money, and returned with it in bags of -gold one-half the amount, and bags of silver one-third, and the remainder -in writing made due at a certain period for payment. And he groaned and -handed her the money, and took the Jewel in his hands; ejaculating, 'In -the name of Allah!' - -That evening, when it was dark and the lamps lit in the chamber, and the -wine set and the nosegay, Almeryl asked of Bhanavar to see her under the -light of the Jewel. She warded him with an excuse, but he was earnest -with her. So she feigned that he teased her, saying, ''Tis that thou art -no longer content with me as I am, O my husband!' Then she said, 'Wert -thou successful in thy dealings this day?' - -His arm slackened round her, and he answered nothing. So she cried, 'Fie -on thee, thou foolish one! and what is thy need of running over this -city? Know I not thy case and thine occasion, O my beloved? Surely I am -Queen of Serpents, a mistress of enchantments, a diviner of things -hidden, and I know thee. Here, then, is what thou requirest, and conceal -not from me thy necessity another time, my husband!' - -Upon that she pointed his eye to the money-bags of gold and of silver. -Almeryl was amazed, and asked her, 'How came these? for I was at the last -extremity, without coin of any kind.' - -She answered, 'How, but by the Serpents!' - -And he exclaimed, 'Would that I might work as that porter worketh, rather -than this!' - -Now, seeing he bewailed her use of the powers of the Jewel, Bhanavar fell -between his arms, and related to him her discovery of his condition, and -how she disposed of the Jewel to the broker, and of the scourging of -Boolp; and he praised her, and clave to her, and they laughed and -delighted their souls in plenteousness, and bliss was their portion; as -the poet says, - - Bliss that is born of mutual esteem - And tried companionship, I truly deem - A well-based palace, wherein fountains rise - From springs that have their sources in the skies. - -So were they for awhile. It happened that one day, that was the last day -of the year since her wearing of the Jewel, Ukleet said to them, 'Be -wary! the Vizier Aswarak hath his eye on you, and it is no cool one. I -say nothing: the wise are discreet in their tellings of the great. 'Tis -certain the broker Boolp forgetteth not his treatment here.' - -They smiled, turning to each other, and said, 'We live innocently, we -harm no one, what should we fear?' - -During the night of that day Bhanavar awoke and kissed the Prince; and -lo! he shuddered in his sleep as with the grave-cold. A second time she -was awakened on the breast of Almeryl by a dream of the Serpents of the -Lake Karatis--the lake of the Jewel; and she stood up, and there was in -the street a hum of voices, and she saw there before the house armed men -with naked steel in their hands. Scarce had she called Almeryl to her, -when the outer door of their house was forced, and she shrieked to him, -''Tis thou they come for: fly, O my Prince, my husband! the way of the -garden is clear.' - -But he said sadly, 'Nay, what am I? it is thou they would win from me. -I'll leave thee not in this life.' - -So she cried, 'O my soul, then together!--but I shall hinder thee, and be -a burden to thy flight.' - -And she called on the All-powerful for aid, and ran with him into the -garden of the house, and lo! by the water side at the end of the garden a -boat full of armed soldiers with scimitars. So these fell upon them, and -bound them, and haled them into the house again, where was the dark -Vizier Aswarak, and certain officers of the night watch with a force. -The Vizier cried when he saw them, 'I accuse thee, Prince Almeryl, of -being here in the city of our lord the King, to conspire against him and -his authority.' - -Almeryl faced the Vizier firmly, and replied, 'I knew not in my life I -had made an enemy; but there is one here who telleth that of me.' - -The Vizier frowned, saying, 'Thou deniest this? And thou here, and thy -father at war with the sovereignty of our lord the King!' - -Almeryl beheld his danger, and he said, 'Is this so?' - -Then cried the Vizier, 'Hear him! is not that a fair simulation?' So he -called to the guard, 'Shackle him!' When that was done, he ordered the -house to be sacked, and the women and the slaves he divided for a spoil, -but he reserved Bhanavar to himself: and lo! twice she burst away from -them that held her to hang upon the lips of Almeryl, and twice was she -torn from him as a grape-bunch is torn from the streaming vine, and the -third time she swooned and the anguish of life left her. - -Now, Bhanavar was borne to the harem of the Vizier, and for days she -suffered no morsel of food to enter her mouth, and was dying, had not the -Vizier in the cunning of his dissimulation fed her with distant glimpses -of Almeryl, to show her he yet lived. Then she thought, 'While my -beloved liveth, life is due to me'; and she ate and drank and reassumed -her fair fulness and the queenliness that was hers; but the Vizier had no -love of her, and respected her, considering in his mind, 'Time will -exhaust the fury of this tigress, and she is a fruit worth the waiting -for. Wullahy! I shall have possessed her ere the days of over- -ripening.' - -There was in the harem of the Vizier a mountain-girl that had been -brought there in her childhood, and trained to play upon the lute and -accompany her voice with the instrument. To this little damsel Bhanavar -gave her heart, and would listen all day, as in a trance, to her luting, -till the desire to escape from that bondage and gather tidings of Almeryl -mastered her, and she persuaded one of the blacks of the harem with a -bribe to procure her an interview with the porter Ukleet. So at a -certain hour of the night Ukleet was introduced into the garden of the -harem, and he was in the darkness of that garden a white-faced porter -with knees that knocked the dread-march together; but Bhanavar -strengthened his soul, and he said to her, ''Twas the doing of Boolp the -broker: and he whispered the Vizier of thee and thy beauty, O my -mistress! Surely thy punishment and this ruin is but part payment to -Boolp of the price of the Jewel, the great Jewel that's in the hands of -the Vizier.' - -Then she questioned him: 'And Almeryl, the Prince, my husband, what of -him?' - -Ukleet was dumb, and Bhanavar asked to hear no more. Surely she was at -the gates of pale spirits within an hour of her interview with Ukleet, -and there was no blessedness for her save in death, the stiffer of ills, -the drug that is infallible. As is said: - - Dark is that last stage of sorrow - Which from Death alone can borrow - Comfort:-- - -Bhanavar would have died then, but in a certain pause of her fever the -Vizier stood by her. She looked at him long as she lay, and the life in -her large eyes was ebbing away slowly; but there seemed presently a -check, as an eddy comes in the stream, and the light of intelligence -flowed like a reviving fire into her eyes, and her heart quickened with -desire of life while she looked on the Vizier. So she passed the pitch -of that fever, and bloomed anew in her beauty, and cherished it, for she -had a purpose. - -Now, there was rejoicing in the harem of the Vizier Aswarak when Bhanavar -arose from the couch; and the Vizier exulted, thinking, 'I have tamed -this wild beauty, or she had reached death in that extremity.' So he -allowed Bhanavar greater freedom and indulgences, and Bhanavar feigned to -give her soul to the pleasures women delight in, and the Vizier buried -her in gems and trinkets and costly raiment, robes of exquisite silks, -the choicest of Samarcand and China; and he permitted her to make -purchases among certain of the warehouses of the city and the shops of -the tradesmen, jewellers and others, so that she went about as she would, -but for the slaves that attended her and the overseer of the harem. This -continued, and Aswarak became urgent with her, and to remove suspicion -from him she named a day from that period when she would be his. -Meantime she contrived to see Ukleet the porter frequently, and within a -week of her engagement with the Vizier she gazed from a lattice-window of -the harem, and beheld in the garden, by the beams of the moon, Ukleet, -and he was looking as on the watch for her. So she sent to him the -little mountain-girl she loved, but Ukleet would tell her nothing; then -went she herself, greeting him graciously, for his service was other than -that of self-seeking. - -Ukleet said, 'O Lady, mistress of hearts, moon of the tides of will! 'tis -certain I was thy slave from the hour I beheld thee first, and of the -Prince, thy husband; Allah rest his soul! Now these be my tidings. -Wullahy! the King is one maddened with the reports I've spread about of -thy beauty, yea! raging. And I have a friend in his palace, even an -under-cook, acute in the interpreting of wishes. There was he always -gabbling of thy case, O my Princess, till the head-cook seized hold on -it, and so it went to the chamberlain, thence to the chief of the -eunuchs, and from him in a natural course, to the King. Now from the -King the tracking of this tale went to the under-cook down again, and -from him to me. So was I summoned to the King, and the King discoursed -with me--I with him, in fair fluency; he in ejaculations of desire to -have sight of thee, I in expatiation on that he would see when he had his -desire. Now in this have I not done thee a service, O sovereign of -fancies?' - -Bhanavar mused and said, 'On the after-morrow I pass through the city to -make a selection of goods, and I shall pass at noon by the great mosque, -on my way to the shop of Ebn Roulchook, the King's jeweller, beyond the -meat-market. Of a surety, I know not how my lord the King may see me.' - -Said the porter, ''Tis enough! on my head be it.' And he went from her, -singing the song: - - How little a thing serves Fortune's turn - When she's intent on doing! - How easily the world may burn - When kings come out a-wooing! - -Now, ere she set forth on the after-morrow to make her purchases, -Bhanavar sent word to the Vizier Aswarak that she would see him, and he -came to her drunken with alacrity, for he augured favourably that her -reluctance was melting toward him: so she said, 'O my master, my time of -mourning is at an end, and I would look well before thee, even as one -worthy of being thy bride; so bestow on me, I pray thee, for my wearing -that day, the jewels that be in thy treasury, the brightest and clearest -of them, and the largest.' - -The Vizier Aswarak replied, and he was one in great satisfaction of soul, -'All that I have are thine. Wullahy! and one, a marvel, that I bought of -Boolp the broker, that had it from an African merchant.' So he commanded -the box wherein he had deposited the Jewel to be brought to him there in -the chamber of Bhanavar, and took forth the Serpent Jewel between his -forefinger and thumb, and laughed at the eager eyes of Bhanavar when she -beheld it, saying, ''Tis thine! thy bridal gift the day I possess thee.' - -Bhanavar trembled at the sight of the Jewel, and its redness was to her -as the blood of Zurvan and Almeryl. She stretched her hand out for it -and cried, 'This day, O my lord, make it mine.' - -So the Vizier said, 'Nay, what I have spoken will I keep to; it has cost -me much.' - -Bhanavar looked at him, and uttered in a soft tone, 'Truly it has cost -thee much.' - -Then she exclaimed, as in play, 'See me, how I look by its beam.' And in -her guile she snatched the Jewel from him, and held it to her brow. Then -Aswarak started from her and feared her, for the red light of the Jewel -glowed, and darkened the chamber with its beam, darkening all save the -lustre that was on the visage of Bhanavar. He shouted, 'What's this! -Art thou a sorceress?' - -She removed the Jewel, and ceased glaring on him, and said, 'Nothing but -thy poor slave!' - -Then he coaxed her to give him the Jewel, and she would not; he commanded -her peremptorily, and she hesitated; so he grasped her tightened hand, -and his face loured with wrath; yet she withheld the Jewel from him -laughing; and he was stirred to extreme wrath, and drew from his girdle -the naked scimitar, and menaced her with it. And he looked mighty; but -she dreaded him little, and stood her full height before him, daring him, -and she was as the tigress defending a cub from a wilder beast. Now when -he was about to call in the armed slaves of the palace, she said, 'I warn -thee, Vizier Aswarak! tempt me not to match them that serve me with them -that serve thee.' - -He ground his teeth in fury, crying, 'A conspiracy! and in the harem! -Now, thou traitress! the logic of the lash shall be tried upon thee.' And -he roared, 'Ho! ye without there! ho!' - -But ere the slaves had entered Bhanavar rubbed the Jewel on her bosom, -muttering, 'I have forborne till now! Now will I have a sacrifice, -though I be it.' And rubbing the Jewel, she sang, - - Hither! hither! - Come to your Queen; - Come through the grey wall, - Come through the green! - -There was heard a noise like the noise of a wind coming down a narrow -gorge above falling waters, a hissing and a rushing of wings, and behold! -Bhanavar was circled by rings and rings of serpent-folds that glowed -round her, twisted each in each, with the fierceness of fire, she like a -flame rising up white in the midst of them. The black slaves, when they -had lifted the curtain of the harem-chamber, shrieked to see her, and -Aswarak crouched at her feet with the aspect of an angry beast carved in -stone. Then Bhanavar loosed on either of the slaves a serpent, saying, -'What these have seen they shall not say.' And while the sweat dropped -heavily from the forehead of Aswarak, she stepped out of the circle of -serpents, singing, - - Over! over! - Hie to the lake! - Sleep with the left eye, - Keep the right awake. - -Then the serpents spread with a great whirr, and flew through the high -window and the walls as they had come, and she said to the Vizier, 'What -now? Fearest thou? I have spared thee, thou that madest me desolate! -and thy slaves are a sacrifice for thee. Now this I ask: Where lies my -beloved, the Prince my husband? Speak nothing of him, save the place of -his burial!' - -So he told her, 'In the burial-ground of the great prison.' - -She rolled her eyes on the Vizier darkly, exclaiming, 'Even where the -felons lie entombed, he lieth!' And she began to pant, pale with what -she had done, and leaned to the floor, and called, - - Yellow stripe, with freckle red, - Coil and curl, and watch by my head. - -And a serpent with yellow stripes and red freckles came like a javelin -down to her, and coiled and curled round her head, and she slept an hour. -When she arose the Vizier was yet there, sitting with folded knees. So -she sped the serpent to the Lake Karatis, and called her women to her, -and went to an inner room, and drew an outer robe and a vest over that -she had on, and passed the Vizier, and said, 'Art thou not rejoiced in -thy bride, O Aswarak? 'Twas a wondrous clemency, hers! Now but four -more days and thou claimest her. Say nothing of what thou hast seen, or -thou wilt shortly see nothing further to say, my master.' - -So she left the Vizier sitting still in that chamber, and mounted a mule, -attended by slaves on foot before and behind her, and passed through the -streets till she came to the shop of Ebn Roulchook. The King was in -disguise at the extremity of the shop, and while she examined this and -that of the precious stones, Bhanavar for a moment made bare the beauty, -of her face, and love's fires took fast hold of the King, and he cried, -'I marvel not at the eloquence of the porter.' - -Now, she made Ebn Roulchook bring to her a circlet of gold, with a hollow -in the frontal centre, and fit into that hollow the Serpent Jewel. So, -while she laughed and chatted with her women Bhanavar lifted the circlet, -and made her countenance wholly bare even to the neck and the beginning -slope of the bosom, and fixed the circlet to her head with the Jewel -burning on her brow. Then when he beheld the glory of excelling -loveliness that she was, and the splendour in her eyes under the Jewel, -the King shouted and parted with his disguise, and Ebn Roulchook and the -women and slaves with Bhanavar fled to the courtyard that was behind the -shop, leaving Bhanavar alone with the King. Surely Bhanavar returned not -to the dwelling of the Vizier. - -Now, the King Mashalleed espoused Bhanavar, and she became his queen and -ruled him, and her word was the dictate of the land. Then caused she the -body of Almeryl, with the severed head of the Prince, to be disinterred, -and entombed secretly in the palace; and she had lamps lit in the vault, -and the pall spread, and the readers of the Koran to read by the tomb; -and then she stole to the tomb hourly, in the day and in the night, -wailing of him and her utter misery, repeating verses at the side of the -tomb, and they were, - - Take me to thee! - Like the deep-rooted tree, - My life is half in earth, and draws - Thence all sweetness; oh may my being pause - Soon beside thee! - - Welcome me soon! - As to the queenly moon, - Man's homage to my beauty sets; - Yet am I a rose-shrub budding regrets: - Welcome me soon. - - Soul of my soul! - Have me not half, but whole. - Dear dust, thou art my eyes, my breath! - Draw me to thee down the dark sea of death, - Soul of my soul! - -And she sang: - - Sad are they who drink life's cup - Till they have come to the bitter-sweet: - Better at once to toss it up, - And trample it beneath the feet; - For venom-charged as serpents' eggs - 'Tis then, and knows not other change. - Early, early, early, have I reached the dregs - Of life, and loathe and love the bittersweet, revenge! - -Then turned she aside, and sang musingly: - - I came to his arms like the flower of the spring, - And he was my bird of the radiant wing: - He flutter'd above me a moment, and won - The bliss of my breast as a beam of the sun, - Untouch'd and untasted till then-- - -The voice in her throat was like a drowning creature, and she rose up, -and chanted wildly: - - I weep again? - - What play is this? for the thing is dead in me long since: - Will all the reviving rain - Of heaven bring me back my Prince? - But I, when I weep, when I weep, - Blood will I weep! - And when I weep, - Sons for fathers shall weep; - Mothers for sons shall weep; - Wives for husbands shall weep! - Earth shall complain of floods red and deep, - When I weep! - -Upon that she ran up a secret passage to her chamber and rubbed the -Jewel, and called the serpents, to delight her soul with the sight of her -power, and rolled and sported madly among them, clutching them by the -necks till their thin little red tongues hung out, and their eyes were as -discoloured blisters of venom. Then she arose, and her arms and neck and -lips were glazed with the slime of the serpents, and she flung off her -robes to the close-fitting silken inner vest looped across her bosom with -pearls, and whirled in a mazy dance-measure among them, and sang -melancholy melodies, making them delirious, fascinating them; and they -followed her round and round, in twines and twists and curves, with -arched heads and stiffened tails; and the chamber swam like an undulating -sea of shifting sapphire lit by the moon of midnight. Not before the -moon of midnight was in the sky ceased Bhanavar sporting with the -serpents, and she sank to sleep exhausted in their midst. - -Such was the occupation of the Queen of Mashalleed when he came not to -her. The women and slaves of the palace dreaded her, and the King -himself was her very slave. - -Meanwhile the plot of her unforgivingness against Aswarak ripened: and -the Vizier beholding the bride he had lost Queen of Mashalleed his -master, it was as she conceived, that his heart was eaten with jealousy -and fierce rage. Bhanavar as she came across him spake mildly, and gave -him gentle looks, sad glances, suffering not his fires to abate, the -torment of his love to cool. Each night he awoke with a serpent in his -bed; the beam of her beauty was as the constant bite of a serpent, -poisoning his blood, and he deluded his soul with the belief that -Bhanavar loved him notwithstanding, and that she was seized forcibly from -him by the King. 'Otherwise,' thought he, 'why loosed she not a serpent -from the host to strangle me even as yonder black slaves?' Bhanavar knew -the mind of Aswarak, and considered, 'The King is cunning and weak, a -slave to his desires, and in the bondage of the jewel, my beauty. The -Vizier is unscrupulous, a hatcher of intrigues; but that he dreads me and -hopes a favour of me, he would have wrought against me ere now. 'Tis -then a combat 'twixt him and me. O my soul, art thou dreaming of a fair -youth that was the bliss of thy bosom night and day, night and day? The -Vizier shall die!' - -One morning, and it was a year from the day she had become Queen of -Mashalleed, Bhanavar sprang up quickly from the side of the King; and he -was gazing on her in amazement and loathing. She flew to her chamber, -chasing forth her women, and ran to a mirror. Therein she saw three -lines that were on her brow, lines of age, and at the corners of her -mouth and about her throat a slackness of skin, the skin no longer its -soft rosy white, but withered brown as leaves of the forest. She -shrieked, and fell back in a swoon of horror. When she recovered, she -ran to the mirror again, and it was the same sight. And she rose from -swooning a third time, and still she beheld the visage of a hag; nothing -of beauty there save the hair and the brilliant eyes. Then summoned she -the serpents in a circle, and the number of them was that of the days in -the year: and she bared her wrist and seized one, a gray-silver with -sapphire spots, and hissed at him till he hissed, and foam whitened the -lips of each. Thereupon she cried: - - Treble-tongue and throat of hell, - What is come upon me, tell! - -And the Serpent replied, - - Jewel Queen! beauty's price! - 'Tis the time for sacrifice! - -She grasped another, one of leaden colour, with yellow bars and silver -crescents, and cried: - - Treble-tongue and throat of fire, - Name the creature ye require! - -And the Serpent replied: - - Ruby lip! poison tooth! - We are hungry for a youth. - -She grasped another that writhed in her fingers like liquid emerald, and -cried: - - Treble-tongue and throat of glue! - How to know the one that's due? - -And the Serpent replied: - - Breast of snow! baleful bliss! - He that wooing wins a kiss. - -She clutched one at her elbow, a hairy serpent with yellow languid eyes -in flame-sockets and livid-lustrous length--a disease to look on, and -cried: - - Treble-tongue and throat of gall! - There's a youth beneath the pall. - -And the Serpent replied: - - Brilliant eye! bloody tear! - He has fed us for a year. - -She squeezed that hairy serpent till her finger-points whitened in his -neck, and he dropped lifelessly, crying: - - Treble-tongues and things of mud! - Sprang my beauty from his blood? - -And the Serpents rose erect, replying: - - Yearly one of us must die; - Yearly for us dieth one; - Else the Queen an ugly lie - Lives till all our lives be done! - -Bhanavar stood up, and hurried them to Karatis. When she was alone she -fell toward the floor, repeating, ''Tis the Curse!' Suddenly she thought, -'Yet another year my beauty shall be nourished by my vengeance, yet -another! And, O Vizier, the kiss shall be thine, the kiss of doom; for I -have doomed thee ere now. Thou, thou shalt restore me to my beauty: that -only love I now my Prince is lost.' - -So she veiled her face in the close veil of the virtuous, and despatched -Ukleet, whom she exalted in the palace of the King, to the Vizier; and -Ukleet stood before Aswarak, and said, 'O Vizier, my mistress truly is -longing for you with excessive longing, and in what she now undergoeth is -forgotten an evil done by you to her; and she bids you come and concert -with her a scheme deliberately as to the getting rid of this tyrant who -is an affliction to her, and her life is lessened by him.' - -The Vizier was deceived by his passion, and he chuckled and exclaimed, -'My very dream! and to mind me of her, then, she sent the serpents! -Wullahy, in the matter of women, wait! For, as the poet declareth: - - 'Tis vanity our souls for such to vex; - Patience is a harvest of the sex.'' - -And they fret themselves not overlong for husbands that are gone, these -young beauties. I know them. Tell the Queen of Serpents I am even hers -to the sole of my foot.' - -So it was understood between them that the Vizier should be at the gate -of the garden of the palace that night, disguised; and the Vizier -rejoiced, thinking, 'If she have not the Jewel with her, it shall go ill -with me, and I foiled this time!' - -Ukleet then proceeded to the house of Boolp the broker, fronting the -gutted ruins where Bhanavar had been happy in her innocence with Almeryl, -the mountain prince, her husband. Boolp was engaged haggling with a -slave-merchant the price of a fair slave, and Ukleet said to him,'Yet -awhile delay, O Boolp, ere you expend a fraction of treasure, for truly a -mighty bargain of jewels is waiting for you at the palace of my lord the -King. So come thither with all your money-bags of gold and silver, and -your securities, and your bonds and dues in writing, for 'tis the -favourite of the King requireth you to complete a bargain with her, and -the price of her jewels is the price of a kingdom.' - -Said Boolp, 'Hearing is compliance in such a case.' - -And Ukleet continued, 'What a fortune is yours, O Boolp! truly the tide -of fortune setteth into your lap. Fail not, wullahy! to come with all -you possess, or if you have not enough when she requireth it to complete -the bargain, my mistress will break off with you. I know not if she -intend even other game for you, O lucky one!' - -Boolp hitched his girdle and shrugged, saying, ''Tis she will fail, I -wot,--she, in having therewith to complete the bargain between us. Wa! -wa!--there! I've done this before now. Wullahy! if she have not enough -of her rubies and pearls to outweigh me and my gold, go to, Boolp will -school her! What says the poet?-- - - ''Earth and ocean search, East, West, and North, to the South, - None will match the bright rubies and pearls of her mouth.'' - -'Aha! what? O Ukleet! And he says: - - ''The lovely ones a bargain made - With me, and I renounced my trade, - Half-ruined; 'Ah!' said they, 'return and win! - To even scales ourselves we will throw in!''' - -How so? But let discreetness reign and security flourisheth!' - -Ukleet nodded at him, and repeated the distich: - - Men of worth and men of wits - Shoot with two arrows, and make two hits. - -So he arranged with Boolp the same appointment as with the Vizier, and -returned to Queen Bhanavar. - -Now, in the dark of night Aswarak stood within the gate of the palace- -garden of Mashalleed that was ajar, and a hand from a veiled figure -reached to him, and he caught it, in the fulness of his delusion, crying, -'Thou, my Queen?' But the hand signified silence, and drew him past the -tank of the garden and through a court of the palace into a passage lit -with lamps, and on into a close-curtained chamber, and beyond a heavy -curtain into another, a circular passage descending between black -hangings, and at the bottom a square vault draped with black, and in it -precious woods burning, oils in censers, and the odour of ambergris and -myrrh and musk floating in clouds, and the sight of the Vizier was for a -time obscured by the thickness of the incenses floating. As he became -familiar with the place, he saw marked therein a board spread at one end -with viands and wines, and the nosegay in a water-vase, and cups of gold -and a service of gold,--every preparation for feasting mightily. So the -soul of Aswarak leapt, and he cried, 'Now unveil thyself, O moon of our -meeting, my mistress!' - -The voice of Bhanavar answered him, 'Not till we have feasted and -drunken, and it seemeth little in our eyes. Surely the chamber is -secure: could I have chosen one better for our meeting, O Aswarak?' - -Upon that he entreated her to sit with him to the feast, but she cried, -'Nay! delay till the other is come.' - -Cried he, 'Another?' - -But she exclaimed, 'Hush!' and saying thus went forward to the foot of -the passage, and Boolp was there, following Ukleet, both of them under a -weight of bags and boxes. So she welcomed the broker, and led him to the -feast, he coughing and wheezing and blinking, unwitting the vexation of -the Vizier, nor that one other than himself was there. When Boolp heard -the voice of the Vizier, in astonishment, addressing him, he started back -and fell upon his bags, and the task of coaxing him to the board was as -that of haling a distempered beast to the water. Then they sat and -feasted together, and Ukleet with them; and if Aswarak or Boolp waxed -impatient of each other's presence, he whispered to them, 'Only wait! see -what she reserveth for you.' And Bhanavar mused with herself, 'Truly -that reserved shall be not long coming!' So they drank, and wine got the -mastery of Aswarak, so that he made no secret of his passion, and began -to lean to her and verse extemporaneously in her ear; and she stinted not -in her replies, answering to his urgency in girlish guise, sighing behind -the veil, as if under love's influence. And the Vizier pressed close, -and sang: - - 'Tis said that love brings beauty to the cheeks - Of them that love and meet, but mine are pale; - For merciless disdain on me she wreaks, - And hides her visage from my passionate tale: - I have her only, only when she speaks. - Bhanavar, unveil! - - I have thee, and I have thee not! Like one - Lifted by spirits to a shining dale - In Paradise, who seeks to leap and run - And clasp the beauty, but his foot doth fail, - For he is blind: ah! then more woful none! - Bhanavar, unveil! - -He thrust the wine-cup to her, and she lifted it under her veil, and then -sang, in answer to him: - - My beauty! for thy worth - Thank the Vizier! - - He gives thee second birth: - Thank the Vizier! - - His blooming form without a fault: - Thank the Vizier! - - Is at thy foot in this blest vault: - Thank the Vizier! - - He knoweth not he telleth such a truth, - Thank the Vizier! - - That thou, thro' him, spring'st fresh in blushing youth: - Thank the Vizier! - - He knoweth little now, but he shall soon be wise: - Thank the Vizier! - - This meeting bringeth bloom to cheeks and lips and eyes: - Thank the Vizier! - - O my beloved in this blest vault, if I love thee for aye, - Thank the Vizier! - - Thine am I, thine! and learns his soul what it has taught--to die, - Thank the Vizier! - -Now, Aswarak divined not her meaning, and was enraptured with her, and -cried, 'Wullahy! so and such thy love! Thine am I, thine! And what a -music is thy voice, O my mistress! 'Twere a bliss to Eblis in his -torment could he hear it. Life of my head! and is thy beauty increased -by me? Nay, thou flatterer!' Then he said to her, 'Away with these -importunate dogs! 'tis the very hour of tenderness! Wullahy! they offend -my nostril: stung am I at the sight of them.' - -She rejoined,-- - - O Aswarak! star of the morn! - Thou that wakenest my beauty from night and scorn, - Thy time is near, and when 'tis come, - Long will a jackal howl that this thy request had been dumb. - O Aswarak! star of the morn! - -So the Vizier imaged in his mind the neglect of Mashalleed from these -words, and said, 'Leave the King to my care, O Queen of Serpents, and -expend no portion of thy power on him; but hasten now the going of these -fellows; my heart is straitened by them, and I, wullahy! would gladly see -a serpent round the necks of either.' - -She continued,-- - - O Aswarak! star of the morn! - Lo! the star must die when splendider light is born; - In stronger floods the beam will drown: - Shrink, thou puny orb, and dread to bring me my crown, - O Aswarak! star of the morn! - -Then said she, 'Hark awhile at those two! There's a disputation between -them.' - -So they hearkened, and Ukleet was pledging Boolp, and passing the cup to -him; but a sullenness had seized the broker, and he refused it, and -Ukleet shouted, 'Out, boon-fellow! and what a company art thou, that thou -refusest the pledge of friendliness? Plague on all sulkers!' - -And the broker, the old miser, obstinate as are the half-fuddled, began -to mumble, 'I came not here to drink, O Ukleet, but to make a bargain; -and my bags be here, and I like not yonder veil, nor the presence of -yonder Vizier, nor the secresy of this. Now, by the Prophet and that -interdict of his, I'll drink no further.' - -And Ukleet said, 'Let her not mark your want of fellowship, or 'twill go -ill with you. Here be fine wines, spirited wines! choice flavours! and -you drink not! Where's the soul in you, O Boolp, and where's the life in -you, that you yield her to the Vizier utterly? Surely she waiteth a -gallant sign from you, so challenge her cheerily.' - -Quoth Boolp, 'I care not. Shall I leave my wealth and all I possess void -of eyes? and she so that I recognise her not behind the veil?' - -Ukleet pushed the old miser jeeringly: 'You not recognise her? Oh, -Boolp, a pretty dissimulation! Pledge her now a cup to the snatching of -the veil, and bethink you of a fitting verse, a seemly compliment,-- -something sugary.' - -Then Boolp smoothed his head, and was bothered; and tapped it, and -commenced repeating to Bhanavar: - - I saw the moon behind a cloud, - And I was cold as one that's in his shroud: - And I cried, Moon!-- - -Ukleet chorused him, 'Moon!' and Boolp was deranged in what he had to -say, and gasped,-- - - Moon! I cried, Moon!--and I cried, Moon! - -Then the Vizier and Ukleet laughed till they fell on their backs; so -Bhanavar took up his verse where he left it, singing,-- - - And to the cry - Moon did make fair the following reply: - 'Dotard, be still! for thy desire - Is to embrace consuming fire.' - -Then said Boolp, 'O my mistress, the laws of conviviality have till now -restrained me; but my coming here was on business, and with me my bags, -in good faith. So let us transact this matter of the jewels, and after -that the song of-- - - ''Thou and I - A cup will try,'' - -even as thou wilt.' - -Bhanavar threw aside her outer robe and veil, and appeared in a dress of -sumptuous blue, spotted with gold bees; her face veiled with a veil of -gauzy silver, and she was as the moon in summer heavens, and strode mar -jestically forward, saying, 'The jewels? 'tis but one. Behold!' - -The lamps were extinguished, and in her hand was the glory of the Serpent -Jewel, no other light save it in the vaulted chamber. - -So the old miser perked his chin and brows, and cried wondering, 'I know -it, this Jewel, O my mistress.' - -She turned to the Vizier, and said, lifting the red gloom of the Jewel on -him, 'And thou?' - -Aswarak ate his under-lip. - -Then she cried, 'There's much ye know in common, ye two.' - -Thereupon Bhanavar passed from the feast on to the centre of the vault, -and stood before the tomb of Almeryl, and drew the cloth from it; and -they saw by the glow of the Jewel that it was a tomb. When she had -mounted some steps at the side of the tomb, she beckoned them to come, -crying, in a voice of sobs, 'This which is here, likewise ye may know.' - -So they came with the coldness of a mystery in their blood, and looked as -she looked intently over a tomb. The lid was of glass, and through the -glass of the lid the Jewel flung a dark rosy ray on the body of Almeryl -lying beneath it. - -Now, the miser was perplexed at the sight; but Aswarak stepped backward -in defiance, bellowing, ''Twas for this I was tricked to come here! Is 't -fooling me a second time? By Allah! look to it; not a second time will -Aswarak be fooled.' - -Then she ran to him, and exclaimed, 'Fooled? For what cam'st thou to -me?' - -And he, foaming and grinding his breath, 'Thou woman of wiles! thou -serpent! but I'll be gone from here.' - -So she faltered in sweetness, knowing him doomed, and loving to dally -with him in her wickedness, 'Indeed if thou cam'st not for my kiss--' - -Then said the Vizier, 'Yet a further guile! Was't not an outrage to -bring me here?' - -She faltered again, leaning the fair length of her limbs on a couch, ''Tis -ill that we are not alone, else could these lips convince thee well: else -indeed!' - -And the Vizier cried, 'Chase then these intruders from us, O thou -sorceress, and above all serpents in power! for thou poisonest with a -touch; and the eye and the ear alike take in thy poisons greedily. Thou -overcomest the senses, the reason, the judgment; yea, vindictiveness, -wrath, suspicions; leading the soul captive with a breath of thine, as -'twere a breeze from the gardens of bliss.' - -Bhanavar changed her manner a little, lisping, 'And why that starting -from the tomb of a dead harmless youth? And that abuse of me?' - -He peered at her inquiringly, echoing 'Why?' - -And she repeated, as a child might repeat it, 'Why that?' - -Then the Vizier smote his forehead in the madness of utter perplexity, -changing his eye from Bhanavar to the tomb of Almeryl, doubting her -truth, yet dreading to disbelieve it. So she saw him fast enmeshed in -her subtleties, and clapped her hands crying, 'Come again with me to the -tomb, and note if there be aught I am to blame in, O Aswarak, and plight -thyself to me beside it.' - -He did nothing save to widen his eye at her somewhat; and she said, 'The -two are yonside the tomb, and they hear us not, and see us not by this -light of the Jewel; so come up to it boldly with me; free thy mind of its -doubt, and for a reconcilement kiss me on the way.' - -Aswarak moved not forward; but as Bhanavar laid the Jewel in her bosom he -tore the veil from her darkened head, and caught her to him and kissed -her. Then Bhanavar laughed and shouted, 'How is it with thee, Vizier -Aswarak?' - -He was tottering, and muttered, ''Tis a death-chill hath struck me even to -my marrow.' - -So she drew the Jewel forth once more, and rubbed it ablaze, and the -noise of the Serpents neared; and they streamed into the vault and under -it in fiery jets, surrounding Bhanavar, and whizzing about her till in -their velocity they were indivisible; and she stood as a fountain of fire -clothed in flashes of the underworld, the new loveliness of her face -growing vivid violet like an incessant lightning above them. Then -stretched she her two hands, and sang to the Serpents:-- - - Hither, hither, to the feast! - Hither to the sacrifice! - Virtue for my sake hath ceased: - Now to make an end of Vice! - - Twisted-tail and treble-tongue, - Swelling length and greedy maw! - I have had a horrid wrong; - Retribution is the law! - - Ye that suck'd my youthful lord, - Now shall make another meal: - Seize the black Vizier abhorr'd; - Seize him! seize him throat and heel! - - Set your serpent wits to find - Tortures of a new device: - Have him! have him heart and mind! - Hither to the sacrifice' - -Then she whirled with them round and round as a tempest whirls; and when -she had wound them to a fury, lo, she burst from the hissing circle and -dragged Ukleet from the vault into the passage, and blocked the entrance -to the vault. So was Queen Bhanavar avenged. - -Now, she said to Ukleet, 'Ransom presently the broker,--him they will not -harm,' and hastened to the King that he might see her in her beauty. The -King reclined on cushions in the harem with a fair slave-girl, newly from -the mountains, toying with the pearls in her locks. Then thought -Bhanavar, 'Let him not slight me!' So she drew a rose-coloured veil over -her face and sat beside Mashalleed. The King continued his fondling with -the girl, saying to her, 'Was there no destiny foretold of thy coming to -the palace of the King to rule it, O Nashta, starbeam in the waters! and -hadst thou no dream of it?' - -Bhanavar struck the King's arm, but he noticed her not, and Nashta -laughed. Then Bhanavar controlled her trembling and said, 'A word, O -King! and vouchsafe me a hearing.' - -The King replied languidly, still looking on Nashta, ''Tis a command that -the voice of none that are crabbed and hideous be heard in the harem, and -I find comfort in it, O Nashta! but speak thou, my fountain of sweet- -dropping lute-notes!' - -Bhanavar caught the King's hand and said, 'I have to speak with thee; -'tis the Queen. Chase from us this little wax puppet a space.' - -The King disengaged his hand and leaned it over to Nashta, who began -playing with it, and fitting on it a ring, giggling. Then, as he -answered nothing, Bhanavar came nearer and slapped him on the cheek. -Mashalleed started to his feet, and his hand grasped his girdle; but that -wrathfulness was stayed when he beheld the veil slide from her visage. -So he cried, 'My Queen! my soul!' - -She pointed to Nashta, and the King chid the girl, and sent her forth -lean with his shifted displeasure, as a kitten slinks wet from a fish- -pond where it had thought to catch a great fish. Then Bhanavar -exclaimed, 'There was a change in thy manner to me before that creature.' - -He sought to dissimulate with her, but at last he confessed, 'I was truly -this morning the victim of a sorcery.' - -Thereupon she cried, 'And thou went angered to find me not by thee on the -couch, but one in my place, a hag of ugliness. Hear then the case, O -Mashalleed! Surely that old crone had a dream, and it was that if she -slept one night by the King she would arise fresh in health from her -ills, and with powers lasting a year to heal others of all maladies with -a touch. So she came to me, petitioning me to bring this about. O my -lord the King, did I well in being privy to her desire?' - -The King could not doubt this story of Bhanavar, seeing her constant -loveliness, and the arch of her flashing brow, and the oval of her cheek -and chin smooth as milk. So he said, 'O my Queen! I had thought to go, -as I must, gladly; but how shall I go, knowing thy truth, thy beauty -unchanged; thee faithful, a follower of the injunctions of the Prophet in -charitable deeds?' - -Cried she, 'And whither goeth my lord, and on what errand?' - -He answered, 'The people of a province southward have raised the standard -of revolt and mocked my authority; they have been joined by certain of -the Arab chiefs subject to my dominion, and have defeated my armies. -'Tis to subdue them I go; yea, to crush them. Yet, wallaby! I know not. -Care I if kingdoms fall away, and nations, so that I have thee? Nay, let -all pass, so that thou remain by me.' - -Bhanavar paced from him to a mirror, and frowned at the reflection of her -fairness, thinking, 'Such had he spoken to the girl Nashta, or another, -this King!' And she thought, 'I have been beloved by the noblest three on -earth; I will ask no more of love; vengeance I have had. 'Tis time that -I demand of my beauty nothing save power, and I will make this King my -stepping-stone to power, rejoicing my soul with the shock of armies.' - -Now, she persuaded Mashalleed to take her with him on his expedition -against the Arabs; and they set forth, heading a great assemblage of -warriors, southward to the land bordering the Desert. The King credited -the suggestions of Bhanavar, that Aswarak had disappeared to join the -rebels, and pressed forward in his eagerness to inflict a chastisement -signal in swiftness upon them and that traitor; so eagerly Mashalleed -journeyed to his army in advance, that the main body, with Bhanavar, was -left by him long behind. She had encouraged him, saying, 'I shall love -thee much if thou art speedy in winning success.' The Queen was housed -on an elephant, harnessed with gold, and with silken purple trappings; -from the rose-hued curtains of her palanquin she looked on a mighty march -of warriors, filling the extent of the plains; all day she fed her sight -on them. Surely the story of her beauty became noised among the guards -of her person that rode and ran beneath the royal elephant, till the -soldiers of Mashalleed spake but of the beauty of the Queen, and Bhanavar -was as a moon shining over that sea of men. - -Now, they had passed the cultivated fields, and were halting by the ford -of a river bordering the Desert, when lo! a warrior on the yonside, -riding in a cloud of dust, and his shout was, 'The King Mashalleed is -defeated, and flying.' Then the Captains of the host witnessed to the -greatness of Allah, and were troubled with a dread, fearing to advance; -but Bhanavar commanded a horse to be saddled for her, and mounted it, and -plunged through the ford singly; so they followed her, and all day she -rode forward -on horseback, touching neither food nor drink. By night she was a league -beyond the foremost of them, and fell upon the King encamped in the -Desert, with the loose remnant of his forces. Mashalleed, when he had -looked on her, forgot his affliction, and stood up to embrace her, but -Bhanavar spurned him, crying, 'A time for this in the time of disgrace?' -Then she said, 'How came it?' - -He answered, 'There was a Chief among the enemy, an Arab, before the -terror of whom my people fled.' - -Cried she, 'Conquer him on the morrow, and till then I eat not, drink -not, sleep not.' - -On the morrow Mashalleed again encountered the rebels, and Bhanavar, -seated on her elephant, from a sand-hillock under a palm, beheld the -prowess of the Arab Chief and the tempest of battle that he was. She -thought, 'I have seen but one mighty in combat like that one, Ruark, the -Chief of the Beni-Asser.' Thereupon she coursed toward the King, even -where the arrows gloomed like locusts, thick and dark in the air aloof, -and said, 'The victory is with yonder Chief! Hurl on him three of thy -sons of valour.' - -The three were selected, and made onslaught on this Chief, and perished -under his arm. - -Bhanavar saw them fall, and exclaimed, 'Another attack on him, and with -thrice three!' - -Her will was the mandate of Mashalleed, and these likewise were ordered -forth, and closed on the Chief, but he darted from their toils and -wheeled about them, spearing them one by one till the nine were in the -dust. Bhanavar compressed her dry lips and muttered to the King, 'Head -thou a body against him.' - -Mashalleed gathered round his standard the chosen of his warriors, and -smoothed his beard, and headed them. Then the Chief struck his lance -behind him, and stretched rapidly a half-circle across the sand, and -halted on a knoll. When they neared him he retreated in a further half- -circle, and continued this wise, wasting the fury of Mashalleed, till he -stood among his followers. There, as the King hesitated and prepared to -retreat, he and the others of the tribe levelled their lances and hung -upon his rear, fretting them, slaughtering captains of the troop. When -Mashalleed turned to face his pursuer, the Chief was alone, immovable on -his mare, fronting the ranks. Then Bhanavar taunted the King, and he -essayed the capture of that Chief a second time and a third, and it was -each time as the first. Bhanavar looked about her with rapid eyes, -murmuring, 'Oh, what a Chief is he! Oh that a cloud would fall, a smoke -arise, to blind these hosts, that I might sling my serpents on him -unseen, for I will not be vanquished, though it be by Ruark!' So she -drew to the King, and the altercation between them was fierce in the fury -of the battle, he saying, ''Tis a feint of the Chief, this challenge; and -I must succour the left of my army by the well, that he is overmatching -with numbers'; and she, 'If thou head them not, then will I, and thou -shalt behold a woman do what thou durst not, and lose her love and win -her scorn.' While they spake the Arabs they looked on seemed to flutter -and waver, and the Chief was backing to them, calling to them as 'twere -words of shame to rally them. Seeing this, Mashalleed charged against -the Chief once more, and lo! the Arabs opened to receive him, closing on -his band of warriors like waters whitened by the storm on a fleet of -swift-scudding vessels: and there was a dust and a tumult visible, such -as is seen in the darkness when a vessel struck by the lightning-bolt is -sinking--flashes of steel, lifting of hands, rolling of horsemen and -horses. Then Bhanavar groaned aloud, 'They are lost! Shame to us! only -one hope is left-that 'tis Ruark, this Chief!' Now, the view of the -plain cleared, and with it she beheld the army of Mashalleed broken, the -King borne down by a dust of Arabs; so she unveiled her face and rode on -the host with the horsemen that guarded her, glorious with a crown of -gold and the glowing Jewel on her brow. When she was a javelin's flight -from them the Arabs shouted and paused in terror, for the light of her -head was as the sun setting between clouds of thunder; but that Chief -dashed forward like a flame beaten level by the wind, crying, 'Bhanavar; -Bhanavar!' and she knew the features of Ruark; so she said, 'Even I!' -And he cried again, 'Bhanavar! Bhanavar!' and was as one stricken by a -shaft. Then Bhanavar threw on him certain of the horsemen with her, and -he suffered them without a sign to surround him and grasp his mare by the -bridle-rein, and bring him, disarmed, before the Queen. At sight of -Ruark a captive the Arabs fell into confusion, and lost heart, and were -speedily chased and scattered from the scene like a loose spray before -the wind; but Mashalleed the King rejoiced mightily and praised Bhanavar, -and the whole army of the King praised her, magnifying her. - -Now, with Ruark she interchanged no syllable, and said not farewell to -him when she departed with Mashalleed, to encounter other tribes; and the -Chief was bound and conducted a prisoner to the city of the inland sea, -and cast into prison, in expectation of Death the releaser, and continued -there wellnigh a year, eating the bitter bread of captivity. In the -evening of every seventh day there came to him a little mountain girl, -that sat by him and leaned a lute to her bosom, singing of the mountain -and the desert, but he turned his face from her to the wall. One day she -sang of Death the releaser, and Ruark thought, ''Tis come! she warneth -me! Merciful is Allah!' On the morning that followed Ukleet entered the -cell, and with him three slaves, blacks, armed with scimitars. So Ruark -stood up and bore witness to his faith, saying, 'Swift with the stroke!' -but Ukleet exclaimed, 'Fear not! the end is not yet.' - -Then said he, 'Peace with thee! These slaves, O Chief, excelling in -martial qualities! surely they're my retinue, and the retinue of them of -my rank in the palace; and where I go they go; for the exalted have more -shadows than one! yea, three have they in my case, even very grimly black -shadows, whereon the idle expend not laughter, and whoso joketh in their -hearing, 'tis, wullahy! the last joke of that person. In such-wise are -the powerful known among men, they that stand very prominent in the beams -of prosperity! Now this of myself; but for thee--of a surety the Queen -Bhanavar, my mistress, will be here by the time of the rising of the -moon. In the name of Allah!' Saying that he departed in his greatness, -and Ruark watched for her that rose in his soul as the moon in the -heavens. - -Meanwhile Bhanavar had mused, ''Tis this day, the day when the Serpents -desire their due, and the King Mashalleed they shall have; for what is -life to him but a treachery and a dalliance, and what is my hold on him -but this Jewel of the Serpents? He has had the profit of beauty, and he -shall yield the penalty: my kiss is for him, my serpent-kiss. And I will -release Ruark, and espouse him, and war with kings, sultans, emperors, -infidels, subduing them till they worship me.' - -She flashed her figure in the glass, and was lovely therein as one in the -light of Paradise; but ere she reached the King Mashalleed, lo! the hour -of the Serpents had struck, and her beauty melted from her as snow melts -from off the rock; and she was suddenly haggard in utter uncomeliness, -and knew it not, but marched, smiling a grand smile, on to the King. Now -as Mashalleed lifted his eyes to her he started amazed, crying, 'The hag -again!' and she said, 'What of the hag, O my lord the King?' Thereat he -was yet more amazed, and exclaimed, 'The hag of ugliness with the voice -of Bhanavar! Has then the Queen lent that loathsomeness her voice also?' - -Bhanavar chilled a moment, and looked on the faces of the women present, -and they were staring at her, the younger ones tittering, and among them -Nashta, whom she hated. So she cried, 'Away with ye!' But the King -commanded them, 'Stay!' Then the Queen leaned to him, saying, 'I will -speak with my lord alone'; whereat he shrank from her, and spat. Ice and -flame shivered through the blood of Bhanavar, yet such was her eagerness -to give the kiss to Mashalleed, that she leaned to him, still wooing him -to her with smiles. Then the King seized her violently, and flung her -over the marble floor to the very basin of the fountain, and the crown -that was on her brow fell and rolled to the feet of Nashta. The girl -lifted it, laughing, and was in the act of fitting it to her fair head -amid the chuckles of her companions, when a slap from the hand of -Bhanavar spun her twice round, and she dropped to the marble insensible. -The King bellowed in wrath, and ran to Nashta, crying to the Queen, -'Surrender that crown to her, foul hag!' But Bhanavar had bent over the -basin of the fountain, and beheld the image of her change therein, and -was hurrying from the hall and down the corridors of the palace to the -private chamber. So he made bare the steel by his side, and followed her -with a number of the harem guard, menacing her, and commanding her to -surrender the crown with the Jewel. Ere she could lay hand on a veil, he -was beside her, and she was encompassed. In that extremity Bhanavar -plucked the Jewel from her crown, and rubbed it, calling the Serpents to -her. One came, one only, and that one would not move from her to sling -himself about the neck of Mashalleed, but whirled round her, hissing: - - Every hour a serpent dies, - Till we have the sacrifice: - Sweeten, sweeten, with thy kiss, - Quick! a soul for Karatis. - -Surely the King bit his breath, marvelling, and his fury became an awful -fear, and he fell back from her, molesting her no further. Then she -squeezed the serpent till his body writhed in knots, and veiled herself, -and sprang down a secret passage to the garden, and it was the time of -the rising of the moon. Coolness and soothingness dropped on her as a -balm from the great light, and she gazed on it murmuring, as in a memory: - - Shall I counsel the moon in her ascending? - Stay under that dark palm-tree through the night, - Rest on the mountain slope, - By the couching antelope, - O thou enthroned supremacy of light! - And for ever the lustre thou art lending - Lean on the fair long brook that leaps and leaps, - Silvery leaps and falls: - Hang by the mountain-walls, - Moon! and arise no more to crown the steeps, - For a danger and dolour is thy wending! - -And she panted and sighed, and wept, crying, 'Who, who will kiss me or -have my kiss now, that I may indeed be as yonder beam? Who, that I may -be avenged on this King? And who sang that song of the ascending of the -moon, that comes to me as a part of me from old times?' As she gazed on -the circled radiance swimming under a plume of palm leaves, she -exclaimed, 'Ruark! Ruark the Chief!' So she clasped her hands to her -bosom, and crouched under the shadows of the garden, and fled through the -garden gates and the streets of the city, heavily veiled, to the prison -where Ruark awaited her within the walls and Ukleet without. The -Governor of the prison had been warned by Ukleet of her coming, and the -doors and bars opened before her unchallenged, till she stood in the cell -of Ruark; her eyes, that were alone unveiled, scanned the countenance of -the Chief, the fevered lustre-jet of his looks, and by the little -moonlight in the cell she saw with a glance the straw-heap and the -fetters, and the black-bread and water untasted on the bench--signs of -his misery and desire for her coming. So she greeted him with the word -of peace, and he replied with the name of the All-Merciful. Then said -she, 'O Ruark, of Rukrooth thy mother tell me somewhat.' - -He answered, 'I know nought of her since that day. Allah have her in his -keeping!' - -So she cried, 'How? What say'st thou, Ruark? 'tis a riddle.' - -Then he, 'The oath of Ruark is no rope of sand! He swore to see her not -till he had set eyes on Bhanavar.' - -She knelt by the Chief, saying in a soft voice, 'Very greatly the Chief -of the Beni-Asser loved Bhanavar.' And she thought, 'Yea! greatly and -verily love I him; and he shall be no victim of the Serpents, for I defy -them and give them other prey.' So she said in deeper notes, 'Ruark! the -Queen is come hither to release thee. O my Chief! O thou soul of wrath! -Ruark, my fire-eye! my eagle of the desert! where is one on earth beloved -as thou art by Bhanavar?' The dark light in his eyes kindled as light in -the eyes of a lion, and she continued, 'Ruark, what a yoke is hers who -weareth this crown! He that is my lord, how am I mated to him save in -loathing? O my Chief, my lion! hadst thou no dream of Bhanavar, that she -would come hither to unbind thee and lift thee beside her, and live with -thee in love and veilless loveliness,--thine? Yea! and in power over -lands and nations and armies, lording the infidel, taming them to -submission, exulting in defiance and assaults and victories and -magnanimities--thou and she?' Then while his breast heaved like a broad -wave, the Queen started to her feet, crying, 'Lo, she is here! and this -she offereth thee, Ruark!' - -A shrill cry parted from her lips, and to the clapping of her hands -slaves entered the cell with lamps, and instruments to strike off the -fetters from the Chief; and they released him, and Ruark leaned on their -shoulders to bear the weight of a limb, so was he weakened by captivity; -but Bhanavar thrust them from the Chief, and took the pressure of his -elbow on her own shoulder, and walked with him thus to the door of the -cell, he sighing as one in a dream that dreameth the bliss of bliss. Now -they had gone three paces onward, and were in the light of many lamps, -when behold! the veil of Bhanavar caught in the sleeve of Ruark as he -lifted it, and her visage became bare. She shrieked, and caught up her -two hands to her brow, but the slaves had a glimpse of her, and said -among themselves, 'This is not the Queen.' And they murmured, ''Tis an -impostor! one in league with the Chief.' Bhanavar heard them say, 'Arrest -her with him at the Governor's gate,' and summoned her soul, thinking, -'He loveth me, the Chief! he will look into my eyes and mark not the -change. What need I then to dread his scorn when I ask of him the kiss: -now must it be given, or we are lost, both of us!' and she raised her -head on Ruark, and said to him, ' my Chief, ere we leave these walls and -join our fates, wilt thou plight thyself to me with a kiss?' - -Ruark leapt to her like the bounding leopard, and gave her the kiss, as -were it his whole soul he gave. Then in a moment Bhanavar felt the blush -of beauty burn over her, and drew the veil down on her face, and suffered -the slaves to arrest her with Ruark, and bring her before the Governor, -and from the Governor to the King in his council-chamber, with the Chief -of the Beni-Asser. - -Now, the King Mashalleed called to her, 'Thou traitress! thou sorceress! -thou serpent!' - -And she answered under the veil, 'What, O my lord the King! and wherefore -these evil names of me?' - -Cried he, 'Thou thing of guile! and thou hast pleaded with me for the -life of the Chief thus long to visit him in secret! Life of my head I -but Mashalleed is not one to be fooled.' - -So she said, ''Tis Bhanavar! hast thou forgotten her?' - -Then he waxed white with rage, exclaiming, 'Yea, 'tis she! a serpent in -the slough! and Ukleet in the torture hath told of thee what is known to -him. Unveil! unveil!' - -She threw the veil from her figure, and smiled, for Mashalleed was mute, -the torrent of invective frozen on his mouth when he beheld the miracle -of beauty that she was, the splendid jewel of throbbing loveliness. So -to scourge him with the bitter lash of jealousy, Bhanavar turned her eyes -on Ruark, and said sweetly, 'Yet shalt thou live to taste again the bliss -of the Desert. Pleasant was our time in it, O my Chief!' The King -glared and choked, and she said again, 'Nor he conquered thee, but I; and -I that conquered thee, little will it be for me to conquer him: his -threats are the winds of idleness.' - -Surely the world darkened before the eyes of Mashalleed, and he arose and -called to his guard hoarsely, 'Have off their heads!' They hesitated, -dreading the Queen, and he roared, 'Slay them!' - -Bhanavar beheld the winking of the steel, but ere the scimitars -descended, she seized Ruark, and they stood in a whizzing ring of -serpents, the sound of whom was as the hum of a thousand wires struck by -storm-winds. Then she glowed, towering over them with the Chief clasped -to her, and crying: - - King of vileness! match thy slaves - With my creatures of the caves. - -And she sang to the Serpents: - - Seize upon him! sting him thro'! - Thrice this day shall pay your due. - -But they, instead of obeying her injunction, made narrower their circle -round Bhanavar and the Chief. She yellowed, and took hold of the nearest -Serpent horribly, crying: - - Dare against me to rebel, - Ye, the bitter brood of hell? - -And the Serpent gasped in reply: - - One the kiss to us secures: - Give us ours, and we are yours. - -Thereupon another of the Serpents swung on, the feet of Ruark, winding -his length upward round the body of the Chief; so she tugged at that one, -tearing it from him violently, and crying: - - Him ye shall not have, I swear! - Seize the King that's crouching there. - -And that Serpent hissed: - - This is he the kiss ensures: - Give us ours, and we are yours. - -Another and another Serpent she flung from the Chief, and they began to -swarm venomously, answering her no more. Then Ruark bore witness to his -faith, and folded his arms with the grave smile she had known in the -desert; and Bhanavar struggled and tussled with the Serpents in -fierceness, strangling and tossing them to right and left. 'Great is -Allah!' cried all present, and the King trembled, for never was sight -like that seen, the hall flashing with the Serpents, and a woman-serpent, -their Queen, raging to save one from their fury, shrieking at intervals: - - Never, never shall ye fold, - Save with me the man I hold. - -But now the hiss and scream of the Serpents and the noise of their -circling was quickened to a slurred savage sound and they closed on -Ruark, and she felt him stifling and that they were relentless. So in -the height of the tempest Bhanavar seized the Jewel in the gold circlet -on her brow and cast it from her. Lo! the Serpents instantly abated -their frenzy, and flew all of them to pluck the Jewel, chasing the one -that had it in his fangs through the casement, and the hall breathed -empty of them. Then in the silence that was, Bhanavar veiled her face -and said to the Chief, 'Pass from the hall while they yet dread me. No -longer am I Queen of Serpents.' - -But he replied, 'Nay! said I not my soul is thine?' - -She cried to him, 'Seest thou not the change in me? I was bound to those -Serpents for my beauty, and 'tis gone! Now am I powerless, hateful to -look on, O Ruark my Chief!' - -He remained still, saying, 'What thou hast been thou art.' - -She exclaimed, 'O true soul, the light is hateful to me as I to the -light; but I will yet save thee to comfort Rukrooth, thy mother.' - -So she drew him with her swiftly from the hall of the King ere the King -had recovered his voice of command; but now the wrath of the All-powerful -was upon her and him! Surely within an hour from the flight of the -Serpents, the slaves and soldiers of Mashalleed laid at his feet two -heads that were the heads of Ruark and Bhanavar; and they said, 'O great -King, we tracked them to her chamber and through to a passage and a vault -hung with black, wherein were two corpses, one in a tomb and one -unburied, and we slew them there, clasping each other, O King of the -age!' - -Mashalleed gazed upon the head of Bhanavar and sighed, for death had made -the head again fair with a wondrous beauty, a loveliness never before -seen on earth. - - - - -ETEXT EDITOR'S BOOKMARKS: - -How little a thing serves Fortune's turn -Ripe with oft telling and old is the tale -The curse of sorrow is comparison! - - - - -End of this Project Gutenberg Etext of The Shaving of Shagpat, v1 -by George Meredith - - - - - - -THE SHAVING OF SHAGPAT - -by GEORGE MEREDITH - - -AN ARABIAN ENTERTAINMENT - -1898/1909 - - - - -BOOK 2. - -THE BETROTHAL -THE PUNISHMENT OF SHAHPESH, THE PERSIAN, ON KHIPIL, THE BUILDER -THE GENIE KARAZ -THE WELL OF PARAVID -THE HORSE GARRAVEEN -THE TALKING HAWK -GOORELKA OF OOLB - - - - -THE BETROTHAL - -Now, when Shibli Bagarag had ceased speaking, the Vizier smiled gravely, -and shook his beard with satisfaction, and said to the Eclipser of -Reason, 'What opinest thou of this nephew of the barber, O Noorna bin -Noorka?' - -She answered, "O Feshnavat, my father, truly I am content with the -bargain of my betrothal. He, Wullahy, is a fair youth of flowing -speech.' Then she said, 'Ask thou him what he opineth of me, his -betrothed?" - -So the Vizier put that interrogation to Shibli Bagarag, and the youth was -in perplexity; thinking, 'Is it possible to be joyful in the embrace of -one that hath brought thwackings upon us, serious blows?' Thinking, 'Yet -hath she, when the mood cometh, kindly looks; and I marked her eye -dwelling on me admiringly!' And he thought, 'Mayhap she that groweth -younger and counteth nature backwards, hath a history that would affect -me; or, it may be, my kisses--wah! I like not to give them, and it is -said, - - "Love is wither'd by the withered lip"; - -and that, - - "On bones become too prominent he'll trip." - -Yet put the case, that my kisses--I shower them not, Allah the All-seeing -is my witness! and they be given daintily as 'twere to the leaf of a -nettle, or over-hot pilau. Yet haply kisses repeated might restore her -to a bloom, and it is certain youth is somehow stolen from her, if the -Vizier Feshnavat went before her, and his blood be her blood; and he is -powerful, she wise. I'll decide to act the part of a rejoicer, -and express of her opinions honeyed to the soul of that sex.' - -Now, while he was thus debating he hung his head, and the Vizier awaited -his response, knitting his brows angrily at the delay, and at the last he -cried, 'What! no answer? how 's this? Shall thy like dare hold debate -when questioned of my like? And is my daughter Noorna bin Noorka, -thinkest thou, a slave-girl in the market,--thou haggling at her price, -O thou nephew of the barber?' - -So Shibli Bagarag exclaimed, 'O exalted one, bestower of the bride! -surely I debated with myself but for appropriate terms; and I delayed to -select the metre of the verse fitting my thoughts of her, and my wondrous -good fortune, and the honour done me.' - -Then the Vizier, 'Let us hear: we listen.' - -And Shibli Bagarag was advised to deal with illustrations in his dilemma, -by-ways of expression, and spake in extemporaneous verse, and with a full -voice: - - The pupils of the Sage for living Beauty sought; - And one a Vision clasped, and one a Model wrought. - 'I have it!' each exclaimed, and rivalry arose: - 'Paint me thy Maid of air!' 'Thy Grace of clay disclose.' - 'What! limbs that cannot move!' 'What! lips that melt away!' - 'Keep thou thy Maid of air!' 'Shroud up thy Grace of clay!' - 'Twas thus, contending hot, they went before the Sage, - And knelt at the wise wells of cold ascetic age. - 'The fairest of the twain, O father, thou record': - -He answered, 'Fairest she who's likest to her lord.' - -Said they, 'What fairer thing matched with them might prevail?' - -The Sage austerely smiled, and said, 'Yon monkey's tail.' - - 'Tis left for after-time his wisdom to declare: - That's loveliest we best love, and to ourselves compare. - Yet lovelier than all hands shape or fancies build, - The meanest thing of earth God with his fire hath filled. - -Now, when Shibli Bagarag ceased, Noorna bin Noorka cried, 'Enough, O -wondrous turner of verse, thou that art honest!' And she laughed loudly, -rustling like a bag of shavings, and rolling in her laughter. - -Then said she, 'O my betrothed, is not the thing thou wouldst say no -other than-- - - "Each to his mind doth the fairest enfold, - For broken long since was Beauty's mould"; - -and, "Thou that art old, withered, I cannot flatter thee, as I can in no -way pay compliments to the monkey's tail of high design; nevertheless the -Sage would do thee honour"? So read I thy illustration, O keen of wit! -and thou art forgiven its boldness, my betrothed,--Wullahy! utterly so.' - -Now, the youth was abashed at her discernment, and the kindliness of her -manner won him to say: - - There's many a flower of sweetness, there's many a gem of earth - Would thrill with bliss our being, could we perceive its worth. - O beauteous is creation, in fashion and device! - If I have fail'd to think thee fair, 'tis blindness is my vice. - -And she answered him: - - I've proved thy wit and power of verse, - That is at will diffuse and terse: - Lest thou commence to lie--be dumb! - I am content: the time will come! - -Then she said to the Vizier Feshnavat, 'O my father, there is all in this -youth, the nephew of the barber, that's desirable for the undertaking; -and his feet will be on a level with the task we propose for him, he the -height of man above it. 'Tis clear that vanity will trip him, but -honesty is a strong upholder; and he is one that hath the spirit of -enterprise and the mask of dissimulation: gratitude I observe in him; and -it is as I thought when I came upon him on the sand-hill outside the -city, that his star is clearly in a web with our star, he destined for -the Shaving of Shagpat.' - -So the Vizier replied, 'He hath had thwackings, yet is he not deterred -from making further attempt on Shagpat. I think well of him, and I augur -hopefully. Wullahy! the Cadi shall be sent for; I can sleep in his -secresy; and he shall perform the ceremonies of betrothal, even now and -where we sit, and it shall be for him to write the terms of contract: so -shall we bind the youth firmly to us, and he will be one of us as we are, -devoted to the undertaking by three bonds--the bond of vengeance, the -bond of ambition, and that of love.' - -Now, so it was that the Vizier despatched a summons for the attendance of -the Cadi, and he carne and performed between Shibli Bagarag and Noorna -bin Noorka ceremonies of betrothal, and wrote terms of contract; and they -were witnessed duly by the legal number of witnesses, and so worded that -he had no claim on her as wife till such time as the Event to which he -bound himself was mastered. Then the fees being paid, and compliments -interchanged, the Vizier exclaimed, 'Be ye happy! and let the weak cling -to the strong; and be ye two to one in this world, and no split halves -that betray division and stick not together when the gum is heated.' -Then he made a sign to the Cadi and them that had witnessed the contract -to follow him, leaving the betrothed ones to their own company. - -So when they were alone Noorna gazed on the youth wistfully, and said in -a soft tone, 'Thou art dazed with the adventure, O youth! Surely there -is one kiss owing me: art thou willing? Am I reduced to beg it of thee? -Or dream'st thou?' - -He lifted his head and replied, 'Even so.' - -Thereat he stood up languidly, and went to her and kissed her. And she -smiled and said, 'I wot it will be otherwise, and thou wilt learn -swiftness of limb, brightness of eye, and the longing for earthly -beatitude, when next I ask thee, O my betrothed!' - -Lo! while she spake, new light seemed in her; and it was as if a splendid -jewel were struggling to cast its beams through the sides of a crystal -vase smeared with dust and old dirt and spinnings of the damp spider. He -was amazed, and cried, 'How's this? What change is passing in thee?' - -She said, 'Joy in thy kiss, and that I have 'scaped Shagpat.' - -Then he: 'Shagpat? How? had that wretch claim over thee ere I came?' - -But she looked fearfully at the corners of the room and exclaimed, 'Hush, -my betrothed! speak not of him in that fashion, 'tis dangerous; and my -power cannot keep off his emissaries at all times.' Then she said, 'O my -betrothed, know me a sorceress ensorcelled; not that I seem, but that I -shall be! Wait thou for the time and it will reward thee. What! thou -think'st to have plucked a wrinkled o'erripe fruit,--a mouldy pomegranate -under the branches, a sour tamarind? 'Tis well! I say nought, save that -time will come, and be thou content. It is truly as I said, that I have -thee between me and Shagpat; and that honoured one of this city thought -fit in his presumption to demand me in marriage at the hands of my -father, knowing me wise, and knowing the thing that transformed me to -this, the abominable fellow! Surely my father entertained not his -proposal save with scorn; but the King looked favourably on it, and it is -even now matter of reproach to Feshnavat, my father, that he withholdeth -me from Shagpat.' - -Quoth Shibli Bagarag, 'A clothier, O Noorna, control the Vizier! and -demand of him his daughter in marriage! and a clothier influence the King -against his Vizier!'--tis, wullahy! a riddle.' - -She replied, ''Tis even so, eyes of mine, my betrothed! but thou know'st -not Shagpat, and that he is. Lo! the King, and all of this city save we -three, are held in enchantment by him, and made foolish by one hair -that's in his head.' - -Shibli Bagarag started in his seat like one that shineth with a -discovery, and cried, 'The Identical!' - -Then she, sighing, ''Tis that indeed! but the Identical of Identicals, the -chief and head of them, and I, woe's me! I, the planter of it.' - -So he said, 'How so?' - -But she cried, 'I'll tell thee not here, nor aught of myself and him, and -the Genie held in bondage by me, till thou art proved by adventure, and -we float peacefully on the sea of the Bright Lily: there shalt thou see -me as I am, and hear my story, and marvel at it; for 'tis wondrous, and a -manifestation of the Power that dwelleth unseen.' - -So Shibli Bagarag pondered awhile on the strange nature of the things she -hinted, and laughter seized him as he reflected on Shagpat, and the whole -city enchanted by one hair in his head; and he exclaimed, 'O Noorna, -knoweth he, Shagpat, of the might in him?' - -She answered, 'Enough for his vain soul that homage is paid to him, and -he careth not for the wherefore!' - -Shibli Bagarag fixed his eyes on the deep-flowered carpets of the floor, -as if reading there a matter quaintly written, and smiled, saying, 'What -boldness was mine--the making offer to shear Shagpat, the lion in his -lair, he that holdeth a whole city in enchantment! Wah! 'twas an -instance of daring!' - -And Noorna said, 'Not only an entire city, but other cities affected by -him, as witness Oolb, whither thou wilt go; and there be governments and -states, and conditions of men remote, that hang upon him, Shagpat. 'Tis -even so; I swell not his size. When thou hast mastered the Event, and -sent him forth shivering from thy blade like the shorn lamb, 'twill be -known how great a thing has been achieved, and a record for the -generations to come; choice is that historian destined to record it!' - -Quoth he, looking eagerly at her, 'O Noorna, what is it in thy speech -affecteth me? Surely it infuseth the vigour of wine, old wine; and I -shiver with desire to shave Shagpat, and spin threads for the historian -to weave in order. I, wullahy! had but dry visions of the greatness -destined for me till now, my betrothed! Shall I master an Event in -shaving him, and be told of to future ages? By Allah and his Prophet -(praise be to that name!), this is greatness! Say, Noorna, hadst thou -foreknowledge of me and my coming to this city?' - -So she said, 'I was on the roofs one night among the stars ere moonrise, -O my betrothed, and 'twas close on the rise of this very month's moon. -The star of our enemy, Shagpat, was large and red, mine as it were -menaced by its proximity, nigh swallowed in its haughty beams and the -steady overbearings of its effulgence. 'Twas so as it had long been, -when suddenly, lo! a star from the upper heaven that shot down between -them wildly, and my star took lustre from it; and the star of Shagpat -trembled like a ring on a tightened rope, and waved and flickered, and -seemed to come forward and to retire; and 'twas presently as a comet in -the sky, bright,--a tadpole, with large head and lengthy tail, in the -assembly of the planets. This I saw: and that the stranger star was -stationed by my star, shielding it, and that it drew nearer to my star, -and entered its circle, and that the two stars seemed mixing the -splendour that was theirs. Now, that sight amazed me, and my heart in -its beating quickened with the expectation of things approaching. Surely -I rendered praise, and pressed both hands on my bosom, and watched, and -behold! the comet, the illumined tadpole, was becoming restless beneath -the joint rays of the twain that were dominating him; and he diminished, -and lashed his tail uneasily, half madly, darting as do captured beasts -from the fetters that constrain them. Then went there from thy star--for -I know now 'twas thine--a momentary flash across the head of the tadpole, -and again another and another, rapidly, pertinaciously. And from thy -star there passed repeated flashes across the head of the tadpole, till -his brilliance was as 'twere severed from him, and he, like drossy -silver, a dead shape in the conspicuous heavens. And he became yellow as -the rolling eyes of sick wretches in pain, and shrank in his place like -pale parchment at the touch of flame; dull was he as an animal fascinated -by fear, and deprived of all power to make head against the foe, -darkness, that now beset him, and usurped part of his yet lively tail, -and settled on his head, and coated part of his body. So when this -tadpole, that was once terrible to me, became turbaned, shoed, and -shawled with darkness, and there was little of him remaining visible, lo! -a concluding flash shot from thy star, and he fell heavily down the sky -and below the hills, into the sea, that is the Enchanted Sea, whose Queen -is Rabesqurat, Mistress of Illusions. Now when my soul recovered from -amazement at the marvels seen, I arose and went from the starry roofs to -consult my books of magic, and 'twas revealed to me that one was -wandering to a junction with my destiny, and that by his means the great -aim would of a surety be accomplished--Shagpat Shaved! So my purpose was -to discover him; and I made calculations, and summoned them that serve me -to search for such a youth as thou art; fairly, O my betrothed, did I -preconceive thee. And so it was that I traced a magic line from the -sand-hills to the city, and from the outer hills to the sand-hills; and -whoso approached by that line I knew was he marked out as my champion, my -betrothed,--a youth destined for great things. Was I right? The egg -hatcheth. Thou art already proved by thwackings, seasoned to the -undertaking, and I doubt not thou art he that will finish with that -tadpole Shagpat, and sit in the high seat, thy name an odour in distant -lands, a joy to the historian, the Compiler of Events, thou Master of the -Event, the greatest which time will witness for ages to come.' - -When she had spoken Shibli Bagarag considered her words, and the -knowledge that he was selected by destiny as Master of the Event inflated -him; and he was a hawk in eagerness, a peacock in pride, an ostrich in -fulness of chest, crying, 'O Noorna bin Noorka! is't really so? Truly it -must be, for the readers of planets were also busy with me at the time of -my birth, interpreting of me in excessive agitation; and the thing they -foretold is as thou foretellest. I am, wullahy! marked: I walk manifest -in the eye of Providence.' - -Thereupon he exulted, and his mind strutted through the future of his -days, and down the ladder of all time, exacting homage from men, his -brethren; and 'twas beyond the art of Noorna to fix him to the present -duties of the enterprise: he was as feathered seed before the breath of -vanity. - -Now, while the twain discoursed, she of the preparations for shaving -Shagpat, he of his completion of the deed, and the honours due to him as -Master of the Event, Feshnavat the Vizier returned to them from his -entertainment of the Cadi; and he had bribed him to silence with a mighty -bribe. So he called to them-- - -'Ho! be ye ready to commence the work? and have ye advised together as to -the beginning? True is that triplet: - - "Whatever enterprize man hath, - For waking love or curbing wrath, - 'Tis the first step that makes a path." - -And how have ye determined as to that first step?' - -Noorna replied, 'O my father! we have not decided, and there hath been -yet no deliberation between us as to that.' - -Then he said, 'All this while have ye talked, and no deliberation as to -that! Lo, I have drawn the Cadi to our plot, and bribed him with a -mighty bribe; and I have prepared possible disguises for this nephew of -the barber; and I have had the witnesses of thy betrothal despatched to -foreign parts, far kingdoms in the land of Roum, to prevent tattling and -gabbling; and ye that were left alone for debating as to the great deed, -ye have not yet deliberated as to that! Is't known to ye, O gabblers, -aught of the punishment inflicted by Shahpesh, the Persian, on Khipil, -the Builder?--a punishment that, by Allah!' - -Shibli Bagarag said, 'How of that punishment, O Vizier?' - -And the Vizier narrated as followeth. - - - - - - -AND THIS IS THE PUNISHMENT OF SHAHPESH, THE PERSIAN, ON KHIPIL, THE -BUILDER - -They relate that Shahpesh, the Persian, commanded the building of a -palace, and Khipil was his builder. The work lingered from the first -year of the reign of Shahpesh even to his fourth. One day Shahpesh went -to the riverside where it stood, to inspect it. Khipil was sitting on a -marble slab among the stones and blocks; round him stretched lazily the -masons and stonecutters and slaves of burden; and they with the curve of -humorous enjoyment on their lips, for he was reciting to them adventures, -interspersed with anecdotes and recitations and poetic instances, as was -his wont. They were like pleased flocks whom the shepherd hath led to a -pasture freshened with brooks, there to feed indolently; he, the -shepherd, in the midst. - -Now, the King said to him, 'O Khipil, show me my palace where it -standeth, for I desire to gratify my sight with its fairness.' - -Khipil abased himself before Shahpesh, and answered, ''Tis even here, O -King of the age, where thou delightest the earth with thy foot and the -ear of thy slave with sweetness. Surely a site of vantage, one that -dominateth earth, air, and water, which is the builder's first and chief -requisition for a noble palace, a palace to fill foreign kings and -sultans with the distraction of envy; and it is, O Sovereign of the time, -a site, this site I have chosen, to occupy the tongues of travellers and -awaken the flights of poets!' - -Shahpesh smiled and said, 'The site is good! I laud the site! Likewise -I laud the wisdom of Ebn Busrac, where he exclaims: - - "Be sure, where Virtue faileth to appear, - For her a gorgeous mansion men will rear; - And day and night her praises will be heard, - Where never yet she spake a single word."' - -Then said he, 'O Khipil, my builder, there was once a farm servant that, -having neglected in the seed-time to sow, took to singing the richness of -his soil when it was harvest, in proof of which he displayed the -abundance of weeds that coloured the land everywhere. Discover to me now -the completeness of my halls and apartments, I pray thee, O Khipil, and -be the excellence of thy construction made visible to me!' - -Quoth Khipil, 'To hear is to obey.' - -He conducted Shahpesh among the unfinished saloons and imperfect courts -and roofless rooms, and by half erected obelisks, and columns pierced and -chipped, of the palace of his building. And he was bewildered at the -words spoken by Shahpesh; but now the King exalted him, and admired the -perfection of his craft, the greatness of his labour, the speediness of -his construction, his assiduity; feigning not to behold his negligence. - -Presently they went up winding balusters to a marble terrace, and the -King said, 'Such is thy devotion and constancy in toil, Khipil, that -thou shaft walk before me here.' - -He then commanded Khipil to precede him, and Khipil was heightened with -the honour. When Khipil had paraded a short space he stopped quickly, -and said to Shahpesh, 'Here is, as it chanceth, a gap, O King! and we can -go no further this way.' - -Shahpesh said, 'All is perfect, and it is my will thou delay not to -advance.' - -Khipil cried, 'The gap is wide, O mighty King, and manifest, and it is an -incomplete part of thy palace.' - -Then said Shahpesh, 'O Khipil, I see no distinction between one part and -another; excellent are all parts in beauty and proportion, and there can -be no part incomplete in this palace that occupieth the builder four -years in its building: so advance, do my bidding.' - -Khipil yet hesitated, for the gap was of many strides, and at the bottom -of the gap was a deep water, and he one that knew not the motion of -swimming. But Shahpesh ordered his guard to point their arrows in the -direction of Khipil, and Khipil stepped forward hurriedly, and fell in -the gap, and was swallowed by the water below. When he rose the second -time, succour reached him, and he was drawn to land trembling, his teeth -chattering. And Shahpesh praised him, and said, 'This is an apt -contrivance for a bath, Khipil O my builder! well conceived; one that -taketh by surprise; and it shall be thy reward daily when much talking -hath fatigued thee.' - -Then he bade Khipil lead him to the hall of state. And when they were -there Shahpesh said, 'For a privilege, and as a mark of my approbation, I -give thee permission to sit in the marble chair of yonder throne, even in -my presence, O Khipil.' - -Khipil said, 'Surely, O King, the chair is not yet executed.' - -And Shahpesh exclaimed, 'If this be so, thou art but the length of thy -measure on the ground, O talkative one!' - -Khipil said, 'Nay, 'tis not so, O King of splendours! blind that I am! -yonder's indeed the chair.' - -And Khipil feared the King, and went to the place where the chair should -be, and bent his body in a sitting posture, eyeing the King, and made -pretence to sit in the chair of Shahpesh, as in conspiracy to amuse his -master. - -Then said Shahpesh, 'For a token that I approve thy execution of the -chair, thou shalt be honoured by remaining seated in it up to the hour of -noon; but move thou to the right or to the left, showing thy soul -insensible of the honour done thee, transfixed thou shah be with twenty -arrows and five.' - -The King then left him with a guard of twenty-five of his body-guard; and -they stood around him with bent bows, so that Khipil dared not move from -his sitting posture. And the masons and the people crowded to see Khipil -sitting on his master's chair, for it became rumoured about. When they -beheld him sitting upon nothing, and he trembling to stir for fear of the -loosening of the arrows, they laughed so that they rolled upon the floor -of the hall, and the echoes of laughter were a thousand-fold. Surely the -arrows of the guards swayed with the laughter that shook them. - -Now, when the time had expired for his sitting in the chair, Shahpesh -returned to him, and he was cramped, pitiable to see; and Shahpesh said, -'Thou hast been exalted above men, O Khipil! for that thou didst execute -for thy master has been found fitting for thee.' - -Then he bade Khipil lead the way to the noble gardens of dalliance and -pleasure that he had planted and contrived. And Khipil went in that -state described by the poet, when we go draggingly, with remonstrating -members, - - Knowing a dreadful strength behind, - And a dark fate before. - -They came to the gardens, and behold, these were full of weeds and -nettles, the fountains dry, no tree to be seen--a desert. And Shahpesh -cried, 'This is indeed of admirable design, O Khipil! Feelest thou not -the coolness of the fountains?--their refreshingness? Truly I am -grateful to thee! And these flowers, pluck me now a handful, and tell me -of their perfume.' - -Khipil plucked a handful of the nettles that were there in the place of -flowers, and put his nose to them before Shahpesh, till his nose was -reddened; and desire to rub it waxed in him, and possessed him, and -became a passion, so that he could scarce refrain from rubbing it even in -the King's presence. And the King encouraged him to sniff and enjoy -their fragrance, repeating the poet's words: - - Methinks I am a lover and a child, - A little child and happy lover, both! - When by the breath of flowers I am beguiled - From sense of pain, and lulled in odorous sloth. - So I adore them, that no mistress sweet - Seems worthier of the love which they awake: - In innocence and beauty more complete, - Was never maiden cheek in morning lake. - Oh, while I live, surround me with fresh flowers! - Oh, when I die, then bury me in their bowers! - -And the King said, 'What sayest thou, O my builder? that is a fair -quotation, applicable to thy feelings, one that expresseth them?' - -Khipil answered, ''Tis eloquent, O great King! comprehensiveness would be -its portion, but that it alludeth not to the delight of chafing.' - -Then Shahpesh laughed, and cried, 'Chafe not! it is an ill thing and a -hideous! This nosegay, O Khipil, it is for thee to present to thy -mistress. Truly she will receive thee well after its presentation! I -will have it now sent in thy name, with word that thou followest quickly. -And for thy nettled nose, surely if the whim seize thee that thou -desirest its chafing, to thy neighbour is permitted what to thy hand is -refused.' - -The King set a guard upon Khipil to see that his orders were executed, -and appointed a time for him to return to the gardens. - -At the hour indicated Khipil stood before Shahpesh again. He was pale, -saddened; his tongue drooped like the tongue of a heavy bell, that when -it soundeth giveth forth mournful sounds only: he had also the look of -one battered with many beatings. So the King said, 'How of the -presentation of the flowers of thy culture, O Khipil?' - -He answered, 'Surely, O King, she received me with wrath, and I am shamed -by her.' - -And the King said, 'How of my clemency in the matter of the chafing?' - -Khipil answered, 'O King of splendours! I made petition to my neighbours -whom I met, accosting them civilly and with imploring, for I ached to -chafe, and it was the very raging thirst of desire to chafe that was -mine, devouring eagerness for solace of chafing. And they chafed me, O -King; yet not in those parts which throbbed for the chafing, but in those -which abhorred it.' - -Then Shahpesh smiled and said, ''Tis certain that the magnanimity of -monarchs is as the rain that falleth, the sun that shineth: and in this -spot it fertilizeth richness; in that encourageth rankness. So art thou -but a weed, O Khipil! and my grace is thy chastisement.' - -Now, the King ceased not persecuting Khipil, under pretence of doing him -honour and heaping favours on him. Three days and three nights was -Khipil gasping without water, compelled to drink of the drought of the -fountain, as an honour at the hands of the King. And he was seven days -and seven nights made to stand with -stretched arms, as they were the branches of a tree, in each hand a -pomegranate. And Shahpesh brought the people of his court to regard the -wondrous pomegranate shoot planted by Khipil, very wondrous, and a new -sort, worthy the gardens of a King. So the wisdom of the King was -applauded, and men wotted he knew how to punish offences in coin, by the -punishment inflicted on Khipil the builder. Before that time his affairs -had languished, and the currents of business instead of flowing had -become stagnant pools. It was the fashion to do as did Khipil, and fancy -the tongue a constructor rather than a commentator; and there is a doom -upon that people and that man which runneth to seed in gabble, as the -poet says in his wisdom: - - If thou wouldst be famous, and rich in splendid fruits, - Leave to bloom the flower of things, and dig among the roots. - -Truly after Khipil's punishment there were few in the dominions of -Shahpesh who sought to win the honours bestowed by him on gabblers and -idlers: as again the poet: - - When to loquacious fools with patience rare - I listen, I have thoughts of Khipil's chair: - His bath, his nosegay, and his fount I see,-- - Himself stretch'd out as a pomegranate-tree. - And that I am not Shahpesh I regret, - So to inmesh the babbler in his net. - Well is that wisdom worthy to be sung, - Which raised the Palace of the Wagging Tongue! - -And whoso is punished after the fashion of Shahpesh, the Persian, on -Khipil the Builder, is said to be one 'in the Palace of the Wagging -Tongue' to this time. - - - - - - -THE GENIE KARAZ - -Now, when the voice of the Vizier had ceased, Shibli Bagarag exclaimed, -'O Vizier, this night, no later, I'll surprise Shagpat, and shave him -while he sleepeth: and he shall wake shorn beside his spouse. Wullahy! -I'll delay no longer, I, Shibli Bagarag.' - -Said the Vizier, 'Thou?' - -And he replied, 'Surely, O Vizier! thou knowest little of my dexterity.' - -So the Vizier laughed, and Noorna bin Noorka laughed, and he was at a -loss to interpret the cause of their laughter. Then said Noorna, 'O my -betrothed, there's not a doubt among us of thy dexterity, nor question of -thy willingness; but this shaving of Shagpat, wullahy! 'tis longer work -than what thou makest of it.' - -And he cried, 'How? because of the Chief of Identicals planted by thee in -his head?' - -She answered, 'Because of that; but 'tis the smallest opposer, that.' - -Then the Vizier said, 'Let us consult.' - -So Shibli Bagarag gave ear, and the Vizier continued, 'There's first, the -Chief of Identicals planted by thee in the head of that presumptuous -fellow, O my daughter! By what means shall that be overcome?' - -She said, 'I rank not that first, O Feshnavat, my father; surely I rank -first the illusions with which Rabesqurat hath surrounded him, and made -it difficult to know him from his semblances, whenever real danger -threateneth him.' - -The Vizier assented, saying, 'Second, then, the Chief of Identicals?' - -She answered, 'Nay, O my father; second, the weakness that's in man, and -the little probability of his finishing with Shagpat at one effort; and -there is but a sole chance for whoso attempteth, and if he faileth, 'tis -forever he faileth.' - -So the Vizier said, 'Even I knew not 'twas so grave! Third, then, the -Chief of Identicals?' - -She replied, 'Third! which showeth the difficulty of the task. Read ye -not, first, how the barber must come upon Shagpat and fix him for his -operation; second, how the barber must be possessed of more than mortal -strength to master him in so many strokes; third, how the barber must -have a blade like no other blade in this world in sharpness, in temper, -in velocity of sweep, that he may reap this crop which flourisheth on -Shagpat, and with it the magic hair which defieth edge of mortal blades?' - -Now, the Vizier sighed at the words, saying, 'Powerful is Shagpat. I -knew not the thing I undertook. I fear his mastery of us, and we shall -be contemned--objects for the red finger of scorn.' - -Noorna turned to Shibli Bagarag and asked, 'Do the three bonds of -enterprise--vengeance, ambition, and love--shrink in thee from this great -contest?' - -Shibli Bagarag said, ''Tis terrible! on my head be it!' - -She gazed at him a moment tenderly, and said, 'Thou art worthy of what is -in store for thee, O my betrothed! and I think little of the dangers, in -contemplation of the courage in thee. Lo, if vengeance and ambition spur -thee so, how will not love when added to the two?' - -Then said she, 'As to the enchantments and spells that shall overreach -him, and as to the blade wherewith to shear him?' - -Feshnavat exclaimed, 'Yonder 's indeed where we stumble and are tripped -at starting.' - -But she cried, 'What if I know of a sword that nought on earth or under -resisteth, and before the keen edge of which all Illusions and Identicals -are as summer grass to the scythe?' - -They both shouted, 'The whereabout of that sword, O Noorna!' - -So she said, ''Tis in Aklis, in the mountains of the Koosh; and the seven -sons of Aklis sharpen it day and night till the adventurer cometh to -claim it for his occasion. Whoso succeedeth in coming to them they know -to have power over the sword, and 'tis then holiday for them. Many are -the impediments, and they are as holes where the fox haunteth. So they -deliver to his hand the sword till his object is attained, his Event -mastered, smitten through with it; and 'tis called the Sword of Events. -Surely, with it the father of the Seven vanquished the mighty Roc, -Kroojis, that threatened mankind with ruin, and a stain of the Roc's -blood is yet on the hilt of the sword. How sayest thou, O Feshnavat,-- -shall we devote ourselves to get possession of that Sword?' - -So the Vizier brightened at her words, and said, 'O excellent in wisdom -and star of counsel! speak further, and as to the means.' - -Noorna bin Noorka continued, 'Thou knowest, O my father, I am proficient -in the arts of magic, and I am what I am, and what I shall be, by its -uses. 'Tis known to thee also that I hold a Genie in bondage, and can -utter ten spells and one spell in a breath. Surely my services to the -youth in his attainment of the Sword will be beyond price! Now to reach -Aklis and the Sword there are three things needed--charms: and one is a -phial full of the waters of Paravid from the wells in the mountain yon- -side the desert; and one, certain hairs that grow in the tail of the -horse Garraveen, he that roameth wild in the meadows of Melistan; and -one, that the youth gather and bear to Aklis, for the white antelope -Gulrevaz, the Lily of the Lovely Light that groweth in the hollow of the -crags over the Enchanted Sea: with these spells he will command the Sword -of Aklis, and nothing can bar him passage. Moreover I will expend in his -aid all my subtleties, my transformations, the stores of my wisdom. Many -seek this Sword, and people the realms of Rabesqurat, or are beasts in -Aklis, or crowned Apes, or go to feed the Roc, Kroojis, in the abyss -beneath the Roc's-egg bridge; but there's virtue in Shibli Bagarag: -wullahy! I am wistful in him of the hand of Destiny, and he will succeed -in this undertaking if he dareth it.' - -Shibli Bagarag cried, 'At thy bidding, O Noorna! Care I for dangers? -I'm on fire to wield the Sword, and master the Event.' - -Thereupon, Noorna bin Noorka arose instantly, and took him by the cheeks -a tender pinch, and praised him. Then drew she round him a circle with -her forefinger that left a mark like the shimmering of evanescent green -flame, saying, 'White was the day I set eyes on thee!' Round the Vizier, -her father, she drew a like circle; and she took an unguent, and traced -with it characters on the two circles, and letters of strange form, -arrowy, lance-like, like leaning sheaves, and crouching baboons, and -kicking jackasses, and cocks a-crow, and lutes slack-strung; and she -knelt and mumbled over and over words of magic, like the drone of a bee -to hear, and as a roll of water, nothing distinguishable. After that she -sought for an unguent of a red colour, and smeared it on a part of the -floor by the corner of the room, and wrote on it in silver fluid a word -that was the word 'Eblis,' and over that likewise she droned awhile. -Presently she arose with a white-heated face, the sweat on her brow, and -said to Shibli Bagarag and Feshnavat hurriedly and in a harsh tone, 'How? -have ye fear?' - -They answered, 'Our faith is in Allah, our confidence in thee.' - -Said she then, 'I summon the Genie I hold in bondage. He will be -wrathful; but ye are secure from him. He's this moment in the farthest -region of earth, doing ill, as is his wont, and the wont of the stock of -Eblis.' - -So the Vizier said, 'He'll be no true helper, this Genie, and I care not -for his company.' - -She answered, 'O my father! leave thou that to me. What says the poet?-- - - "It is the sapiency of fools, - To shrink from handling evil tools."' - -Now, while she was speaking, she suddenly inclined her ear as to a -distant noise; but they heard nothing. Then, after again listening, she -cried in a sharp voice, 'Ho! muffle your mouths with both hands, and stir -not from the ring of the circles, as ye value life and its blessings.' - -So they did as she bade them, and watched her curiously. Lo! she swathed -the upper and lower part of her face in linen, leaving the lips and eyes -exposed; and she took water from an ewer, and sprinkled it on her head, -and on her arms and her feet, muttering incantations. Then she listened -a third time, and stooped to the floor, and put her lips to it, and -called the name, 'Karaz!' And she called this name seven times loudly, -sneezing between whiles. Then, as it were in answer to her summons, -there was a deep growl of thunder, and the palace rocked, tottering; and -the air became smoky and full of curling vapours. Presently they were -aware of the cry of a Cat, and its miaulings; and the patch of red -unguent on the floor parted and they beheld a tawny Cat with an arched -back. So Noorna bin Noorka frowned fiercely at the Cat, and cried, 'This -is thy shape, O Karaz; change! for it serves not the purpose.' - -The Cat changed, and was a Leopard with glowing yellow eyes, crouched for -the spring. So Noorna bin Noorka stamped, and cried again, 'This is thy -shape, O Karaz; change! for it serves not the purpose.' - -And the Leopard changed, and was a Serpent with many folds, sleek, -curled, venomous, hissing. - -Noorna bin Noorka cried in wrath, 'This is thy shape, O Karaz; change! or -thou'lt be no other till Eblis is accepted in Paradise.' - -And the Serpent vanished. Lo! in its place a Genie of terrible aspect, -black as a solitary tree seared by lightning; his forehead ridged and -cloven with red streaks; his hair and ears reddened; his eyes like two -hollow pits dug by the shepherd for the wolf, and the wolf in them. He -shouted, 'What work is it now, thou accursed traitress?' - -Noorna replied, 'I've need of thee!' - -He said, 'What shape?' - -She answered, 'The shape of an Ass that will carry two on its back, thou -Perversity!' - -Upon that, he cried, 'O faithless woman, how long shall I be the slave of -thy plotting? Now, but for that hair of my head, plucked by thy hand -while I slept, I were free, no doer of thy tasks. Say, who be these that -mark us?' - -She answered, 'One, the Vizier Feshnavat; and one, Shibli Bagarag of -Shiraz, he that's destined to shave Shagpat, the son of Shimpoor, the son -of Shoolpi, the son of Shullum; and the youth is my betrothed.' - -Now, at her words the whole Genie became as live coal with anger, and he -panted black and bright, and made a stride toward Shibli Bagarag, and -stretched his arm out to seize him; but Noorna, blew quickly on the -circles she had drawn, and the circles rose up in a white flame high as -the heads of those present, and the Genie shrank hastily back from the -flame, and was seized with fits of sneezing. Then she said in scorn, -'Easily, O Karaz, is a woman outwitted! Surely I could not guess what -would be thy action! and I was wanting in foresight and insight! and I -am a woman bearing the weight of my power as a woodman staggereth under -the logs he hath felled!' - -So she taunted him, and he still sneezing and bent double with the might -of the sneeze. Then said Noorna in a stern voice, 'No more altercation -between us! Wait thou here till I reappear, Karaz!' - -Thereupon, she went from them; and the two, Feshnavat and Shibli Bagarag, -feared greatly being left with the Genie, for he became all colours, and -loured on them each time that he ceased sneezing. He was clearly -menacing them when Noorna returned, and in her hand a saddle made of -hide, traced over with mystic characters and gold stripes. - -So she cried, 'Take this!' Then, seeing he hesitated, she unclosed from -her left palm a powder, and scattered - -it over him; and he grew meek, and the bending knee of obedience was his, -and he took the saddle. So she said, ''Tis well! Go now, and wait -outside the city in the shape of an Ass, with this saddle on thy back.' - -The Genie groaned, and said, 'To hear is to obey!' And he departed with -those words, for she held him in bondage. Then she calmed down the white -flames of the circles that enclosed Shibli Bagarag and the Vizier -Feshnavat, and they stepped forth, marvelling at the greatness of her -sorceries that held such a Genie in bondage. - - - - - - -THE WELL OF PARAVID - -Now, there was haste in the movements of Noorna bin Noorka, and she -arrayed herself and clutched Shibli Bagarag by the arm, and the twain -departed from Feshnavat the Vizier, and came to the outside of the city, -and lo! there was the Genie by a well under a palm, and he standing in -the shape of an Ass, saddled. So they mounted him, and in a moment they -were in the midst of the desert, and naught round them save the hot -glimmer of the sands and the grey of the sky. Surely, the Ass went at -such a pace as never Ass went before in this world, resting not by the -rivulets, nor under the palms, nor beside the date-boughs; it was as if -the Ass scurried without motion of his legs, so swiftly went he. At last -the desert gave signs of a border on the low line of the distance, and -this grew rapidly higher as they advanced, revealing a country of hills -and rocks, and at the base of these the Ass rested. - -So Noorna, said, 'This desert that we have passed, O my betrothed, many -are they that perish in it, and reach not the well; but give thanks to -Allah that it is passed.' - -Then said she, 'Dismount, and be wary of moving to the front or to the -rear of this Ass, and measure thy distance from the lash of his tail.' - -So Shibli Bagarag dismounted, and followed her up the hills and the -rocks, through ravines and gorges of the rocks, and by tumbling torrents, -among hanging woods, over perilous precipices, where no sun hath pierced, -and the bones of travellers whiten in loneliness; and they continued -mounting upward by winding paths, now closed in by coverts, now upon open -heights having great views, and presently a mountain was disclosed to -them, green at the sides high up it; and Noorna bin Noorka said to Shibli -Bagarag, 'Mount here, for the cunning of this Ass can furnish him no -excuse further for making thee food for the birds of prey.' - -So Shibli Bagarag mounted, and they ceased not to ascend the green slopes -till the grass became scanty and darkness fell, and they were in a region -of snow and cold. Then Noorna bin Noorka tethered the Ass to a stump of -a tree and breathed in his ear, and the Ass became as a creature carved -in stone; and she drew from her bosom two bags of silk, and blew in one -and entered it, bidding Shibli Bagarag do likewise with the other bag; -and he obeyed her, drawing it up to his neck, and the delightfulness of -warmth came over him. Then said she, 'To-morrow, at noon, we shall reach -near the summit of the mountain and the Well of Paravid, if my power last -over this Ass; and from that time thou wilt be on the high road to -greatness, so fail not to remember what I have done for thee, and be not -guilty of ingratitude when thy hand is the stronger.' - -He promised her, and they lay and slept. When he awoke the sun was half- -risen, and he looked at Noorna bin Noorka in the silken bag, and she was -yet in the peacefulness of pleasant dreams; but for the Ass, surely his -eyes rolled, and his head and fore legs were endued with life, while his -latter half seemed of stone. And the youth called to Noorna bin Noorka, -and pointed to her the strangeness of the condition of the Ass. As she -cast eyes on him she cried out, and rushed to him, and took him by the -ears and blew up his nostrils, and the animal was quiet. Then she and -Shibli Bagarag mounted him again, and she said to him, 'It is well thou -wert more vigilant than I, and that the sun rose not on this Ass while I -slept, or my enchantment would have thawed on him, and he would have -'scaped us.' - -She gave her heel to the Ass, and the Ass hung his tail in sullenness and -drooped his head; and she laughed, crying, 'Karaz, silly fellow! do thy -work willingly, and take wisely thine outwitting.' - -She jeered him as they journeyed, and made the soul of Shibli Bagarag -merry, so that he jerked in his seat upon the Ass. Now, as they ascended -the mountain they came to the opening of a cavern, and Noorna bin Noorka -halted the Ass, and said to Shibli Bagarag, 'We part here, and I wait for -thee in this place. Take this phial, and fill it with the waters of the -well, after thy bath. The way is before thee--speed on it.' - -He climbed the sides of the mountain, and was soon hidden in the clefts -and beyond the perches of the vulture. She kept her eyes on the rocky -point when he disappeared, awaiting his return; and the sun went over her -head and sank on the yon-side of the mountain, and it was by the beams of -the moon that she beheld Shibli Bagarag dropping from the crags and -ledges of rock, sliding and steadying himself downward till he reached -her with the phial in his hand, filled; and he was radiant, as it were -divine with freshness, so that Noorna, before she spoke welcome to him, -was lost in contemplating the warm shine of his visage, calling to mind -the poet's words: - - The wealth of light in sun and moon, - All nature's wealth, - Hath mortal beauty for a boon - When match'd with health. - -Then said she, 'O Shibli Bagarag, 'tis achieved, this first of thy tasks; -for mutely on the fresh red of thy mouth, my betrothed, speaketh the -honey of persuasiveness, and the children of Aklis will not resist thee.' -So she took the phial from him and led forth the Ass, and the twain -mounted the Ass and descended the slopes of the mountain in moonlight; -and Shibli Bagarag said, 'Lo! I have marked wonders, and lived a life -since our parting; and this well, 'tis a miracle to dip in it, and by it -sit many maidens weeping and old men babbling, and youths that were idle -youths striking bubbles from the surface of the water. The well is -rounded with marble, and the sky is clear in it, cool in it, the whole -earth imaged therein.' - -Then Noorna said, 'Hadst thou a difficulty in obtaining the waters of the -well?' - -He answered, 'Surely all was made smooth for me by thy aid. Now when I -came to the well I marked not them by it, but plunged, and the depth of -that well seemed to me the very depth of the earth itself, so went I ever -downward; and when I was near the bottom of the well I had forgotten life -above, and lo! no sooner had I touched the bottom of the well when my -head emerged from the surface: 'twas wondrous! But for a sign that -touched the bottom of the well, see, O Noorna bin Noorka, the Jewel, the -one of myriads that glitter at the bottom, and I plucked it for a gift to -thee.' - -So Noorna took the Jewel from his hand that was torn and crimson, and she -cried, 'Thou fair youth, thou bleedest with the plucking of it, and it -was written, no hand shall pluck a jewel at the bottom of that well -without letting of blood. Even so it is! Worthy art thou, and I was not -mistaken in thee.' - -At her words Shibli Bagarag burst forth into praises of her, and he sang: - - 'What is my worthiness - Match'd with thy worth? - Darkness and earthiness, - Dust and dearth! - -O Noorna, thou art wise above women: great and glorious over them.' - -In this fashion the youth lauded her that was his betrothed, but she -exclaimed, 'Hush! or the jealousy of this Ass will be aroused, and of a -surety he'll spill us.' - -Then he laughed and she laughed till the tail of Karaz trembled. - - - - - - -THE HORSE GARRAVEEN - - -Now, they descended leisurely the slopes of the mountain, and when they -were again in the green of its base, Noorna called to the Ass, 'Ho! -Karaz! Sniff now the breezes, for the end of our journey by night is the -meadows of Melistan. Forward in thy might, and bray not when we are in -them, for thy comfort's sake!' - -The Ass sniffed, turning to the four quarters, and chose a certain -direction, and bore them swiftly over hills and streans eddying in -silver; over huge mounds of sand, where the tents of Bedouins stood in -white clusters; over lakes smooth as the cheeks of sleeping loveliness; -by walls of cities, mosques, and palaces; under towers that rose as an -armed man with the steel on his brows and the frown of battle; by the -shores of the pale foaming sea it bore them, going at a pace that the -Arab on his steed outstrippeth not. So when the sun was red and the dews -were blushing with new light, they struggled from a wilderness of barren -broken ground, and saw beneath them, in the warm beams, green, peaceful, -deep, the meadows of Melistan. They were meadows dancing with flowers, -as it had been fresh damsels of the mountain, fair with variety of -colours that were so many gleams of changing light as the breezes of the -morn swept over them; lavish of hues, of sweetness, of pleasantness, fir -for the souls of the blest. - -Then, after they had gazed awhile, Noorna bin Noorka said, 'In these -meadows the Horse Garraveen roameth at will. Heroes of bliss bestride -him on great days. He is black to look on; speed quivers in his flanks -like the lightning; his nostrils are wide with flame; there is that in -his eye which is settled fire, and that in his hoofs which is ready -thunder; when he paws the earth kingdoms quake: no animal liveth with -blood like the Horse Garraveen. He is under a curse, for that he bore on -his back one who defied the Prophet. Now, to make him come to thee thou -must blow the call of battle, and to catch him thou must contrive to -strike him on the fetlock as he runs with this musk-ball which I give -thee; and to tame him thou must trace between his eyes a figure or the -crescent with thy forenail. When that is done, bring him to me here, -where I await thee, and I will advise thee further.' - -So she said, 'Go!' and Shibli Bagarag showed her the breadth of his -shoulders, and stepped briskly toward the meadows, and was soon brushing -among the flowers and soft mosses of the meadows, lifting his nostrils to -the joyful smells, looking about him with the broad eye of one that -hungereth for a coming thing. The birds went up above him, and the trees -shook and sparkled, and the waters of brooks and broad rivers flashed -like waving mirrors waved by the slave-girls in sport when the beauties -of the harem riot and dip their gleaming shoulders in the bath. He -wandered on, lost in the gladness that lived, till the loud neigh of a -steed startled him, and by the banks of a river before him he beheld the -Horse Garraveen stooping to drink of the river; glorious was the look of -the creature,--silver-hoofed, fashioned in the curves of beauty and -swiftness. So Shibli Bagarag put up his two hands and blew the call of -battle, and the Horse Garraveen arched his neck at the call, and swung -upon his haunches, and sought the call, answering it, and tossing his -mane as he advanced swiftly. Then, as he neared, Shibli Bagarag held the -musk-ball in his fingers, and aimed at the fetlock of the -Horse Garraveen, and flung it, and struck him so that he stumbled and -fell. He snorted fiercely as he bent to the grass, but Shibli Bagarag -ran to him, and grasped strongly the tuft of hair hanging forward between -his ears, and traced between his fine eyes a figure of the crescent with -his forenail, and the Horse ceased plunging, and was gentle as a colt by -its mother's side, and suffered Shibli Bagarag to bestride him, and spurn -him with his heel to speed, and bore him fleetly across the fair length -of the golden meadows to where Noorna bin Noorka sat awaiting him. She -uttered a cry of welcome, saying, 'This is achieved with diligence and -skill, O my betrothed! and on thy right wrist I mark strength like a -sleeping leopard, and the children of Aklis will not resist thee.' - -So she bade him alight from the Horse, but he said, 'Nay.' And she called -to him again to alight, but he cried, 'I will not alight from him! By -Allah! such a bounding wave of bliss have I never yet had beneath me, and -I will give him rein once again; as the poet says: - - "Divinely rings the rushing air - When I am on my mettled mare: - When fast along the plains we fly, - A creature of the heavens am I"' - -Then she levelled her brows at him, and said gravely, 'This is the -temptation thou art falling into, as have thousands before thy time. -Give him the rein a second time, and he will bear thee to the red pit, -and halt upon the brink, and pitch thee into it among bleeding masses and -skeletons of thy kind, where they lie who were men like to thee, and were -borne away by the Horse Garraveen.' - -He gave no heed to her words, taunting her, and making the animal prance -up and prove its spirit. - -And she cried reproachfully, 'O fool! is it thus our great aim will be -defeated by thy silly conceit? Lo, now, the greatness and the happiness -thou art losing for this idle vanity is to be as a dunghill cock matched -with an ostrich; and think not to escape the calamities thou bringest on -thyself, for as is said, - - No runner can outstrip his fate; - -and it will overtake thee, though thou part like an arrow from the bow.' - -He still made a jest of her remonstrance, trying the temper of the -animal, and rejoicing in its dark flushes of ireful vigour. - -And she cried out furiously, 'How! art thou past counsel? then will we -match strength with strength ere 'tis too late, though it weaken both.' - -Upon that, she turned quickly to the Ass and stroked it from one -extremity to the other, crying, 'Karaz! Karaz!' shouting, 'Come forth in -thy power!' And the Ass vanished, and the Genie stood in his place, -tall, dark, terrible as a pillar of storm to travellers ranging the -desert. He exclaimed, 'What is it, O woman? Charge me with thy -command!' - -And she said, 'Wrestle with him thou seest on the Horse Garraveen, and -fling him from his seat.' - -Then he yelled a glad yell, and stooped to Shibli Bagarag on the horse -and enveloped him, and seized him, and plucked him from the Horse, and -whirled him round, and flung him off. The youth went circling in the -air, high in it, and descended, circling, at a distance in the deep -meadow-waters. When he crept up the banks he saw the Genie astride the -Horse Garraveen, with a black flame round his head; and the Genie urged -him to speed and put him to the gallop, and was soon lost to sight, as he -had been a thunderbeam passing over a still lake at midnight. And Shibli -Bagarag was smitten with the wrong and the folly of his act, and sought -to hide his sight from Noorna; but she called to him, 'Look up, O youth! -and face the calamity. Lo, we have now lost the service of Karaz! for -though I utter ten spells and one spell in a breath, the Horse Garraveen -will ere that have stretched beyond the circle of my magic, and the Genie -will be free to do his ill deeds and plot against us. Sad is it! but -profit thou by a knowledge of thy weakness.' - -Then said she, 'See, I have not failed to possess myself of the three -hairs of Garraveen, and there is that to rejoice in.' - -She displayed them, and they were sapphire hairs, and had a flickering -light; and they seemed to live, wriggling their lengths, and were as -snakes with sapphire skins. Then she said, 'Thy right wrist, O my -betrothed!' - -He gave her his right wrist, and she tied round it the three hairs of -Garraveen, exclaiming, 'Thus do skilful carpenters make stronger what has -broken and indicated disaster. Surely, I confide in thy star? I have -faith in my foresight?' - -And she cried, 'Eyes of mine, what sayest thou to me? Lo, we must part -awhile: it is written.' - -Said he, 'Leave me not, my betrothed: what am I without thy counsel? And -go not from me, or this adventure will come to miserable issue.' - -So she said, 'Thou beginnest to feel my worth?' - -He answered, 'O Noorna! was woman like thee before in this world? Surely -'tis a mask I mark thee under; yet art thou perforce of sheer wisdom and -sweet manners lovely in my sight; and I have a thirst to hear thee and -look on thee.' - -While he spake, a beam of struggling splendour burst from her, and she -said, 'O thou dear youth, yes! I must even go. But I go glad of heart, -knowing thee prepared to love me. I must go to counteract the -machinations of Karaz, for he's at once busy, vindictive, and cunning, -and there's no time for us to lose; so farewell, my betrothed, and make -thy wits keen to know me when we next meet.' - -So he said, 'And I--whither go I?' - -She answered, 'To the City of Oolb straightway.' - -Then he, 'But I know not its bearing from this spot: how reach it?' - -She answered, 'What! thou with the phial of Paravid in thy vest, that -endoweth, a single drop of it, the flowers, the herbage, the very stones -and desert sands, with a tongue to articulate intelligible talk?' - -Said he, 'Is it so?' - -She answered, 'Even so.' - -Ere Slubli Bagarag could question her further she embraced him, and blew -upon his eyes, and he was blinded by her breath, and saw not her -departure, groping for a seat on the rocks, and thinking her still by -him. Sight returned not to him till long after weariness had brought the -balm of sleep upon his eyelids. - - - - - - -THE TALKING HAWK - -Now, when he awoke he found himself alone in that place, the moon shining -over the low meadows and flower-cups fair with night-dew. Odours of -night-flowers were abroad, filling the cool air with deliciousness, and -he heard in the gardens below songs of the bulbul: it was like a dream to -his soul, and he lay somewhile contemplating the rich loveliness of the -scene, that showed no moving thing. Then rose he and bethought him of -the words of Noorna, and of the City of Oolb, and the phial of the waters -of Paravid in his vest; and he drew it forth, and dropped a drop of it on -the rock where he had reclined. A deep harmony seemed suddenly to awake -inside the rock, and to his interrogation as to the direction of Oolb, he -heard, 'The path of the shadows of the moon.' - -Thereupon he advanced to a prominent part of the rocks above the meadows, -and beheld the shadows of the moon thrown forward into dimness across a -waste of sand. And he stepped downward to the level of sand, and went -the way of the shadows till it was dawn. Then dropped he a drop of the -waters of the phial on a spike of lavender, and there was a voice said to -him in reply to what he questioned, 'The path of the shadows of the sun.' - -The shadows of the sun were thrown forward across the same waste of sand, -and he turned and pursued his way, resting at noon beneath a date-tree, -and refreshing himself at a clear spring beside it. Surely he was joyful -as he went, and elated with high prospects, singing: - - Sun and moon with their bright fingers - Point the hero's path; - - If in his great work he lingers, - Well may they be wroth. - -Now, the extent of the duration of his travel was four days and an equal -number of nights; and it was on the fifth morn that he entered the gates -of a city by the sea, even at that hour when the inhabitants were rising -from sleep: fair was the sea beyond it, and the harbour was crowded with -vessels, ships stored with merchandise--silks, dates, diamonds, Damascus -steel, huge bales piled on the decks for the land of Roum and other -lands. Shibli Bagarag thought, 'There's scarce a doubt but that one of -those sails will set for Oolb shortly. Wullahy! if I knew which, I'd -board her and win a berth in her.' Presently he thought, 'I'll go to the -public fountain and question it with the speech-winning waters.' -Thereupon he passed down the streets of the city and came to an open -space, where stood the fountain, and sprinkled it with Paravid; and the -fountain spake, saying, 'Where men are, question not dumb things.' - -Cried he, 'Faileth Paravid in its power? Have I done aught to baffle -myself?' - -Then he thought, ''Twere nevertheless well to do as the fountain -directeth, and question men while I see them.' And he walked about among -the people, and came to the quays of the harbour where the ships lay -close in, many of them an easy leap from shore, and considered whom to -address. So, as he loitered about the quays, meditating on the means at -the disposal of the All-Wise, and marking the vessels wistfully, behold, -there advanced to him one at a quick pace, in the garb of a sailor. He -observed Shibli Bagarag attentively a moment, and exclaimed as it were in -the plenitude of respect and with the manner of one that is abashed, -'Surely, thou art Shibli Bagarag, the nephew of the barber, him we watch -for.' - -So Shibli Bagarag marvelled at this recognition, and answered, 'Am I then -already famous to that extent?' - -And he that accosted him said, ''Tis certain the trumpet was blown before -thy steps, and there is not a man in this city but knoweth of thy -destination to the City of Oolb, and that thou art upon the track of -great things, one chosen to bring about imminent changes.' - -Then said Shibli Bagarag, 'For this I praise Noorna bin Noorka, daughter -of Feshnavat, Vizier of the King that ruleth in the city of Shagpat! She -saw me, that I was marked for greatness. Wullahy, the eagle knoweth me -from afar, and proclaimeth me; the antelope of the hills scenteth the -coming of one not as other men, and telleth his tidings; the wind of the -desert shapeth its gust to a meaning, so that the stranger may wot Shibli -Bagarag is at hand!' - -He puffed his chest, and straightened his legs like the cock, and was as -a man upon whom the Sultan has bestowed a dress of honour, even as the -plumed peacock. Then the other said: - -'Know that I am captain of yonder vessel, that stands farthest out from -the harbour with her sails slackened; and she is laden with figs and -fruits which I exchange for silks, spices, and other merchandise, with -the people of Oolb. Now, what says the poet?-- - - "Delay in thine undertaking - Is disaster of thy own making"; - -and he says also: - - "Greatness is solely for them that succeed; - 'Tis a rotten applause that gives earlier meed." - -Therefore it is advisable for thee to follow me on board without loss of -time, and we will sail this very night for the City of Oolb.' - -Now, Shibli Bagarag was ruled by the words of the captain albeit he -desired to stay awhile and receive the homage of the people of that city. -So he followed him into a boat that was by, and the twain were rowed by -sailors to the ship. Then, when they were aboard the captain set sail, -and they were soon in the hollows of deep waters. There was a berth in -the ship set apart for Shibli Bagarag, and one for the captain. Shibli -Bagarag, when he entered his berth, beheld at the head of his couch a -hawk; its eyes red as rubies, its beak sharp as the curve of a scimitar. -So he called out to the captain, and the captain came to him; but when he -saw the hawk, he plucked his turban from his head, and dashed it at the -hawk, and afterward ran to it, trying to catch it; and the hawk flitted -from corner to corner of the berth, he after it with open arms. Then he -took a sword, but the hawk flew past him, and fixed on the back part of -his head, tearing up his hair by the talons, and pecking over his -forehead at his eyes. And Shibli Bagarag heard the hawk scream the name -'Karaz,' and he looked closely at the Captain of the vessel, and knew him -for the Genie Karaz. Then trembled he with exceeding terror, cursing his -credulities, for he saw himself in the hands of the Genie, and nothing -but this hawk friendly to him on the fearful waters. When the hawk had -torn up a certain hair, the Genie stiffened, and glowed like copper in -the furnace, the whole length of him; and he descended heavily through -the bottom of the ship, and sank into the waters beneath, which hissed -and smoked as at a bar of heated iron. Then Shibli Bagarag gave thanks -to the Prophet, and praised the hawk, but the hawk darted out of the -cabin, and he followed it on deck, and, lo! the vessel was in flames, -and the hawk in a circle of the flames; and the flames soared with it, -and left it no outlet. Now, as Shibli Bagarag watched the hawk, the -flames stretched out towards him and took hold of his vestments. So he -delayed not to commend his soul to the All-merciful, and bore witness to -his faith, and plunged into the sea headlong. When he rose, the ship had -vanished, and all was darkness where it had been; so he buffeted with the -billows, thinking his last hour had come, and there was no help for him -in this world; and the spray shaken from the billows blinded him, the -great walls of water crumbled over him; strength failed him, and his -memory ceased to picture images of the old time--his heart to beat with -ambition; and to keep the weight of his head above the surface was -becoming a thing worth the ransom of kings. As he was sinking and -turning his eyes upward, he heard a flutter as of fledgling's wings, and -the two red ruby eyes of the hawk were visible above him, like steady -fires in the gloom. And the hawk perched on him, and buried itself among -the wet hairs of his head, and presently taking the Identical in its -beak, the hawk lifted him half out of water, and bore him a distance, and -dropped him. This the hawk did many times, and at the last, Shibli -Bagarag felt land beneath him, and could wade through the surges to the -shore. He gave thanks to the Supreme Disposer, kneeling prostrate on the -shore, and fell into a sleep deep in peacefulness as a fathomless well, -unruffled by a breath. - -Now, when it was dawn Shibli Bagarag awoke and looked inland, and saw -plainly the minarets of a city shining in the first beams, and the front -of yellow mountains, and people moving about the walls and on the towers -and among the pastures round the city; so he made toward them, and -inquired of them the name of their city. And they stared at him, crying, -'What! know'st thou not the City of Oolb? the hawk on thy shoulder could -tell thee that much.' He looked and saw that the hawk was on his -shoulder; and its left wing was scorched, the plumage blackened. So he -said to the hawk, 'Is it profitable, O preserving bird, to ask of thee -questions?' - -The hawk shook its wings and closed an eye. - -So he said, 'Do I well in entering this city?' - -The hawk shook its wings again and closed an eye. - -So he said, 'To what house shall I direct my steps in this strange city -for the attainment of the purpose I have?' - -The hawk flew, and soared, and alighted on the topmost of the towers of -Oolb. So when it returned he said, 'O bird! rare bird! my counsellor! -it is an indication, this alighting on the highest tower, that thou -advisest me to go straight to the palace of the King?' - -The hawk flapped its wings and winked both eyes; so Shibli Bagarag took -forth the phial from his breast, remembering the virtues of the waters of -the Well of Paravid, and touched his lips with them, that he might be -endowed with flowing speech before the King of Oolb. As he did this the -phial was open, and the hawk leaned to it and dipped its beak into the -water; and he entered the city and passed through the long streets -towards the palace of the King, and craved audience of him as one that -had a thing marvellous to tell. So the King commanded that Shibli -Bagarag should be brought before him, for he was a lover of marvels. As -he went into the presence of the King, Shibli Bagarag listened to the -hawk, for the hawk spake his language, and it said, 'Proclaim to the King -a new wonder--"the talking hawk."' - -So when he had bent his body to the King, he proclaimed the new wonder; -and the King seemed not to observe the hawk, and said, 'From what city -art thou?' - -He answered, 'Native, O King, to Shiraz; newly from the City of Shagpat.' - -And the King asked, 'How is it with that hairy wonder?' - -He answered, 'The dark forest flourisheth about him.' - -And the King said, 'That is well! We of the City of Oolb take our -fashions from them of the City of Shagpat, and it is but yesterday that I -bastinadoed a barber that strayed among us.' - -Shibli Bagarag sighed when he heard the King, and thought to himself, -'How unfortunate is the race of barbers, once honourable and in esteem! -Surely it will not be otherwise till Shagpat is shaved!' And the King -called out to him for the cause of his sighing; so he said, 'I sigh, O -King of the age, considering how like may be the case of the barber -bastinadoed but yesterday, in his worth and value, to that of Roomdroom, -the reader of planets, that was a barber.' - -And he related the story of Roomdroom for the edification of the King and -the exaltation of barbercraft, delivering himself neatly and winningly -and pointedly, so that the story should apply, which was its merit and -its origin. - - - - - - -GOORELKA OF OOLB - - -When Shibli Bagarag had finished his narration of the case of Roomdroom -the barber, the King of Oolb said, 'O thou, native of Shiraz, there is -persuasion and sweetness and fascination on thy tongue, and I am touched -with compassion for the soles of Baba Mustapha, that I bastinadoed but -yesterday, and he was from Shiraz likewise.' - -Now, the heart of Shibli Bagarag leapt when he heard mention of Baba -Mustapha; and he knew him for his uncle that was searching him. He would -have cried aloud his relationship, but the hawk whispered in his ear. -Then the hawk said to him, 'There is danger in the King's muteness -respecting me, for I am visible to him. Proclaim the spirit of -prophecy.' - -So he proclaimed that spirit, and the King said, 'Prophesy to me of -barbercraft.' - -And he cried, 'O King of the age, the barber is abased, trodden -underfoot, given over to the sneers and the gibes of them that flatter -the powerful ones; he is as the winter worm, as the crocodile in the -slime of his sleep by the bank, as the sick eagle before moulting. But I -say, O King, that he will come forth like the serpent in a new skin, -shaming the old one; he slept a caterpillar, and will come forth a -butterfly; he sank a star, and lo! he riseth a constellation.' - -Now, while he was speaking in the fervour of his soul, the King said -something to one of the court officers surrounding him, and there was -brought to the King a basin, a soap-bowl, and barber's tackle. When -Shibli Bagarag saw these, the uses of the barber rushed upon his mind, -and desire to sway the tackle pushed him forward and agitated him, so -that he could not keep his hands from them. - -Then the King exclaimed, 'It is as I thought. Our passions betray -themselves, and our habits; so is it written. By Allah! I swear thou -art thyself none other than a barber, O youth.' - -Shibli Bagwrag was nigh fainting with terror at this discovery of the -King, but the hawk said in his ear, 'Proclaim speech in the tackle.' So -he proclaimed speech in the tackle; and the King smiled doubtfully, and -said, 'If this be a cheat, Shiraz will not see thy face more.' - -Then the hawk whispered in his ear, 'Drop on the tackle secretly a drop -from the phial.' This he did, spreading his garments, and commanded the -tackle to speak. And the tackle spake, each portion of it, confusedly as -the noise of Babel. So the King marvelled greatly, and said, ''Tis a -greater wonder than the talking hawk, the talking tackle. Wullahy! it -ennobleth barbercraft! Yet it were well to comprehend the saying of the -tackle.' - -Then the hawk flew to the tackle and fluttered about it, and lo! the -blade and the brush stood up and said in a shrill tone, 'It is ordained -that Shagpat shall be shaved, and that Shibli Bagarag shall shave him.' - -The King bit the forefinger of amazement, and said, 'What then ensueth, O -talking tackle?' - -And the brush and the blade stood up, and said in a shrill tone, 'Honour -to Shibli Bagarag and barbers! Shame unto Shagpat and his fellows!' - -Upon that, the King cried, 'Enough, O talking tackle; I will forestall -the coming thing. I will be shaved! wullahy, that will I!' - -Then the hawk whispered to Shibli Bagarag, 'Forward and shear him!' So -he stepped forth and seized the tackle, and addressed himself keenly to -the shaving of the King of Oolb, lathering him and performing his task -with perfect skill. And the courtiers crowded to follow the example of -the King, and Shibli Bagarag shaved them, all of them. Now, when they -were shaved, fear smote them, the fear of ridicule, and each laughed at -the change that was in the other; but the King cried, 'See that order is -issued for the people of Oolb to be as we before to-morrow's sun. So is -laughter taken in reverse.' And the King said aside to Shibli Bagarag, -'Say now, what may be thy price for yonder hawk?' - -And the hawk bade him say, 'The loan of thy cockleshell.' - -The King mused, and said, 'That is much to ask, for it is that which -beareth the Princess my daughter to the Lily of the Enchanted Sea, which -she nourisheth; and if 'tis harmed, she will be stricken with ugliness, -as was the daughter of the Vizier Feshnavat, who tended it before her. -Yet is this hawk a bird of price. What be its qualities, besides the -gift of speech?' - -Shibli Bagarag answered, 'To counsel in extremity; to forewarn; to -counteract enchantments and foul magic.' - -Upon that the King said, 'Follow me!' - -And the King led the way from the hall, through many spacious chambers -fair with mirrors and silks and precious woods, and smooth marble floors, -down into a vault lit by a lamp that was shaped like an eye. Round the -vault were hung helm-pieces, and swords, and rich-studded housings; and -there were silken dresses, and costly shawls, and tall vases and jars of -China, tapestries, and gold services. And the King said, 'Take thy -choice of these in exchange for the hawk.' - -But Shibli Bagarag said, 'Nought save a loan of the cockle-shell, King!' - -Then the King threatened him, saying, 'There is a virtue in each of the -things thou seest: the China jar is brimmed with wine, and remaineth so -though a thousand drink of it; the dress of Samarcand rendereth the -wearer invisible; yet thou refusest to exchange them for thy hawk!' - -And the King swore by the beard of his father he would seize perforce the -hawk and shut up Shibli Bagarag in the vault, if he fell not into his -bargain. Shibli Bagarag was advised by the hawk to accept the China jar -and the dress of Samarcand, and handed the hawk to the King in exchange -for these things. So the King took the hawk upon his wrist and departed -with it to the apartments of his daughter, and Shibli Bagarag went to the -chamber prepared for him in the palace. - -Now, when it was night, Shibli Bagarag heard a noise at his lattice, and -he arose and peered through it, and lo! the hawk was fluttering without; -so he let it in, and caressed it, and the hawk bade him put on his silken -dress and carry forth his China jar, and go the round of the palace, and -offer drink to the sentinels and the slaves. So he did as the hawk -directed, and the sentinels and slaves were aware of a China jar brimmed -with wine that was lifted to their lips, but him that lifted it they saw -not: surely, they drank deep of the draught of astonishment. - -Then the hawk flew before him, and he followed it to a chamber lit with -golden lamps, gorgeously hung, and full of a dusky splendour and the -faint sparkle of gems, ruby, amethyst, topaz, and beryl; in it there was -the hush of sleep, and the heart of Shibli Bagarag told him that one -beautiful was near. So he approached on tiptoe a couch of blue silk, -bordered with gold-wire, and inwoven with stars of blue turquoise stones, -as it had been the heavens of midnight. On the couch lay one, a woman, -pure in loveliness; the dark fringes of her closed lids like living -flashes of darkness, her mouth like an unstrung bow and as a double -rosebud, even as two isles of coral between which in the clear -transparent watery beds the pearls shine freshly. - -And the hawk said to Shibli Bagarag, 'This is the Princess Goorelka, the -daughter of the King of Oolb, a sorceress, the Guardian of the Lily of -the Enchanted Sea. Beneath her pillow is the cockle-shell; grasp it, but -gaze not upon her.' - -He approached and slid his arm beneath the pillow of the Princess, and -grasped the cockle-shell; but ere he drew it forth he gazed upon her, and -the lustre of her countenance transfixed him as with a javelin, so that -he could not stir, nor move his eyes from the contemplation of her -sweetness of feature. The hawk darted at him fiercely, and pecked at him -to draw his attention from her, and he stepped back, yet he continued -taking fatal draughts from the magic cup of her beauty. Then the hawk -screamed a loud scream of anguish, and the Princess awoke, and started -half-way from the couch, and stared about her, and saw the bird in -agitation. As she looked at the bird a shudder passed over her, and she -snatched a veil and drew it over her face, murmuring, 'I dream, or I am -under the eye of a man.' Then she felt beneath the pillow, and knew that -the cockle-shell had been touched; and in a moment she leapt from her -couch, and ran to a mirror and saw herself as she was, a full-moon made -to snare the wariest and sit singly high on a throne in the hearts of -men. At the sight of her beauty she smiled and seemed at peace, -murmuring still, 'I am under the eye of a man, or I dream.' Now, while -she so murmured she arrayed herself, and took the cockle-shell, and -passed through the ante-room among her women sleeping; and Shibli Bagarag -tracked her till she came to the vault; and she entered it and walked to -the corner from which had hung the dress of Samarcand. When she saw it -gone her face waxed pale, and she gazed slowly at all points, muttering, -'There is no further doubt but that I am under the eye of a man!' -Thereupon she ran hastily from the vault, and passed between the -sentinels of the palace, and saw them where they lay drowsy with -intoxication: so she knew that the China jar and the dress of Samarcand -had been used that night, and for no purpose friendly to her wishes. -Then she passed down the palace steps, and through the gates of the -palace and the city, till she came to the shore of the sea; there she -launched the cockle-shell and took the wind in her garments, and sat in -it, filling it to overflowing, yet it floated. And Shibli Bagarag waded -to the cockle-shell and took hold of it, and was drawn along by its -motion swiftly through the waters, so that a foam swept after him; and -Goorelka marked the foam. Now, they had passage over the billows -smoothly, and soon the length of the sea was darkened with two high -rocks, and between them there was a narrow channel of the sea, roughened -with moonlight. So they sped between the rocks, and came upon a purple -sea, dark-blue overhead, with large stars leaning to the waves. There -was a soft whisperingness in the breath of the breezes that swung there, -and many sails of charmed ships were seen in momentary gleams, flapping -the mast idly far away. Warm as new milk from the full udders were the -waters of that sea, and figures of fair women stretched lengthwise with -the current, and lifted a head as they rushed rolling by. Truly it was -enchanted even to the very bed! - - - - -ETEXT EDITOR'S BOOKMARKS: - -Delay in thine undertaking Is disaster of thy own making -Lest thou commence to lie--be dumb! -No runner can outstrip his fate -'Tis the first step that makes a path -When to loquacious fools with patience rare I listen - - - - -End of this Project Gutenberg Etext of The Shaving of Shagpat, v2 -by George Meredith - - - - - - -THE SHAVING OF SHAGPAT - -by GEORGE MEREDITH - - -AN ARABIAN ENTERTAINMENT - -1898/1909 - - - -BOOK 3. - -Contents: - -THE LILY OF THE ENCHANTED SEA -STORY OF NOORNA BIN NOORKA, THE GENIE KARAZ, AND THE PRINCESS OF OOLB -THE WILES OF RABESQURAT -THE PALACE OF AKLIS -THE SONS OF AKLIS -THE SWORD OF AKLIS - - - - -THE LILY OF THE ENCHANTED SEA - - -Now, after the cockle-shell had skimmed calmly awhile, it began to pitch -and grew unquiet, and came upon a surging foam, pale, and with -scintillating bubbles. The surges increased in volume, and boiled, -hissing as with anger, like savage animals. Presently, the cockle-shell -rose upon one very lofty swell, and Shibli Bagarag lost hold of it, and -lo! it was overturned and engulfed in the descent of the great mountain -of water, and the Princess Goorelka was immersed in the depths. She -would have sunk, but Shibli Bagarag caught hold of her, and supported her -to the shore by the strength of his right arm. The shore was one of sand -and shells, their wet cheeks sparkling in the moonlight; over it hung a -promontory, a huge jut of black rock. Now, the Princess when she landed, -seeing not him that supported her, delayed not to run beneath the rock, -and ascended by steps cut from the base of the rock. And Shibli Bagarag -followed her by winding paths round the rock, till she came to the -highest peak commanding the circle of the Enchanted Sea, and glimpses of -enthralled vessels, and mariners bewitched on board; long paths of -starlight rippled into the distant gloom, and the reflection of the moon -opposite was as a wide nuptial sheet of silver on the waters: islands, -green and white, and with soft music floating from their foliage, sailed -slowly to and fro. Surely, to dwell reclining among the slopes of those -islands a man would forfeit Paradise! Now, the Princess, as she stood -upon the peak, knew that she was not alone, and pretended to slip from -her footing, and Shibli Bagarag called out and ran to her; but she turned -in the direction of his voice and laughed, and he knew he was outwitted. -Then, to deceive her, he dropped from the phial twenty drops round her on -the rock, and those twenty drops became twenty voices, so that she was -bewildered with their calls, and stopped her ears, and ran from them, and -descended from the eminence nimbly, slipping over ledges and leaping the -abysses. And Shibli Bagarag followed her, clutching at the trailers and -tearing them with him, letting loose a torrent of stones and earth, till -on a sudden they stood together above a greenswarded basin of the rock -opening to the sea; and in the middle of the basin, lo! in stature like a -maiden of the mountains, and one that droopeth her head pensively -thinking of her absent lover, the Enchanted Lily. Wonder knocked at the -breast of Shibli Bagarag when he saw that queenly flower waving its -illumined head to the breeze: he could not retain a cry of rapture. As -he did this the Princess stretched her hand to where he was and groped a -moment, and caught him by the silken dress and tore in it a great rent, -and by the rent he stood revealed to her. Then said she, 'O youth, thou -halt done ill to follow me here, and the danger of it is past computing; -surely, the motive was a deep one, nought other than the love of me.' - -She spoke winningly, sweet words to a luted voice, and the youth fell -upon his knees before her, smitten by her beauty; and he said, 'I -followed thee here as I would follow such loveliness to the gates of -doom, O Princess of Oolb.' - -She smiled and said playfully, 'I will read by thy hand whether thou be -one faithful in love.' - -She took his hand and sprinkled on it earth and gravel, and commenced -scanning it curiously. As she scanned it her forehead wrinkled up, and a -shot like black lightning travelled across her countenance, withering its -beauty: she cried in a forced voice, 'Aha! it is well, O youth, for thee -and for me that thou lovest me, and art faithful in love.' - -The look of the Princess of Oolb and her voice affrighted the soul of -Shibli Bagarag, and he would have turned from her; but she held him, and -went to the Lily, and emptied into the palm of her hand the dew that was -in the Lily, and raised it to the lips of Shibli Bagarag, bidding him -drink as a pledge for her sake and her love, and to appease his thirst. -As he was about to drink, there fell into the palm of the Princess from -above what seemed a bolt of storm scattering the dew; and after he had -blinked with the suddenness of the action he looked and beheld the hawk, -its red eyes inflamed with wrath. And the hawk screamed into the ear of -Shibli Bagarag, 'Pluck up the Lily ere it is too late, O fool!--the dew -was poison! Pluck it by the root with thy right hand!' - -So thereat he strode to the Lily, and grasped it, and pulled with his -strength; and the Lily was loosened, and yielded, and came forth -streaming with blood from the bulb of the root; surely the bulb of the -root was a palpitating heart, yet warm, even as that we have within our -bosoms. - -Now, from the terror of that sight the Princess hid her eyes, and shrank -away. And the lines of malice, avarice, and envy seemed ageing her at -every breath. Then the hawk pecked at her three pecks, and perched on a -corner of rock, and called shrilly the name 'Karaz!' And the Genie Karaz -came slanting down the night air, like a preying bird, and stood among -them. So the hawk cried, 'See, O Karaz, the freshness of thy Princess of -Oolb'; and the Genie regarded her till loathing curled his lip, for she -grew in ghastliness to the colour of a frog, and a frog's face was hers, -a camel's back, a pelican's throat, the legs of a peacock. - -Then the hawk cried, 'Is this how ye meet, ye lovers,--ye that will be -wedded?' And the hawk made his tongue as a thorn to them. At the last -it exclaimed, 'Now let us fight our battle, Karaz!' - -But the Genie said, 'Nay, there will come a time for that, traitress!' - -The hawk cried, 'Thou delayest, till the phial of Paravid, the hairs of -Garraveen, and this Lily, my three helps, are expended, thinking Aklis, -for which we barter them, striketh but a single blow? That is well! Go, -then, and take thy Princess, and obtain permission of the King of Oolb, -her father, to wed her, O Karaz!' - -The hawk whistled with laughter, and the Genie was stung with its -mockeries, and clutched the Princess of Oolb in a bunch, and arose from -the ground with her, slanting up the night-air like fire, till he was -seen high up even as an angry star reddening the seas beneath. - -When he was lost to the eye, Shibli Bagarag drew a long breath and cried -aloud, 'The likeness of that Princess of Oolb in her ugliness to Noorna, -my betrothed, is a thing marvellous, if it be not she herself.' And he -reflected, 'Yet she seemed not to recognize and claim me'; and thought, -'I am bound to her by gratitude, and I should have rescued her from -Karaz, but I know not if it be she. Wullahy! I am bewildered; I will ask -counsel of the hawk.' He looked to the corner of the rock where the hawk -had perched, but the hawk was gone; as he searched for it, his eyes fell -upon the bed of earth where the Lily stood ere he plucked it, and lo! in -the place of the Lily, there was a damsel dressed in white shining silks, -fairer than the enchanted flower, straighter than the stalk of it; her -head slightly drooping, like the moon on a border of the night; her bosom -like the swell of the sea in moonlight; her eyes dark, under a low arch -of darker lashes, like stars on the skirts of storm; and she was the very -dream of loveliness, formed to freeze with awe, and to inflame with -passion. So Shibli Bagarag gazed at her with adoration, his hands -stretched half-way to her as if to clasp her, fearing she was a vision -and would fade; and the damsel smiled a sweet smile, and lifted her -antelope eyes, and said, 'Who am I, and to whom might I be likened, O -youth?' - -And he answered, 'Who thou art, O young perfection, I know not, if not a -Houri of Paradise; but thou art like the Princess of Oolb, yet lovelier, -oh lovelier! And thy voice is the voice of Noorna, my betrothed; yet -purer, sweeter, younger.' - -So the damsel laughed a laugh like a sudden sweeping of wild chords of -music, and said, 'O youth, saw'st thou not the ascent of Noorna, thy -betrothed, gathered in a bunch by Karaz?' - -And he answered, 'I saw her; but I knew not, O damsel of beauty; surely I -was bewildered, amazed, without power to contend with the Genie.' - -Then she said, 'Wouldst thou release her? So kiss me on the lips, on the -eyes, and on the forehead, three kisses each time; and with the first -say, "By the well of Paravid"; and with the second, "By the strength of -Garraveen!" and with the third, "By the Lily of the Sea!"' - -Now, the heart of the youth bounded at her words, and he went to her, and -trembling kissed her all bashfully on the lips, on the eyes, and on the -forehead, saying each time as she directed. Then she took him by the -hand, and stepped from the bed of earth, crying joyfully, 'Thanks be to -Allah and the Prophet! Noorna, is released from the sorceries that held -her, and powerful.' - -So, while he was wondering, she said, 'Knowest thou not the woman, thy -betrothed?' - -He answered, 'O damsel of beauty, I am charged with many feelings; doubts -and hopes are mixed in me. Say first who thou art, and fill my two ears -with bliss.' - -And she said, 'I will leave my name to other lips; surely I am the -daughter of the Vizier Feshnavat, betrothed to a wandering youth,--a -barber, who sickened at the betrothal, and consoled himself with a -proverb when he gave me the kiss of contract, and knew not how with truth -to pay me a compliment.' - -Now, Shibli Bagarag saw this was indeed Noorna bin Noorka, his betrothed, -and he fell before her in love and astonishment; but she lifted him to -her neck, and embraced him, saying, 'Said I not truly when I said "I am -that I shall be"? My youth is not as that of Bhanavar the Beautiful, -gained at another's cost, but my own, and stolen from me by wicked -sorceries.' And he cried, 'Tell me, O Noorna, my betrothed, how this -matter came to pass?' - -She said, 'On our way to Aklis.' - -She bade him grasp the Lily, and follow her; and he followed her down the -rock and over the bright shells upon the sand, admiring her stateliness, -her willowy lightness, her slimness as of the palm-tree. Then she waded -in the water, and began to strike out with her arms, and swim boldly,--he -likewise; and presently they came to a current that hurried them off in -its course, and carried them as weeds, streaming rapidly. He was bearing -witness to his faith as a man that has lost hope of life, when a strong -eddy stayed him, and whirled him from the current into the calm water. -So he looked for Noorna, and saw her safe beside him flinging back the -wet tresses from her face, that was like the full moon growing radiant -behind a dispersing cloud. And she said, 'Ask not for the interpretation -of wonders in this sea, for they cluster like dates on a date branch. -Surely, to be with me is enough?' - -And she bewitched him in the midst of the waters, making him oblivious of -all save her, so that he hugged the golden net of her smiles and fair -flatteries, and swam with an exulting stroke, giving his breast broadly -to the low billows, and shouting verses of love and delight to her. And -while they swam sweetly, behold, there was seen a pearly shell of -flashing crimson, amethyst, and emerald, that came scudding over the -waves toward them, raised to the wind, fan-shaped, and in its front two -silver seats. When she saw it, Noorna cried, 'She has sent me this, -Rabesqurat! Perchance is she favourable to my wishes, and this were -well!' - -Then she swayed in the water sideways, and drew the shell to her, and the -twain climbed into it, and sat each on one of the silver seats, folded -together. In its lightness it was as a foam-bubble before the wind on -the blue water, and bore them onward airily. At his feet Shibli Bagarag -beheld a stool of carved topaz, and above his head the arch of the shell -was inlaid with wreaths of gems: never was vessel fairer than that. - -Now, while they were speeding over the water, Noorna said, 'The end of -this fair sea is Aklis, and beyond it is the Koosh. So while the wind is -our helmsman, and we go circled by the quiet of this sea, I'll tell thee -of myself, if thou carest to hear.' - -And he cried with the ardour of love, 'Surely, I would hear of nought -save thyself, Noorna, and the music of the happy garden compareth not in -sweetness with it. I long for the freshness of thy voice, as the desert -camel for the green spring, O my betrothed!' - -So she said, 'And now give ear to the following':-- - - - - - - -AND THIS IS THE STORY OF NOORNA BIN NOORKA, THE GENIE KARAZ, AND THE -PRINCESS OF OOLB - - -Know, that when I was a babe, I lay on my mother's bosom in the -wilderness, and it was the bosom of death. Surely, I slept and smiled, -and dreamed the infant's dream, and knew not the coldness of the thing I -touched. So were we even as two dead creatures lying there; but life was -in me, and I awoke with hunger at the time of feeding, and turned to my -mother, and put up my little mouth to her for nourishment, and sucked -her, but nothing came. I cried, and commenced chiding her, and after a -while it was as decreed, that certain horsemen of a troop passing through -the wilderness beheld me, and seeing my distress and the helpless being I -was, their hearts were stirred, and they were mindful of what the poet -says concerning succour given to the poor, helpless, and innocent of this -world, and took me up, and mixed for me camel's milk and water from the -bags, and comforted me, and bore me with them, after they had paid -funeral rites to the body of my mother. - -Now, the rose-bud showeth if the rose-tree be of the wilds or of the -garden, and the chief of that troop seeing me born to the uses of -gentleness, carried me in his arms with him to his wife, and persuaded -her that was childless to make me the child of their adoption. So I -abode with them during the period of infancy and childhood, caressed and -cared for, as is said: - - The flower a stranger's hand may gather, - Strikes root into the stranger's breast; - Affection is our mother, father, - Friend, and of cherishers the best. - -And I loved them as their own child, witting not but that I was their -child, till on a day while I played among some children of my years, the -daughter of the King of Oolb passed by us on a mule, with her slaves and -drawn swords, and called to me, 'Thou little castaway!' and had me -brought to her, and peered upon my face in a manner that frightened me, -for I was young. Then she put me down from the neck of her mule where -she had seated me, saying, 'Child of a dead mother and a runaway father, -what need I fear from thy like, and the dreams of a love-sick Genie?' So -she departed, but I forgot not her words, and dwelt upon them, and grew -fevered with them, and drooped. Now, when he saw my bloom of health -gone, heaviness on my feet, the light hollowed from my eyes, my -benefactor, Ravaloke--he that I had thought my father--took me between -his knees, and asked me what it was and the cause of my ailing; and I -told him. - -Then said he, 'This is so: thou art not my child; but I love thee as -mine, O my little Desert-flower; and why the Princess should fancy fear -of thee I like not to think; but fear thou her, for she is a mask of -wiles and a vine trailing over pitfalls; such a sorceress the world -knoweth not as Goorelka of Oolb.' - -Now, I was penetrated by what he said, and ceased to be a companion to -them that loved childish games and romps, and meditated by myself in -gardens and closets, feigning sleep when the elder ones discoursed, that -I might learn something of this mystery, and all that was spoken -perplexed me more, as the sage declareth: - - Who in a labyrinth wandereth without clue, - More that he wandereth doth himself undo. - -Though I was quick as the quick-eyed falcon, I discovered nought, flying -ever at false game,-- - - A follower of misleading beams, - A cheated soul, the mock of dreams. - -At times I thought that it was the King of Oolb was my father, and -plotted to come in his path; and there were kings and princes of far -countries whom I sought to encounter, that they might claim me; but none -claimed me. O my betrothed, few gave me love beside Ravaloke, and when -the wife that he cherished died, he solely, for I was lost in waywardness -and the slave of moody imaginings. 'Tis said: - - If thou the love of the world for thyself wouldst gain, - mould thy breast - Liker the world to become, for its like the world loveth best; - -and this was not I then. - -Now, the sons and daughters of men are used to celebrate the days of -their birth with gifts and rejoicings, but I could only celebrate that -day which delivered me from death into the hands of Ravaloke, as none -knew my birth-hour. When it was the twelfth return of this event, -Ravaloke, my heart's father, called me to him and pressed in my hand a -glittering coin, telling me to buy with it in the bazaars what I would. -So I went forth, attended by a black slave, after the mid-noon, for I was -eager to expend my store, and cared not for the great heat. Scarcely had -we passed the cheese-market and were hurrying on to shops of the -goldsmiths and jewellers, when I saw an old man, a beggar, in a dirty -yellow turban and pieced particoloured cloth-stuff, and linen in rags his -other gear. So lean was he, and looked so weak that I wondered he did -other than lay his length on the ground; and as he asked me for alms his -voice had a piteousness that made me to weep, and I punished my slave for -seeking to drive him away, and gave my one piece of gold into his hand. -Then he asked me what I required of him in exchange, and I said, 'What -can a poor old man that is a beggar give?' He laughed, and asked me then -what I had intended to buy with that piece of money. So, beginning to -regret the power that was gone from me of commanding with my gold piece -this and that fine thing, I mused, and said, 'Truly, a blue dress -embroidered with gold, and a gold crown, and gold bracelets set with -turquoise stones,--these, and toys; but could I buy in this city a book -of magic, that were my purchase.' - -The old fellow smiled, and said to my black slave, 'And thou, hadst thou -this coin, what were thy purchase therewith?' - -He, scoffing the old beggar, answered, 'A plaister for sores as broad as -my back, and a camel's hump, O thou old villain!' - -The old man grunted in his chest, and said, 'Thou art but a camel -thyself, to hinder a true Mussulman from passing in peace down a street -of Oolb; so 'twere a good purchase and a fitting: know'st thou what is -said of the blessing given by them that receive a charity? - - "'Tis the fertilizing dew that streameth after the sun, - Strong as the breath of Allah to bless life well begun." - -So is my blessing on the little damsel, and she shall have her wish, -wullahy, thou black face! and thou thine.' - -This spake the old man, and hobbled off while my slave was jeering him. -So I strolled through the bazaars and thought no more of the old man's -words, and longed to purchase a hundred fineries, and came to the -confectioner's, and smelt the smell of his musk-scented sweetmeats and -lemon sweets and sugared pistachios that are delicious to crunch between -the teeth. My mouth watered, and I said to my slave, 'O Kadrab, a coin, -though 'twere small, would give us privilege in yonder shop to select, -and feast, and approve the skill of the confectioner.' - -He grinned, and displayed in his black fist a petty coin of exchange, but -would not let me have it till I had sworn to give no more away to -beggars. So even as we were hurrying into the shop, another old beggar -wretcheder than the first fronted me, and I was moved, and forgot my -promise to Kadrab, and gave him the money. Then was Kadrab wroth, and -kicked the old beggar with his fore-foot, lifting him high in air, and -lo! he did not alight, but rose over the roofs of the houses and beyond -the city, till he was but a speck in the blue of the sky above. So -Kadrab bit his forefinger amazed, and glanced at his foot, and at what -was visible of the old beggarman, and again at his foot, thinking but of -what he had done with it, and the might manifested in that kick, fool -that he was! All the way homeward he kept scanning the sky and lifting -his foot aloft, and I saw him bewildered with a strange conceit, as the -poet has exclaimed in his scorn: - - Oh, world diseased! oh, race empirical! - Where fools are the fathers of every miracle! - -Now, when I was in my chamber, what saw I there but a dress of very -costly blue raiment with gold-work broidery and a lovely circlet of gold, -and gold bracelets set with stones of turquoise, and a basket of gold -woven wire, wherein were toys, wondrous ones--soldiers that cut off each -other's heads and put them on again, springing antelopes, palm-trees that -turned to fountains, and others; and lo! a book in red binding, with -figures on it and clasps of gold, a great book! So I clapped my hands -joyfully, crying, 'The old beggar has done it!' and robed myself in the -dress, and ran forth to tell Ravaloke. As I ran by a window looking on -the inner court, I saw below a crowd of all the slaves of Ravaloke round -one that was seeking to escape from them, and 'twas Kadrab with a camel's -hump on his back, and a broad brown plaister over it, the wretch howling, -peering across his shoulder, and trying to bolt from his burden, as a -horse that would run from his rider. Then I saw that Kadrab also had his -wish, his camel's hump, and thought, 'The old beggar, what was he but a -Genie?' Surely Ravaloke caressed me when he heard of the adventure, and -what had befallen Kadrab was the jest of the city; but for me I spared -little time away from that book, and studied in it incessantly the ways -and windings of magic, till I could hold communication with Genii, and -wield charms to summon them, and utter spells that subdue them, -discovering the haunts of talismans that enthral Afrites and are powerful -among men. There was that Kadrab coming to me daily to call out in the -air for the old beggarman to rid him of his hump; and he would waste -hours looking up into the sky moodily for him, and cursing the five toes -of his foot, for he doubted not the two beggars were one, and that he was -punished for the kick, and lamented it direly, saying in the thick of his -whimperings, 'I'd give the foot that did it to be released from my hump, -O my fair mistress.' So I pitied him, and made a powder and a spell, and -my first experiment in magic was to relieve Kadrab of his hump, and I -succeeded in loosening it, and it came away from him, and sank into the -ground of the garden where we stood. So I told Kadrab to say nothing of -this, but the idle-pated fellow blabbed it over the city, and it came to -the ears of Goorelka. Then she sent for me to visit her, and by the -advice of Ravaloke I went, and she fondled me, and sought to get at the -depth of my knowledge by a spell that tieth every faculty save the -tongue, and it is the spell of vain longing. Now, because I baffled her -arts she knew me more cunning than I seemed, and as night advanced she -affected to be possessed with pleasure in me, and took me in her arms and -sought to fascinate me, and I heard her mutter once, 'Shall I doubt the -warning of Karaz?' So presently she said, 'Come with me'; and I went -with her under the curtain of that apartment into another, a long saloon, -wherein were couches round a fountain, and beyond it an aviary lit with -lamps: when we were there she whistled, and immediately there was a -concert of birds, a wondrous accord of exquisite piping, and she leaned -on a couch and took me by her to listen; sweet and passionate was the -harmony of the birds; but I let not my faculties lull, and observed that -round the throat of every bird was a ringed mark of gold and stamps of -divers gems similar in colour to a ring on the forefinger of her right -hand, which she dazzled my sight with as she flashed it. When we had -listened a long hour to this music, the Princess gazed on me as if to -mark the effect of a charm, and I saw disappointment on her lovely face, -and she bit her lip and looked spiteful, saying, 'Thou art far gone in -the use of magic, and wary, O girl!' Then she laughed unnaturally, and -called slaves to bring in sweet drinks to us, and I drank with her, and -became less wary, and she fondled me more, calling me tender names, -heaping endearments on me; and as the hour of the middle-night approached -I was losing all suspicion in deep languor, and sighed at the song of the -birds, the long love-song, and dozed awake with eyes half shut. I felt -her steal from me, and continued still motionless without alarm: so was I -mastered. What hour it was or what time had passed I cannot say, when a -bird that was chained on a perch before me--a very quaint bird, with a -topknot awry, and black, heavy bill, and ragged gorgeousness of plumage-- -the only object between my lids and darkness, suddenly, in the midst of -the singing, let loose a hoarse laugh that was followed by peals of -laughter from the other birds. Thereat I started up, and beheld the -Princess standing over a brazier, and she seized a slipper from her foot -and flung it at the bird that had first laughed, and struck him off his -perch, and went to him and seized him and shook him, crying, 'Dare to -laugh again!' and he kept clearing his throat and trying to catch the -tune he had lost, pitching a high note and a low note; but the marvel of -this laughter of the bird wakened me thoroughly, and I thanked the bird -in my soul, and said to Goorelka, 'More wondrous than their singing, this -laughter, O Princess!' - -She would not speak till she had beaten every bird in the aviary, and -then said in the words of the poet: - - Shall they that deal in magic match degrees of wonder? - From the bosom of one cloud comes the lightning and the thunder. - -Then said she, 'O Noorna! I'll tell thee truly my intent, which was to -enchant thee; but I find thee wise, so let us join our powers, and thou -shah become mighty as a sorceress.' - -Now, Ravaloke had said to me, 'Her friendship is fire, her enmity frost; -so be cold to the former, to the latter hot,' and I dissembled and -replied, 'Teach me, O Princess!' - -So she asked me what I could do. Could I plant a mountain in the sea and -people it? could I anchor a purple cloud under the sun and live there a -year with them I delighted in? could I fix the eyes of the world upon one -head and make the nations bow to it; change men to birds, fishes to men; -and so on--a hundred sorceries that I had never attempted and dreamed not -of my betrothed! I had never offended Allah by a misuse of my powers. -When I told her, she cried, 'Thou art then of a surety she that's fitted -for the custody of the Lily of the Light, so come with me.' - -Now, I had heard of the Lily, even this thou holdest may its influence be -unwithering!--and desired to see it. So she led me from the palace to -the shore of the sea, and flung a cockleshell on the waters, and seated -herself in it with me in her lap; and we scudded over the waters, and -entered this Enchanted Sea, and stood by the Lily. Then, I that loved -flowers undertook the custody of this one, knowing not the consequences -and the depth of her wiles. 'Tis truly said: - - The overwise themselves hoodwink, - For simple eyesight is a modest thing: - They on the black abysm's brink - Smile, and but when they fall bitterly think, - What difference 'twixt the fool and me, Creation's King? - -Nevertheless for awhile nothing evil resulted, and I had great joy in the -flower, and tended it with exceeding watchfulness, and loved it, so that -I was brought in my heart to thank the Princess and think well of her. - -Now, one summer eve as Ravaloke rested under the shade of his garden -palm, and I studied beside him great volumes of magic, it happened that -after I had read certain pages I closed one of the books marked on the -cover 'Alif,' and shut the clasp louder than I intended, so that he who -was dozing started up, and his head was in the sloped sun in an instant, -and I observed the shadow of his head lengthen out along the grass-plot -towards the mossed wall, and it shot up the wall, darkening it--then -drawing back and lessening, then darting forth like a beast of darkness -irritable for prey. I was troubled, for whatso is seen while the volume -Alif is in use hath a portent; but the discovery of what this might be -baffled me. So I determined to watch events, and it was not many days -ere Ravaloke, who was the leader of the armies of the King of Oolb, was -called forth to subdue certain revolted tributaries of the King, and at -my entreaty took me with him, and I saw battles and encounters lasting a -day's length. Once we were encamped in a fruitful country by a brook -running with a bright eye between green banks, and I that had freedom and -the password of the camp wandered down to it, and refreshed my forehead -with its coolness. So, as I looked under the falling drops, lo! on the -opposite bank the old beggar that had given me such fair return for my -alms and Kadrab his hump! I heard him call, 'This night is the key to -the mystery,' and he was gone. Every incantation I uttered was -insufficient to bring him back. Surely, I hurried to the tents and took -no sleep, watching zealously by the tent of Ravaloke, crouched in its -shadow. About the time of the setting of the moon I heard footsteps -approach the tent within the circle of the guard, and it was a youth that -held in his hand naked steel. When he was by the threshold of the tent, -I rose before him and beheld the favourite of Ravaloke, even the youth he -had destined to espouse me; so I reproached him, and he wept, denying not -the intention he had to assassinate Ravaloke, and when his soul was -softened he confessed to me, ''Twas that I might win the Princess -Goorelka, and she urged me to it, promising the King would promote me to -the vacant post of Ravaloke.' - -Then I said to him, 'Lov'st thou Goorelka?' - -And he answered, 'Yea, though I know my doom in loving her; and that it -will be the doom of them now piping to her pleasure and denied the -privilege of laughter.' - -So I thought, 'Oh, cruel sorceress! the birds are men!' And as I mused, -my breast melted with pity at their desire to laugh, and the little -restraint they had upon themselves notwithstanding her harshness; for -could they think of their changed condition and folly without laughter? -and the folly that sent them fresh mates in misery was indeed matter for -laughter, fed to fulness by constant meditation on the perch. Meantime, -I uncharmed the youth and bade him retire quickly; but as he was going, -he said, 'Beware of the Genie Karaz!' Then I held him back, and after -a parley he told me what he had heard the Princess say, and it was that -Karaz had seen me and sworn to possess me for my beauty. 'Strangely -smiled Goorelka when she spake that,' said he. - -Now, the City of Oolb fronts the sea, and behind it is a mountain and -a wood, where the King met Ravaloke on his return victorious over the -rebels. So, to escape the eye of the King I parted with Ravaloke, and -sought to enter the city by a circuitous way; but the paths wound about -and zigzagged, and my slaves suffered nightfall to surprise us in the -entanglements of the wood. I sent them in different directions to strike -into the main path, retaining Kadrab at the bridle of my mule; but that -creature now began to address me in a familiar tone, and he said -something of love for me that enraged me, so that I hit him a blow. Then -came from him sounds like the neighing of mares, and lo! he seized me and -rose with me in the air, and I thought the very heavens were opening to -that black beast, when on a sudden he paused, and shot down with me from -heights of the stars to the mouth of a cavern by the Putrid Sea, and -dragged me into a cavern greatly illuminated, hung like a palace chamber, -and supported on pillars of shining jasper. Then I fell upon the floor -in a swoon, and awaking saw Kadrab no longer, but in his place a Genie. -O my soul, thou halt seen him!--I thought at once, ''tis Karaz!' and when -he said to me, 'This is thy abode, O lady! and I he that have sworn to -possess thee from the hour I saw thee in the chamber of Goorelka,' then -was I certain 'twas Karaz. So, collecting the strength of my soul, -I said, in the words of the poet: - - 'Woo not a heart preoccupied! - What thorn is like a loathing bride? - Mark ye the shrubs how they turn from the sea, - The sea's rough whispers shun? - But like the sun of heaven be, - And every flower will open wide. - Woo with the shining patience we - Beheld in heaven's sun.' - -Then he sang: - - Exquisite lady! name the smart - That fills thy heart. - Thou art the foot and I the worm: - Prescribe the Term. - -Finding him compliant, I said, 'O great Genie, truly the search of my -life has been to discover him that is, my father, and how I was left in -the wilderness. There 's no peace for me, nor understanding the word of -love, till I hear by whom I was left a babe on the bosom of a dead -mother.' - -He exclaimed, and his eyes twinkled, ''Tis that? that shalt thou know in a -span of time. O my mistress, hast thou seen the birds of Goorelka? Thy -father Feshnavat is among them, perched like a bird.' - -So I cried, 'And tell me how he may be disenchanted.' - -He said, 'Swear first to be mine unreluctantly.' - -Then I said, 'What is thy oath?' - -He answered, 'I swear, when I swear, by the Identical.' - -Thereupon I questioned him concerning the Identical, what it was; and he, -not suspecting, revealed to me the mighty hair in his head now in the -head of Shagpat, even that. So I swore by that to give myself to the -possessor of the Identical, and flattered him. Then said he, 'O lovely -damsel, I am truly one of the most powerful of the Genii; yet am I in -bondage to that sorceress Goorelka by reason of a ring she holdeth; and -could I get that ring from her and be slave to nothing mortal an hour, I -could light creation as a torch, and broil the inhabitants of earth at -one fire.' - -I thought, 'That ring is known to me!' And he continued, 'Surely I -cannot assist thee in this work other than by revealing the means of -disenchantment, and it is to keep the birds laughing uninterruptedly an -hour; then are they men again, and take the forms of men that are -laughers--I know not why.' - -So I cried, ''Tis well! carry me back to Oolb.' - -Then the Genie lifted me into the air, and ceased not speeding rapidly -through it, till I was on the roof of the house of Ravaloke. O sweet -youth! moon of my soul! from that time to the disenchantment of -Feshnavat, I pored over my books, trying experiments in magic, dreadful -ones, hunting for talismans to countervail Goorelka; but her power was -great, and 'twas not in me to get her away from the birds one hour to -free them. On a certain occasion I had stolen to them, and kept them -laughing with stories of man to within an instant of the hour; and they -were laughing exultingly with the easy happy laugh of them that perceive -deliverance sure, when she burst in and beat them even to the door of -death. I saw too in her eyes, that glowed like the eyes of wild cats in -the dark, she suspected me, and I called Allah to aid the just cause -against the sinful, and prepared to war with her. - -Now, my desire, which was to liberate my father and his fellows in -tribulation, I knew pure, and had no fear of the sequel, as is declared: - - Fear nought so much as Fear itself; for arm'd with Fear the Foe - Finds passage to the vital part, and strikes a double blow. - -So one day as I leaned from my casement looking on the garden seaward, I -saw a strange red and yellow-feathered bird that flew to the branch of a -citron-tree opposite, with a ring in its beak; and the bird was singing, -and with every note the ring dropped from its bill, and it descended -swiftly in an arrowy slant downward, and seized it ere it reached the -ground, and commenced singing afresh. When I had marked this to happen -many times, I thought, 'How like is this bird to an innocent soul -possessed of magic and using its powers! Lo, it seeketh still to sing as -one of the careless, and cannot relinquish the ring and be as the -careless, and between the two there is neither peace for it nor -pleasure.' Now, while my eyes were on the pretty bird, dwelling on it, I -saw it struck suddenly by an arrow beneath the left wing, and the bird -fluttered to my bosom and dropped in it the ring from its beak. Then it -sprang weakly, and sought to fly and soar, and fluttered; but a blue film -lodged over its eyes, and its panting was quickly ended. So I looked at -the ring and knew it for that one I had noted on the finger of Goorelka. -Red blushed my bliss, and 'twas revealed to me that the bird was of the -birds of the Princess that had escaped from her with the ring. I buried -the bird, weeping for it, and flew to my books, and as I read a glow -stole over me. O my betrothed, eyes of my soul! I read that the -possessor of that ring was mistress of the marvellous hair which is a -magnet to the homage of men, so that they crowd and crush and hunger to -adore it, even the Identical! This was the power that peopled the aviary -of Goorelka, and had well-nigh conquered all the resistance of my craft. - -Now, while I read there arose a hubbub and noise in the outer court, and -shrieks of slaves. The noise approached with rapid strides, and before I -could close my books Goorelka burst in upon me, crying, 'Noorna! Noorna!' -Wild and haggard was her head, and she rushed to my books and saw them -open at the sign of the ring: then began our combat. She menaced me as -never mortal was menaced. Rapid lightning-flashes were her -transformations, and she was a serpent, a scorpion, a lizard, a lioness -in succession, but I leapt perpetually into fresh rings of fire and of -witched water; and at the fiftieth transformation, she fell on the floor -exhausted, a shuddering heap. Seeing that, I ran from her to the aviary -in her palace, and hurried over a story of men to the birds, that rocked -them on their perches with chestquakes of irresistible laughter. Then -flew I back to the Princess, and she still puffing on the floor, -commenced wheedling and begging the ring of me, stinting no promises. At -last she cried, 'Girl! what is this ring to thee without beauty? Thy -beauty is in my keeping.' - -And I exclaimed, 'How? how?' smitten to the soul. - -She answered, 'Yea; and I can wear it as my own, adding it to my own, -when thou'rt a hag!' - -My betrothed! I was on the verge of giving her the ring for this secret, -when a violent remote laughter filled the inner hollow of my ears, and it -increased, till the Princess heard it; and now the light of my casement -was darkened with birds, the birds of Goorelka, laughing as on a wind of -laughter. So I opened to them, and they darted in, laughing all of them, -till I could hold out no longer, and the infection of laughter seized me, -and I rolled with it; and the Princess, she too laughed a hyaena-laugh -under a cat's grin, and we all of us remained in this wise some minutes, -laughing the breath out of our bodies, as if death would take us. Whoso -in the City of Oolb heard us, the slaves, the people, and the King, -laughed, knowing not the cause. This day is still remembered in Oolb as -the day of laughter. Now, at a stroke of the hour the laughter ceased, -and I saw in the chamber a crowd of youths and elders of various ranks; -but their visages were become long and solemn as that of them that have -seen a dark experience. 'Tis certain they laughed little in their lives -from that time, and the muscles of their cheeks had rest. So I caught -down my veil, and cried to the Princess, 'My father is among these; point -him out to me.' - -Ere she replied one stepped forth, even Feshnavat, my father, and called -me by name, and knew me by a spot on the left arm, and made himself known -to me, and told me the story of my dead mother, how she had missed her -way from the caravan in the desert, and he searching her was set upon by -robbers, and borne on their expeditions. Nothing said he of the -sorceries of Goorelka, and I, not wishing to provoke the Princess, -suffered his dread to exist. So I kissed him, and bowed my head to him, -and she fled from the sight of innocent happiness. Then took I the ring, -and summoned Karaz, and ordered him to reinstate all those princes and -chiefs and officers in their possessions and powers, on what part of -earth soever that might be. Never till I stood as the Lily and thy voice -sweetened the name of love in my ears, heard I aught of delicate -delightfulness, like the sound of their gratitude. Many wooed me to let -them stay by me and guard me, and do service all their lives to me; but -this I would not allow, and though they were fair as moons, some of them, -I responded not to their soft glances, speaking calmly the word of -farewell, for I was burdened with other thoughts. - -Now, when the Genie had done my bidding, he returned to me joyfully. My -soul sickened to think myself his by a promise; but I revolved the words -of my promise, and saw in them a loophole of escape. So, when he claimed -me, I said, 'Ay! ay! lay thy head in my lap,' as if my mind treasured it. -Then he lay there, and revealed to me his plans for the destruction of -men. 'Or,' said he, 'they shall be our slaves and burden-beasts, for -there 's now no restraint on me, now thou art mistress of the ring, and -mine.' Thereupon his imagination swelled, and he saw his evil will -enthroned, and the hopes of men beneath his heel, crying, 'And the more I -crush them the thicker they crowd, for the Identical compelleth their -very souls to adore in spite of distaste.' - -Then said I, 'Tell me, O Genie! is the Identical subservient to me in -another head save thine?' - -He answered, 'Nay I in another head 'tis a counteraction to the power of -the Ring, the Ring powerless over it.' - -And I said, 'Must it live in a head, the Identical?' - -Cried he, 'Woe to what else holdeth it!' - -I whispered in his hairy pointed red ear, 'Sleep! sleep!' and lulled him -with a song, and he slept, being weary with my commissioning. Then I -bade Feshnavat, my father, fetch me one of my books of magic, and read in -it of the discovery of the Identical by means of the Ring; and I took the -Ring and hung it on a hair of my own head over the head of the Genie, and -saw one of the thin lengths begin to twist and dart and writhe, and shift -lustres as a creature in anguish. So I put the Ring on my forefinger, -and turned the hair round and round it, and tugged. Lo, with a noise -that stunned me, the hair came out! O my betrothed, what shrieks and -roars were those: with which the Genie awoke, finding himself bare of the -Identical! Oolb heard them, and the sea foamed like the mouth of -madness, as the Genie sped thunder-like over it, following me in mid-air. -Such a flight was that! Now, I found it not possible to hold the -Identical, for it twisted and stung, and was nigh slipping from me while -I flew. I saw white on a corner of the Desert, a city, and I descended -on it by the shop of a clothier that sat quietly by his goods and stuffs, -thinking of fate less than of kabobs and stews and rare seasonings. That -city hath now his name. Wullahy, had I not then sown in his head that -hair which he weareth yet, how had I escaped Karaz, and met thee? -Wondrous are the decrees of Providence! Praise be to Allah for them! So -the Genie, when he found himself baffled by me, and Shagpat with the -mighty hair in his head, the Identical, he yelled, and fetched Shagpat a -slap that sent him into the middle of the street; but Kadza screamed -after him, and there was immediately such lamentation in the city about -Shagpat, and such tearing of hair about him, that I perceived at once the -virtue that was in the Identical. As for Karaz, finding his claim as -possessor of the Identical no more valid, he vanished, and has been my -rebellious slave since, till thou, O my betrothed, mad'st me spend him in -curing thy folly on the horse Garraveen, and he escaped from my circles -beyond the dominion of the Ring; yet had he his revenge, for I that was -keeper of the Lily, had, I now learned ruefully, a bond of beauty with -it, and whatever was a stain to one withered the other. Then that -sorceress Goorelka stole my beauty from me by sprinkling a blight on the -petals of the fair flower, and I became as thou first saw'st me. But -what am I as I now am? Blissful! blissful! Surely I grew humble with -the loss of beauty, and by humility wise, so that I assisted Feshnavat to -become Vizier by the Ring, and watched for thy coming to shave Shagpat, -as a star watcheth; for 'tis written, 'A barber alone shall be shearer of -the Identical'; and he only, my betrothed, hath power to plant it in -Aklis, where it groweth as a pillar, bringing due reverence to Aklis. - - - - - - -THE WILES OF RABESQURAT - -Now, when Noorna bin Noorka had made an end of her narration, she folded -her hands and was mute awhile; and to the ear of Shibli Bagarag it seemed -as if a sweet instrument had on a sudden ceased luting. So, as he -leaned, listening for her voice to recommence, she said quickly, 'See -yonder fire on the mountain's height!' - -He looked and saw a great light on the summit of a lofty mountain before -them. - -Then said she, 'That is Aklis! and it is ablaze, knowing a visitant near. -Tighten now the hairs of Garraveen about thy wrist; touch thy lips with -the waters of Paravid; hold before thee the Lily, and make ready to enter -the mountain. Lo, my betrothed, thou art in possession of the three -means that melt opposition, and the fault is thine if thou fail.' - -He did as she directed; and they were taken on a tide and advanced -rapidly to the mountain, so that the waters smacked and crackled beneath -the shell, covering it with silver showering arches of glittering spray. -Then the fair beams of the moon became obscured, and the twain reddened -with the reflection of the fire, and the billows waxed like riotous -flames; and presently the shell rose upon the peak of many waves swollen -to one, and looking below, they saw in the scarlet abyss of waters at -their feet a monstrous fish, with open jaws and one baleful eye; and the -fish was lengthy as a caravan winding through the desert, and covered -with fiery scales. Shibli Bagarag heard the voice of Noorna shriek -affrightedly, 'Karaz!' and as they were sliding on the down slope, she -stood upright in the shell, pronouncing rapidly some words in magic; and -the shell closed upon them both, pressing them together, and writing -darkness on their very eyeballs. So, while they were thus, they felt -themselves gulped in, and borne forward with terrible swiftness, they -knew not where, like one that hath a dream of sinking; and outside the -shell a rushing, gurgling noise, and a noise as of shouting multitudes, -and muffled multitudes muttering complaints and yells and querulous -cries, told them they were yet speeding through the body of the depths in -the belly of the fish. Then there came a shock, and the shell was struck -with light, and they were sensible of stillness without motion. Then a -blow on the shell shivered it to fragments, and they were blinded with -seas of brilliancy on all sides from lamps and tapers and crystals, -cornelians and gems of fiery lustre, liquid lights and flashing mirrors, -and eyes of crowding damsels, bright ones. So, when they had risen, and -could bear to gaze on the insufferable splendour, they saw sitting on a -throne of coral and surrounded by slaves with scimitars, a fair Queen, -with black eyes, kindlers of storms, torches in the tempest, and with -floating tresses, crowned with a circlet of green-spiked precious stones -and masses of crimson weed with flaps of pearl; and she was robed with a -robe of amber, and had saffron sandals, loose silvery-silken trousers -tied in at the ankle, the ankle white as silver; wonderful was the -quivering of rays from the jewels upon her when she but moved a finger! -Now, as they stood with their hands across their brows, she cried out, 'O -ye traversers of my sea! how is this, that I am made to thank Karaz for -a sight of ye?' - -And Noorna bin Noorka answered, 'Surely, O Queen Rabesqurat, the haven of -our voyage was Aklis, and we feared delay, seeing the fire of the -mountain ablaze with expectations of us.' - -Then the Queen cried angrily, ''Tis well thou hadst wit to close the -shell, O Noorna, or there would have been delay indeed. Say, is not the -road to Aklis through my palace? And it is the road thousands travel.' - -So Noorna bin Noorka said, 'O Queen, this do they; but are they of them -that reach Aklis?' - -And the Queen cried violently, purpling with passion, 'This to me! when I -helped ye to the plucking of the Lily?' - -Now, the Queen muttered an imprecation, and called the name 'Abarak!' and -lo, a door opened in one of the pillars of jasper leading from the -throne, and there came forth a little man, humped, with legs like bows, -and arms reaching to his feet; in his hand a net weighted with leaden -weights. So the Queen levelled her finger at Noorna, and he spun the net -above her head, and dropped it on her shoulder, and dragged her with him -to the pillar. When Shibli Bagarag saw that, the world darkened to him, -and he rushed upon Abarak; but Noorna called swiftly in his ear, 'Wait! -wait! Thou by thy spells art stronger than all here save Abarak. Be -true! Remember the seventh pillar!' Then, with a spurn from the hand of -Abarak, the youth fell back senseless at the feet of the Queen. - -Now, with the return of consciousness his hearing was bewitched with -strange delicious melodies, the touch of stringed instruments, and others -breathed into softly as by the breath of love, delicate, tender, alive -with enamoured bashfulness. Surely, the soul that heard them dissolved -like a sweet in the goblet, mingling with so much ecstasy of sound; and -those melodies filling the white cave of the ear were even at once to -drown the soul in delightfulness and buoy it with bliss, as a heavy- -leaved flower is withered and refreshed by sun and dews. Surely, the -youth ceased not to listen, and oblivion of cares and aught other in this -life, save that hidden luting and piping, pillowed his drowsy head. At -last there was a pause, and it seemed every maze of music had been -wandered through. Opening his eyes hurriedly, as with the loss of the -music his own breath had gone likewise, he beheld a garden golden with -the light of lamps hung profusely from branches and twigs of trees by the -glowing cheeks of fruits, apple and grape, pomegranate and quince; and he -was reclining on a bank piled with purple cushions, his limbs clad in the -richest figured silks, fringed like the ends of clouds round the sun, -with amber fringes. He started up, striving to recall the confused -memory of his adventures and what evil had befallen him, and he would -have struggled with the vision of these glories, but it mastered him with -the strength of a potent drug, so that the very name of his betrothed was -forgotten by him, and he knew not whither he would, or the thing he -wished for. Now, when he had risen from the soft green bank that was his -couch, lo, at his feet a damsel weeping! So he lifted her by the hand, -and she arose and looked at him, and began plaining of love and its -tyrannies, softening him, already softened. Then said she, 'What I -suffer there is another, lovelier than I, suffering; thou the cause -of it, O cruel youth!' - -He said, 'How, O damsel? what of my cruelty? Surely, I know nothing -of it.' - -But she exclaimed, 'Ah, worse to feign forgetfulness!' - -Now, he was bewildered at the words of the damsel, and followed her -leading till they entered a dell in the garden canopied with foliage, -and beyond it a green rise, and on the rise a throne. So he looked -earnestly, and beheld thereon Queen Rabesqurat, she sobbing, her dark -hair pouring in streams from the crown of her head. Seeing him, she -cleared her eyes, and advanced to meet him timidly and with hesitating -steps; but he shrank from her, and the Queen shrieked with grief, crying, -'Is there in this cold heart no relenting?' - -Then she said to him winningly, and in a low voice, 'O youth, my husband, -to whom I am a bride!' - -He marvelled, saying, 'This is a game, for indeed I am no husband, -neither have I a bride . . . yet have I confused memory of some betrothal -. . .' - -Thereupon she cried, 'Said I not so? and I the betrothed.' - -Still he exclaimed, 'I cannot think it! Wullahy, it were a wonder!' - -So she said, 'Consider how a poor youth of excellent proportions came to -a flourishing Court before one, a widowed Queen, and she cast eyes of -love on him, and gave him rule over her and all that was hers when he had -achieved a task, and they were wedded. Oh, the bliss of it! Knit -together with bond and a writing; and these were the dominions, I the -Queen, woe's me!--thou the youth!' - -Now, he was roiled by the enchantments of the Queen, caught in the snare -of her beguilings; and he let her lead him to a seat beside her on the -throne, and sat there awhile in the midst of feastings, mazed, thinking, -'What life have I lived before this, if the matter be as I behold?' -thinking, ''Tis true I have had visions of a widowed queen, and I a poor -youth that came to her court, and espoused her, sitting in the vacant -seat beside her, ruling a realm; but it was a dream, a dream,--yet, wah! -here is she, here am I, yonder my dominions!' Then he thought, 'I will -solve it!' So, on a sudden he said to her beside him, 'O Queen, -sovereign of hearts! enlighten me as to a perplexity.' - -She answered, 'The voice of my lord is music in the ear of the bride.' - -Then said he, in the tone of one doubting realities, 'O fair Queen, is -there truly now such a one as Shagpat in the world?' - -She laughed at his speech and the puzzled appearance of his visage, -replying, 'Surely there liveth one, Shagpat by name in the world; strange -is the history of him, his friends, and enemies; and it would bear -recital.' - -Then he said, 'And one, the daughter of a Vizier, Vizier to the King in -the City of Shagpat?' - -Thereat, she shook her head, saying, 'I know nought of that one.' - -Now, Shibli Bagarag was mindful of his thwackings; and in this the wisdom -of Noorna, is manifest, that the sting of them yet chased away doubts of -illusion regarding their having been, as the poet says, - - If thou wouldst fix remembrance--thwack! - 'Tis that oblivion controls; - I care not if't be on the back, - Or on the soles. - -He thought, 'Wah! yet feel I the thong, and the hiss of it as of the -serpent in the descent, and the smack of it as the mouth of satisfaction -in its contact with tender regions. This, wullahy! was no dream.' -Nevertheless, he was ashamed to allude thereto before the Queen, and he -said, 'O my mistress, another question, one only! This Shagpat--is he -shaved?' - -She said, 'Clean shorn!' - -Quoth he, astonished, grief-stricken, with drawn lips, 'By which hand, -chosen above men?' - -And she exclaimed, 'O thou witty one that feignest not to know! Wullahy! -by this hand of thine, O my lord and king, daring that it is; dexterous! -surely so! And the shaving of Shagpat was the task achieved,--I the -dower of it, and the rich reward.' - -Now, he was meshed yet deeper in the net of her subtleties, and by her -calling him 'lord and king'; and she gave a signal for fresh -entertainments, exhausting the resources of her art, the mines of her -wealth, to fascinate him. Ravishments of design and taste were on every -side, and he was in the lap of abundance, beguiled by magic, caressed by -beauty and a Queen. Marvel not that he was dazzled, and imagined himself -already come to the great things foretold of him by the readers of -planets and the casters of nativities in Shiraz. He assisted in -beguiling himself, trusting wilfully to the two witnesses of things -visible; as is declared by him of wise sayings: - - There is in every wizard-net a hole, - So the entangler first must blind the soul. - -And it is again said by that same teacher: - - Ye that the inner spirit's sight would seal, - Nought credit but what outward orbs reveal. - -And the soul of Shibli Bagarag was blinded by Rabesqurat in the depths of -the Enchanted Sea. She sang to him, luting deliriously; and he was -intoxicated with the blissfulness of his fortune, and took a lute and -sang to her love-verses in praise of her, rhyming his rapture. Then they -handed the goblet to each other, and drank till they were on fire with -the joy of things, and life blushed beauteousness. Surely, Rabesqurat -was becoming forgetful of her arts through the strength of those -draughts, till her eye marked the Lily by his side, which he grasped -constantly, the bright flower, and she started and said, 'One grant, O my -King, my husband!' - -So he said courteously, 'All grants are granted to the lovely, the -fascinating; and their grief will be lack of aught to ask for?' - -Then said she, 'O my husband, my King, I am jealous of that silly flower: -laugh at my weakness, but fling it from thee.' - -Now, he was about to cast it from him, when a vanity possessed his mind, -and he exclaimed, 'See first the thing I will do, a wonder.' - -She cried, 'No wonders, my life! I am sated with them.' - -And he said, 'I am oblivious, O Queen, of how I came by this flower and -this phial; but thou shalt hear a thing beyond the power of common magic, -and see that I am something.' - -Now, she plucked at him to abstain from his action, but he held the phial -to the flower. She signed imperiously to some slaves to stay his right -wrist, and they seized on it; but not all of them together could withhold -him from dropping a drop into the petals of the flower, and lo, the Lily -spake, a voice from it like the voice of Noorna, saying, 'Remember the -Seventh Pillar.' Thereat, he lifted his eyes to his brows and frowned -back memory to his aid, and the scene of Karaz, Rabesqurat, Abarak, and -his betrothed was present to him. So perceiving that, the Queen delayed -not while he grasped the phial to take in her hands some water from a -basin near, and flung it over him, crying, 'Oblivion!' And while his -mind was straining to bring back images of what had happened, he fell -forward once more at the feet of Rabesqurat, senseless as a stone falls; -such was the force of her enchantments. - -Now, when he awoke the second time he was in the bosom of darkness, and -the Lily gone from his hand; so he lifted the phial to make certain of -that, and groped about till he came to what seemed an urn to the touch, -and into this he dropped a drop, and asked for the Lily; and a voice -said, 'I caught a light from it in passing.' And he came in the darkness -to a tree, and a bejewelled bank, and other urns, and swinging lamps -without light, and a running water, and a grassy bank, and flowers, and a -silver seat, sprinkling each; and they said all in answer to his question -of the Lily, 'I caught a light from it in passing.' At the last he -stumbled upon the steps of a palace, and ascended them, endowing the -steps with speech as he went, and they said, 'The light of it went over -us.' He groped at the porch of the palace, and gave the door a voice, -and it opened on jasper hinges, shrieking, 'The light of it went through -me.' Then he entered a spacious hall, scattering drops, and voices -exclaimed, 'We glow with the light of it.' He passed, groping his way -through other halls and dusk chambers, scattering drops, and as he -advanced the voices increased in the fervour of their replies, saying -sequently: 'We blush with the light of it; We beam with the light of it; -We burn with the light of it.' So, presently he found himself in a long -low room, sombrely lit, roofed with crystals; and in a corner of the -room, lo! a damsel on a couch of purple, she white as silver, spreading -radiance. Of such lustrous beauty was she that beside her, the Princess -Goorelka as Shibli Bagarag first beheld her, would have paled like a -morning moon; even Noorna had waned as Both a flower in fierce heat; and -the Queen of Enchantments was but the sun behind a sand-storm, in -comparison with that effulgent damsel on the length of the purple couch. -Well for him he wilt of the magic which floated through that palace; as -is said, - - Tempted by extremes, - The soul is most secure; - Too vivid loveliness blinds with its beams, - And eyes turned inward perceive the lure. - -Pulling down his turban hastily, he stepped on tiptoe to within arm's -reach of her, and, looking another way, inclined over her soft vermeil -mouth the phial slowly till it brimmed the neck, and dropped a drop of -Paravid between the bow of those sweet lips. Still not daring to gaze on -her, he said then, 'My question is of the Lily, the Lily of the Sea, and -where is it, O marvel?' - -And he heard a voice answer in the tones of a silver bell, clear as a -wind in strung wires, 'Where I lie, lies the Lily, the Lily of the Sea; I -with it, it with me.' - -Said he, 'O breather of music, tell me how I may lay hand on the flower -of beauty to bear it forth.' - -And he heard the voice, 'An equal space betwixt my right side and my -left, and from the shoulder one span and half a span downward.' - -Still without power to eye her, he measured the space and the spans, his -hand beneath the coverlids of the couch, and at a spot of the bosom his -hand sank in, and he felt a fluttering thing, fluttering like a frighted -bird in the midst of the fire. And the voice said, 'Quick, seize it, and -draw it out, and tie it to my feet by the twines of red silk about it.' - -He seized it and drew it out, and it was a heart--a heart of blood- -streaming with crimson, palpitating. Tears flashed on his sight -beholding it, and pity took the seat of fear, and he turned his eyes full -on her, crying, 'O sad fair thing! O creature of anguish! O painful -beauty! Oh, what have I done to thee?' - -But she panted, and gasped short and shorter gasps, pointing with one -finger to her feet. Then he took the warm living heart while it yet -leapt and quivered and sobbed; and he held it with a trembling hand, and -tied it by the red twines of silk about it to her feet, staining their -whiteness. When that was done, his whole soul melted with pity and -swelled with sorrow, and ere he could meet her eyes a swoon overcame him. -Surely, when the world dawned to him a third time in those regions the -damsel was no longer there, but in her place the Lily of Light. He -thought, 'It was a vision, that damsel! a terrible one; one to terrify -and bewilder! a bitter sweetness! Oh, the heart, the heart!' Reflecting -on the heart brought to his lids an overcharging of tears, and he wept -violently awhile. Then was he warned by the thought of his betrothed to -take the Lily and speed with it from the realms of Rabesqurat; and he -stole along the halls of the palace, and by the plashing fountains, and -across the magic courts, passing chambers of sleepers, fair dreamers, and -through ante-rooms crowded with thick-lipped slaves. Lo, as he held the -Lily to light him on, and the light of the Lily fell on them that were -asleep, they paled and shrank, and were such as the death-chill maketh of -us. So he called upon his head the protection of Allah, and went -swifter, to chase from his limbs the shudder of awe; and there were some -that slept not, but stared at him with fixed eyes, eyes frozen by the -light of the Lily, and he shunned those, for they were like spectres, -haunting spirits. After he had coursed the length of the palace, he came -to a steep place outside it, a rock with steps cut in stairs, and up -these he went till he came to a small door in the rock, and lying by it a -bar; so he seized the bar and smote the door, and the door shivered, for -on his right wrist were the hairs of Garraveen. Bending his body, he -slipped through the opening, and behold, an orchard dropping blossoms and -ripe golden fruits, streams flowing through it over sands, and brooks -bounding above glittering gems, and long dewy grasses, profusion of -scented flowers, shade and sweetness. So he let himself down to the -ground, which was an easy leap from the aperture, and walked through the -garden, holding the Lily behind him, for here it darkened all, and the -glowing orchard was a desert by its light. Presently, his eye fell on a -couch swinging between two almond trees, and advancing to it he beheld -the black-eyed Queen gathered up, folded temptingly, like a swaying -fruit; she with the gold circlet on her head, and she was fair as blossom -of the almond in a breeze of the wafted rose-leaf. Sweetly was she -gathered up, folded temptingly, and Shibli Bagarag refrained from using -the Lily, thinking, "Tis like the great things foretold of me, this -having of Queens within the very grasp, swinging to and fro as if to -taunt backwardness!' Then he thought, "Tis an enchantress! I will yet -try her.' So he made a motion of flourishing the Lily once or twice, but -forbore, fascinated, for she had on her fair face the softness of sleep, -her lips closed in dimples, and the wicked fire shut from beneath her -lids. Mastering his mind, the youth at last held the Lily to her, and -saw a sight to blacken the world and all bright things with its -hideousness. Scarce had he time to thrust the Lily in his robes, when -the Queen started up and clapped her hands, crying hurriedly, 'Abarak! -Abarak!' and the little man appeared in a moment at the door by which -Shibli Bagarag had entered the orchard. So, she cried still, 'Abarak!' -and he moved toward her. Then she said, 'How came this youth here, -prying in my private walks, my bowers? Speak!' - -He answered, 'By the aid of Garraveen only, O Queen! and there is no -force resisteth the bar so wielded.' - -Rabesqurat looked under her brows at Shibli Bagarag and saw the horror on -his face, and she cried out to Abarak in an agony, 'Fetch me the mirror!' -Then Abarak ran, and returned ere the Queen had drawn seven impatient -breaths, and in one hand he bore a sack, in the other a tray: so he -emptied the contents of the sack on the surface of the tray; surely they -were human eyes! and the Queen flung aside her tresses, and stood over -them. The youth saw her smile at them, and assume tender and taunting -manners before them, and imperious manners, killing glances, till in each -of the eyes there was a sparkle. Then she flung back her head as one -that feedeth on a mighty triumph, exclaiming, 'Yet am I Rabesqurat! wide -is my sovereignty.' Sideways then she regarded Shibli Bagarag, and it -seemed she was urging Abarak to do a deed beyond his powers, he frowning -and pointing to the right wrist of the youth. So she clenched her hands -an instant with that feeling which knocketh a nail in the coffin of a -desire not dead, and controlled herself, and went to the youth, breaking -into beams of beauty; and an enchanting sumptuousness breathed round her, -so that in spite of himself he suffered her to take him by the hand and -lead him from that orchard through the shivered door and into the palace -and the hall of the jasper pillars. Strange thrills went up his arm from -the touch of that Queen, and they were as little snakes twisting and -darting up, biting poison-bites of irritating blissfulness. - -Now, the hall was spread for a feast, and it was hung with lamps of -silver, strewn with great golden goblets, and viands, coloured meats, and -ordered fruits on shining platters. Then said she to Shibli Bagarag, 'O -youth! there shall be no deceit, no guile between us. Thou art but my -guest, I no bride to thee, so take the place of the guest beside me.' - -He took his seat beside her, Abarak standing by, and she helped the youth -to this dish and that dish, from the serving of slaves, caressing him -with flattering looks to starve aversion and nourish tender fellowship. -And he was like one that slideth down a hill and can arrest his descent -with a foot, yet faileth that freewill. When he had eaten and drunk with -her, the Queen said, 'O youth, no other than my guest! art thou not a -prince in the country thou comest from?' - -In a moment the pride of the barber forsook him, and he equivocated, -saying, 'O Queen! there is among the stars somewhere, as was divined by -the readers of planets, a crown hanging for me, and I search a point of -earth to intercept its fall.' - -She marked him beguiled by vanity, and put sweetmeats to his mouth, -exclaiming, 'Thy manners be those of a prince!' Then she sang to him of -the loneliness of her life, and of one with whom she wished to share her -state,--such as he. And at her signal came troops of damsels that stood -in rings and luted sweetly on the same theme--the Queen's loneliness, her -love. And he said to the Queen, 'Is this so?' - -She answered, 'Too truly so!' - -Now, he thought, 'She shall at least speak the thing that is, if she look -it not.' So he took the goblet, and contrived to drop a drop from the -phial of Paravid therein without her observing him; and he handed her the -goblet, she him; and they drank. Surely, the change that came over the -Queen was an enchantment, and her eyes shot lustre, her tongue was -loosed, and she laughed like one intoxicated, lolling in her seat, lost -to majesty and the sway of her magic, crying, 'O Abarak! Abarak! little -man, long my slave and my tool; ugly little man! And O Shibli Bagarag! -nephew of the barber! weak youth! small prince of the tackle! have I not -nigh fascinated thee? And thou wilt forfeit those two silly eyes of -thine to the sack. And, O Abarak, Abarak! little man, have I flattered -thee? So fetter I the strong with my allurements! and I stay the arrow -in its flight! and I blunt the barb of high intents! Wah! I have drunk a -potent stuff; I talk! Wullahy! I know there is a danger menacing -Shagpat, and the eyes of all Genii are fixed on him. And if he be -shaved, what changes will follow! But 'tis in me to delude the barber, -wullahy! and I will avert the calamity. I will save Shagpat!' - -While the Queen Rabesqurat prated in this wise with flushed face, Shibli -Bagarag was smitten with the greatness of his task, and reproached his -soul with neglect of it. And he thought, 'I am powerful by spells as -none before me have been, and 'twas by my weakness the Queen sought to -tangle me. I will clasp the Seventh Pillar and make an end of it, by -Allah and his Prophet (praised be the name!), and I will reach Aklis by a -short path and shave Shagpat with the sword.' - -So he looked up, and Abarak was before him, the lifted nostrils of the -little man wide with the flame of anger. And Abarak said, 'O youth, -regard me with the eyes of judgement! Now, is it not frightful to rate -me little?--an instigation of the evil one to repute me ugly?' - -The promptings of wisdom counselled Shibli Bagarag to say, 'Frightful -beyond contemplation, O Abarak! one to shame our species! Surely, there -is a moon between thy legs, a pear upon thy shoulders, and the cock that -croweth is no match for thee in measure.' - -Abarak cried, 'We be aggrieved, we two! O youth, son of my uncle, I will -give thee means of vengeance; give thou me means.' - -Shibli Bagarag felt scorn at the Queen, and her hollowness, and he said, -''Tis well; take this Lily and hold it to her.' - -Now, the Queen jeered Abarak, and as he approached her she shouted, -'What! thou small of build! mite of creation! sour mixture! thou puppet -of mine! thou! comest thou to seek a second kiss against the compact, -knowing that I give not the well-favoured of mortals beyond one, a -second. - -Little delayed Abarak at this to put her to the test of the Lily, and he -held the flower to her, and saw the sight, and staggered back like one -stricken with a shaft. When he could get a breath he uttered such a howl -that Rabesqurat in her drunkenness was fain to save her ears, and the -hall echoed as with the bellows of a thousand beasts of the forest. -Then, to glut his revenge he ran for the sack, and emptied the contents -of it, the Queen's mirror, before her; and the sackful of eyes, they saw -the sight, and sickened, rolling their whites. That done, Abarak gave -Shibli Bagarag the bar of iron, and bade him smite the pillars, all save -the seventh; and he smote them strengthily, crumbling them at a blow, and -bringing down the great hall and its groves, and glasses and gems, lamps, -traceries, devices, a heap of ruin, the seventh pillar alone standing. -Then, while he pumped back breath into his body, Abarak said, 'There's no -delaying in this place now, O youth! Say, halt thou spells for the -entering of Aklis?' - -He answered, 'Three!' - -Then said Abarak, ''Tis well! Surely now, if thou takest me in thy -service, I'll help thee to master the Event, and serve thee faithfully, -requiring nought from thee save a sight of the Event, and 'tis I that -myself missed one, wiled by Rabesqurat.' - -Quoth Shibli Bagarag, 'Thou?' - -He answered, 'No word of it now. Is't agreed?' - -So Shibli Bagarag cried, 'Even so.' - -Thereupon, the twain entered the pillar, leaving Rabesqurat prone, and -the waves of the sea bounding toward her where she lay. Now, they -descended and ascended flights of slippery steps, and sped together along -murky passages, in which light never was, and under arches of caves with -hanging crystals, groping and tumbling on hurriedly, till they came to an -obstruction, and felt an iron door, frosty to the touch. Then Abarak -said to Shibli Bagarag, 'Smite!' And the youth lifted the bar to his -right shoulder, and smote; and the door obeyed the blow, and discovered -an opening into a strange dusky land, as it seemed a valley, on one side -of which was a ragged copper sun setting low, large as a warrior's -battered shield, giving deep red lights to a brook that fell, and over a -flat stream a red reflection, and to the sides of the hills a dark red -glow. The sky was a brown colour; the earth a deeper brown, like the -skins of tawny lions. Trees with reddened stems stood about the valley, -scattered and in groups, showing between their leaves the cheeks of -melancholy fruits swarthily tinged, and toward the centre of the valley a -shining palace was visible, supported by massive columns of marble -reddened by that copper sun. Shibli Bagarag was awed at the stillness -that hung everywhere, and said to Abarak, 'Where am I, O Abarak? the look -of this place is fearful!' - -And the little man answered, 'Where, but beneath the mountains in Aklis? -Wullahy! I should know it, I that keep the passage of the seventh -pillar!' - -Then the thought of his betrothed Noorna, and her beauty, and the words, -'Remember the seventh pillar,' struck the heart of Shibli Bagarag, and he -exclaimed passionately, 'Is she in safety? Noorna, my companion, my -betrothed, netted by thee, O Abarak!' - -Abarak answered sharply, 'Speak not of betrothals in this place, or the -sword of Aklis will move without a hand!' - -But Shibli Bagarag waxed the colour of the sun that was over them, and -cried, 'By Allah! I will smite thee with the bar, if thou swear not to -her safety, and point not out to me where she now is.' - -Then said Abarak, 'Thou wilt make a better use of the bar by lifting it -to my shoulder, and poising it, and peering through it.' - -Shibli Bagarag lifted the bar to the shoulder of Abarak, and poised it, -and peered through the length of it, and lo! there was a sea tossing in -tumult, and one pillar standing erect in the midst of the sea; and on the -pillar, above the washing waves, with hair blown back, and flapping -raiment, pale but smiling still, Noorna, his betrothed! - -Now, when he saw her, he made a rush to the door of the passage; but -Abarak blocked the way, crying, 'Fool! a step backward in Aklis is -death!' - -And when he had wrestled with him and reined him, Abarak said, 'Haste to -reach the Sword from the sons of Aklis, if thou wouldst save her.' - -He drew him to the brink of the stream, and whistled a parrot's whistle; -and Shibli Bagarag beheld a boat draped with drooping white lotuses that -floated slowly toward them; and when it was near, he and Abarak entered -it, and saw one, a veiled figure, sitting in the stern, who neither moved -to them nor spake, but steered the boat to a certain point of land across -the stream, where stood an elephant ready girt for travellers to mount -him; and the elephant kneeled among the reeds as they approached, that -they might mount him, and when they had each taken a seat, moved off, -waving his trunk. Presently the elephant came to a halt, and went upon -his knees again, and the two slid off his back, and were among black -slaves that bowed to the ground before them, and led them to the shining -gates of the palace in silence. Now, on the first marble step of the -palace there sat an old white-headed man dressed like a dervish, who held -out at arm's length a branch of gold with golden singing-birds between -its leaves, saying, 'This for the strongest of ye!' - -Abarak exclaimed, 'I am that one'; and he held forth his hand for the -branch. - -But Shibli Bagarag cried, 'Nay, 'tis mine. Wullahy, what has not the -strength of this hand overthrown?' - -Then the brows of Abarak twisted; his limbs twitched, and he bawled, 'To -the proof!' waking all the echoes of Aklis. Shibli Bagarag was tempted -in his desire for the golden branch to lift the iron bar upon Abarak, -when lo! the phial of Paravid fell from his vest, and he took it, and -sprinkled a portion of the waters over the singing birds, and in a moment -they burst into a sweet union of voices, singing, in the words of the -poet: - - When for one serpent were two asses match? - How shall one foe but with wiles master double? - So let the strong keep for ever good watch, - Lest their strength prove a snare, and themselves a mere bubble; - For vanity maketh the strongest most weak, - As lions and men totter after the struggle. - Ye heroes, be modest! while combats ye seek, - The cunning one trippeth ye both with a juggle. - -Now, at this verse of the birds Shibli Bagarag fixed his eye on the old -man, and the beard of the old man shrivelled; he waxed in size, and flew -up in a blaze and with a baffled shout bearing the branch; surely, his -features were those of Karaz, and Shibli Bagarag knew him by the length -of his limbs, his stiff ears, and copper skin. Then he laughed a loud -laugh, but Abarak sobbed, saying, 'By this know I that I never should -have seized the Sword, even though I had vanquished the illusions of -Rabesqurat, which held me fast half-way.' - -So Shibli Bagarag stared at him, and said, 'Wert thou also a searcher, O -Abarak?' - -But Abarak cried, 'Rouse not the talkative tongue of the past, O youth! -Wullahy! relinquish the bar that is my bar, won by me, for the Sword is -within thy grip, and they await thee up yonder steps. Go! go! and look -for me here on thy return.' - - - - - - -THE PALACE OF AKLIS - -Now, Shibli Bagarag assured himself of his three spells, and made his -heart resolute, and hastened up the reddened marble steps of the Palace; -and when he was on the topmost step, lo! one with a man's body and the -head of a buffalo, that prostrated himself, and prayed the youth -obsequiously to enter the palace with the title of King. So Shibli -Bagarag held his head erect, and followed him with the footing of a -Sultan, and passed into a great hall, with fountains in it that were -fountains of gems, pearls, chrysolites, thousand-hued jewels, and by the -margin of the fountains were shapes of men with the heads of beasts- -wolves, foxes, lions, bears, oxen, sheep, serpents, asses, that stretched -their hands to the falls, and loaded their vestments with brilliants, -loading them without cessation, so that from the vestments of each there -was another pouring of the liquid lights. Then he with the buffalo's -head bade Shibli Bagarag help himself from the falls; but Shibli Bagarag -refused, for his soul was with Noorna, his betrothed; and he saw her pale -on that solitary pillar in the tumult of the sea, and knew her safety -depended on his faithfulness. - -He cried, 'The Sword of Aklis! nought save the Sword!' - -Now, at these words the fox-heads and the sheep-heads and the ass-heads -and the other heads of beasts were lifted up, and lo! they put their -hands to their ears, and tapped their foreheads with the finger of -reflection, as creatures seeking to bring to mind a serious matter. Then -the fountains rose higher, and flung jets of radiant jewels, and a -drenching spray of gems upon them, and new thirst aroused them to renew -their gulping of the falls, and a look of eagerness was even in the eyes -of the ass-heads and the silly sheep-heads; surely, Shibli Bagarag -laughed to see them! Now, when he had pressed his lips to recover his -sight from the dazzling of those wondrous fountains, he heard himself -again addressed by the title of King, and there was before him a lofty -cock with a man's head. So he resumed the majesty of his march, and -followed the fine-stepping cock into another hall, spacious, and clouded -with heavy scents and perfumes burning in censers and urns, musk, myrrh, -ambergris, and livelier odours, gladdening the nostril like wine, making -the soul reel as with a draught of the forbidden drink. Here, before a -feast that would prick the dead with appetite, were shapes of beasts with -heads of men, asses, elephants, bulls, horses, swine, foxes, river- -horses, dromedaries; and they ate and drank as do the famished with munch -and gurgle, clacking their lips joyfully. Shibli Bagarag remembered the -condition of his frame when first he looked upon the City of Shagpat, and -was incited to eat and accede to the invitation of the cock with the -man's head, and sit among these merry feeders and pickers of mouth- -watering morsels, when, with the City of Shagpat, lo! he had a vision of -Shagpat, hairier than at their interview, arrogant in hairiness; his head -remote in contemptuous waves and curls and frizzes, and bushy -protuberances of hair, lost in it, like an idolatrous temple in -impenetrable thickets. Then the yearning of the Barber seized Shibli -Bagarag, and desire to shear Shagpat was as a mighty overwhelming wave in -his bosom, and he shouted, 'The Sword of Aklis! nought save the Sword!' - -Now, at these words the beasts with men's heads wagged their tails, all -of them, from right to left, and kept their jaws from motion, staring -stupidly at the dishes; but the dishes began to send forth stealthy -steams, insidious whispers to the nose, silver intimations of -savouriness, so that they on a sudden set up a howl, and Shibli Bagarag -puckered his garments from them as from devouring dogs, and hastened from -that hall to a third, where at the entrance a damsel stood that smiled to -him, and led him into a vast marbled chamber, forty cubits high, hung -with draperies, and in it a hundred doors; and he was in the midst of a -very rose-garden of young beauties, such as the Blest behold in Paradise, -robed in the colours of the rising and setting sun; plump, with long, -black, languishing, almond-shaped eyes, and undulating figures. So they -cried to him, 'What greeting, O our King?' - -Now, he counted twenty and seven of them, and, fitting his gallantry to -verse, answered: - - Poor are the heavens that have not ye - To swell their glowing plenty; - Up there but one bright moon I see, - Here mark I seven-and-twenty. - -The damsels laughed and flung back their locks at his flattery, sporting -with him; and he thought, 'These be sweet maidens! I will know if they -be illusions like Rabesqurat'; so, as they were romping, he slung his -right arm round one, and held the Lily to her, but there was no change in -her save that she winked somewhat and her eyes watered; and it was so -with the others, for when they saw him hold the Lily to one they made him -do so to them likewise. Then he took the phial, and touched their lips -with the waters, and lo! they commenced luting and laughing, and singing -verses, and prattling, laughing betweenwhiles at each other; and one, a -noisy one, with long, black, unquiet tresses, and a curved foot and -roguish ankle, sang as she twirled: - - My heart is another's, I cannot be tender; - Yet if thou storm it, I fain must surrender. - -And another, a fresh-cheeked, fair-haired, full-eyed damsel, strong upon -her instep and stately in the bearing of her shoulders, sang shrilly: - - I'm of the mountains, and he that comes to me - Like eagle must win, and like hurricane woo me. - -And another, reclining on a couch buried in dusky silks, like a butterfly -under the leaves, a soft ball of beauty, sang moaningly: - - Here like a fruit on the branch am I swaying; - Snatch ere I fall, love! there's death in delaying. - -And another, light as an antelope on the hills, with antelope eyes edged -with kohl, and timid, graceful movements, and small, white, rounded ears, -sang clearly: - - Swiftness is mine, and I fly from the sordid; - Follow me, follow! and you'll be rewarded. - -And another, with large limbs and massive mould, that stepped like a cow -leisurely cropping the pasture, and shook with jewels amid her black hair -and above her brown eyes, and round her white neck and her wrists, and on -her waist, even to her ankle, sang as with a kiss upon every word: - - Sweet 'tis in stillness and bliss to be basking! - He who would have me, may have for the asking. - -And another, with eyebrows like a bow, and arrows of fire in her eyes, -and two rosebuds her full moist parted pouting lips, sang, clasping her -hands, and voiced like the tremulous passionate bulbul in the shadows of -the moon: - - Love is my life, and with love I live only; - Give me life, lover, and leave me not lonely. - -And a seventh, a very beam of beauty, and the perfection of all that is -imagined in fairness and ample grace of expression and proportion, lo! -she came straight to Shibli Bagarag, and took him by the hand and pierced -him with lightning glances, singing: - - Were we not destined to meet by one planet? - Can a fate sever us?--can it, ah! can it? - -And she sang tender songs to him, mazing him with blandishments, so that -the aim of existence and the summit of ambition now seemed to him the -life of a king in that palace among the damsels; and he thought, 'Wah! -these be no illusions, and they speak the thing that is in them. -Wullahy, loveliness is their portion; they call me King.' - -Then she that had sung to him said, 'Surely we have been waiting thee -long to crown thee our King! Thou hast been in some way delayed, O -glorious one!' - -And he answered, 'O fair ones, transcending in affability, I have -stumbled upon obstructions in my journey hither, and I have met with -adventures, but of this crowning that was to follow them I knew nought. -Wullahy, thrice have I been saluted King; I whom fate selecteth for the -shaving of Shagpat, and till now it was a beguilement, all emptiness.' - -They marked his bewildered state, and some knelt before him, some held -their arms out adoringly, some leaned to him with glistening looks, and -he was fast falling a slave to their flatteries, succumbing to them; -imagination fired him with the splendours due to one that was a king, and -the thought of wearing a crown again took possession of his soul, and he -cried, 'Crown me, O my handmaidens, and delay not to crown me; for, as -the poet says: - - "The king without his crown - Hath a forehead like the clown"; - -and the circle of my head itcheth for the symbols of majesty.' - -At these words of Shibli Bagarag they arose quickly and clapped their -hands, and danced with the nimble step of gladness, exclaiming, 'O our -King! pleasant will be the time with him!' And one smoothed his head and -poured oil upon it; one brought him garments of gold and silk inwoven; -one fetched him slippers like the sun's beam in brightness; others stood -together in clusters, and with lutes and wood-instruments, low-toned, -singing odes to him; and lo! one took a needle and threaded it, and gave -the thread into the hands of Shibli Bagarag, and with the point of the -needle she pricked certain letters on his right wrist, and afterwards -pricked the same letters on a door in the wall. Then she said to him, -'Is it in thy power to make those letters speak?' - -He answered, 'We will prove how that may be.' - -So he flung some drops from the phial over the letters, and they glowed -the colour of blood and flashed with a report, and it was as if a fiery -forked-tongue had darted before them and spake the words written, and -they were, 'This is the crown of him who bath achieved his aim and -resteth here.' Thereupon, she stuck the needle in the door, and he -pulled the thread, and the door drew apart, and lo! a small chamber, and -on a raised cushion of blue satin a glittering crown, thick with jewels -as a frost, such as Ambition pineth to wear, and the knees of men weaken -and bend beholding, and it lanced lights about it like a living sun. -Beside the cushion was a vacant throne, radiant as morning in the East, -ablaze with devices in gold and gems, a seat to fill the meanest soul -with sensations of majesty and tempt dervishes to the sitting posture. -Shibli Bagarag was intoxicated at the sight, and he thought, 'Wah! but if -I sit on this throne and am a king, with that crown I can command men and -things! and I have but to say, Fetch Noorna, my betrothed, from yonder -pillar in the midst of the uproarious sea!--Let the hairy Shagpat be -shaved! and behold, slaves, thousands of them, do my bidding! Wullahy, -this is greatness!' Now, he made a rush to the throne, but the damsels -held him back, crying, 'Not for thy life till we have crowned thee, our -master and lord!' - -Then they took the crown and crowned him with it; and he sat upon the -throne calmly, serenely, like a Sultan of the great race accustomed to -sovereignty, tempering the awfulness of his brows with benignant glances. -So, while he sat the damsels hid their faces and started some paces from -him, as unable to bear the splendour of his presence, and in a moment, -lo! the door closed between him and them, and he was in darkness. Then -he heard a voice of the damsels cry in the hall, 'The ninety and ninth! -Peace now for us and blissfulness with our lords, for now all are filled -save the door of the Sword, which maketh the hundredth.' After that he -heard the same voice say, 'Leave them, O my sisters!' - -So he listened to the noise of their departing, and knew he had been -duped. Surely his soul cursed him as he sat crowned and throned in that -darkness! He seized the crown to dash it to the earth, but the crown was -fixed on his forehead and would not come off; neither had he force to -rise from the throne. Now, the thought of Noorna, his betrothed, where -she rested waiting for him to deliver her, filled Shibli Bagarag with the -extremes of anguish; and he lifted his right arm and dashed it above his -head in the violence of his grief, striking in the motion a hidden gong -that gave forth a burst of thunder and a roll of bellowings, and lo! the -door opened before him, and the throne as he sat on it moved out of the -chamber into the hall where he had seen the damsels that duped him, and -on every side of the hall doors opened; and he marvelled to see men, old -and young, beardless and venerable, sitting upon thrones and crowned with -crowns, motionless, with eyes like stones in the recesses. He thought, -'These be other dupes! Wallaby! a drop of the waters of Paravid upon -their lips might reveal mysteries, and guide me to the Sword of my -seeking.' So, as he considered how to get at them from the seat of his -throne, his gaze fell on a mirror, and he beheld the crown on his -forehead what it was, bejewelled asses' ears stiffened upright, and -skulls of monkeys grinning with gems! The sight of that crowning his -head convulsed Shibli Bagarag with laughter, and, as he laughed, his seat -upon the throne was loosened, and he pitched from it, but the crown stuck -to him and was tenacious of its hold as the lion that pounceth upon a -victim. He bowed to the burden of necessity, and took the phial, and -touched the lips of one that sat crowned on a throne with the waters in -the phial; and it was a man of exceeding age, whitened with time, and in -the long sweep of his beard like a mountain clad with snow from the peak -that is in the sky to the base that slopeth to the valley. Then he -addressed the old man on his throne, saying, 'Tell me, O King! how camest -thou here? and in search of what?' - -The old man's lips moved, and he muttered in deep tones, 'When cometh he -of the ninety-and-ninth door?' - -So Shibli Bagarag cried, 'Surely he is before thee, in Aklis.' - -And the old man said, 'Let him ask no secrets; but when he hath reached -the Sword forget not to flash it in this hall, for the sake of -brotherhood in adventure.' - -After that he would answer no word to any questioning. - - - - - - -THE SONS OF AKLIS - -Now, Shibli Bagarag thought, 'The poet is right in Aklis as elsewhere, in -his words: - - "The cunning of our oft-neglected wit - Doth best the keyhole of occasion fit"; - -and whoso looketh for help from others looketh the wrong way in an -undertaking. Wah! I will be bold and batter at the hundredth door, which -is the door of the Sword.' So he advanced straightway to the door, which -was one of solid silver, charactered with silver letters, and knocked -against it three knocks; and a voice within said, 'What spells?' - -He answered, 'Paravid; Garraveen; and the Lily of the Sea!' - -Upon that the voice said, 'Enter by virtue of the spells!' and the silver -door swung open, discovering a deep pit, lightened by a torch, and across -it, bridging it, a string of enormous eggs, rocs' eggs, hollowed, and so -large that a man might walk through them without stooping. At the side -of each egg three lamps were suspended from a claw, and the shell passage -was illumined with them from end to end. Shibli Bagarag thought, 'These -eggs are of a surety the eggs of the Roc mastered by Aklis with his -sword!' Now, as the sight of Shibli Bagarag grew familiar to the place, -he beheld at the bottom of the pit a fluttering mass of blackness and two -sickly eyes that glittered below. - -Then thought he, 'Wah! if that be the Roc, and it not dead, will the bird -suffer one to defile its eggs with other than the sole of the foot, -naked?' He undid his sandals and kicked off the slippers given him by -the damsels that had duped him, and went into the first egg over the -abyss, and into the second, and into the third, and into the fourth, and -into the fifth. Surely the eggs swung with him, and bent; and the fear -of their breaking and he falling into the maw of the terrible bird made -him walk unevenly. When he had come to the seventh egg, which was the -last, it shook and swung violently, and he heard underneath the flapping -of the wings of the Roc, as with eagerness expecting a victim to prey -upon. He sustained his soul with the firmness of resolve and darted -himself lengthwise to the landing, clutching a hold with his right hand; -as he did so, the bridge of eggs broke, and he heard the feathers of the -bird in agitation, and the bird screaming a scream of disappointment as -he scrambled up the sides of the pit. - -Now, Shibli Bagarag failed not to perform two prostrations to Allah, and -raised the song of gratitude for his preservation when he found himself -in safety. Then he looked up, and lo! behind a curtain, steps leading to -an anteroom, and beyond that a chamber like the chamber of kings where -they sit in state dispensing judgements, like the sun at noon in -splendour; and in the chamber seven youths, tall and comely young men, -calm as princes in their port, each one dressed in flowing robes, and -with a large glowing pearl in the front of their turbans. They advanced -to meet him, saying, 'Welcome to Aklis, thou that art proved worthy! -'Tis holiday now with us'; and they took him by the hand and led him with -them in silence past fountain-jets and porphyry pillars to where a -service with refreshments was spread, meats, fowls with rice, sweetmeats, -preserves, palateable mixtures, and monuments of the cook's art, goblets -of wine like liquid rubies. Then one of the youths said to Shibli -Bagarag, 'Thou hast come to us crowned, O our guest! Now, it is not our -custom to pay homage, but thou shalt presently behold them that will, so -let not thy kingliness droop with us, but feast royally.' - -And Shibli Bagarag said, 'O my princes, surely it is a silly matter to -crown a mouse! Humility hath depressed my stature! Wullahy, I have had -warning in the sticking of this crown to my brows, and it sticketh like -an abomination.' - -They laughed at him, saying, 'It was the heaviness of that crown which -overweighted thee in the bridge of the abyss, and few be they that bear -it and go not to feed the Roc.' - -Now, they feasted together, interchanging civilities, offering to each -other choice morsels, dainties. And the anecdotes of Shibli Bagarag, his -simplicity and his honesty, and his vanity and his airiness, and the -betraying tongue of the barber, diverted the youths; and they plied him -with old wine till his stores of merriment broke forth and were as a -river swollen by torrents of the mountain; and the seven youths laughed -at him, spluttering with laughter, lurching with it. Surely, he -described to them the loquacity of Baba Mustapha his uncle, and they -laughed so that their chins were uppermost; but at his mention of Shagpat -greater gravity was theirs, and they smoothed their faces solemnly, and -the sun of their merriment was darkened for awhile. Then they took to -flinging about pellets of a sugared preparation, and reciting verses in -praise of jovial living, challenging to drink this one and that one, -passing the cup with a stanza. Shibli Bagarag thought, 'What a life is -this led by these youths! a fair one! 'Tis they that be the sons of -Aklis who sharpen the Sword of Events; yet live they in jollity, skimming -from the profusion of abundance that which floateth!' - -Now, marking him contemplative, one of the youths shouted, 'The King -lacketh homage!' - -And another called, 'Admittance for his people!' - -Then the seven arose and placed Shibli Bagarag on an elevation in the -midst of them, and lo! a troop of black slaves leading by the collar, -asses, and by a string, monkeys. Now, for the asses they brayed to the -Evil One, and the monkeys were prankish, pulling against the string, till -they caught sight of Shibli Bagarag. Then was it as if they had been -awestricken; and they came forward to him with docile steps, eyeing the -crown on his head, and prostrated themselves, the asses and the monkeys, -like creatures in whom glowed the lamp of reason and the gift of -intelligence. So Shibli Bagarag drooped his jaw and was ashamed, and he -cried, 'my princes! am I a King of these?' - -They answered, 'A King in mightiness! Sultan of a race!' - -So he said, 'It is certain I shall need physic to support such a -sovereignty! And I must be excused liberal allowances of old wine to sit -in state among them. Wullahy! they were best gone for awhile. Send them -from me, O my princes! I sicken.' - -And he called to the animals, 'Away! begone!' frowning. - -Then said the youths, 'Well commanded! and like a King! See, they troop -from thy presence obediently.' - -Now the animals fled from before the brows of Shibli Bagarag, and when -the chamber was empty of them the seven young men said, 'Of a surety thou -wert flattered to observe the aspect of these animals at beholding thee.' - -But he cried, 'Not so, O my princes; there is nought flattering in the -homage of asses and monkeys.' - -Then they said, 'O Sultan of asses, ruler of monkeys, better that than -thyself an ass and an ape! As was said by Shah Kasirwan, "I prefer being -king of beasts worshipped by beasts, rather than a crowned beast -worshipped by men"; and it was well said. Wullahy! the kings of Roum -quote it.' - -Now Shibli Bagarag was not rendered oblivious of the Sword of his quest -by the humour of these youths, or the wine-bibbings, and he exclaimed -while they were turning up the heels of their cups, 'O ye sons of Aklis, -know that I have come hither for the Sword sharpened by your hands, for -the releasing of my betrothed, Noorna bin Noorka, daughter of the Vizier -Feshnavat, and for the shaving of Shagpat.' - -While he was proceeding to recount the story of his search for the Sword, -they said, 'Enough, O potentate of the braying class and of the -scratching tribe! we have seen thee through the eye of Aklis since the -time of thy first thwacking. What says the poet? - - "A day for toil and a day for rest - Gives labour zeal, and pleasure zest." - -So, of thy seeking let us hear to-morrow; but now drink with us, and make -merry, and touch the springs of memory; spout forth verses, quaint ones, -suitable to the hour and the entertainment. Wullahy! drink with us! -taste life! Let the humours flow.' - -Then they made a motion to some slaves, and presently a clattering of -anklets struck the ear of Shibli Bagarag: and he beheld dancing-girls, -moons of beauty and elegance, and they danced wild dances, and dances -graceful and leopard-like and serpent-like in movement; and the youths -flung flowers at them, applauding them. Then came other sets of dancers -even lovelier, more languishing; and again others with tambourines and -musical instruments, that sang ravishingly. So the senses of Shibli -Bagarag were all taken with what he saw and heard, and ate and drank; and -by degrees a mist came before his eyes, and the sweet sounds and voices -of the girls grew distant, and it was with difficulty he kept his back -from the length of the cushions that were about him. Then he thought of -Noorna, and that she sang to him and danced, and when he rose to embrace -her she was Rabesqurat by the light of the Lily! And he thought of -Shagpat, and that in shaving him the blade was checked in its rapid -sweep, and blunted by a stumpy twine of hair that waxed in size and -became the head of Karaz that gulped at him a wide devouring gulp, and -took him in, and flew up with him, leaving Shagpat half sheared. Then he -thought himself struggling halfway down the throat of the monstrous Roc, -and that, when he was wholly inside the Roc, he was in a wide-arched -passage crowded with lamps, and at the end of the passage Noorna in the -clutch of Karaz, she shouting, 'The Sword, the Sword!' - -Now, while he felt for the Sword wherewith to release her from the Genie, -his eyes opened, and he saw day through a casement, and that he had -reposed on an embroidered couch in the corner of a stately room -ornamented with carvings of blue and gold. So while he wondered and -yawned, gaping, slaves started up from the floor and led him to a bath of -coloured marble, and bathed him in perfumed waters, and dressed him in a -dress of yellow silk, rich and ample. Then they paraded before him -through lesser apartments and across terraces, till they came to a great -hall; loftier and more spacious than any he had yet beheld, with -fountains at the two ends, and in the centre a tree with golden spreading -branches and leaves of gold; among the leaves gold-feathered birds, and -fruits of all seasons and every description--the drooping grape and the -pleasant-smelling quince, and the blood-red pomegranate, and the apricot, -and the green and rosy apple, and the gummy date, and the oily pistachio- -nut, and peaches, and citrons, and oranges, and the plum, and the fig. -Surely, they were countless in number, melting with ripeness, soft, full -to bursting; and the birds darted among them like sun-flashes. Now, -Shibli Bagarag thought, 'This is a wondrous tree! Wullahy! there is -nought like it save the tree in the hall of the Prophet in Paradise, -feeding the faithful!' As he regarded it he heard his name spoken in the -hall, and turning he beheld seven youths in royal garments, that were -like the youths he had feasted with, and yet unlike them, pale, and stern -in their manners, their courtesy as the courtesy of kings. They said, -'Sit with us and eat the morning's meal, O our guest!' - -So he sat with them under the low branches of the tree; and they whistled -the tune of one bird and of another bird, and of another, and lo! those -different birds flew down with golden baskets hanging from their bills, -and in the baskets fruits and viands and sweetmeats, and cool drinks. -And Shibli Bagarag ate from the baskets of the birds, watching the action -of the seven youths and the difference that was in them. He sought to -make them recognise him and acknowledge their carouse of the evening that -was past, but they stared at him strangely and seemed offended at the -allusion, neither would they hear mention of the Sword of his seeking. -Presently, one of the youths stood upon his feet and cried, "The time for -kings to sit in judgement!" - -And the youths arose and led Shibli Bagarag to a hall of ebony, and -seated him on the upper seat, themselves standing about him; and lo! -asses and monkeys came before him, complaining of the injustice of men -and their fellows, in brays and bellows and hoots. Now, at the sight of -them again Shibli Bagarag was enraged, and he said to the youths, 'How! -do ye not mock me, O masters of Aklis!' - -But they said only, 'The burden of his crown is for the King.' - -He cooled, thinking, 'I will use a spell.' So he touched the lips of an -animal with the waters of Paravid, and the animal prated volubly in our -language of the kick this ass had given him, and the jibe of that monkey, -and of his desire of litigation with such and such a beast for pasture; -and the others when they spake had the same complaints to make. Shibli -Bagarag listened to them gravely, and it was revealed to him that he who -ruleth over men hath a labour and duties of hearing and judging and -dispensing judgement similar to those of him who ruleth over apes and -asses. Then said he, 'O youths, my princes! methinks the sitting in this -seat giveth a key to secret sources of wisdom; and I see what it is, the -glory and the exaltation coveted by men.' Now, he took from the asses -and the monkeys one, and said to it, 'Be my chief Vizier,' and to -another, 'Be my Chamberlain!' and to another, 'Be my Treasurer!' and so -on, till a dispute arose between the animals, and jealousy of each other -was visible in their glances, and they appealed to him clamorously. So -he said, 'What am I to ye?' - -They answered, 'Our King!' - -And he said, 'How so?' - -They answered, 'By the crowning of the brides of Aklis.' - -Then he said, 'What be ye, O my subjects?' - -They answered, 'Men that were searchers of the Sword and plunged into the -tank of temptation.' - -And he said, 'How that?' - -They answered, 'By the lures of vanity, the blinding of ambition, and -tasting the gall of the Roc.' - -So Shibli Bagarag leaned to the seven youths, saying, 'O my princes, but -for not tasting the gall of the Roc I might be as one of these. Wullahy! -I the King am warned by base creatures.' Then he said to the animals, -'Have ye still a longing for the crown?' - -And they cried, all of them, 'O light of the astonished earth, we care -for nought other than it.' - -So he said, 'And is it known to ye how to dispossess the wearer of his -burden?' - -They answered, 'By a touch of the gall of the Roc on his forehead.' - -Then he lifted his arms, crying, 'Hie out of my presence! and whoso of ye -fetcheth a drop of the gall, with that one will I exchange the crown.' - -At these words some moved hastily, but the most faltered, as doubting and -incredulous that he would propose such an exchange; and one, an old -monkey, sat down and crossed his legs, and made a study of Shibli -Bagarag, as of a sovereign that held forth a deceiving bargain. But he -cried again, 'Hie and haste! as my head is now cased I think it not the -honoured part.' - -Then the old monkey arose with a puzzled look, half scornful, and made -for the door slowly, turning his head toward Shibli Bagarag betweenwhiles -as he went, and scratching his lower limbs with the mute reflectiveness -of age and extreme caution. - -Now, when they were gone, Shibli Bagarag looked in the eyes of the seven -youths, and saw they were content with him, and his countenance was -brightened with approval. So he descended from his seat, and went with -them from the hall of ebony to a court where horses were waiting saddled, -and slaves with hawks on their wrists stood in readiness; and they -mounted each a horse, but he loitered. The seven youths divined his -feeling, and cried impatiently, 'Come! no lingering in Aklis!' So he -mounted likewise, and they emerged from the palace, and entered the hills -that glowed under the copper sun, and started a milk-white antelope with -ruby spots, and chased it from its cover over the sand-hills, a hawk -being let loose to worry it and distress its timid beaming eyes. When -the creature was quite overcome, one of the youths struck his heel into -his horse's side and flung a noose over the head of the quarry, and drew -it with them, gently petting it the way home to the palace. At the gates -of the palace it was released, and lo! it went up the steps, and passed -through the halls as one familiar with them. Now, when they were all -assembled in the anteroom of the hall, where Shibli Bagarag had first -seen the seven youths, sons of Aklis, in their jollity, one of them said -to the Antelope, 'We have need of thee to speak a word with Aklis, O our -sister!' - -So the same youth requested the use of the phial of Paravid, and Shibli -Bagarag applied it carefully, tenderly, to the mouth of the Antelope. -Then the Antelope spake in a silver-ringing voice, saying, 'What is it, O -my brothers?' - -They answered, 'Thou knowest we dare not attempt interchange of speech -with Aklis, seeing that we disobeyed him in visiting the kingdoms of the -earth: so it is for thee to question him as to the object of this youth, -and it is the Shaving of Shagpat.' - -So she said, ''Tis well; I wot of it.' - -Then she advanced to the curtain concealing the abyss of the Roc and the -bridge of its eggs, and went behind it. There was a pause, and they -heard her say presently in a grave voice, toned with reverence, 'How is -it, O our father? is it a good thing that thy Sword be in use at this -season?' - -And they heard the Voice answer from a depth, ''Twere well it rust not!' - -They heard her say, 'O our father Aklis, and we wish to know if be held -in favour by thee, and thou sanction it with thy Sword.' - -And they heard the Voice answer, 'The Shaving of Shagpat is my Sword -alone equal to, and he that shaveth him performeth a service to mankind -ranking next my vanquishing of the Roc.' - -Then they heard her say, 'And it is thy will we teach him the mysteries -of the Sword, and that which may be done with it?' - -And they heard the Voice answer, 'Even so!' - -After that the Voice was still, and soon the Antelope returned from -behind the curtain, and the youths caressed her with brotherly caresses, -and took a circle of hands about her, and so moved to the great Hall of -the gorgeous Tree, and fed her from the branches. Now, while they were -there, Shibli Bagarag advanced to the Antelope, and knelt at her feet, -and said, 'O Princess of Aklis, surely I am betrothed to one constant as -a fixed star, and brighter; a mistress of magic, and innocent as the -bleating lamb; and she is now on a pillar, chained there, in the midst of -the white wrathful sea, wailing for me to deliver her with this Sword of -my seeking. So, now, I pray thee help me to the Sword swiftly, that I -may deliver her.' - -The youths, her brothers, clamoured and interposed, saying, 'Take thy -shape ere that, O Gulrevaz, our sister!' - -But she cried, 'He is betrothed! not till he graspeth the Sword. Tell -him, the youth, our conditions, and for what exchange the Sword is -yielded.' - -And they said, 'The conditions are, thou part with thy spells, all of -them, O youth!' - -And he said, 'There is no condition harsh that exchangeth the Sword; O ye -Seven, I agree!' - -Then she said, ''Tis well! nobility is in the soul of this youth. Go -before us now to the Cave of Chrysolites, O my brothers.' - -So these departed before, and she in her antelope form followed footing -gracefully, and made Shibli Bagarag repeat the story of his betrothal as -they went. - - - - - - -THE SWORD OF AKLIS - -Now, when they had made the passage of many halls, built of different -woods, filled with divers wonders, they descended a sloping vault, and -came to a narrow way in the earth, hung with black, at the end of it a -stedfast blaze like a sun, that grew larger as they advanced, and they -heard the sea above them. The noise of it, and its plunging and -weltering and its pitilessness, struck on the heart of Shibli Bagarag as -with a blow, and he cried, 'Haste, haste, O Princess! perchance she is -even now calling to me with her tongue, and I not aiding her; delayed by -the temptation of this crown and the guile of the Brides.' - -She checked him, and said, 'In Aklis no haste!' Then she said, 'Look!' -And lo, fronting them the single blaze became two fires; and drawing -nigh, Shibli Bagarag beheld them what they were, angry eyes in the head -of a great lion, a model of majesty, and passion was in his mane and -power was in his forepaws; so while he lashed his tail as a tempest -whippeth the tawny billows at night, and was lifting himself for a roar, -she said, 'A hair of Garraveen, and touch him with it!' - -Shibli Bagarag pushed up his sleeve and broke one of the three sapphire -hairs and stepped forward to the lion, holding in his right hand the hair -of vivid light. The lion crouched, and was in the vigour of the spring -when that hair touched him, and he trembled, tumbling on his knees and -letting the twain pass. So they advanced beyond him, and lo! the Cave of -Chrysolites irradiate with beams, breaks of brilliance, confluences of -lively hues, restless rays, meeting, vanishing, flooding splendours, now -scattered in dazzling joints and spars, now uniting in momentary disks of -radiance. In the centre of the cave glowed a furnace, and round it he -distinguished the seven youths, swarthier and sterner than before, dark -sweat standing on the brows of each. Their words were brief, and they -wore each a terrible frown, saying to him, without further salutation, -'Thrust in the flame of this furnace thy right wrist.' - -At the same moment, the Antelope said in his ear, 'Do thou their bidding, -and be not backward! In Aklis fear is ruin, and hesitation a destroyer.' - -He fixed his mind on the devotedness of Noorna, and held his nether lip -tightly between his teeth, and thrust his right wrist in the flame of the -furnace. The wrist reddened, and became transparent with heat, but he -felt no pain, only that his whole arm was thrice its natural weight. -Then the flame of the furnace fell, and the seven youths made him kneel -by a brook of golden waters and dip his forehead up to his eyes in the -waters. Then they took him to the other side of the cave, and his sight -was strengthened to mark the glory of the Sword, where it hung in slings, -a little way from the wall, outshining the lights of the cave, and -throwing them back with its superior force and stedfastness of lustre. -Lo! the length of it was as the length of crimson across the sea when the -sun is sideways on the wave, and it seemed full a mile long, the whole -blade sheening like an arrested lightning from the end to the hilt; the -hilt two large live serpents twined together, with eyes like sombre -jewels, and sparkling spotted skins, points of fire in their folds, and -reflections of the emerald and topaz and ruby stones, studded in the -blood-stained haft. Then the seven young men, sons of Aklis, said to -Shibli Bagarag, 'Surrender the Lily!' And when he had given into their -hands the Lily, they said, 'Grasp the handle of the Sword!' - -Now, he beheld the Sword and the ripples of violet heat that were -breathing down it, and those two venomous serpents twined together, and -the size of it, its ponderousness; and to essay lifting it appeared to -him a madness, but he concealed his thought, and, setting his soul on the -safety of Noorna, went forward to it boldly, and piercing his right arm -between the twists of the serpents, grasped the jewelled haft. Surely, -the Sword moved from the slings as if a giant had swayed it! But what -amazed him was the marvel of the blade, for its sharpness was such that -nothing stood in its way, and it slipped through everything as we pass -through still water, the stone columns, blocks of granite by the walls, -the walls of earth, and the thick solidity of the ground beneath his -feet. They bade him say to the Sword, 'Sleep!' and it was no longer than -a knife in the girdle. Likewise, they bade him hiss on the heads of the -serpents, and say, 'Wake!' and while he held it lengthwise it shot -lengthening out. Then they bade him hold in one hand the sapphire hair -that conquered the lion, and with the edge of the Sword touch one point -of it. So he did that, and it split in half, and the two halves he also -split; and he split those four, and those eight, till the hairs were thin -as light and not distinguishable from it. When Shibli Bagarag saw the -power of the Sword, he exulted and cried, 'Praise be to the science of -them that forecast events and the haps of life!' Now, in the meantime he -marked the youths take those hairs of Garraveen that he had split, and -tie them round the neck of the Antelope, and empty the contents of the -phial down her throat; and they put the bulb of the Lily, that was a -heart, in her mouth, and she swallowed it till the flower covered her -face. Then they took each a handful of the golden waters of the brook -flowing through the cave, and flung the waters over her, exclaiming, 'By -the three spells that have power in Aklis, and by which these waters are -a blessing!' - -In the passing of a flash she took her shape, and was a damsel taller -than the tallest of them that descend from the mountains, a vision of -loveliness, with queenly brows, closed red lips, and large full black -eyes; her hair black, and on it a net of amber strung with pearls. To -look upon her was to feel the tyranny of love, love's pangs of alarm and -hope and anguish; and she was dressed in a dress of white silk, threaded -with gold and sapphire, showing in shadowy beams her rounded figure and -the stateliness that was hers. So she ran to her brothers and embraced -them, calling them by their names, catching their hands, caressing them -as one that had been long parted from them. Then, seeing Shibli Bagarag -as he stood transfixed with the javelins of loveliness that flew from her -on all sides, she cried: 'What, O Master of the Event! halt thou nought -for the Sword but to gaze before thee in silliness?' - -Then he said, 'O rare in beauty! marvel of Aklis and the world! surely -the paradise of eyes is thy figure and the glory of thy face!' - -But she shouted, 'To work with the Sword! Shame on thee! is there not -one, a bright one, a miracle in faithfulness, that awaiteth thy rescue on -the pillar?' - -And she repeated the praises he had spoken of Noorna bin Noorka, his -betrothed. Then he grasped the Sword firmly, remembering the love of -Noorna, and crying, 'Lead me from this, O ye sons of Aklis, and thou, -Princess Gulrevaz, lead me, that I may come to her.' - -So they said, 'Follow us!' and he sheathed the Sword in his girdle with -the word 'Sleep!' and followed them, his heart beating violently. - - - - -ETEXT EDITOR'S BOOKMARKS: - -Arm'd with Fear the Foe Finds passage to the vital part -Fear nought so much as Fear itself -If thou wouldst fix remembrance--thwack! -Nought credit but what outward orbs reveal -The overwise themselves hoodwink -The king without his crown Hath a forehead like the clown -Vanity maketh the strongest most weak -Where fools are the fathers of every miracle -Who in a labyrinth wandereth without clue - - - - -End of this Project Gutenberg Etext of The Shaving of Shagpat, v3 -by George Meredith - - - - - - -THE SHAVING OF SHAGPAT - -by GEORGE MEREDITH - - -AN ARABIAN ENTERTAINMENT - -1898/1909 - - - -BOOK 4. - -KOOROOKH -THE VEILED FIGURE -THE BOSOM OF NOORNA -THE REVIVAL -THE PLOT -THE DISH OF POMEGRANATE GRAIN -THE BURNING OF THE IDENTICAL -THE FLASHES OF THE BLADE -CONCLUSION - - - -KOOROOKH - - -Now, they sped from the Cave of Chrysolites by another passage than that -by which they entered it, and nothing but the light of the Sword to guide -them. By that light Shibli Bagarag could distinguish glimmering shapes, -silent and statue-like, to the right and the left of them, their visages -hidden in a veil of heavy webs; and he saw what seemed in the dusk broad -halls, halls of council, and again black pools and black groves, and -columns of crowded porticoes,--all signs of an underground kingdom. They -came to some steps and mounted these severally, coming to a platform, in -the middle of which leapt a fountain, the top spray of it touched with a -beam of earth and the air breathed by men. Here he heard the youths -dabble with the dark waters, and he discerned Gulrevaz tossing it in her -two hands, calling, 'Koorookh! Koorookh!' Then they said to him, 'Stir -this fountain with the Sword, O Master of the Event!' So he stirred the -fountain, and the whole body of it took a leap toward the light that was -like the shoot of a long lance of silver in the moon's rays, and lo! in -its place the ruffled feathers of a bird. Then the seven youths and the -Princess and Shibli Bagarag got up under its feathers like a brood of -water-fowl; and the bird winged straight up as doth a blinded bee, -ascending, and passing in the ascent a widening succession of winding -terraces, till he observed the copper sun of Aklis and the red lands -below it. Thrice, in the exuberance of his gladness, he waved the Sword, -and the sun lost that dulness on its disk and took a bright flame, and -threw golden arrows everywhere; and the pastures were green, the streams -clear, the sands sparkling. The bird flew, and circled, and hung poised -a moment, presently descending on the roof of the palace. Now, there was -here a piece of solid glass, propped on two crossed bars of gold, and it -was shaped like an eye, and might have been taken for one of the eyes -inhabiting the head of some monstrous Genie. Shibli Bagarag ran to it -when he was afoot, and peered through it. Surely, it was the first -object of his heart that he beheld--Noorna, his betrothed, pale on the -pillar; she with her head between her hands and her hair scattered by the -storm, as one despairing. Still he looked, and he save swimming round -the pillar that monstrous fish, with its sole baleful eye, which had -gulped them both in the closed shell of magic pearl; and he knew the fish -for Karaz, the Genie, their enemy. Then he turned to the Princess, with -an imploring voice for counsel how to reach her and bring her rescue; but -she said, 'The Sword is in thy hands, none of us dare wield it'; and the -seven youths answered likewise. So, left to himself, he drew the Sword -from his girdle, and hissed on the heads of the serpents, at the same -time holding it so that it might lengthen out inimitably. Then he leaned -it over the eye of the glass, in the direction of the pillar besieged by -the billows, and lo! with one cut, even at that distance, he divided the -fishy monster, and with another severed the chains that had fettered -Noorna; and she arose and smiled blissfully to the sky, and stood -upright, and signalled him to lay the point of the blade on the pillar. -When he had done this, knowing her wisdom, she put a foot boldly upon the -blade and ran up it toward him, and she was half-way up the blade, when -suddenly a kite darted down upon her, pecking at her eyes, to confuse -her. She waxed unsteady and swayed this way and that, balancing with one -arm and defending herself from the attacks of the kite with another. It -seemed to Shibli Bagarag she must fall and be lost; and the sweat started -on his forehead in great drops big as nuts. Seeing that and the -agitation of his limbs, Gulrevaz cried, 'O Master of the Event, let us -hear it!' - -But he shrieked, 'The kite! the kite! she is running up the blade, and -the kite is at her eyes! and she swaying, swaying! falling, falling!' - -So the Princess exclaimed, 'A kite! Koorookh is match for a kite!' - -Then she smoothed the throat of Koorookh, and clasped round it a collar -of bright steel, roughened with secret characters; and she took a hoop of -gold, and passed the bird through it, urging it all the while with one -strange syllable; and the bird went up with a strong whirr of the wing -till he was over the sea, and caught sight of Noorna tottering beneath -him on the blade, and the kite pecking fiercely at her. Thereat he -fluttered eagerly a twinkle of time, and the next was down with his beak -in the neck of the kite, crimsoned in it. Now, by the shouts and -exclamations of Shibli Bagarag, the Princess and the seven youths, her -brothers, knew that the bird had performed well his task, and that the -fight was between Koorookh and the kite. Then he cried gladly to them, -'Joy for us, and Allah be praised! The kite is dropping, and she leaneth -on one wing of Koorookh!' - -And he cried in anguish, 'What see I? The kite is become a white ball, -rolling down the blade toward her; and it will of a surety destroy her.' -And he called to her, thinking vainly his voice might reach her. So the -Princess said, 'A white ball? 'tis I that am match for a white ball!' - -Now, she seized from the corner of the palace-roof a bow and an arrow, -and her brothers lifted her to a level with the hilt of the Sword, -leaning on the eye of glass. Then she planted one foot on the shoulder -of Shibli Bagarag as he bent peering through the eye, and fitted the -arrow to a level of the Sword, slanting its slant, and let it fly, -doubling the bow. Shibli Bagarag saw the ball roll to within a foot of -Noorna, when it was as if stricken by a gleam of light, and burst, and -was a black cloud veined with fire, swathing her in folds. He lost all -sight of Noorna; and where she had been were vivid flashes, and then a -great flame, and in the midst a red serpent and a green serpent twisted -as in the death-struggle. So he cried, 'A red serpent and a green -serpent!' - -And the sons of Aklis exclaimed, 'A red serpent? 'Tis we that are match -for a red serpent!' - -Thereupon they descended steps through the palace roof, and while the -fight between those two serpents was rageing, Shibli Bagarag beheld seven -small bright birds, bee-catchers, that entered the flame, bearing in -their bills slips of a herb, and hovering about the heal of the red -serpent, distracting it. Then he saw the red serpent hiss and snap at -one, darting out its tongue, and lo! on the fork of its tongue the little -bird let fall the slip of herb in its bill, and in an instant the serpent -changed from red to yellow and from yellow to pale-spotted blue, and from -that to a speckled indigo-colour, writhing at every change, and hissing -fire from its open jaws. Meantime the green serpent was released and was -making circles round the flame, seeking to complete some enchantment, -when suddenly the whole scene vanished, and Shibli Bagarag again beheld -Noorna steadying her steps on the blade, and leaning on one wing of -Koorookh. She advanced up the blade, coming nearer and nearer; and he -thought her close, and breathed quick and ceased looking through the -glass. When he gazed abroad, lo! she was with Koorookh, on a far hill -beyond the stream in outer Aklis. So he said to the Princess Gulrevaz, -'O Princess, comes she not to me here in the palace?' - -But the Princess shook her head, and said, 'She hath not a spell! She -waiteth for thee yonder with Koorookh. Now, look through the glass once -more.' - -He looked through the glass, and there on a plain, as he had first seen -it when Noorna appeared to him, was the City of Shagpat, and in the -streets of the city a vast assembly, and a procession passing on, its -front banner surmounted by the Crescent, and bands with curled and curved -instruments playing, and slaves scattering gold and clashing cymbals, -every demonstration and evidence of a great day and a high occasion in -the City of Shagpat! So he peered yet keenlier through the glass, and -behold, the Vizier Feshnavat, father of Noorna, walking in fetters, -subject to the jibes and evil-speaking of the crowds of people, his -turban off, and he in a robe of drab-coloured stuff, in the scorned -condition of an unbeliever. Shibli Bagarag peered yet more earnestly -through the glass eye, and in the centre of the procession, clad -gorgeously in silks and stuffs, woven with gold and gems, a crown upon -his head, and the appanages of supremacy and majesty about him, was -Shagpat. He paced upon a yellow flooring that was unrolled before him -from a mighty roll; and there were slaves that swarmed on all sides of -him, supporting upon gold pans and platters the masses of hair that -spread bushily before and behind, and to the right and left of him. -Truly the gravity of his demeanour exceeded that which is attained by -Sheiks and Dervishes after much drinking of the waters of wisdom, and -fasting, and abnegation of the pleasures that betray us to folly in this -world! Now, when he saw Shagpat, the soul of Shibli Bagarag was -quickened to do his appointed work upon him, shear him, and release the -Vizier Feshnavat. Desire to shave Shagpat was as a salt thirst rageing -in him, as the dream of munching to one that starveth; even as the -impelling of violent tempests to skiffs on the sea; and he hungered to be -at him, crying, as he peered, ''Tis he! even he, Shagpat!' - -Then he turned to the Princess Gulrevaz, and said, ''Tis Shagpat, exalted, -clothed with majesty, O thou morning star of Aklis!' - -She said, 'Koorookh is given thee, and waiteth to carry ye both; and for -me I will watch that this glass send forth a beam to light ye to that -city; so farewell, O thou that art loved! And delay in nothing to finish -the work in hand.' - -Now, when he had set his face from the Princess he descended through the -roof of the palace, and met the seven youths returning, and they -accompanied him through the halls of the palace to that hall where the -damsels had duped him. He was mindful of his promise to the old man -crowned, and flashed the Sword a strong flash, so that he who looked on -it would be seared in the eyelashes. Then the doors of the recesses flew -apart, eight-and-ninety in number, and he beheld divers sitters on -thrones, with the diadem of asses' ears stiffened upright, and monkeys' -skulls grinning with gems; they having on each countenance the look of -sovereigns and the serenity of high estate. Shibli Bagarag laughed at -them, and he thought, 'Wullahy! was I one of these? I, the beloved of -Noorna, destined Master of the Event!' and he thought, 'Of a surety, if -these sitters could but laugh at themselves, there would be a release for -them, and the crown would topple off which getteth the homage of asses -and monkeys!' He would have spoken to them, but the sons of Aklis said, -'They have seen the flashing of the Sword, and 'twere well they wake -not.' As they went from the hall the seven youths said, 'Reflect upon -the age of these sitters, that have been sitting in the chairs from three -to eleven generations back! And they were searchers of the Sword like -thee, but were duped! In like manner, the hen sitteth in complacency, -but she bringeth forth and may cackle; 'tis owing to the aids of Noorna -that thou art not one of these sitters, O Master of the Event!' Now, they -paced through the hall of dainty provender, and through the hall of the -jewel-fountains, coming to the palace steps, where stood Abarak leaning -on his bar. As they advanced to Abarak, there was a clamour in the halls -behind, that gathered in noise like a torrent, and approached, and -presently the Master was ware of a sharp stroke on his forehead with a -hairy finger, and then a burn, and the Crown that had clung to him -toppled off; surely it fell upon the head of the old monkey, the cautious -and wise one, he that had made a study of Shibli Bagarag. Thereupon that -monkey stalked scornfully from them; and Abarak cried, 'O Master of the -Event! it was better for me to keep the passage of the Seventh Pillar, -than be an ape of this order. Wah! the flashing of the Sword scorcheth -them, and they scamper.' - - - - - - -THE VEILED FIGURE - - -Verily there was lightning in Aklis as Shibli Bagarag flashed the Sword -over the clamouring beasts: the shape of the great palace stood forth -vividly, and a wide illumination struck up the streams, and gilded the -large hanging leaves, and drew the hills glimmeringly together, and -scattered fires on the flat faces of the rocks. Then the seven youths -said quickly, 'Away! out of Aklis, O Master of the Event! from city to -city of earth this light is visible, and men will know that Fate is in -travail, and an Event preparing for them, and Shagpat will be warned by -the portent; wherefore lose not the happy point of time on which thy star -is manifest.' And they cried again, 'Away! out of Aklis!' with gestures -of impatience, urging his departure. - -Then said he, 'O youths, Sons of Aklis, it is written that gratitude is -the poor man's mine of wealth, and the rich man's flower of beauty; and I -have but that to give ye for all this aid and friendliness of yours.' - -But they exclaimed, 'No aid or friendliness in Aklis! By the gall of the -Roc! it is well for thee thou camest armed with potent spells, and hadst -one to advise and inspirit thee, or thou wouldst have stayed here to -people Aklis, and grazed in a strange shape.' - -Now, the seven waxed in impatience, and he laid their hands upon his -head and moved from them with Abarak, to where in the dusk the elephant -that had brought them stood. Then the elephant kneeled and took the -twain upon his back, and bore them across the dark land to that reach of -the river where the boat was moored in readiness. They entered the boat -silently among its drapery of lotuses, and the Veiled Figure ferried them -over the stream that rippled not with their motion. As they were -crossing, desire to know that Veiled Figure counselled Shibli Bagarag -evilly to draw the Sword again, and flash it, so that the veil became -transparent. Then, when Abarak turned to him for the reason of the -flashing of the Sword, he beheld the eyes of the youth fixed in horror, -glaring as at sights beyond the tomb. He said nought, but as the boat's- -head whispered among the reeds and long flowers of the opposite marge, he -took Shibli Bagarag by the shoulders and pushed him out of the boat, and -leaped out likewise, leading him from the marge forcibly, hurrying him -forward from it, he at the heels of the youth propelling him; and crying -in out-of-breath voice at intervals, 'What sight? what sight?' But the -youth was powerless of speech, and when at last he opened his lips, the -little man shrank from him, for he laughed as do the insane, a peal of -laughter ended by gasps; then a louder peal, presently softer; then a -peal that started all the echoes in Aklis. After awhile, as Abarak still -cried in his ear, 'What sight?' he looked at him with a large eye, saying -querulously, 'Is it written I shall be pushed by the shoulder through -life? And is it in the pursuit of further thwackings?' - -Abarak heeded him not, crying still, 'What sight?' and Shibli Bagarag -lowered his tone, and jerked his body, pronouncing the name 'Rabesqurat!' -Then Abarak exclaimed, ''Tis as I weened. Oh, fool! to flash the Sword -and peer through the veil! Truly, there be few wits will bear that -sight!' On a sudden he cried, 'No cure but one, and that a sleep in the -bosom of the betrothed!' - -Thereupon he hurried the youth yet faster across the dark lawns of Aklis -toward the passage of the Seventh Pillar, by which the twain had entered -that kingdom. And Shibli Bagarag saw as in a dream the shattered door, -shattered by the bar, remembering dimly as a thing distant in years the -netting of the Queen, and Noorna chained upon the pillar; he remembered -Shagpat even vacantly in his mind, as one sheaf of barley amid other -sheaves of the bearded field, so was he overcome by the awfulness of that -sight behind the veil of the Veiled Figure! - -As they advanced to the passage, he was aware of an impediment to its -entrance, as it had been a wall of stone there; and seeing Abarak enter -the passage without let, he kicked hard in front at the invisible -obstruction, but there was no coming by. Abarak returned to him, and -took his right arm, and raised the sleeve from his wrist, and lo, the two -remaining hairs of Garraveen twisted round it in sapphire winds. Cried -he, 'Oh, the generosity of Gulrevaz! she has left these two hairs that he -may accomplish swiftly the destiny marked for him! but now, since his -gazing through that veil, he must part with them to get out of Aklis.' -And he muttered, 'His star is a strange one! one that leadeth him to -fortune by the path of frowns! to greatness by the aid of thwackings! -Truly the ways of Allah are wonderful!' Shibli Bagarag resisted him in -nothing, and Abarak loosed the two bright hairs from his wrist, and those -two hairs swelled and took glittering scales, and were sapphire snakes -with wings of intense emerald; and they rose in the air spirally -together, each over each, so that to see them one would fancy in the -darkness a fountain of sapphire waters flashed with the sheen of emerald. -When they had reached a height loftier than the topmost palace-towers of -Aklis, they descended like javelins into the earth, and in a moment re- -appeared, in the shape of Genii when they are charitably disposed to them -they visit; not much above the mortal size, nor overbright, save for a -certain fire in their eyes when they turned them; and they were clothed -each from head to foot in an armour of sapphire plates shot with steely -emerald. Surely the dragon-fly that darteth all day in the blaze over -pools is like what they were. Abarak bit his forefinger and said, 'Who -be ye, O sons of brilliance?' - -They answered, 'Karavejis and Veejravoosh, slaves of the Sword.' - -Then he said, 'Come with us now, O slaves of the Sword, and help us to -the mountain of outer Aklis.' - -They answered, 'O thou, there be but two means for us of quitting Aklis: -on the wrist of the Master, or down the blade of the Sword! and from the -wrist of the Master we have been loosed, and no one of thy race can tie -us to it again.' - -Abarak said, 'How then shall the Master leave Aklis?' - -They answered, 'By Allah in Aklis! he can carve a way whither he will -with the Sword.' - -But Abarak cried, 'O Karavejis and Veejravoosh! he bath peered through -the veil of the Ferrying Figure.' - -Now, when they heard his words, the visages of the Genii darkened, and -they exclaimed sorrowfully, 'Serve we such a one?' - -And they looked at Shibli Bagarag a look of anger, so that he, whose wits -were in past occurrences, imagined them his enemy and the foe of Noorna -split in two, crying, 'How? Is Karaz a couple? and do I multiply him -with strokes of the Sword?' - -Thereupon he drew the Sword from his girdle in wrath, flourishing it; and -Karavejis and Veejravoosh felt the might of the Sword, and prostrated -themselves to the ground at his feet. And Abarak said, 'Arise, and bring -us swiftly to the mountain of outer Aklis.' - -Then said they, 'Seek a passage down yonder brook in the moonbeams; and -it is the sole passage for him now.' - -Abarak went with them to the brook that was making watery music to itself -between banks of splintered rock and over broad slabs of marble, bubbling -here and there about the roots of large-leaved water-flowers, and -catching the mirrored moon of Aklis in whirls, breaking it in lances. -Then they waded into the water knee-deep, and the two Genii seized hold -of a great slab of marble in the middle of the water, and under was a -hollow brimmed with the brook, that the brook partly filled and flowed -over. Then the Genii said to Abarak, 'Plunge!' and they said the same to -Shibli Bagarag. The swayer of the Sword replied, as it had been a simple -occasion, a common matter, and a thing for the exercise of civility, -'With pleasure and all willingness!' Thereupon he tightened his girth, -and arrowing his two hands, flung up his heels and disappeared in the -depths, Abarak following. Surely, those two went diving downward till it -seemed to each there was no bottom in the depth, and they would not cease -to feel the rushing of the water in their ears till the time anticipated -by mortals. - - - - - - -THE BOSOM OF NOORNA - - -Now, while a thousand sparks of fire were bursting on the sight of the -two divers, and they speeded heels uppermost to the destiny marked out -for them by the premeditations of the All-Wise, lo! Noorna was on the -mountain in outer Aklis with Koorookh, waiting for the appearance of her -betrothed, Sword in hand. She saw beams from the blazing eye of Aklis, -and knew by the redness of it that one, a mortal, was peering on the -earth and certain of created things. So she waited awhile in patience -for the return of her betrothed, with the head of Koorookh in her lap, -caressing the bird, and teaching it words of our language; and the bird -fashioned its bill to the pronouncing of names, such as 'Noorna' and -'Feshnavat,' and 'Goorelka'; and it said 'Karaz,' and stuck not at the -name 'Shagpat,' and it learnt to say even 'Shagpat shall be shaved! -Shagpat shall be shaved!' but no effort of Noorna could teach it to say, -'Shibli Bagarag,' the bird calling instead, 'Shiparack, Shiplabarack, -Shibblisharack.' And Noorna chid it with her forefinger, crying, 'O -Koorookh! wilt thou speak all names but that one of my betrothed?' - -So she said again, 'Shibli Bagarag.' And the bird answered, imitating -its best, 'Shibberacavarack.' Noorna was wroth with it, crying, 'Oh -naughty bird! is the name of my beloved hateful to thee?' - -And she chid Koorookh angrily, he with a heavy eye sulking, and keeping -the sullen feathers close upon his poll. Now, she thought, 'There is in -this a meaning and I will fathom it.' So she counted the letters in the -name of her betrothed, that were thirteen, and spelt them backwards, -afterwards multiplying them by an equal number, and fashioning words from -the selection of every third and seventh letter. Then took she the leaf -from a tree and bade Koorookh fly with her to the base of the mountain -sloping from Aklis to the sea, and there wrote with a pin's point on the -leaf the words fashioned, dipping the leaf in the salt ripple by the -beach, till they were distinctly traced. And it was revealed to her that -Shibli Bagarag bore now a name that might be uttered by none, for that -the bearer of it had peered through the veil of the ferrying figure in -Aklis. When she knew that, her grief was heavy, and she sat on the cold -stones of the beach and among the bright shells, weeping in anguish, -loosing her hair, scattering it wildly, exclaiming, 'Awahy! woe on me! -Was ever man more tired than he before entering Aklis, he that was in -turns abased and beloved and exalted! yet his weakness clingeth to him, -even in Aklis and with the Wondrous Sword in his grasp.' - -Then she thought, 'Still he had strength to wield the Sword, for I marked -the flashing of it, and 'twas he that leaned forward the blade to me; and -he possesses the qualities that bring one gloriously to the fruits of -enterprise!' And she thought, 'Of a surety, if Abarak be with him, and a -single of the three slaves of the Sword that I released from the tail of -Garraveen, Ravejoura, Karavejis, and Veejravoosh, he will yet come -through, and I may revive him in my bosom for the task.' So, thinking -upon that, the sweet crimson surprised her cheeks, and she arose and drew -Koorookh with her along the beach till they came to some rocks piled -ruggedly and the waves breaking over them. She mounted these, and -stepped across them to the entrance of a cavern, where flowed a full -water swiftly to the sea, rolling smooth bulks over and over, and with a -translucent light in each, showing precious pebbles in the bed of the -water below; agates of size, limpid cornelians, plates of polished jet, -rubies, diamonds innumerable that were smitten into sheen by slant rays -of the level sun, the sun just losing its circle behind lustrous billows -of that Enchanted Sea. She turned to Koorookh a moment, saying, with a -coax of smiles, 'Will my bird wait here for me, even at this point?' -Koorookh clapped both his wings, and she said again, petting him, 'He -will keep watch to pluck me from the force of water as I roll past, that -I be not carried to the sea, and lost?' - -Koorookh still clapped his wings, and she entered under the arch of the -cavern. It was roofed with crystals, a sight of glory, with golden lamps -at intervals, still centres of a thousand beams. Taking the sandal from -her left foot and tucking up the folds of her trousers to the bend of her -clear white knee, she advanced, half wading, up the winds of the cavern, -and holding by the juts of granite here and there, till she came to a -long straight lane in the cavern, and at the end of it, far down, a solid -pillar of many-coloured water that fell into the current, as it had been -one block of gleaming marble from the roof, without ceasing. Now, she -made toward it, and fixed her eye warily wide on it, and it was bright, -flawless in brilliancy; but while she gazed a sudden blot was visible, -and she observed in the body of the fall two dark objects plumping -downward one after the other, like bolts, and they splashed in the -current and were carried off by the violence of its full sweep, shooting -by her where she stood, rapidly; but she, knotting her garments round the -waist to give her limbs freedom and swiftness, ran a space, and then bent -and plunged, catching, as she rose, the foremost to her bosom, and -whirled away under the flashing crystals like a fish scaled with -splendours that hath darted and seized upon a prey, and is bearing it -greedily to some secure corner of the deeps to swallow the quivering -repast at leisure. Surely, the heart of Noorna was wise of what she bore -against her bosom; and it beat exulting strokes in the midst of the rush -and roar and gurgle of the torrent, and the gulping sounds and -multitudinous outcries of the headlong water. That verse of the poet -would apply to her where he says: - - Lead me to the precipice, - And bid me leap the dark abyss: - I care not what the danger be, - So my beloved, my beauteous vision, - Be but the prize I bear with me, - For she to Paradise can turn Perdition. - -Praise be to him that planteth love, the worker of this marvel, within -us! Now, she sped in the manner narrated through the mazes of the -cavern, coming suddenly to the point at the entrance where perched -Koorookh gravely upon one leg, like a bird with an angling beak: he -caught at her as she was hurling toward the sea, and drew her to the bank -of rock, that burden on her bosom; and it was Shibli Bagarag, her -betrothed, his eyes closed, his whole countenance colourless. Behind him -like a shadow streamed Abarak, and Noorna kneeled by the waterside and -fetched the little man from it likewise; he was without a change, as if -drawn from a familiar element; and when he had prostrated himself thrice -and called on the Prophet's name in the form of thanksgiving, he wrung -his beard of the wet, and had wit to bless the action of Noorna, that -saved him. Then the two raised Shibli Bagarag from the rock, and -reclined him lengthwise under the wings of Koorookh, and Noorna stretched -herself there beside him with one arm about his neck, the fair head of -the youth on her bosom. And she said to Abarak, 'He hath dreamed many -dreams, my betrothed, but never one so sweet as that I give him. -Already, see, the hue returneth to his cheek and the dimples of -pleasure.' So was it; and she said, 'Mount, O thou of the net and the -bar! and stride Koorookh across the neck, for it is nigh the setting of -the moon, and by dawn we must be in our middle flight, seen of men, a -cloud over them.' - -Said Abarak, 'To hear is to obey!' - -He bestrode the neck of Koorookh and sat with dangling feet, till she -cried, 'Rise!' and the bird spread its wings and flapped them wide, -rising high in the silver rays, and flying rapidly forward with the three -on him from the mountain in front of Aklis, and the white sea with its -enchanted isles and wonders; flying and soaring till the earth was as -what might be held in the hollow of the hand, and the kingdoms of the -earth a mingled heap of shining dust in the midst. - - - - - - -THE REVIVAL - - -Now, the feathers of Koorookh in his flight were ruffled by a chill -breeze, and they were speeding through a light glow of cold rose-colour. -Then said Noorna, ''Tis the messenger of morning, the blush. Oh, what -changes will date from this day!' - -The glow of rose became golden, and they beheld underneath them, on one -side, the rim of the rising red sun, and rays streaming over the earth -and its waters. And Noorna said, 'I must warn Feshnavat, my father, and -prepare him for our coming.' - -So she plucked a feather from Koorookh and laid the quill downward, -letting it drop. Then said she, 'Now for the awakening of my betrothed!' - -Thereupon she hugged his head a moment, and kissed him on the eyelids, -the cheeks, and the lips, crying, 'By this means only!' Crying that, she -pushed him, sliding, from the back of the bird, and he parted from them, -falling headforemost in the air like a stricken eagle. Then she called -to Koorookh, 'Seize him!' and the bird slanted his beak and closed his -wings, the two, Abarak and Noorna, clinging to him tightly; and he was -down like an arrow between Shibli Bagarag and the ground, spreading -beneath him like a tent, and Noorna caught the youth gently to her lap; -then she pushed him off again, intercepting his descent once more, till -they were on a level with one of the mountains of the earth, from which -the City of Shagpat is visible among the yellow sands like a white spot -in the yolk of an egg. So by this time the eyes of the youth gave -symptoms of a desire to look upon the things that be, peeping faintly -beneath the lashes, and she exclaimed joyfully, raising her white hands -above her head, 'One plunge in the lake, and life will be his again!' - -Below them was a green lake, tinted by the dawn with crimson and yellow, -deep, and with high banks. As they crossed it to the middle, she slipped -off the youth from Koorookh, and he with a great plunge was received into -the stillness of the lake. Meanwhile Koorookh quivered his wings and -seized him when he arose, bearing him to an end of the lake, where stood -one dressed like a Dervish, and it was the Vizier Feshnavat, the father -of Noorna. So when he saw them, he shouted the shout of congratulation, -catching Noorna to his breast, and Shibli Bagarag stretched as doth a -heavy sleeper in his last doze, saying, in a yawning voice, 'What -trouble? I wot there is nought more for us now that Shagpat is shaved! -Oh, I have had a dream, a dream! He that is among Houris in Paradise -dreameth not a dream like that. And I dreamed--'tis gone!' - -Then said he, staring at them, 'Who be ye? What is this?' - -Noorna, took him again to her bosom, and held him there; and she plucked -a herb, and squeezed it till a drop from it fell on either of his lids, -applying to them likewise a dew from the serpents of the Sword, and he -awoke to the reality of things. Surely, then he prostrated himself and -repeated the articles of his faith, taking one hand of his betrothed and -kissing her; and he embraced Abarak and Feshnavat, saying to the father -of Noorna, 'I know, O Feshnavat, that by my folly and through my weakness -I have lost time in this undertaking, but it shall be short work now with -Shagpat. This thy daughter, the Eclipser of Reason, was ever such a -prize as she? I will deserve her. Wullahy! I am now a new man, sprung -like fire from ashes. Lo, I am revived by her for the great work.' - -Said Abarak: 'O Master of the Event, secure now without delay the two -slaves of the Sword, and lean the blade toward Aklis.' - -Upon that, he ran up rapidly to the summit of the mountain and drew the -Sword from his girdle, and leaned it toward Aklis, and it lengthened out -over lands, the blade of it a beam of solid brilliance. Presently, from -forth the invisible remoteness they saw the two Genii, Karavejis and -Veejravoosh, and they were footing the blade swiftly, like stars, -speeding up till they were within reach of the serpents of the hilt, when -they dropped to the earth, bowing their heads; so he commanded them to -rise, crying, 'Search ye the earth and its confines, and bring hither -tidings of the Genie Karaz.' - -They said, 'To hear is to obey.' - -Then they began to circle each round the other, circling more and more -sharply till beyond the stretch of sight, and Shibli Bagarag said to -Feshnavat, 'Am I not awake, O Feshnavat? I will know where is Karaz ere -I seek to operate on Shagpat, for it is well spoken of the poet: - - "Obstructions first remove - Ere thou thy cunning prove"; - -and I will encounter this Karaz that was our Ass, ere I try the great -shave.' - -Then said he, turning quickly, 'Yonder is the light from Aklis striking -on the city, and I mark Shagpat, even he, illumined by it, singled out, -where he sitteth on the roof of the palace by the market-place.' - -So they looked, and it was as he had spoken, that Shagpat was singled out -in the midst of the city by the wondrous beams of the eye of Aklis, and -made prominent in effulgence. - -Said Abarak, climbing to the level of observation, 'He hath a redness -like the inside of a halved pomegranate.' - -Feshnavat stroked his chin, exclaiming, 'He may be likened to a mountain -goat in the midst of a forest roaring with conflagration.' - -Said Shibli Bagarag, 'Now is he the red-maned lion, the bristling boar, -the uncombed buffalo, the plumaged cock, but soon will he be like nothing -else save the wrinkled kernel of a shaggy fruit. Lo, now, the Sword! it -leapeth to be at him, and 'twill be as the keen icicle of winter to that -perishing foliage, that doomed crop! So doth the destined minute destroy -with a flash the hoarded arrogance of ages; and the destined hand doeth -what creation failed to perform; and 'tis by order, destiny, and -preordainment, that the works of this world come to pass. This know I, -and I witness thereto that am of a surety ordained to the Shaving of -Shagpat!' - -Then he stood apart and gazed from Shagpat to the city that now began to -move with the morning; elephants and coursers saddled by the gates of the -King's palace were visible, and camels blocking the narrow streets, and -the markets bustling. Surely, though the sun illumined that city, it was -as a darkness behind Shagpat singled by the beams of Aklis. - - - - - - -THE PLOT - - -Now, while Shibli Bagarag gazed on Shagpat kindled by the beams of Aklis, -lo, the Genii Karavejis and Veejravoosh circling each other in swift -circles like two sapphire rings toward him, and they whirled to a point -above his head, and fell and prostrated themselves at his feet: so he -cried, 'O ye slaves of the Sword, my servitors! how of the whereabout of -Karaz?' - -They answered, 'O Master of the Event, we found him after many circlings -far off, and 'twas by the borders of the Putrid Sea. We came not close -on him, for he is stronger than we without the Sword, but it seemed he -was distilling drops of an oil from certain substances, large thickened -drops that dropped into a phial.' - -Then Shibli Bagarag said, 'The season of weakness with me is over, and -they that confide in my strength, my cunning, my watchfulness, my -wielding of the Sword, have nought to fear for themselves. Now, this is -my plot, O Feshnavat,--that part of it in which thou art to have a share. -'Tis that thou depart forthwith to the City yonder, and enter thy palace -by a back entrance, and I will see that thou art joined within an hour of -thy arrival there by Baba Mustapha, my uncle, the gabbler. He is there, -as I guess by signs; I have had warnings of him. Discover him speedily. -Thy task is then to induce him to make an attempt on the head of Shagpat -in all wiliness, as he and thou think well to devise. He will fail, as I -know, but what is that saying of the poet? - - "Persist, if thou wouldst truly reach thine ends, - For failures oft are but advising friends." - -And he says: - - "Every failure is a step advanced, - To him who will consider how it chanced." - -Wherefore, will I that this attempt be made, keeping the counsel that is -mine. Thou must tell Baba Mustapha I wait without the city to reward him -by my powers of reward with all that he best loveth. So, when he has -failed in his attempt on Shagpat, and blows fall plenteously upon him, -and he is regaled with the accustomed thwacking, as I have tasted it in -this undertaking, do thou waste no further word on him, for his part is -over, and as is said: - - "Waste not a word in enterprise! - Against--or for--the minute flies." - -'Tis then for thee, O Feshnavat, to speed to the presence of the King in -his majesty, and thou wilt find means of coming to him by a disguise. -Once in the Hall of Council, challenge the tongue of contradiction to -affirm Shagpat other than a bald-pate bewigged. This is for thee to do.' - -Quoth Feshnavat plaintively, after thought, 'And what becometh of me, O -thou Master of the Event?' - -Shibli Bagarag said, 'The clutch of the executioner will be upon thee, O -Feshnavat, and a clamouring multitude around; short breathing-time given -thee, O father of Noorna, ere the time of breathing is commanded to -cease. Now, in that respite the thing that will occur, 'tis for thee to -see and mark; sure, never will reverse of things be more complete, and -the other side of the picture more rapidly exhibited, if all go as I -conceive and plot, and the trap be not premature nor too perfect for the -trappers; as the poet has declared: - - "Ye that intrigue, to thy slaves proper portions adapt; - Perfectest plots burst too often, for all are not apt." - -And I witness likewise to the excellence of his saying: - - "To master an Event, - Study men! - The minutes are well spent - Only then." - -Also 'tis he that says: - - "The man of men who knoweth men, the Man of men is he! - His army is the human race, and every foe must flee." - -So have I apportioned to thee thy work, to Baba Mustapha his; reserving -to myself the work that is mine!' - -Thereat Feshnavat exclaimed, 'O Master of the Event, may I be thy -sacrifice! on my head be it! and for thee to command is for me to obey! -but surely, this Sword of thine that is in thy girdle, the marvellous -blade--'tis alone equal to the project and the shave; and the matter -might be consummated, the great thing done, even from this point whence -we behold Shagpat visible, as 'twere brought forward toward us by the -beams! And this Sword swayed by thee, and with thy skill and strength -and the hardihood of hand that is thine, wullahy! 'twould shear him now, -this moment, taking the light of Aklis for a lather.' - -Shibli Bagarag knotted the brows of impatience, crying, 'Hast thou -forgotten Karaz in thy calculations? I know of a surety what this Sword -will do, and I wot the oil he distilleth strengtheneth Shagpat but -against common blades. Yet shall it not be spoken of me, Shibli Bagarag, -that I was tripped by my own conceit; the poet counselleth: - - "When for any mighty end thou hast the aid of heaven, - Mount until thy strength shall match those great means which are - given": - -nor that I was overthrown in despising mine enemy, forgetful of the -saying of the sage: - - "Read the features of thy foe, wherever he may find thee, - Small he is, seen face to face, but thrice his size behind thee." - -Wullahy! this Karaz is a Genie of craft and resources, one of a mighty -stock, and I must close with Shagpat to be sure of him; and that I am not -deceived by semblances, opposing guile with guile, and guile deeper than -his, for that he awaiteth it not, thinking I have leaped in fancy beyond -the Event, and am puffed by the after-breaths of adulation, I!--thinking -I pluck the blossoms in my hunger for the fruit, that I eat the chick of -the yet unlaid egg, O Feshnavat. As is said, and the warrior beareth -witness to the wisdom of it: - - "His weapon I'll study; my own conceal; - So with two arms to his one shall I deal." - -The same also testifieth: - - "'Tis folly of the hero, though resistless in the field, - To stake the victory on his steel, and fling away the shield." - -And likewise: - - "Examine thine armour in every joint, - For slain was the Giant, and by a pin's point." - -Wah! 'tis certain there will need subtlety in this undertaking, and a -plot plotted, so do thou my bidding, and fail not in the part assigned to -thee.' - -Now, Feshnavat was persuaded by his words, and cried, 'In diligence, -discretion, and the virtues which characterize subordinates, I go, and I -delay not! I will perform the thing required of me, O Master of the -Event.' And he repeated in verse: - - With danger beset, be the path crooked or narrow, - Thou art the bow, and I the arrow. - -Then embraced he his daughter, kissing her on the forehead and the eyes, -and tightening the girdle of his robe, departed, with the name of Allah -on his lips, in the direction of the City. - -So Shibli Bagarag called to him the two Genii, and his command was, -'Soar, ye slaves of the Sword, till the range of earth and its mountains -and seas and deserts are a cluster in the orb of the eye, Shiraz -conspicuous as a rose among garlands, and the ruby consorted with other -gems in a setting. In Shiraz or the country adjoining ye will come upon -one Baba Mustapha by name; and, if he be alone, ye may recognize him by -his forlorn look and the hang of his cheeks, his vacancy as of utter -abandonment; if in company, 'twill be the only talker that's he; seize on -him, give him a taste of thin air, and deposit him without speech on the -roof of a palace, where ye will see Feshnavat in yonder city: this do ere -the shadows of the palm-tree by the well in the plain move up the mounds -that enclose the fortified parts.' - -Cried Karavejis and Veejravoosh, 'To hear is to obey.' - -Up into the sky, like two bright balls tossed by jugglers, the two Genii -shot; and, watching them, Noorna bin Noorka said, 'My life, there is a -third wanting, Ravejoura; and with aid of the three, earth could have -planted no obstruction to thy stroke; but thou wert tempted by the third -temptation in Aklis, and left not the Hall in triumph, the Hall of the -Duping Brides!' - -He answered, 'That is so, my soul; and the penalty is mine, by which I am -made to employ deceits ere I strike.' - -And she said, ''Tis to the generosity of Gulrevaz thou owest Karavejis and -Veejravoosh; and I think she was generous, seeing thee true to me in -love, she that hath sorrows!' - -So he said, 'What of the sorrows of Gulrevaz? Tell me of them.' - -But she said, 'Nay, O my betrothed! wouldst thou have this tongue -blistered, and a consuming spark shot against this bosom?' - -Then he: 'Make it clear to me.' - -She put her mouth to his ear, saying, 'There is a curse on whoso telleth -of things in Aklis, and to tattle of the Seven and their sister -forerunneth wretchedness.' - -Surely, he stooped to that fair creature, and folded her to his heart, -his whole soul heaving to her; and he cried again and again, 'Shall harm -hap to thee through me? by Allah, no!' - -And he closed the privileged arm of the bridegroom round her waist, that -had the yieldingness of the willow-branchlet, the flowingness of the -summer sea-wave, and seemed as 'twere melting honey-like at the first -gentle pressure; she leaning her head shyly on his shoulder, yet -confiding in his faithfulness; it was that she was shy of the great bliss -in her bosom, and was made timid by the fervour of her affection; as is -sung: - - - Deeper than the source of blushes - Is the power that makes them start; - Up in floods the red stream rushes, - At one whisper of the heart. - -And it is sung in words present to the youth as he surveyed her: - - O beauty of the bride! O beauty of the bride! - Her bashful joys like serpents sting her tenderness to - tears: - Her hopes are sleeping eagles in the shining of the spheres; - O beauty of the bride! O beauty of the bride! - And she's a lapping antelope that from her image flees; - And she's a dove caught in two hands, to pant as she shall - please; - O beauty of the bride! O beauty of the bride! - Like torrents over Paradise her lengthy tresses roll: - She moves as doth a swaying rose, and chides her hasty soul; - The thing she will, that will she not, yet can no will control - O beauty, beauty, beauty of the bride! - -They were thus together, Abarak leaning under one wing of Koorookh for -shade up the slope of the hill, and Shibli Bagarag called to him, 'Ho, -Abarak! look if there be aught impending over the City.' - -So he arose and looked, crying, 'One with plunging legs, high up in air -over the City, between two bright bodies.' Shibli Bagarag exclaimed, -''Tis well! The second chapter of the Event is opened; so call it, thou -that tellest of the Shaving of Shagpat. It will be the shortest.' - -Then he said, 'The shadow of yonder palm is now a slanted spear up the -looped wall of the City. Now, the time of Shagpat's triumph, and his -greatest majesty, will be when yonder walls chase the shadow of the palm -up this hill; and then will Baba Mustapha be joining the chorus of -creatures that shriek toward even ere they snooze. There's not an ape in -the woods, nor hyaena in the forest, nor birds on the branches, nor frogs -in the marsh that will outnoise Baba Mustapha under the thong! Wullahy, -'twill grieve his soul in aftertime when he sitteth secure in honours, -courted, with a thousand ears at his bidding, that so much breath 'scaped -him without toll of the tongue! But as the poet says truly: - - "The chariot of Events lifteth many dusty heels, - And many, high and of renown, it crusheth with its wheels." - -Wah! I have had my share of the thong, and am I, Master of the Event, to -be squeamish in attaining an end by its means? Nay, by this Sword!' - -Thereat, he strode once again to the summit of the hill, and in a moment -the Genii fronted him like two shot arrows quivering from the flight. So -he cried, 'It is done?' - -They answered, 'In faithfulness.' - -So he beckoned to Noorna, and she came forward swiftly to him, -exclaiming, 'I read the plot, and the thing required of me; so say -nought, but embrace me ere I leave thee, my betrothed, my master!' - -He embraced her, and led her to where the Genii stood. Then said he to -the Genii, 'Convey her to the City, O ye slaves of the Sword, and watch -over her there. If ye let but an evil wind ruffle the hair of her head, -lo! I sever ye with a stroke that shaketh the under worlds. Remain by -her till the shrieks of Baba Mustapha greet ye, and then will follow -commotion among the crowd, and cries for Shagpat to show himself to the -people, cries also of death to Feshnavat; and there will be an assembly -in the King's Hall of Justice; thither lead ye my betrothed, and watch -over her.' And he said to Noorna, 'Thou knowest my design?' - -So she said, 'When condemnation is passed on Feshnavat, that I appear in -the hall as bride of Shagpat, and so rescue him that is my father.' And -she cried, 'Oh, fair delightful time that is coming! my happiness and thy -honour on earth dateth from it. Farewell, O my betrothed, beloved youth! -Eyes of mine! these Genii will be by, and there's no cause for fear or -sorrow, and 'tis for thee to look like morning that speeds the march of -light. Thou, my betrothed, art thou not all that enslaveth the heart of -woman?' - -Cried Shibli Bagarag, 'And thou, O Noorna, all that enraptureth the soul -of man! Allah keep thee, my life!' - -Lo! while they were wasting the rich love in their hearts, the Genii rose -up with Noorna, and she, waving her hand to him, was soon distant and as -the white breast of a bird turned to the sun. Then went he to where -Abarak was leaning, and summoned Koorookh, and the twain mounted him, and -rose up high over the City of Shagpat to watch the ripening of the Event, -as a vulture watcheth over the desert. - - - - - - -THE DISH OF POMEGRANATE GRAIN - - -Now, in the City of Shagpat, Kadza, spouse of Shagpat, she that had -belaboured Shibli Bagarag, had a dream while these things were doing; and -it was a dream of danger and portent to the glory of her eyes, Shagpat. -So, at the hour when he was revealed to Shibli Bagarag, made luminous by -the beams of Aklis, Kadza went to an inner chamber, and greased her hands -and her eyelids, and drank of a phial, and commenced tugging at a brass -ring fixed in the floor, and it yielded and displayed an opening, over -which she stooped the upper half of her leanness, and pitching her note -high, called 'Karaz!' After that, she rose and retreated from the hole -hastily, and in the winking of an eye it was filled, as 'twere a pillar -of black smoke, by the body of the Genie, he breathing hard with mighty -travel. So he cried to her between his pantings and puffings, 'Speak! -where am I wanted, and for what?' - -Now, Kadza was affrighted at the terribleness of his manner, and the -great smell of the Genie was an intoxication in her nostril, so that she -reeled and could just falter out, 'Danger to the Identical!' - -Then he, in a voice like claps of thunder, 'Out with it!' - -She answered beseechingly, ''Tis a dream I had, O Genie; a dream of danger -to him.' - -While she spake, the Genie clenched his fists and stamped so that the -palace shook and the earth under it, exclaiming, 'O abominable Kadza! a -dream is it? another dream? Wilt thou cease dreaming awhile, thou silly -woman? Know I not he that's powerful against us is in Aklis, crowned -ape, and that his spells are gone? And I was distilling drops to defy -the Sword and strengthen Shagpat from assault, yet bringest thou me from -my labour by the Putrid Sea with thy accursed dream!' Thereat, he -frowned and shot fire at her from his eyes, so that she singed, and the -room thickened with a horrible smell of burning. She feared greatly and -trembled, but he cooled himself against the air, crying presently in a -diminished voice, 'Let's hear this dream, thou foolish Kadza! 'Tis as -well to hear it. Probably Rabesqurat hath sent thee some sign from -Aklis, where she ferryeth a term. What's that saying: - - "A woman's at the core of every plot man plotteth, - And like an ill-reared fruit, first at the core it rotteth." - -So, out with it, thou Kadza!' - -Now, the urgency of that she had dreamed overcame fear in Kadza, and she -said, 'O great Genie and terrible, my dream was this. Lo! I saw an -assemblage of the beasts of the forests and them that inhabit wild -places. And there was the elephant and the rhinoceros and the -hippopotamus, and the camel and the camelopard, and the serpent and the -striped tiger; also the antelope, the hyena, the jackal, and above them, -eminent in majesty, the lion. Surely, he sat as 'twere on a high seat, -and they like suppliants thronging the presence: this I saw, the heart on -my ribs beating for Shagpat. And there appeared among the beasts a -monkey all ajoint with tricks, jerking with malice, he looking as 'twere -hungry for the doing of things detestable; and the lion scorned him, and -I marked him ridicule the lion: 'twas so. And the lion began to scowl, -and the other beasts marked the displeasure of the lion. Then chased -they that monkey from the presence, and for awhile he was absent, and the -lion sat in his place gravely, with calm, receiving homage of the other -beasts; and down to his feet came the eagle that's lord of air, and -before him kneeled the great elephant, and the subtle serpent eyed him -with awe. But soon did that monkey, the wretched animal! reappear, and -there was no peace for the lion, he worrying till close within stretch of -the lion's paw! Wah! the lion might have crushed him, but that he's -magnanimous. And so it was that as the monkey advanced the lion roared -to him, "Begone!" - -'And the monkey cried, "Who commandeth?" - -'So the lion roared, "The King of beasts and thy King!" - -'Then that monkey cried, "Homage to the King of beasts and my King! -Allah keep him in his seat, and I would he were visible." - -'So the lion roared, "He sitteth here acknowledged, thou graceless -animal! and he's before thee apparent." - -'Then the monkey affected eagerness, and gazed about him, and peered on -this beast and on that, exclaiming like one that's injured and under -slight, "What's this I've done, and wherein have I offended, that he -should be hidden from me when pointed out?" - -'So the lion roared, "'Tis I where I sit, thou offensive monkey!" - -'Then that monkey in the upper pitch of amazement, "Thou! Is it for -created thing to acknowledge a king without a tail? And, O beasts of the -forest and the wilderness, how say ye? Am I to blame that I bow not to -one that hath it not?" - -'Upon that, the lion rose, and roared in the extreme of wrath; but the -word he was about to utter was checked in him, for 'twas manifest that -where he would have lashed a tail he shook a stump, wagging it as the dog -doth. Lo! when the lion saw that, the majesty melted from him, and in a -moment the plumpness of content and prosperity forsook him, so that his -tawny skin hung flabbily and his jaw drooped, and shame deprived him of -stateliness; abashed was he! Now, seeing the lion shamed in this manner, -my heart beat violently for Shagpat, so that I awoke with the strength of -its beating, and 'twas hidden from me whether the monkey was punished by -the lion, or exalted by the other beasts in his place, or how came it -that the lion's tail was lost, witched from him by that villain of -mischief, the monkey; but, O great Genie, I knew there was a lion among -men, reverenced, and with enemies; that lion, he that espoused me and my -glory, Shagpat! 'Twas enough to know that and tremble at the omen of my -dream, O Genie. Wherefore I thought it well to summon thee here, that -thou mightest set a guard over Shagpat, and shield him from the -treacheries that beset him.' - -When Kadza had ceased speaking, the Genie glowered at her awhile in -silence. Then said he, 'What creature is that, Kadza, which tormenteth -like the tongue of a woman, is small as her pretensions to virtue, and -which showeth how the chapters of her history should be read by the holy -ones, even in its manner of movement?' - -Cried Kadza, 'The flea that hoppeth!' - -So he said, ''Tis well! Hast thou strength to carry one of my weight, O -Kadza?' - -She answered in squeamishness, 'I, wullahy! I'm but a woman, Genie, -though the wife of Shagpat: and to carry thee is for the camel and the -elephant and the horse.' - -Then he, 'Tighten thy girdle, and when tightened, let a loose loop hang -from it.' - -She did that, and he gave her a dark powder in her hand, saying, 'Swallow -the half of this, and what remaineth mix with water, and sprinkle over -thee.' - -That did she, and thereupon he exclaimed, 'Now go, and thy part is to -move round Shagpat; and a wind will strike thee from one quarter, and -from which quarter it striketh is the one of menace and danger to -Shagpat.' - -So Kadza was diligent in doing what the Genie commanded, and sought for -Shagpat, and moved round him many times; but no wind struck her. She -went back to the Genie, and told him of this, and the Genie cried, 'What? -no wind? not one from Aklis? Then will Shagpat of a surety triumph, and -we with him.' - -Now, there was joy on the features of Kadza and Karaz, till suddenly he -said, 'Halt in thy song! How if there be danger and menace above? and -'tis the thing that may be.' - -Then he seized Kadza, and slung her by him, and went into the air, and up -it till the roofs of the City of Shagpat were beneath their feet, all on -them visible. And under an awning, on the roof of a palace, there was -the Vizier Feshnavat and Baba Mustapha, they ear to lip in consultation, -and Baba Mustapha brightening with the matter revealed to him, and -bobbing his head, and breaking on the speech of the Vizier. Now, when he -saw them the Genie blew from his nostrils a double stream of darkness -which curled in a thick body round and round him, and Kadza slung at his -side was enveloped in it, as with folds of a huge serpent. Then the -Genie hung still, and lo! two radiant figures swept toward the roof he -watched, and between them Noorna bin Noorka, her long dark hair borne far -backward, and her robe of silken stuff fluttering and straining on the -pearl buttons as she flew. There was that in her beauty and the silver -clearness of her temples and her eyes, and her cheeks, and her neck, and -chin and ankles, that made the Genie shudder with love of her, and he was -nigh dropping Kadza to the ground, forgetful of all save Noorna. When he -recovered, and it was by tightening his muscles till he was all over hard -knots, Noorna was seated on a cushion, and descending he heard her speak -his name. Then sniffed he the air, and said to Kadza, 'O spouse of -Shagpat, a plot breweth, and the odour of it is in my nostril. Fearest -thou a scorching for his sake thou adorest, the miracle of men?' - -She answered, 'On my head be it, and my eyes!' - -He said, 'I shall alight thee behind the pole of awning on yonder roof, -where are the two bright figures and the dingy one, and the Vizier -Feshnavat and Noorna bin Noorka. A flame will spring up severing thee -from them; but thou'rt secure from it by reason of the powder I gave -thee, all save the hair that's on thee. Thou'lt have another shape than -that which is thine, even that of a slave of Noorna bin Noorka, and say -to her when she asketh thy business with her, "O my mistress, let the -storm gather-in the storm-bird when it would surprise men." Do this, and -thy part's done, O Kadza!' - -Thereupon he swung a circle, and alighted her behind the pole of awning -on the roof, and vanished, and the circle of flame rose up, and Kadza -passed through it slightly scorched, and answered to the question of -Noorna, 'O my mistress, let the storm gather-in the storm-bird when it -would surprise men.' Now, when Noorna beheld her, and heard her voice, -she pierced the disguise, and was ware of the wife of Shagpat, and -glanced her large eyes over Kadza from head to sole till they rested on -the loose loop in her girdle. Seeing that, she rose up, and stretched -her arms, and spread open the palm of her hand, and slapped Kadza on the -cheek and ear a hard slap, so that she heard bells; and ere she ceased to -hear them, another, so that Kadza staggered back and screamed, and -Feshnavat was moved to exclaim, 'What has the girl, thy favourite, -offended in, O my daughter?' - -So Noorna continued slapping Kadza, and cried, 'Is she not sluttish? and -where's the point of decency established in her, this Luloo? Shall her -like appear before thee and me with loose girdle!' - -Then she pointed to the girdle, and Kadza tightened the loose loop, and -fell upon the ground to avoid the slaps, and Noorna knelt by her, and -clutched at a portion of her dress and examined it, peering intently; and -she caught up another part, and knotted it as if to crush a living -creature, hunting over her, and grasping at her; and so it was that while -she tore strips from the garments of Kadza, Feshnavat jumped suddenly in -wrath, and pinched over his garments, crying, 'Tis unbearable! 'Tis I -know not what other than a flea that persecuteth me:' - -Upon that, Noorna ran to him, and while they searched together for the -flea, Baba Mustapha fidgeted and worried in his seat, lurching to the -right and to the left, muttering curses; and it was evident he too was -persecuted, and there was no peace on the roof of that palace, but -pinching and howling and stretching of limbs, and curses snarled in the -throat and imprecations on the head of the tormenting flea. Surely, the -soul of Kadza rejoiced, for she knew the flea was Karaz, whom she had -brought with her in the loose loop of her girdle through the circle of -flame which was a barrier against him. She glistened at the triumph of -the flea, but Noorna strode to her, and took her to the side of the roof, -and pitched her down it, and closed the passage to her. Then ran she to -Karavejis and Veejravoosh, whispering in the ear of each, 'No word of the -Sword?' and afterward aloud, 'What think ye will be the term of the -staying of my betrothed in Aklis, crowned ape?' - -They answered, 'O pearl of the morn, crowned ape till such time as -Shagpat be shaved.' - -So she beat her breast, crying, 'Oh, utter stagnation, till Shagpat be -shaved! and oh, stoppage in the tide of business, dense cloud upon the -face of beauty, and frost on the river of events, till Shagpat be shaved! -And oh! my betrothed, crowned ape in Aklis till Shagpat be shaved!' - -Then she lifted her hands and arms, and said, 'To him where he is, ye -Genii! and away, for he needeth comfort.' - -Thereat the glittering spirits dissolved and thinned, and were as taper -gleams of curved light across the water in their ascent of the heavens. -When they were gone Noorna, exclaimed, 'Now for the dish of pomegrante -grain, O Baba Mustapha, and let nothing delay us further.' - -Quoth Baba Mustapha, ''Tis ordered, O my princess and fair mistress, from -the confectioner's; and with it the sleepy drug from the seller of -medicaments--accursed flea!' - -Now, she laughed, and said, 'What am I, O Baba Mustapha?' - -So he said, 'Not thou, O bright shooter of beams, but I, wullahy! I'm -but a bundle of points through the pertinacity of this flea! a house of -irritabilities! a mere mass of fretfulness! and I've no thought but for -the chasing of this unlucky flea: was never flea like it in the world -before this flea; and 'tis a flea to anger the holy ones, and make the -saintly Dervish swear at such a flea.' He wriggled and curled where he -sat, and Noorna cried, 'What! shall we be defeated by a flea, we that -would shave Shagpat, and release this city and the world from bondage?' -And she looked up to the sky that was then without a cloud, blazing with -the sun on his mid seat, and exclaimed, 'O star of Shagpat! wilt thou -constantly be in the ascendant, and defeat us, the liberators of men, -with a flea?' - -Now, whenever one of the twain, Baba Mustapha and the Vizier Feshnavat, -commenced speaking of the dish of pomegranate grain, the torment of the -flea took all tongue from him, and was destruction to the gravity of -council and deliberation. The dish of pomegranate grain was brought to -them by slaves, and the drug to induce sleep, yet neither could say aught -concerning it, they were as jointy grasshoppers through the action of the -flea, and the torment of the flea became a madness, they shrieking, ''Tis -now with thee! 'Tis now with me! Fires of the damned on this flea!' In -their extremity, they called to Allah for help, but no help came, save -when they abandoned all speech concerning the dish of pomegranate grain, -then were they for a moment eased of the flea. So Noorna recognized the -presence of her enemy Karaz, and his malicious working; and she went and -fetched a jar brimmed with water for the bath, and stirred it with her -forefinger, and drew on it a flame from the rays of the sun till there -rose up from the jar a white thick smoke. She rustled her raiment, -making the wind of it collect round Baba Mustapha and Feshnavat, and did -this till the sweat streamed from their brows and bodies, and they were -sensible of peace and the absence of the flea. Then she whisked away the -smoke, and they were attended by slaves with fresh robes, and were as new -men, and sat together over the dish of pomegranate grain, praising the -wisdom of Noorna and her power. Then Baba Mustapha revived in briskness, -and cried, 'Here the dish! and 'tis in my hands an instrument, an -instrument of vengeance! and one to endow the skilful wielder of it with -glory. And 'tis as I designed it,--sweet, seasoned, savoury,--a flattery -to the eye and no deceiver to the palate. Wah! and such an instrument in -the hands of the discerning and the dexterous, and the discreet and the -judicious, and them gifted with determination, is't not such as sufficeth -for the overturning of empires and systems, O my mistress, fair one, -sapphire of this city? And is't not written that I shall beguile Shagpat -by its means, and master the Event, and shame the King of Oolb and his -Court? And I shall then sit in state among men, and surround myself with -adornments and with slaves, mute, that speak not save at the signal, and -are as statues round the cushions of their lord--that's myself. And I -shall surround myself with the flatteries of wealth, and walk bewildered -in silks and stuffs and perfumeries; and sweet young beauties shall I -have about me, antelopes of grace, as I like them, and select them, long- -eyed, lazy, fond of listening, and with bashful looks that timidly admire -the dignity that's in man.' - -While he was prating Noorna took the dish in her lap, and folded her -silvery feet beneath her, and commenced whipping into it the drug: and -she whipped it dexterously and with equal division among the grain, -whipping it and the flea with it, but she feigned not to mark the flea -and whipped harder. Then took she colour and coloured it saffron, and -laid over it gold-leaf, so that it glittered and was an enticing sight; -and the dish was of gold, crusted over with devices and patterns, and -heads of golden monsters, a ravishment of skill in him that executed it, -cumbrous with ornate golden workmanship; likewise there were places round -the dish for sticks of perfume and cups carved for the storing of -perfumed pellets, and into these Noorna put myrrh and ambergris and rich -incenses, aloes, sandalwood, prepared essences, divers keen and sweet -scents. Then when all was in readiness, she put the dish upon the knee -of Baba Mustapha, and awoke him from his babbling reverie with a shout, -and said, 'An instrument verily, O Baba Mustapha! and art thou a cat to -shave Shagpat with that tongue of thine?' - -Now, he arose and made the sign of obedience and said, ''Tis well, O lady -of grace and bright wit! and now for the cap of Shiraz and the Persian -robe, and my twenty slaves and seven to follow me to the mansion of -Shagpat. I'll do: I'll act.' - -So she motioned to a slave to bring the cap of Shiraz and the Persian -robe, and in these Baba Mustapha arrayed himself. Then called he for the -twenty-and-seven slaves, and they were ranged, some to go before, some to -follow him. And he was exalted, and made the cap of Shiraz nod in his -conceit, crying, 'Am I not leader in this complot? Wullahy! all bow to -me and acknowledge it.' Then, to check himself, he called out sternly to -the slaves, 'Ho ye! forward to the mansion of Shagpat; and pass at a slow -pace through the streets of the city--solemnly, gravely, as before a -potentate; then will the people inquire of ye, Who't is ye marshal, and -what mighty one? and ye will answer, He's from the court of Shiraz, -nothing less than a Vizier--bearing homage to Shagpat, even this dish of -pomegranate grain.' - -So they said, 'To hear is to obey.' - -Upon that he waved his hand and stalked majestically, and they descended -from the roof into the street, criers running in front to clear the way. -When Baba Mustapha was hidden from view by a corner of the street, Noorna -shrank in her white shoulders and laughed, and was like a flashing pearl -as she swayed and dimpled with laughter. And she cried, 'True are those -words of the poet, and I testify to them in the instance of Baba -Mustapha: - - "With feathers of the cock, I'll fashion a vain creature; - With feathers of the owl, I'll make a judge in feature"; - -Is not the barber elate and lofty? He goeth forth to the mastery of this -Event as go many, armed with nought other than their own conceit: and -'tis written: - - "Fools from their fate seek not to urge: - The coxcomb carrieth his scourge."' - -So Feshnavat smoothed his face, and said, 'Is't not also written?-- - - "Oft may the fall of fools make wise men moan! - Too often hangs the house on one loose stone!" - -'Tis so, O Noorna, my daughter, and I am as a reed shaken by the wind of -apprehensiveness, and doubt in me is a deep root as to the issue of this -undertaking, for the wrath of the King will be terrible, and the clamour -of the people soundeth in my ears already. If Shibli Bagarag fail in one -stroke, where be we? 'Tis certain I knew not the might in Shagpat when I -strove with him, and he's powerful beyond the measure of man's subtlety; -and yonder flies a rook without fellow--an omen; and all's ominous, and -ominous of ill: and I marked among the troop of slaves that preceded Baba -Mustapha one that squinted, and that's an omen; and, O my daughter, I -counsel that thou by thy magic speed us to some remote point in the -Caucasus, where we may abide the unravelling of this web securely, one -way or the other way. 'Tis my counsel, O Noorna.' - -Then she, 'Abandon my betrothed? and betray him on the very stroke of the -Sword? and diminish him by a withdrawal of that faith in his right wrist -which strengtheneth it more than Karavejis and Veejravoosh wound round it -in coils?' And she leaned her head, and cried, 'Hark! hear'st thou? -there's shouting in the streets of Shiraz and of Shagpat! Shall we merit -the punishment of Shahpesh the Persian on Khipil the builder, while the -Event is mastering? I'll mark this interview between Baba Mustapha and -Shagpat; and do thou, O my father, rest here on this roof till the King's -guard of horsemen and soldiers of the law come hither for thee, and go -with them sedately, fearing nought, for I shall be by thee in the garb of -an old woman; and preserve thy composure in the presence of the King and -Shagpat exalted, and allow not the thing that happeneth let fly from thee -the shaft of speech, but remain a slackened bow till the strength of my -betrothed is testified, fearing nought, for fear is that which defeateth -men, and 'tis declared in a distich,-- - - "The strongest weapon one can see - In mortal hands is constancy." - -And for us to flee now would rank us with that King described by the -poet: - - "A king of Ind there was who fought a fight - From the first gleam of morn till fall of night; - But when the royal tent his generals sought, - Proclaiming victory, fled was he who fought. - Despair possessed them, till they chanced to spy - A Dervish that paced on with downward eye; - They questioned of the King; he answer'd slow, - 'Ye fought but one, the King a double, foe."' - -And, O my father, they interpreted of this that the King had been -vanquished, he that was victor, by the phantom army of his fears.' - -Now, the Vizier cried, 'Be the will of Allah achieved and consummated!' -and he was silenced by her wisdom and urgency, and sat where he was, -diverting not the arch on his brow from its settled furrow. He was as -one that thirsteth, and whose eye hath marked a snake of swift poison by -the water, so thirsted he for the Event, yet hung with dread from -advancing; but Noorna bin Noorka busied herself about the roof, drawing -circles to witness the track of an enemy, and she clapped her hands and -cried, 'Luloo!' and lo, a fair slave-girl that came to her and stood by -with bent head, like a white lily by a milk-white antelope; so Noorna -clouded her brow a moment, as when the moon darkeneth behind a scud, and -cried, 'Speak! art thou in league with Karaz, girl?' - -Luloo strained her hands to her temples, exclaiming, 'With the terrible -Genie?--I?--in league with him? my mistress, surely the charms I wear, -and the amulets, I wear them as a protection from that Genie, and a -safeguard, he that carrieth off the maidens and the young sucklings, -walking under the curse of mothers.' - -Said Noorna, 'O Luloo, have I boxed those little ears of thine this day?' - -The fair slave-girl smiled a smile of submissive tenderness, and -answered, 'Not this day, nor once since Luloo was rescued from the wicked -old merchant by thy overbidding, and was taken to the arms of a wise kind -sister, wiser and kinder than any she had been stolen from, she that is -thy slave for ever.' - -She said this weeping, and Noorna mused, ''Twas as I divined, that -wretched Kadza: her grief 's to come!' Then spake she aloud as to -herself, 'Knew I, or could one know, I should this day be a bride?' And, -hearing that, Luloo shrieked, 'Thou a bride, and torn from me, and we two -parted? and I, a poor drooping tendril, left to wither? for my life is -round thee and worthless away from thee, O cherisher of the fallen -flower.' - -And she sobbed out wailful verses and words, broken and without a -meaning; but Noorna caught her by the arm and swung her, and bade her -fetch on the instant a robe of blue, and pile in her chamber robes of -amber and saffron and grey, bridal-robes of many-lighted silks, plum- -coloured, peach-coloured, of the colour of musk mixed with pale gold, -together with bridal ornaments and veils of the bride, and a jewelled -circlet for the brow. When this was done, Noorna went with Luloo to her -chamber, attended by slave-girls, and arrayed herself in the first dress -of blue, and swayed herself before the mirror, and rattled the gold -pieces in her hair and on her neck with laughter. And Luloo was -bewildered, and forgot her tears to watch the gaiety of her mistress; and -lo! Noorna, made her women take off one set of ornaments with every -dress, and with every dress she put on another set; and after she had -gone the round of the different dresses, she went to the bathroom with -Luloo, and at her bidding Luloo entered the bath beside Noorna,, and the -twain dipped and shouldered in the blue water, and were as when a single -star is by the full moon on a bright midnight pouring lustre about. And -Noorna splashed Luloo, and said, 'This night we shall not sleep together, -O Luloo, nor lie close, thy bosom on mine.' - -Thereat, Luloo wept afresh, and cried, 'Ah, cruel! and 'tis a sweet -thought for thee, and thou'lt have no mind for me, tossing on my hateful -lonely couch.' - -Tenderly Noorna eyed Luloo, and the sprinkles of the bath fell with the -tears of both, and they clung together, and were like the lily and its -bud on one stalk in a shower. Then, when Noorna had spent her affection, -she said, 'O thou of the long downward lashes, thy love was constant when -I stood under a curse and was an old woman--a hag! Carest thou so little -to learn the name of him that claimeth me?' - -Luloo replied, 'I thought of no one save myself and my loss, O my lost -pearl; happy is he, a youth of favour. Oh, how I shall hate him that -taketh thee from me. Tell me now his name, O sovereign of hearts!' - -So Noorna smoothed the curves and corners of her mouth and calmed her -countenance, crying in a deep tone and a voice as of reverence, -'Shagpat!' - -Now, at that name Luloo drank in her breath and was awed, and sank in -herself, and had just words to ask, 'Hath he demanded thee again in -marriage, O my mistress?' - -Said Noorna, 'Even so.' - -Luloo muttered, 'Great is the Dispenser of our fates!' - -And she spake no further, but sighed and took napkins and summoned the -slave-girls, and arrayed Noorna silently in the robe of blue and bridal -ornaments. Then Noorna said to them that thronged about her, 'Put on, -each of ye, a robe of white, ye that are maidens, and a fillet of blue, -and a sash of saffron, and abide my coming.' - -And she said to Luloo, 'Array thyself in a robe of blue, even as mine, -and let trinkets lurk in thy tresses, and abide my coming.' - -Then went she forth from them, and veiled her head and swathed her figure -in raiment of a coarse white stuff, and was as the moon going behind a -hill of dusky snow; and she left the house, and passed along the streets -and by the palaces, till she came to the palace of her father, now filled -by Shagpat. Before the palace grouped a great concourse and a multitude -of all ages and either sex in that city, despite the blaze and the heat. -Like roaring of a sea beyond the mountains was the noise that issued from -them, and their eyes were a fire of beams against the portal of the -palace. Now, she saw in the crowd one Shafrac, a shoemaker, and -addressed. him, saying, 'O Shafrac, the shoemaker, what's this assembly -and how got together? for the poet says: - - "Ye string not such assemblies in the street, - Save when some high Event should be complete."' - -He answered, ''Tis an Event complete. Wullahy! the deputation from Shiraz -to Shagpat, and the submission of that vain city to the might of -Shagpat.' And he asked her, jestingly, 'Art thou a witch, to guess that, -O veiled and virtuous one?' - -Quoth she, 'I read the thing that cometh ere 'tis come, and I read danger -to Shagpat in this deputation from Shiraz, and this dish of pomegranate -grain.' - -So Shafrac cried, 'By the beard of my fathers and that of Shagpat! let's -speak of this to Zeel, the garlic-seller.' - -He broadened to one that was by him, and said, 'O Zeel, what's thy mind? -Here's a woman, a wise woman, a witch, and she sees danger to Shagpat in -this deputation from Shiraz and this dish of pomegranate grain.' - -Now, Zeel screwed his visage and gazed up into his forehead, and said, -''Twere best to consult with Bootlbac, the drum-beater.' - -The two then called to Bootlbac, the drum-beater, and told him the -matter, and Bootlbac pondered, and tapped his brow and beat on his -stomach, and said, 'Krooz el Krazawik, the carrier, is good in such a -case.' - -Now, from Krooz el Krazawik, the carrier, they went to Dob, the -confectioner; and from Dob, the confectioner, to Azawool, the builder; -and from Azawool, the builder, to Tcheik, the collector of taxes; and -each referred to some other, till perplexity triumphed and was a cloud -over them, and the words, 'Danger to Shagpat,' went about like bees, and -were canvassing, when suddenly a shrill voice rose from the midst, -dominating other voices, and it was that of Kadza, and she cried, 'Who -talks here of danger to Shagpat, and what wretch is it?' - -Now, Tcheik pointed out Azawool, and Azawool Dob, and Dob Krooz el -Krazawik, and he Bootlbac, and the drum-beater shrugged his shoulder at -Zeel, and Zeel stood away from Shafrac, and Shafrac seized Noorna and -shouted, ''Tis she, this woman, the witch!' - -Kadza fronted Noorna, and called to her, 'O thing of infamy, what's this -talk of thine concerning danger to our glory, Shagpat?' - -Then Noorna replied, 'I say it, O Kadza! and I say it; there's danger -threateneth him, and from that deputation and that dish of pomegranate -grain.' - -Now, Kadza laughed a loose laugh, and jeered at Noorna, crying, 'Danger -to Shagpat! he that's attended by Genii, and watched over by the greatest -of them, day and night incessantly?' - -And Noorna said, 'I ask pardon of the Power that seeth, and of thee, if I -be wrong. Wah! am I not also of them that watch over Shagpat? So then -let thou and I go into the palace and examine the doings of this -deputation and this dish of pomegranate grain.' - -Now, Kadza remembered the scene on the roofs of the Vizier Feshnavat, and -relaxed in her look of suspicion, and said, ''Tis well! Let's in to -them.' - -Thereupon the twain threaded through the crowd and locked at the portals -of the palace, and it was opened to them and they entered, and lo! the -hand that opened the portals was the hand of a slave of the Sword, and -against corners of the Court leaned slaves silly with slumber. So Kadza -went up to them, and beat them, and shook them, and they yawned and -mumbled, 'Excellent grain! good grain! the grain of Shiraz!' And she -beat them with what might was hers, till some fell sideways and some -forward, still mumbling, 'Excellent pomegranate grain!' Kadza was beside -herself with anger and vexation at them, tearing them and cuffing them; -but Noorna cried, 'O Kadza! what said I? there's danger to Shagpat in -this dish of pomegranate grain! and what's that saying: - - "'Tis much against the Master's wish - That slaves too greatly praise his dish." - -Wullahy! I like not this talk of the grain of Shiraz.' - -Now, while Noorna spake, the eyes of Kadza became like those of the -starved wild-cat, and she sprang off and along the marble of the Court, -and clawed a passage through the air and past the marble pillars of the -palace toward the first room of reception, Noorna following her. And in -the first room were slaves leaning and lolling like them about the Court, -and in the second room and in the third room, silent all of them and -senseless. So at this sight the spark of suspicion became a mighty flame -in the bosom of Kadza, and horror burst out at all ends of her, and she -shuddered, and cried, 'What for us, and where's our hope if Shagpat be -shorn, and he lopped of the Identical, shamed like the lion of my dream!' - -And Noorna clasped her hands, and said, ''Tis that I fear! Seek for him, -O Kadza!' - -So Kadza ran to a window and looked forth over the garden of the palace, -and it was a fair garden with the gleam of a fountain and watered plants -and cool arches of shade, thick bowers, fragrant alleys, long sheltered -terraces, and beyond the garden a summer-house of marble fanned by the -broad leaves of a palm. Now, when Kadza had gazed a moment, she -shrieked, 'He's there! Shagpat! giveth he not the light of a jewel to -the house that holdeth him? Awahy! and he's witched there for an ill -purpose.' - -Then tore she from that room like a mad wild thing after its stolen cubs, -and sped along corridors of the palace, and down the great flight of -steps into the garden and across the garden, knocking over the ablution- -pots in her haste; and Noorna had just strength to withhold her from -dashing through the doors of the summer-house to come upon Shagpat, she -straining and crying, 'He's there, I say, O wise woman! Shagpat! let's -into him.' - -But Noorna clung to her, and spake in her ear, 'Wilt thou blow the fire -that menaces him, O Kadza? and what are two women against the assailants -of such a mighty one as he?' Then said she, 'Watch, rather, and avail -thyself of yonder window by the blue-painted pillar.' - -So Kadza crept up to the blue-painted pillar which was on the right side -of the porch, and the twain peered through the window. Noorna beheld the -Dish of Pomegranate Grain; and it was on the floor, empty of the grain, -and Baba Mustapha was by it alone making a lather, and he was twitching -his mouth and his legs, and flinging about his arms, and Noorna heard him -mutter wrathfully, 'O accursed flea! art thou at me again?' And she -heard him mutter as in anguish, 'No peace for thee, O pertinacious flea! -and my steadiness of hand will be gone, now when I have him safe as the -hawk his prey, mine enemy, this Shagpat that abused me: thou abominable -flea! And, O thou flea, wilt thou, vile thing! hinder me from mastering -the Event, and releasing this people and the world from enchantment and -bondage? And shall I fail to become famous to the ages and the times -because of such as thee, flea?' - -So Kadza whispered to Noorna, 'What's that he's muttering? Is't of -Shagpat? for I mark him not here, nor the light by which he's girt.' - -She answered, 'Listen with the ear and the eye and all the senses.' - -Now, presently they heard Baba Mustapha say in a louder tone, like one -that is secure from interruption, 'Two lathers, and this the third! a -potent lather! and I wot there's not a hair in this world resisteth the -sweep of my blade over such a lather as--Ah! flea of iniquity and -abomination! what! am I doomed to thy torments?--so let's spread! Lo! -this lather, is't not the pride of Shiraz? and the polish and smoothness -it sheddeth, is't not roseate? my invention! as the poet says,--O -accursed flea! now the knee-joint, now the knee-cap, and 'tis but a hop -for thee to the arm-pit. Fires of the pit without bottom seize thee! is -no place sacred from thee, and art thou a restless soul, infernal flea? -So then, peace awhile, and here's for the third lather.' - -While he was speaking Baba Mustapha advanced to a large white object that -sat motionless, upright like a snow-mound on a throne of cushions, and -commenced lathering. When she saw that, Kadza tossed up her head and her -throat, and a shriek was coming from her, for she was ware of Shagpat; -but Noorna stifled the shriek, and clutched her fast, whispering, 'He's -safe if thou have but patience, thou silly Kadza! and the flea will -defeat this fellow if thou spoil it not.' - -So Kadza said, looking up, 'Is 't seen of Allah, and be the Genii still -in their depths?' but she constrained herself, peering and perking out -her chin, and lifting one foot and the other foot, as on furnaces of fire -in the excess of the fury she smothered. And lo, Baba Mustapha worked -diligently, and Shagpat was behind an exulting lather, even as one pelted -with wheaten flour-balls or balls of powdery perfume, and his hairiness -was as branches of the forest foliage bent under a sudden fall of -overwhelming snow that filleth the pits and sharpeneth the wolves with -hunger, and teacheth new cunning to the fox. A fox was Baba Mustapha in -his stratagems, and a wolf in the fierceness of his setting upon Shagpat. -Surely he drew forth the blade that was to shear Shagpat, and made with -it in the air a preparatory sweep and flourish; and the blade frolicked -and sent forth a light, and seemed eager for Shagpat. So Baba Mustapha -addressed his arm to the shearing, and inclined gently the edge of the -blade, and they marked him let it slide twice to a level with the head of -Shagpat, and at the third time it touched, and Kadza howled, but from -Baba Mustapha there burst a howl to madden the beasts; and he flung up -his blade, and wrenched open his robe, crying, 'A flea was it to bite in -that fashion? Now, I swear by the Merciful, a fang like that's common to -tigers and hyaenas and ferocious animals.' - -Then looked he for the mark of the bite, plaining of its pang, and he -could find the mark nowhere. So, as he caressed himself, eyeing Shagpat -sheepishly and with gathering awe, Noorna said hurriedly to Kadza, 'Away -now, and call them in, the crowd about the palace, that they may behold -the triumph of Shagpat, for 'tis ripe, O Kadza!' - -And Kadza replied, 'Thou'rt a wise woman, and I'll have thee richly -rewarded. Lo, I'm as a camel lightened of fifty loads, and the glory of -Shagpat see I as a new sun rising in the desert. Wullahy! thou'rt wise, -and I'll do thy bidding.' - -Now, she went flying back to the palace, and called shrill calls to the -crowd, and collected them in the palace, and headed them through the -garden, and it was when Baba Mustapha had summoned courage for a second -essay, and was in the act of standing over Shagpat to operate on him, -that the crowd burst the doors, and he was quickly seized by them, and -tugged at and hauled at and pummelled, and torn and vituperated, and as a -wrecked vessel on stormy waters, plunging up and down with tattered -sails, when the crew fling overboard freight and ballast and provision. -Surely his time would have been short with that mob, but Noorna made -Kadza see the use of examining him before the King, and there were in -that mob sheikhs and fakirs, holy men who listened to the words of Kadza, -and exerted themselves to rescue Baba Mustapha, and quieted the rage that -was prevailing, and bore Baba Mustapha with them to the great palace of -the King, which was in the centre of that City. Now, when the King heard -of the attempt on Shagpat, and the affair of the Pomegranate Grain, he -gave orders for the admission of the people, as many of them as could be -contained in the Hall of Justice: and he set a guard over Baba Mustapha, -and commanded that Shagpat should be brought to the palace even as he -then was, and with the lather on him. So the regal mandate went forth, -and Shagpat was brought in state on cushions, and the potency of the drug -preserved his sedateness through all this, and he remained motionless in -sleep, folded in the centre of calm and satisfaction, while this tumult -was rageing and the City shook with uproar. But the people, when they -saw him whitened behind a lather, wrath at Baba Mustapha's polluting -touch and the audacity of barbercraft wrestled in them with the -outpouring of reverence for Shagpat, and a clamour arose for the instant -sacrifice of Baba Mustapha at the foot of their idol Shagpat. And the -whole of the City of Shagpat, men, women, and children, and the sheikhs -and the dervishes and crafts of the City besieged the King's palace in -that middle hour of the noon, clamouring for the sacrifice of Baba -Mustapha at the feet of their idol Shagpat. - - - - - - -THE BURNING OF THE IDENTICAL - - -Now, the Great Hall for the dispensing of justice in the palace of the -King was one on which the architect and the artificers had lavished all -their arts and subtleties of design and taste and their conceptions of -uniformity and grandeur, so that none entered it without a sense of -abasement, and the soul acknowledged awfulness and power in him that -ruled and sat eminent on the throne of that Hall. For, lo! the throne -was of solid weighty gold, overhung with rich silks and purples; and the -hall was lofty, with massive pillars, fifty on either side, ranging in -stateliness down toward the blaze of the throne; and the pillars were -pillars of porphyry and of jasper and precious marble, carven over all of -them with sentences of the cunningest wisdom, distichs of excellence, -odes of the poet, stanzas sharp with the incisiveness of wit, and that -solve knotty points with but one stroke; and these pillars were each the -gift of a mighty potentate of earth or of a Genie. - -In the centre of the Hall a fountain set up a glittering jet, and spread -abroad the breath of freshness, leaping a height of sixty feet, and -shimmering there in a wide bright canopy with dropping silver sides. It -was rumoured of the waters of this fountain that they were fed -underground from the waters of the Sacred River, brought there in the -reign of El Rasoon, a former sovereign in the City of Shagpat, by the -labours of Zak,--a Genie subject to the magic of Azrooka, the Queen of El -Rasoon; but, of a surety, none of earth were like to them in silveriness -and sweet coolingness, and they were as wine to the weary. - -Now, the King sat on his throne in the Hall, and around him his -ministers, and Emirs, and chamberlains, and officers of state, and black -slaves, and the soldiers of his guard armed with naked scimitars. And -the King was as a sun in splendour, severely grave, and a frown on his -forehead to darken kingdoms, for the attempt on Shagpat had stirred his -kingly wrath, and awakened zeal for the punishment of all conspirators -and offenders. So when Shagpat was borne in to the King upon his throne -of cushions where he sat upright, smiling and inanimate, the King -commanded that he should be placed at his side, the place of honour; and -Shagpat was as a moon behind the whiteness of the lathers; even as we -behold moon and sun together in the heavens, was Shagpat by the King. - -There was great hubbub in the Hall at the entrance of Shagpat, and a hum -of rage and muttered vehemence passed among the assembled people that -filled the hall like a cavern of the sea, the sea roaring outside; but -presently the King spake, and all hushed. Then said he, 'O people! -thought I to see a day that would shame Shagpat? he that has brought -honour and renown upon me and all of this city, so that we shine a -constellation and place of pilgrimage to men in remote islands and -corners of the earth? Yea! and to Afrites and Genii? Have I not -castigated barbers, and brought barbercraft to degradation, so that no -youth is taught to exercise it? And through me the tackle of the barber, -is't not a rusty and abominated weapon, and as a sword thrown by and -broken, for that it dishonoured us? Surely, too, I have esteemed Shagpat -precious.' - -While he spake, the King gazed on Shagpat, and was checked by passion at -beholding him under the lather, so that the people praised Shagpat and -the King. Then said he, 'O people, who shall forecast disasters and -triumphs? Lo, I had this day at dawn intelligence from recreant Oolb, -and its King and Court, and of their return to do honour to Shagpat! And -I had this day at dawn tidings, O people, from Shiraz, and of the -adhesion of that vain city and its provinces to the might of Shagpat! So -commenced the day, yet is he, the object of the world's homage, within a -few hours defiled by a lather and the hand of an impious one!' - -At these words of the King there rose a shout of vindictiveness and fury; -but he cried, 'Punishment on the offenders in season, O people! Probably -we have not abased ourselves for the honour that has befallen us in -Shagpat, and the distinction among nations and tribes and races, and -creeds and sects, that we enjoy because of Shagpat. Behold! in abasement -voluntarily undertaken there is exceeding brightness and exaltation; for -how is the sun a sun save that daily he dippeth in darkness, to rise -again freshly majestic? So then, be mine the example, O people of the -City of Shagpat!' - -Thereupon lo, the King descended from his throne, and stripped to the -loins, flinging away his glittering crown and his robes, and abased -himself to the dust with loud cries and importunities and howls, and -penitential ejaculations and sobbings; and it was in that Hall as when -the sun goeth down in storm. Likewise the ministers of the King, and the -Viziers and Emirs and officers of state, and slaves, and soldiers of the -guard, bared their limbs, and fell beside the King with violent outcries -and wailings; and the whole of the people in the Hall prostrated their -bodies with wailings and lamentations. And Baba Mustapha feigned to -bewail himself, and Noorna bin Noorka knelt beside Kadza, and shrieked -loudest, striking her breast and scattering her hair; and that Hall was -as a pit full of serpents writhing, and of tigers and lions and wild -beasts howling, each pitching his howl a note above his neighbours, so -that the tone rose and sank, and there was no one soul erect in that Hall -save Shagpat, he on his throne of cushions smiling behind the lathers, -inanimate, serene as they that sin not. After an hour's lapse there came -a pause, and the people hearkened for the voice of the King; but in the -intervals a louder moan would strike their ears, and they whispered among -themselves, "Tis that of the fakir, El Zoop!' and the moaning and howling -prevailed again. And again they heard another moan, a deep one, as of -the earth in its throes, and said among themselves, "Tis that of -Bootlbac, the drumbeater!' and this led off to the howl of Areep, the -dervish; and this was followed by the shriek of Zeel, the garlic-seller; -and the waul of Krooz el Krazawik, the carrier; and the complainings of -Dob, the confectioner; and the groan of Sallap, the broker; and the yell -of Azawool, the builder. There would have been no end to it known; but -the King rose and commenced plucking his beard and his hair,--they -likewise in silence. When he had performed this ceremony a space, the -King called, and a basin of water was brought to him, and handed round by -slaves, and all dipped in it their hands, and renewed their countenances -and re-arranged their limbs; and the Hall brightened with the eye of the -King, and he cried, 'O people, lo, the plot is revealed to me, and 'tis a -deep one; but, by this beard, we'll strike at the root of it, and a blow -of deadliness. Surely we have humiliated ourselves, and vengeance is -ours! How say ye?' - -A noise like the first sullen growl of a vexed wild beast which telleth -that fury is fast travelling and the teeth will flash, followed these -words; and the King called to his soldiers of the guard, 'Ho! forth with -this wretch that dared defile Shagpat, the holy one! and on your heads be -it to fetch hither Feshnavat, the son of Feil, that was my Vizier, he -that was envious of Shagpat, and whom we spared in our clemency.' - -Some of the guard went from the Hall to fulfil the King's injunction on -Feshnavat, others thrust forth Baba Mustapha in the eyes of the King. -Baba Mustapha was quaking as a frog quaketh for water, and he trembled -and was a tongueless creature deserted of his lower limbs, and with -eyeballs goggling, through exceeding terror. Now, when the King saw him, -he contracted his brows as one that peereth on a small and minute object, -crying, 'How! is't such as he, this monster of audaciousness and horrible -presumption? Truly 'tis said: - - "For ruin and the deeds preluding change, - Fear not great Beasts, nor Eagles when they range: - But dread the crawling worm or pismire mean, - Satan selects them, for they are unseen." - -And this wretch is even of that sort, the select of Satan! Off with the -top of the reptile, and away with him!' - -Now, at the issue of the mandate Baba Mustapha choked, and horror blocked -the throat of confession in him, so that he did nought save stagger -imploringly; but the prompting of Noorna sent Kadza to the foot of the -throne, and Kadza bent her body and exclaimed, 'O King of the age! 'tis -Kadza, the espoused of Shagpat thy servant, that speaketh; and lo! a wise -woman has said in my ear, "How if this emissary and instrument of the -Evil One, this barber, this filthy fellow, be made to essay on Shagpat -before the people his science and his malice? for 'tis certain that -Shagpat is surrounded where he sitteth by Genii invisible, defended by -them, and no harm can hap to him, but an illumination of glory and -triumph manifest": and for this barber, his punishment can afterwards be -looked to, O great King!' - -The King mused awhile and sank in his beard. Then said he to them that -had hold of Baba Mustapha watching for the signal, 'I have thought over -it, and the means of bringing double honour on the head of Shagpat. So -release this fellow, and put in his hands the tackle taken from him.' - -This was done, and the people applauded the wisdom of the King, and -crowded forward with sharpness of expectation; but Baba Mustapha, when he -felt in his hands the tackle, the familiar instruments, strength and wit -returned to him in petty measures, and he thought, 'Perchance there'll -yet be time for my nephew to strike, if he fail me not; fool that I was -to look for glory, and not leave the work to him, for this Shagpat is a -mighty one, powerful in fleas, and it needeth something other than tackle -to combat such as he. A mighty one, said I? by Allah, he's awful in his -mightiness!' - -So Baba Mustapha kept delaying, and feigned to sharpen the blade, and the -King called to him, 'Haste! to the work! is it for thee, vile wretch, to -make preparation for the accursed thing in our presence?' And the people -murmured and waxed impatient, and the King called again, 'Thou'lt essay -this, thou wretch, without a head, let but another minute pass.' So when -Baba Mustapha could delay no longer, he sighed heavily and his trembling -returned, and the power of Shagpat smote him with an invisible hand, so -that he could scarce move; but dread pricked him against dread, and he -advanced upon Shagpat to shear him, and assumed the briskness of the -barber, and was in the act of bending over him to bring the blade into -play, when, behold, one of the chamberlains of the King stood up in the -presence and spake a word that troubled him, and the King rose and -hurried to a balcony looking forth on the Desert, and on three sides of -the Desert three separate clouds of dust were visible, and from these -clouds presently emerged horsemen with spears and pennons and plumes; and -he could discern the flashing of their helms and the glistening of steel- -plates and armour of gold and silver. Seeing this, the colour went from -the cheeks of the King and his face became as a pinched pomegranate, and -he cried aloud, 'What visitation's this? Awahy! we are beset, and here's -abasement brought on us without self-abasing!' Meantime these horsemen -detached themselves from the main bodies and advanced at a gallop, -wheeling and circling round each other, toward the walls of the city, and -when they were close they lowered their arms and made signs of amity, and -proclaimed their mission and the name of him they served. So tidings -were brought to the King that the Lords of three cities, with vast -retinues, were come, by reason of a warning, to pay homage to Shagpat, -the son of Shimpoor; and these three cities were the cities of Oolb, and -of Gaf, and of Shiraz, even these! - -Now, when the King heard of it, he rejoiced with an exceeding joy, and -arrayed himself in glory, and mounted a charger, the pride of his -stables, and rode out to meet the Lords of the three cities surrounded by -the horsemen of his guard. And it was within half-a-mile of the city -walls that the four sovereigns met, and dismounted and saluted and -embraced, and bestowed on one another kingly flatteries, and the titles -of Cousin and Brother. So when the unctions of Royalty were over, these -three Kings rode back to the city with the King that was their host, and -the horsemen of the three kingdoms pitched their tents and camped outside -the walls, making cheer. Then the King of the City of Shagpat related to -the three Kings the story of Shagpat and the attempt that had been made -on him; and in the great Hall of Justice he ordained the erecting of -thrones for them whereon to sit; and they, when they had paid homage to -Shagpat, sat by him there on either side. Then the King cried, 'This -likewise owe we to Shagpat, our glory! See, now, how the might that's in -him shall defeat the machinations of evil, O my cousins of Oolb, and of -Gaf, and of Shiraz.' Thereupon he called, 'Bring forth the barber!' - -So Baba Mustapha was thrust forth by the soldiers of the guard; and the -King of Shiraz, who was no other than the great King Shahpushan, -exclaimed, when he beheld Baba Mustapha, 'He? why, it is the prince of -barbers and talkative ones! Hath he not operated on my head, the head of -me in old time? Truly now, if it be in man to shave Shagpat, the hand of -this barber will do it!' - -And the King of Oolb peered on Baba Mustapha, crying, 'Even this fellow I -bastinadoed!' - -And the King of Gaf, that was Kresnuk, famous in the annals of the time, -said aloud, 'I'm amazed at the pertinacity of this barber! To my court -he came, searching some silly nephew, and would have shaved us all in -spite of our noses; yea, talked my chief Vizier into a dead sleep, and so -thinned him. And there was no safety from him save in thongs and stripes -and lashes!' - -Now, upon that the King of the City cried, 'Be the will of Allah -achieved, and the inviolacy of Shagpat made manifest! Thou barber, thou! -do thy worst to contaminate him, and take the punishment in store for -thee. And if it is written thou succeed, then keep thy filthy life: -small chance of that!' - -Baba Mustapha remembered the poet's words: - - The abyss is worth a leap, however wide, - When life, sweet life, is on the other side. - -And he controlled himself to the mastery of his members, and stepped -forward to essay once more the Shaving of Shagpat. Lo, the great Hall -was breathless, nought heard save the splashing of the fountain in its -fall, and the rustle of the robe of Baba Mustapha as he aired his right -arm, hovering round Shagpat like a bird about the nest; and he was -buzzing as a bee ere it entereth the flower, and quivered like a -butterfly when 'tis fluttering over a blossom; and Baba Mustapha sniffed -at Shagpat within arm's reach, fearing him, so that the people began to -hum with a great rapture, and the King Shahpushan cried, 'Aha! mark him! -this monkey knoweth the fire!' - -But the King of the City of Shagpat was wroth, and commanded his guards -to flourish their scimitars, and the keen light cut the chords of -indecision in Baba Mustapha, and drove him upon Shagpat with a dash of -desperation; and lo! he stretched his hand and brought down the blade -upon the head of Shagpat. Then was the might of Shagpat made manifest, -for suddenly in his head the Identical rose up straight, even to a level -with the roof of that hall, burning as it had been an angry flame of many -fiery colours, and Baba Mustapha was hurled from him a great space like a -ball that reboundeth, and he was twisting after the fashion of envenomed -serpents, sprawling and spurning, and uttering cries of horror. Surely, -to see that sight the four Kings and the people bit their forefingers, -and winked till the water stood in their eyes, and Kadza, turning about, -exclaimed, 'This owe we to the wise woman! where lurketh she?' So she -called about the hall, 'wise woman! wise woman!' - -Now, when she could find Noorna bin Noorka nowhere in that crowd, she -shrieked exultingly, ''Twas a Genie! Wullahy! all Afrites, male and -female, are in the service of Shagpat, my light, my eyes, my sun! I his -moon!' - -Meantime the King of the City called to Baba Mustapha, 'Hast thou had -enough of barbering, O vile one? Ho! a second essay on the head of -Shagpat! so shall the might that's in him be indisputable, bruited -abroad, and a great load upon the four winds.' - -Now, Baba Mustapha was persuaded by the scimitars of the guard to a -second essay on the head of Shagpat, and the second time he was shot away -from Shagpat through the crowd and great assemblage to the extreme end of -the hall, where he lay writhing about, abandoned in loathliness; and he -in his despondency, and despite of protestation and the slackness of his -limbs, was pricked again by the scimitars of the guard to a third essay -on the head of Shagpat, the people jeering at him, for they were joyous, -light of heart; and lo! the third time he was shot off violently, and -whirled away like a stone from a sling, even into the outer air and -beyond the city walls, into the distance of waste places. And now a -great cry rose from the people, as it were a song of triumph, for the -Identical stood up wrathfully from the head of Shagpat, burning in -brilliance, blinding to look on, he sitting inanimate beneath it; and it -waxed in size and pierced through the roof of the hall, and was a sight -to the streets of the city; and the horsemen camped without the walls -beheld it, and marvelled, and it was as a pillar of fire to the solitudes -of the Desert afar, and the wild Arab and wandering Bedouins and caravans -of pilgrimage. Distant cities asked the reason of that appearance, and -the cunning fakir interpreted it, and the fervent dervish expounded from -it, and messengers flew from gate to gate and from land to land in -exultation, and barbers hid their heads, and were friendly with the fox -in his earth, because of that light. So the Identical burned on the head -of Shagpat as in wrath, and with exceeding splendour of attraction, three -nights and three days; and the fishes of the sea shoaled to the sea's -surface and stared at it, and the fowls of the air congregated about the -fury of the light with screams and mad flutters, till the streets and -mosques and minarets and bright domes and roofs and cupolas of the City -of Shagpat were blackened with scorched feathers of the vulture and the -eagle and the rook and the raven and the hawk, and other birds, sacred -and obscene; so was the triumph of Shagpat made manifest to men and the -end of the world by the burning of the Identical three days and three -nights. - - - - - - -THE FLASHES OF THE BLADE - - -Now, it was the morning of the fourth day, and lo! at the first leap of -the sun of that day the flame of the Identical abated in its fierceness, -and it dwindled and darkened, and tapered and flickered feebly, -descending from its altitude in the heavens and through the ceiling of -the Hall, and lay down to sleep among the intricate lengths and frizzled -convolutions and undulating weights flowing from Shagpat, an -undistinguished hair, even as the common hairs of his head. So, upon -that, the four fasting Kings breathed, and from the people of the City -there went up a mighty shout of gladness and congratulation at the glory -they had witnessed; and they took the air deeply into their chests, and -were as divers that have been long fathoms-deep under water, and ascend -and puff hard and press the water from their eyes, that yet refuse to -acknowledge with a recognition the things that be and the sights above, -so mazed are they with those unmentionable marvels and treasures and -profusion of jewels, and splendid lazy growths and lavish filmy -illuminations, and multitudinous pearls and sheering shells, that lie -heaped in the beds of the ocean. As the poet has said: - - After too strong a beam, - Too bright a glory, - We ask, Is this a dream - Or magic story? - -And he says: - - When I've had rapturous visions such as make - The sun turn pale, and suddenly awake, - Long must I pull at memory in this beard, - Ere I remember men and things revered. - -So was it with the people of the City, and they stood in the Hall and -winked staringly at one another, shouting and dancing at intervals, -capering with mad gravity, exclaiming on the greatness of that they had -witnessed. And Zeel the garlic-seller fell upon Mob the confectioner, -and cried, 'Was this so, O Dob? Wullahy! this glory, was it verily?' -And Dob peered dimly upon Zeel, whispering solemnly, 'Say, now, art thou -of a surety that Zeel the garlic-seller known to me, my boon-fellow?' -And the twain turned to Sallap the broker, and exchanged interjections -with him, and with Azawool the builder, and with Krooz el Krazawik the -carrier; and they accosted Bootlbac the drum-beater, where he stood -apart, drumming the air as to a march of triumph, and no word would he -utter, neither to Zeel, nor to Sallap, nor to Krooz el Krazawik, nor to -Azawool his neighbour, nor to any present, but continued drumming on the -air rapidly as in answer, increasing in the swiftness of his drumming -till it was a rage to mark him, and the excitement about Bootlbac became -as a mad eddy in the midst of a mighty stream, he drumming the air with -exceeding swiftness to various measures, beating before him as on the -tightened skin, lost to all presences save the Identical and Shagpat. So -they edged away from Bootlbac in awe, saying, 'He's inspired, Bootlbac! -'tis the triumph of Shagpat he drummeth.' They feigned to listen to him -till their ears deceived them, and they rejoiced in the velocity of the -soundless tune of Bootlbac the drum-beater, and were stirred by it, -excited to a forgetfulness of their fasting. Such was the force of the -inspiration of Bootlbac the drum-beater, caused by the burning of the -Identical. - -Now, the four Kings, when they had mastered their wits, gazed in silence -on Shagpat, and sighed and shook their heads, and were as they that have -swallowed a potent draught and ponder sagely over the gulp. Surely, the -visages of the Kings of Shiraz and of Gaf and of Oolb betokened dread of -Shagpat and amazement at him; but the King of the City exulted, and the -shining of content was on his countenance, and he cried, 'Wondrous!' and -again, 'Wullahy, wondrous!' and 'Oh, glory!' And he laughed and clucked -and chuckled, and the triumph of Shagpat was to him as a new jewel in his -crown outshining all others, and he was for awhile as the cock smitten -with the pride of his comb, the peacock magnified by admiration of his -tail. Then he cried, 'For this, praise we Allah and the Prophet. -Wullahy, 'twas wondrous!' and he went off again into a roll of cluckings -and chucklings and exclamations of delight, crying, 'Need they further -proof of the power in Shagpat now? Has he not manifested it? So true is -that saying-- - - "The friend that flattereth weakeneth at length; - It is the foe that calleth forth our strength." - -Wondrous! and never knew earth a thing to equal it in the range of -marvels!' - -Now, ere the last word was spoken by the King, there passed through the -sky a mighty flash. Those in the Hall saw it, and the horsemen of the -three cities encamped without the walls were nigh blinded by the keenness -of its blaze. So they looked into the height, and saw straight over the -City a speck of cloud, but no thunder came from it; and the King cried, -'These be Genii! the issue of this miracle is yet to come! look for it, -and exult.' Then he turned to the other Kings, but they were leaning to -right and left in their seats, as do the intoxicated, without strength to -answer his questioning. So he exclaimed, 'A curse on my head! have I -forgotten the laws of hospitality? my cousins are famished!' He was -giving orders for the spreading of a sumptuous banquet when there passed -through the sky another mighty flash. They awaited the thunder this time -confidently, yet none came. Suddenly the King exclaimed, ''Tis the wrath -of Shagpat that his assailants remain uncastigated!' Then cried he to -the eunuchs of the guard, 'Hither with Feshnavat, the son of Feil!' And -the King said to Feshnavat, 'Thou plotter! envious of Shagpat!' Here the -King, Kresnuk, fell forward at the feet of Shagpat from sheer inanition, -and the King of the City ordered instantly wines and viands to be brought -into the Hall, and commenced saying to Feshnavat, in the words of the -wise entablature: - - '"Of reckless mercy thus the Sage declared: - More culpable the sparer than the spared; - For he that breaks one law, breaks one alone: - But who thwarts Justice flouts Law's sovereign throne." - -And have I not been over-merciful in thy case?' - -As the King was haranguing Feshnavat, his nostril took in the steam of -the viands and the fresh odours of the wines, and he could delay no -longer to satisfy his craving, but caught up the goblet, and drank from -it till his visage streamed the tears of contentment. Lo, while he put -forth his hand tremblingly, as to continue the words of his condemnation -of the Vizier, the heavens were severed by a third flash, one exceeding -in fierceness the other flashes; and now the Great Hall rocked, and the -pillars and thrones trembled, and the eyes of Shagpat opened. He made no -motion, but sat like a wonder of stone, looking before him. Surely, -Kadza shrieked, and rushed forward to him from the crowd, yet he said -nothing, and was as one frozen. So the King cried, 'He waketh! the -flashes preceded his wakening! Now shall he see the vengeance of kings -on his enemies.' Thereupon he made a signal, and the scimitars of the -guard were in air over the head of Feshnavat, when darkness as of the -dropping of night fell upon all, and the darkness spake, saying, 'I am -Abarak of the Bar, preceder of the Event!' - -Then it was light, but the ears of every soul present were pierced with -the wailing of wild animals, and on all sides from the Desert hundreds of -them were seen making toward the City, some swiftly, others at a heavy -pace; and when they were come near they crouched and fawned, and dropped -their dry tongues as in awe. There was the serpent, meek as before the -days of sin, and the leopard slinking to get among the legs of men, and -the lion came trundling along in utter flabbiness, raising not his head. -Soon the streets were thronged with elephants and lions and sullen -tigers, and wild cats and wolves, not a tail erect among them: great was -the marvel! So the King cried, 'We 're in the thick of wonders; banquet -we lightly while they increase upon us! What's yonder little man?' This -was Abarak that stood before the King, and exclaimed, 'I am the darkness -that announceth the mastery of the Event, as a shadow before the sun's -approach, and it is the Shaving of Shagpat!' The world darkened before -the eyes of the King when he heard this, and in a moment Abarak was -clutched by the soldiers of the guard, and dragged beside Feshnavat to -await the final blow; and this would have parted two heads from two -bodies at one stroke, but now Noorna bin Noorka entered the hall, veiled -and in the bright garb of a bride, with veiled attendants about her, and -the people opened to give her passage to the throne of the King. So she -said, 'Delay the stroke yet awhile, O Head of the Magnanimous! I am she -claimed by Shagpat; surely, I am bride of him that is Master of the -Event, and the hour of bridals is the hour of clemency.' - -The King looked at Shagpat, perplexed; but the eye of Shagpat gazed as -into the distance of another world. Then said he, 'We shall hear nought -from the mouth of Shagpat till he is avenged, and till then he is silent -with exceeding wrath.' Hearing this, Noorna ran quickly to a window of -the Hall, and let loose a white dove from her bosom. - -Then came there that flash which is recorded in old traditions as the -fourth of the flashes of thunderless lightnings, after the passing of -which, hundreds of fakirs that had been awaiting it saw nothing further -on this earth. Down through the Hall it swept; and lo! when the Kings -and the people recovered their sight to regard Shagpat, he was, one side -of him, clean shorn, the shaven side shining as the very moon! - -Surely from that moment there was no longer aught mortal in the combat -that ensued. For now, while amazement and horror palsied all present, -the Genie Karaz, uttering a howl of fury, shot down the length of the -Hall like a black storm-bolt, and caught up Shagpat, and whirled off with -him into the air; and they beheld him dive and dodge the lightnings that -beset him from upper heaven, catching Shagpat from them, now by the -heels, now by the hair remaining one side his head. This lasted a full -hour, when the Genie paused a second, and made a sheer descent into the -earth. Then saw they the wings of Koorookh, each a league in length, -overshadow the entire land, and on the neck of the bird sat Shibli -Bagarag cleaving through the earth with his blade, and he sat on Koorookh -as the moon sits on the midnight. There was no light save the light shed -abroad by the flashes of the blade, and in these they beheld the air -suffocated with Afrites and Genii in a red and brown and white heat, -followers of Karaz. Strokes of the blade clove them, and their blood was -fire that flowed over the feathers of Koorookh, lighting him in a -conflagration; but the bird flew constantly to a fountain of earth below -and extinguished it. Then the battle recommenced, and the solid earth -yawned at the gashes made by the mighty blade, and its depths revealed -how Karaz was flying with Shagpat from circle to circle of the under- -regions, hurrying with him downward to the lowest circle, that was -flaming to points, like the hair of vast heads. Presently they saw a -wondrous quivering flash divide the Genie, and his heels and head fell -together in the abysses, leaving Shagpat prone on great brasiers of penal -flame. Then the blade made another hissing sweep over Shagpat, leaving -little of the wondrous growths on him save a topknot. - -But now was the hour struck when Rabesqurat could be held no longer -serving the ferry in Aklis; and the terrible Queen streamed in the sky, -like a red disastrous comet, and dived, eagle-like, into the depths, re- -ascending with Shagpat in her arms, cherishing him; and lo, there were -suddenly a thousand Shagpats multiplied about, and the hand of Shibli -Bagarag became exhausted with hewing at them. The scornful laugh of the -Queen was heard throughout earth as she triumphed over Shibli Bagarag -with hundreds of Shagpats, Illusions; and he knew not where to strike at -the Shagpat, and was losing all sleight of hand, dexterity, and cunning. -Noorna shrieked, thinking him lost; but Abarak seized his bar, and -leaning it in the direction of Aklis, blew a pellet from it that struck -on the eye of Aklis, and this sent out a stretching finger of beams, and -singled forth very Shagpat from the myriads of semblances, so that he -glowed and was ruddy, the rest cowering pale, and dissolving like salt- -grains in water. - -Then saw earth and its inhabitants how the Genie Karaz re-ascended in the -shape of a vulture with a fire beak, pecking at the eyes of him that -wielded the Sword, so that he was bewildered and shook this way and that -over the neck of Koorookh, striking wildly, languidly cleaving towers and -palaces, and monuments of earth underneath him. Now, Shibli Bagarag -discerned his danger, and considered, 'The power of the Sword is to sever -brains and thoughts. Great is Allah! I'll seek my advantage in that.' - -So he whirled Koorookh thrice in the crimson smoke of the atmosphere, and -put the blade between the first and second thought in the head of -Rabesqurat, whereby the sense of the combat became immediately confused -in her mind, and she used her powers as the fool does, equally against -all, for the sake of mischief solely--no longer mistress of her own -Illusions; and she began doubling and trebling Shibli Bagarag on the neck -of monstrous birds, speeding in draggled flightiness from one point of -the sky to another. Even in the terror of the combat, Shibli Bagarag was -fair to burst into a fit of violent laughter at the sight of the Queen -wagging her neck loosely, perking it like a mad raven; and he took heart, -and swept the blade rapidly over Shagpat as she dandled him, leaving -Shagpat but one hair remaining on him; yet was that the Identical; and it -arose, and was a serpent in his head, and from its jaws issued a river of -fiery serpents: these and a host of Afrites besieged Shibli Bagarag; and -now, to defend himself, he unloosed the twin Genii, Karavejis and -Veejravoosh, from the wrist of that hand which wielded the Sword of -Aklis, and these alternately interwound before and about him, and were -even as a glittering armour of emerald plates, warding from him the -assaults of the host; and lo! he flew, and the battle followed him over -blazing cities and lands on fire with the slanting hail of sparkles. - -By this time every soul in the City of Shagpat, kings and people, all -save Abarak and Noorna bin Noorka, were overcome and prostrate with their -faces to the ground; but Noorna watched the conflict eagerly, and saw the -head of Shagpat sprouting incessant fresh crops of hair, despite the -pertinacious shearing of her betrothed. Then she smote her hands, and -cried, 'Yea! though I lose my beauty and the love of my betrothed, I must -join in this, or he'll be lost.' So, saying to Abarak, 'Watch over me,' -she went into the air, and, as she passed Rabesqurat, was multiplied into -twenty damsels of loveliness. Then Abarak beheld a scorpion following -the twenty in mid-air, and darting stings among them. Noorna tossed a -ring, and it fell in a circle of flame round the scorpion. So, while the -scorpion was shooting in squares to escape from the circle, the fire- -beaked vulture flew to it, and fluttered a dense rain which swallowed the -flame, and the scorpion and vulture assailed Noorna, that was changed to -a golden hawk in the midst of nineteen other golden hawks. Now, as -Rabesqurat came scudding by, and saw the encounter, she made the twenty -hawks a hundred. The Genie Karaz howled at her, and pinioned her to a -pillar below in the Desert, with Shagpat in her arms. But, as he soared -aloft to renew the fight with Noorna, Shibli Bagarag loosed to her aid -the Slaves of the Sword, and Abarak marked him slope to a distant corner -of earth, and reascend in a cloud, which drew swiftly over the land -toward the Great Hall. Lo, Shibli Bagarag stepped from it through a -casement of the Hall, and with him Shagpat, a slack weight, mated out of -all power of motion. Koorookh swooped low, on his back Baba Mustapha, -and Shibli Bagarag flung Abarak beside him on the bird. Then Koorookh -whirred off with them; and while the heavens raged, Shibli Bagarag -prepared a rapid lather, and dashed it over Shagpat, and commenced -shearing him with lightning sweeps of the blade. 'Twas as a racing wheel -of fire to see him! Suddenly he desisted, and wiped the sweat from his -face. Then calling on the name of Allah, he gave a last keen cunning -sweep with the blade, and following that, the earth awfully quaked and -groaned, as if speaking in the abysmal tongue the Mastery of the Event to -all men. Aklis was revealed in burning beams as of a sun, and the -trouble of the air ceased, vapours slowly curling to the four quarters. -Shibli Bagarag had smitten clean through the Identical! Terribly had -Noorna and those that aided her been oppressed by the multitude of their -enemies; but, in a moment these melted away, and Karaz, together with the -scorpion that was Goorelka, vanished. Day was on the baldness of -Shagpat. - - - - - - -CONCLUSION - -So was shaved Shagpat, the son of Shimpoor, the son of Shoolpi, the son -of Shullum, by Shibli Bagarag, of Shiraz, according to preordainment. - -The chronicles relate, that no sooner had he mastered the Event, than men -on the instant perceived what illusion had beguiled them, and, in the -words of the poet,-- - - The blush with which their folly they confess - Is the first prize of his supreme success. - -Even Bootlbac, the drum-beater, drummed in homage to him, and the four -Kings were they that were loudest in their revilings of the spouse of -Kadza, and most obsequious in praises of the Master. The King of the -City was fain to propitiate his people by a voluntary resignation of his -throne to Shibli Bagarag, and that King took well to heart the wisdom of -the sage, when he says: - - Power, on Illusion based, o'ertoppeth all; - The more disastrous is its certain fall! - -Surely Shibli Bagarag returned the Sword to the Sons of Aklis, flashing -it in midnight air, and they, with the others, did reverence to his -achievement. They were now released from the toil of sharpening the -Sword a half-cycle of years, to wander in delight on the fair surface of -the flowery earth, breathing its roses, wooing its brides; for the -mastery of an Event lasteth among men the space of one cycle of years, -and after that a fresh Illusion springeth to befool mankind, and the -Seven must expend the concluding half-cycle in preparing the edge of the -Sword for a new mastery. As the poet declareth in his scorn: - - Some doubt Eternity: from life begun, - Has folly ceased within them, sire to son? - So, ever fresh Illusions will arise - And lord creation, until men are wise. - -And he adds: - - That is a distant period; so prepare - To fight the false, O youths, and never spare! - For who would live in chronicles renowned - Must combat folly, or as fool be crowned. - -Now, for the Kings of Shiraz and of Gaf, Shibli Bagarag entertained them -in honour; but the King of Oolb he disgraced and stripped of his robes, -to invest Baba Mustapha in those royal emblems--a punishment to the -treachery of the King of Oolb, as is said by Aboo Eznol: - - When nations with opposing forces, rash, - Shatter each other, thou that wouldst have stood - Apart to profit by the monstrous feud, - Thou art the surest victim of the crash. - - Take colours of whichever side thou wilt, - And stedfastly thyself in battle range; - Yet, having taken, shouldst thou dare to change, - Suspicion hunts thee as a thing of guilt. - -Baba Mustapha, was pronounced Sovereign of Oolb, amid the acclamations of -the guard encamped under the command of Ravaloke, without the walls. - -No less did Shibli Bagarag honour the benefactor of Noorna, making him -chief of his armies; and he, with his own hand, bestowed on the good old -warrior the dress of honour presented to him by the Seven Sons, -charactered with all the mysteries of Aklis, a marvel lost to men in the -failure to master the Illusion now dominating earth. - -So, then, of all that had worshipped Shagpat, only Kadza clung to him, -and she departed with him into the realms of Rabesqurat, who reigned -there, divided against herself by the stroke of the Sword. The Queen is -no longer mighty, for the widening of her power has weakened it, she -being now the mistress of the single-thoughted, and them that follow one -idea to the exclusion of a second. The failure in the unveiling of her -last-cherished Illusion was in the succumbing frailty of him that -undertook the task, the world and its wise men having come to the belief -that in thwackings there was ignominy to the soul of man, and a tarnish -on the lustre of heroes. On that score, hear the words of the poet, a -vain protest: - - Ye that nourish hopes of fame! - Ye who would be known in song! - Ponder old history, and duly frame - Your souls to meek acceptance of the thong. - - Lo! of hundreds who aspire, - Eighties perish-nineties tire! - They who bear up, in spite of wrecks and wracks, - Were season 'd by celestial hail of thwacks. - - Fortune in this mortal race - Builds on thwackings for its base; - Thus the All-Wise doth make a flail a staff, - And separates his heavenly corn from chaff. - - Think ye, had he never known - Noorna a belabouring crone, - Shibli Bagarag would have shaved Shagpat - The unthwack'd lives in chronicle a rat! - - 'Tis the thwacking in this den - Maketh lions of true men! - So are we nerved to break the clinging mesh - Which tames the noblest efforts of poor flesh. - -Feshnavat became the Master's Vizier, and Abarak remained at the right -hand of Shibli Bagarag, his slave in great adventure. No other condition -than bondage gave peace to Abarak. He was of the class enumerated by the -sage: - - Who, with the strength of giants, are but tools, - The weighty hands which serve selected fools. - -Now, this was how it was in the case of Baba Mustapha, and the four -Kings, and Feshnavat, and Abarak, and Ravaloke, and Kadza, together with -Shagpat; but, in the case of Noorna bin Noorka, surely she was withering -from a sting of the scorpion shot against her bosom, but the Seven Sons -of Aklis gave her a pass into Aklis on the wings of Koorookh, and -Gulrevaz, the daughter of Aklis, tended her, she that was alone capable -of restoring her, and counteracting the malice of the scorpion by the -hand of purity. So Noorna, prospered; but Shibli Bagarag drooped in -uncertainty of her state, and was as a reaper in a field of harvest, -around whom lie the yellow sheaves, and the brown beam of autumn on his -head, the blaze of plenty; yet is he joyless and stands musing, for one -is away who should be there, and without whom the goblet of Success -giveth an unsweetened draught, and there is nothing pleasant in life, and -the flower on the summit of achievement is blighted. At last, as he was -listlessly dispensing justice in the Great Hall, seven days after the -mastery of the Event, lo, Noorna, in air, borne by Gulrevaz, she fair and -fresh in the revival of health and beauty, and the light of constant -love. Of her entry into the Great Hall, to the -embrace of her betrothed, the poet exclaims, picturing her in a rapture: - - Her march is music, and my soul obeys - Each motion, as a lute to cunning fingers - I see the earth throb for her as she sways - Wave-like in air, and like a great flower lingers - Heavily over all, as loath to leave - What loves her so, and for her loss would grieve. - - But oh, what other hand than heaven's can paint - Her eyes, and that black bow from which their lightning - Pierces afar! long lustrous eyes, that faint - In languor, or with stormy passion brightening: - Within them world in world lights up from sleep, - And gives a glimpse of the eternal deep. - - Sigh round her, odorous winds; and, envious rose, - So vainly envious, with such blushes gifted, - Bow to her; die, strangled with jealous throes, - O Bulbul! when she sings with brow uplifted; - Gather her, happy youth, and for thy gain - Thank Him who could such loveliness ordain. - -Surely the Master of the Event advanced to her in the glory of a Sultan, -and seated her beside him in majesty, and their contract of marriage was -read aloud in the Hall, and witnessed, and sealed: joyful was he! Then -commenced that festival which lasted forty days, and is termed the -Festival of the honours of hospitality to the Sons of Aldis, wherein the -head-cook of the palace, Uruish, performed wonders in his science, and -menaced the renown of Zrmack, the head-cook of King Shamshureen. Even so -the confectioner, Dob, excelled himself in devices and inventions, and -his genius urged him to depict in sugars and pastes the entire adventures -of Shibli Bagarag in search of the Sword. Honour we Uruish and Do-b! as -the poet sayeth: - - Divide not this fraternal twain; - One are they, and one should for ever remain: - As to sweet close in fine music we look, - So the Confectioner follows the Cook. - -And one of the Sons of Aklis, Zaragal, beholding this masterpiece of Dob, -which was served to the guests in the Great Hall on the fortieth evening, -was fair to exclaim in extemporaneous verse: - - Have I been wafted to a rise - Of banquet spread in Paradise, - Dower'd with consuming powers divine;-- - That I, who have not fail'd to dine, - And greatly, - Fall thus upon the cater and wine - Sedately? - -So there was feasting in the Hall, and in the City, and over Earth; great -pledging the Sovereign of Barbers, who had mastered an Event, and become -the benefactor of his craft and of his kind. 'Tis certain the race of -the Bagarags endured for many centuries, and his seed were the rulers of -men, and the seal of their empire stamped on mighty wax the Tackle of -Barbers. - -Now, of the promise made by the Sons of Aklis to visit Shibli Bagarag -before their compulsory return to the labour of the Sword, and recount to -him the marvel of their antecedent adventures; and of the love and grief -nourished in the souls of men by the beauty and sorrowful eyes of -Gulrevaz, that was mined the Bleeding Lily, and of her engagement to tell -her story, on condition of receiving the first-born of Noorna to nurse -for a season in Aklis; and of Shibli Bagarag's restoration of towns and -monuments destroyed by his battle with Karaz; and of the constancy of -passion of Shibli Bagarag for Noorna, and his esteem for her sweetness, -and his reverence for her wisdom; and of the glory of his reign, and of -the Songs and Sentences of Noorna, and of his Laws for the protection and -upholding of women, in honour of Noorna, concerning which the Sage has -said: - - Were men once clad in them, we should create - A race not following, but commanding, fate: - ---of all these records, and of the reign of Baba Mustapha in Oolb, surely -the chronicles give them in fulness; and they that have searched say of -them, there is matter therein for the amusement of generations. - - - - -ETEXT EDITOR'S BOOKMARKS: - -A woman's at the core of every plot man plotteth -Every failure is a step advanced -Failures oft are but advising friends -Like an ill-reared fruit, first at the core it rotteth -More culpable the sparer than the spared -Persist, if thou wouldst truly reach thine ends -Too often hangs the house on one loose stone - - - - -End of this Project Gutenberg Etext of The Shaving of Shagpat, v4 -by George Meredith - - - - - - -ETEXT EDITOR'S BOOKMARKS, SHAVING OF SHAGPAT, COMPLETE: - -A woman's at the core of every plot man plotteth -Arm'd with Fear the Foe finds passage to the vital part -Delay in thine undertaking Is disaster of thy own making -Every failure is a step advanced -Failures oft are but advising friends -Fear nought so much as Fear itself -How little a thing serves Fortune's turn -If thou wouldst fix remembrance--thwack! -Lest thou commence to lie--be dumb! -Like an ill-reared fruit, first at the core it rotteth -More culpable the sparer than the spared -No runner can outstrip his fate -Nought credit but what outward orbs reveal -Persist, if thou wouldst truly reach thine ends -Ripe with oft telling and old is the tale -The curse of sorrow is comparison! -The king without his crown hath a forehead like the clown -The overwise themselves hoodwink -'Tis the first step that makes a path -Too often hangs the house on one loose stone -Vanity maketh the strongest most weak -When to loquacious fools with patience rare I listen -Where fools are the fathers of every miracle -Who in a labyrinth wandereth without clue - - - - -End of this Project Gutenberg Etext of The Shaving of Shagpat, entire -by George Meredith - |