towards the garden, induced them to go and examine from whence it
came. It was in fact caused by the flames of an hundred flambeaux of
white wax, which an equal number of young eunuchs carried in their
hands. These eunuchs were followed by more than an hundred others,
who were older, all of whom formed a part of the guards that were
always on duty at the apartments of the females belonging to the
caliph. They were dressed and armed with scimitars, in the same way
as those I have before mentioned. The caliph himself walked after
these, between Mesrour, the chief of the eunuchs, who was on his
right hand, and Vassif, the second in command, who was on his left.
Schemselnihar waited for the caliph at the entrance of one of the
walks, accompanied by twenty very beautiful females, who wore
necklaces and ear-rings made of large diamonds, and whose heads were
also profusely ornamented with the same materials. They all sung to
the sound of their instruments, and formed a most delightful
concert. The favorite no sooner saw the caliph appear, than she
advanced towards him, and prostrated herself at his feet. But at the
very instant of doing it, she said to herself, “If your mournful
eyes, O prince of Persia, were witness to what I am now compelled to
do, you would be able to judge of the severity of my lot. It is
before you alone, that I wish thus to humble myself; my heart would
not then feel the least repugnance.”
The caliph was delighted to see Schemselnihar. “Rise, madam,” he
cried, as he approached her, “and come near to me. I have felt
myself but ill at ease at having been deprived for so long a time of
the pleasure of beholding you.” Having thus spoken, he took her by
the hand, and addressing the most kind and obliging things to her,
he seated himself on the throne of silver, which she had ordered to
be brought, as she did on a seat before him; and the other twenty
females formed an entire circle round them, sitting down on other
seats; while the hundred young eunuchs, who carried the flambeaux,
dispersed themselves at certain distances from each other all over
the garden; and the caliph, in the mean time, enjoyed at his ease
the freshness of the evening air.
When the caliph had sat down, he looked round him, and observed,
with great satisfaction, that the garden was illuminated with a
multitude of other lights besides those which the eunuchs carried.
He took notice, however, that the saloon was shut up; at which he
seemed surprised, and asked the reason of it. It was, in fact, done
so on purpose to astonish him; for he had no sooner spoken, than all
the windows at once suddenly opened, and he saw it lighted up both
within side and without, in a much more extensive and magnificent
manner than he had ever done before. “Charming Schemselnihar,”
he cried at this sight, “I understand your meaning: you wish me to
acknowledge, that the night may be made as beautiful as the day. And
after what I now see, I cannot deny it.”
Let us now return to the prince of Persia and Ebn Thaher, whom we
left shut up in the gallery. Although in that disagreeable
situation, the latter could not help admiring every thing that
passed, and of which he was a spectator, “I am not a young man,”
he cried, “and have, in the course of my life, been witness to
many beautiful sights; but I really think I never saw any spectacle
so surprising or grand as this is. Nothing that has been related
even of enchanted palaces, at all equals the exhibitions we have now
before our eyes. What a profusion of magnificence and richness!”
None of these brilliant objects, however, seemed to have any effect
upon the prince of Persia: he derived not that pleasure from them
which Ebn Thaher did. His eyes were only intent upon watching
Schemselnihar; and the presence of the sultan plunged him into the
greatest affliction. “Dear Ebn Thaher,” he cried, “I wish to
God I had a mind sufficiently at ease to be interested like yourself
in every thing that is admirable around us. But I am, alas, in a
very different state; and all these objects serve but to increase my
torment. How can I possibly see the caliph alone with her I doat on,
and not die in despair? Ought an affection so tender and indelible
as mine to be disturbed by so powerful a rival? Heavens! how
extraordinary and cruel is my destiny. Not an instant ago I thought
myself the happiest and most fortunate lover in the world, and at
this moment I feel a stroke on my heart that will, at last, be the
death of me. No, I cannot, my dear Ebn Thaher, resist it. My
patience is worn out; my misfortune completely overwhelms me, and my
courage sinks under it.” In pronouncing these last words, he
observed something going on in the garden, which obliged him to be
silent and give his attention.
The fact was, that the caliph had commanded one of the females that
was near, to take her lute and sing. The words she sung were very
tender and impassioned; and the caliph, being persuaded that she
sung them by Schemselnihar’s order, who had often given him
similar proofs of her affection, interpreted them in favor of
himself. But, at this moment, it was very far from the intention of
Schemselnihar. She, in her heart, applied them to her dear Ali Ebn
Becar, the prince of Persia; and the misery she felt at having, in
his place, an object before her whose presence she could not endure,
took such an effect upon her, that she fainted. She fell back in her
chair, which had no arms to it; and would have fallen on the ground
if some of her women had not quickly ran to her assistance. They
carried her away, and took her into the saloon.
Ebn Thaher, who was in the gallery, surprised by this accident,
turned his head towards the prince of Persia, when, instead of
seeing him leaning against the blinds, and looking out as well as
himself, he was extremely astonished to find him stretched
motionless at his feet. He judged by this of the strength of his
love for Schemselnihar, and could not help wondering at this strange
effect of sympathy, which distressed him the more, on account of the
place they were then in. However, he did all he could to recover the
prince, but without success. Ebn Thaher was in this embarrassing
situation, when the confidant of Schemselnihar opened the door of
the gallery and ran in, quite out of breath, and like one who did
not know what course to pursue. “Come instantly,” cried she,
“that I may let you out. Every thing here is in such confusion,
that I believe this is the last day we have to live.”--“Alas!”
replied Ebn Thaher, in a tone which bespoke his grief, “how can we
depart? Pray come hither, and see what a state the prince of Persia
is in.” When the slave saw that he had fainted, she ran
immediately to get some water, without losing time in conversation,
and returned in a few moments.
At length the prince of Persia, after they had sprinkled water on
his face, began to recover. When Ebn Thaher saw symptoms of
returning life, he said to him, “Prince, we both run a great risk
of losing our lives by remaining here any longer; make an effort
then, and let us fly as quick as possible.” He was so weak that he
could not get up without assistance. Ebn Thaher and the confident
gave him their hands, and, supporting him on each side, they got to
a little iron gate, which opened on the Tigris. They went out by
this gate, and proceeded to the edge of a small canal, which
communicated with the river. The confidential slave clapped her
hands, and instantly a little boat appeared, rowed by one man, and
came towards them. Ali Ebn Becar and his companion embarked in it,
and the slave remained on the bank of the canal. As soon as the
prince was seated in the boat, he stretched out one hand towards the
palace, and placing the other on his heart, “Dear object of my
soul,” cried he, in a feeble voice, “receive from this hand the
pledge of my faith, while with my other I assure you, that my heart
will ever preserve the flame with which it now burns.”
In the mean time the boatman rowed with all his strength, and the
confidant walked on the bank of the canal to accompany the prince of
Persia and Ebn Thaher till they arrived in the current of the
Tigris. Then, as she could not go any farther, she took her leave of
them and retired.
The prince of Persia continued extremely weak: Ebn Thaher said all
he could to console him, and exhort him to take courage.
“Remember,” said he, “that when we disembark, we shall still
have a long way to go before we arrive at my house; for to conduct
you to yours, which is so much farther, at this hour, and in the
state you now are, would, I think, be very imprudent. We might also
run a risk of meeting the watch-guard.” They at length got out of
the boat, but the prince was so feeble, that he could not walk,
which very much increased Ebn Thaher’s embarrassment. He
recollected, that he had a friend in the neighbourhood, and he, with
great difficulty, dragged the prince thither. His friend received
them very cordially, and when he had made them sit down, he asked
them from whence they came at that late hour. Ebn Thaher replied,
“I learned this evening that a man, who owes me a considerable sum
of money, intended to set out on a very long journey; I lost no
time, but went in search of him, and in my way I met this young
lord, whom you see, and to whom I am under a thousand obligations;
as he knows my debtor, he did me the favor to accompany me. We had
some difficulty to accomplish our purpose, and bring our gentleman
to a right understanding of the business. However, at last we
succeeded, and this is the reason of our having staid so late with
him. As we were returning, at a few steps from hence, this young
lord, for whom I have the utmost regard, felt himself suddenly
seized with illness, which induced me to take the liberty of
knocking at your door. I flattered myself, that you would have the
goodness to do us the favor of giving us a lodging for this night.”
The friend of Ebn Thaher easily swallowed this fable, told them they
were welcome, and offered the prince of Persia, whom he did not
know, every assistance in his power. But Ebn Thaher, taking upon
himself to answer for the prince, said, that his illness was of a
nature only to require repose. His friend, also, understood by this
speech, that they both wanted rest. He, therefore, conducted them to
an apartment, where he left them at liberty to lie down.
The prince of Persia no sooner dropt asleep, than his repose was so
disturbed by the most distressing dreams, representing Schemselnihar
fainting at the feet of the caliph, that his affliction did not at
all subside. Ebn Thaher, who was excessively impatient to get to his
own house, not doubting that his family were in the utmost distress,
because he made it a rule never to sleep from home, got up and
departed very early, after taking leave of his friend, who had risen
by day-break to go to early prayers. They at length arrived at Ebn
Thaher’s house, when the prince of Persia, who had exerted himself
very much to walk so far, threw himself upon a sofa; feeling as much
fatigued as if he had been a long journey. As he was not in a state
to go home, Ebn Thaher ordered an apartment to be prepared for him:
and that none of his people might be uneasy about him, he sent to
inform them where he was. In the mean time, he begged the prince to
endeavor to make his mind easy; and order every thing about him as
he pleased. “I accept, with pleasure,” replied the prince of
Persia, “the obliging offers you make; but that I may not be any
embarrassment to you, I entreat you to do every thing as if I were
not with you. I cannot think of staying here a moment if my presence
is to be any restraint upon you.”
As soon as Ebn Thaher had time to recollect himself, he informed his
family of every thing that had passed in the palace of
Schemselnihar, and finished this recital, by returning thanks to God
for having delivered him from the danger he had escaped. The
principal domestics belonging to the prince of Persia came to
receive their orders from him at Ebn Thaher’s, and soon after
several of his friends arrived, who had become acquainted with his
indisposition. His friends passed the greatest part of the day with
him; and, although their conversation could not entirely banish the
sorrowful reflections which occasioned his illness, yet at least it
was thus far of advantage, that it gave him some relaxation.
Towards the close of the day he wished to take his leave of Ebn
Thaher, but this faithful friend found him still so weak, that he
made him remain till the following day. In the mean time, to
dissipate his gloom, he gave him, in the evening, a concert of vocal
and instrumental music; but this only served to recall to the
prince’s memory the one he had enjoyed the preceding night, and
only increased his grief instead of assuaging it, so that the next
day his indisposition seemed to be augmented. Finding this to be the
case, Ebn Thaher no longer opposed the prince’s wish of returning
to his own house. He undertook the care of having him conveyed
there, and also accompanied him; when he found himself alone with
him in his apartment, he represented to him, in strong terms, the
necessity of making one great effort to overcome a passion which
could not terminate happily either for him or the Favorite. “Ah!
dear Ebn Thaher,” cried the prince, “it is easy for you to give
this advice: but how difficult is the task for me to follow it! I
see, and confess the importance of it, without being able to profit
from it. I have already said it; the love I have for Schemselnihar
will accompany me to the grave.” When Ebn Thaher perceived that he
could make no impression on the mind of the prince, he took his
leave, with the intention of retiring, but the prince prevented him.
“Obliging Ebn Thaher,” said he to him, “if I have declared to
you, that it is not in my power to follow your prudent counsel, I
entreat you not to be angry with me, and desist, on that account,
from giving me proofs of your friendship. You could not give me a
stronger one than to inform me of the fate of my beloved
Schemselnihar, if you should hear any tidings of her. The
uncertainty I am under respecting her situation, and the dreadful
apprehensions I feel on account of her fainting, make me continue in
the languid state you so much reproach me for.”--“My lord,”
replied Ebn Thaher, “you may surely hope that her fainting has not
been productive of any bad consequences, and that her confidential
slave will shortly come to acquaint me how the affair terminated. As
soon as I know the detail, I will not fail to come and communicate
it to you.”
Ebn Thaher left the prince with this hope, and returned home, where
he expected all the rest of the day to see the confidant of
Schemselnihar arrive, but in vain. She did not make her appearance
even on the morrow. The uneasiness he felt to learn the state of the
prince’s health, did not allow him to remain any longer without
seeing him; and he went to him with the design of exhorting him to
have patience. He found him on the bed, and quite as ill as ever; he
was also surrounded by his friend, and several physicians, who were
exerting all their professional skill to endeavor to discover the
cause of his disease. As soon as he perceived Ebn Thaher, he cast a
smiling look on him, which denoted two things; one, that he was
rejoiced to see him; the other, how deceived his physicians were in
their conjectures on his disease, the cause of which they could not
guess.
The physicians and the friends retired, one after the other, so that
Ebn Thaher remained alone with the patient. He approached his bed,
to inquire how he had been since he last saw him. “I must own to
you,” replied the prince of Persia, “that my love, which every
day acquires increased strength, and the uncertainty of the destiny
of the lovely Schemselnihar, heighten my disease every moment; and
reduce me to a state which afflicts my relations and friends, and
baffles the skill of the physicians, who cannot understand it. You
little imagine,” added he, “how much I suffer at seeing so many
people, who constantly importune me, and whom I cannot dismiss
without incivility. You are the only one whose company affords me
any comfort; but do not disguise any thing from me, I conjure you.
What news do you bring of Schemselnihar? Have you seen her
confidant? What did she say to you?” Ebn Thaher answered, that he
had not seen her: and he had no sooner communicated this sorrowful
intelligence to the prince, than the tears came in his eyes; he
could make no reply, for his heart was full. “Prince,” then
resumed Ebn Thaher, “allow me to say, that you are too ingenious
in tormenting yourself. In the name of God, dry your tears; some of
your people might come in at this moment, and you are well aware how
cautious you ought to be to conceal your sentiments, which might be
discovered by that means.” Whatever this judicious counsellor
might urge, was ineffectual to stop the prince’s tears, which he
could not restrain. “Wise Ebn Thaher,” cried he, when he had
regained the power of speech, “I can prevent my tongue from
revealing the secret of my heart, but I have no power over my tears,
while I have so much reason to fear for Schemselnihar. If this
adorable and only object of my desires were no longer in this world,
I should not survive her one moment.”--“Do not harbour so
afflicting a thought,” replied Ebn Thaher, “Schemselnihar still
lives; you must not doubt it. If she has not sent you any account of
herself, it is probably because she has not been able to find an
opportunity, and I hope this day will not pass without your hearing
of her.” He added many other consoling speeches, and then he took
his leave.
Ebn Thaher was scarcely returned to his house, when the confidant of
Schemselnihar arrived. She had a sorrowful air, from which he
conceived an unfavorable presage. He inquired after her mistress.
“First,” said she, “give me some intelligence of yourselves,
for I was in great anxiety on your account, seeing you depart with
the prince of Persia in such a state as he appeared to be.” Ebn
Thaher related to her all she wished to know; and when he had
concluded his narrative, the slave began hers: “If the prince of
Persia,” said she, “suffers on my mistress’s account, she does
not endure less pain for him. After I had quitted you,” continued
she, “I returned to the saloon, where I found Schemselnihar, who
had not yet recovered from her fainting fit, notwithstanding all the
remedies that had been applied. The caliph was seated next to her,
showing every symptom of real grief. He inquired of all the women,
and of me in particular, if we had any knowledge of the cause of her
indisposition; but we all kept the secret, and we replied quite
contrary to what we knew to be the fact. We were, however, all in
tears to see her suffer so long, and we omitted nothing that we
thought might relieve her. It was full midnight when she came to
herself. The caliph, who had had the patience to wait for this
moment, showed great joy, and asked Schemselnihar what could have
occasioned this illness. As soon as she heard his voice, she made an
effort to sit up; and having kissed his feet, before he had time to
prevent her, “Sire,” said she, “I ought to complain of Heaven
for not suffering me to expire at the feet of your majesty, to
convince you by that, how sincerely I am penetrated by the sense of
all your goodness to me.”
“I am well persuaded that you love me,” replied the caliph,
“but I command you to take care of yourself for my sake; you have
probably made some exertion to-day, which has been the cause of this
indisposition; you must be more careful, and I beg you to avoid a
repetition of any thing that may be injurious. I am happy to see you
in a better state, and I advise you to pass the night here, instead
of returning to your apartment, lest the motion should be hurtful to
you.” He then ordered some wine to be brought, of which he made
her take a small quantity, to give her strength, after which he took
his leave of her, and retired to his chamber.
“As soon as the caliph was gone, my mistress made signs to me to
draw near. She anxiously inquired after you. I assured her, that you
had long since quitted the palace, and I set her mind at ease on
that subject. I took care not to mention the fainting of the prince
of Persia, for fear she should relapse into the same state, from
which we had with so much difficulty recovered her. But my
precaution was useless, as you will shortly hear. ‘O, prince,’
cried she, ‘then, from this time I renounce all pleasures, so long
as my eyes shall be deprived of the gratification of beholding you;
if I understand your heart, I only follow your example. You will not
cease your tears, until you have rejoined me; and it is but just,
that I should weep and lament, until you are restored to my
prayers.’ On concluding these words, which she pronounced in a
manner that denoted the violence of her love, she fainted a second
time in my arms.
“My companions and I were a long while in restoring her to her
senses again; at length, life returned; I then said to her, ‘Are
you resolved, madam, to suffer yourself to die, and to make us die
with you? I conjure you, in the name of the prince of Persia, for
whom you are so interested, to endeavour to preserve your life. Pray
be persuaded, and make those efforts, which you owe to yourself, to
your love for the prince, and to our attachment to you.’--‘I am
much obliged to you,’ returned she, ‘for your care, your
attention, and your advice. But, alas! how can they be serviceable
to me? We are not permitted to flatter ourselves with any hope; and
it is only in the bosom of the grave, that we may expect a period to
our torments.’
“One of my companions wished to give a turn to these melancholy
ideas, by singing a little air to her lute; but she desired her to
be silent, and ordered her with the rest to quit the room. She
detained only me, to spend the night with her. Heavens! what a night
it was; she passed it in tears and lamentations, and calling
continually on the name of the prince of Persia, she complained of
the cruelty of her fate, which had destined her for the caliph, whom
she could not love; and not to be united to the prince of Persia, of
whom she was so passionately enamoured.
“The next day, as it was not convenient for her to remain in the
saloon, I assisted to remove her into her own apartment, where she
was no sooner arrived, than all the physicians of the palace came to
see her, by order of the caliph; and it was not long before he
himself made his appearance. The remedies prescribed by the
physicians for Schemselnihar, had no effect; for they were ignorant
of the cause of her illness; and the restraint she felt in the
presence of the caliph, only increased the disease. She has,
however, enjoyed a little rest this night, and as soon as she awoke,
she charged me to come in search of you, to obtain some intelligence
of the prince of Persia.”--“I have already informed you of the
state he is in,” replied Ebn Thaher, “so return to your
mistress, and assure her that the prince of Persia expected to hear
from her with as much impatience as she could feel on his account.
Exhort her, above all, to moderate and conquer her feelings, lest
some word should escape her lips before the caliph, which might
prove the destruction of us all.”--“As for me,” resumed the
slave, “I am in constant apprehension, from the little command she
has over herself; I took the liberty of telling her what I thought
on that subject, and I am persuaded she will not take it amiss if I
speak to her on your part also.”
Ebn Thaher, who had but just left the prince of Persia, did not
judge it proper to return again so soon, and neglect some important
business, which he found would engage him at home; he did not go
till the close of day. The prince was alone, and was not better than
in the morning. “Ebn Thaher,” said he, when he saw him enter the
room, “you have, no doubt, many friends; but these friends do not
know your worth, which I am better acquainted with, by witnessing
the zeal, the care, and the pains you take, when an opportunity
offers of obliging them. I am quite confused at all you do for me,
and it is done with so much friendship and affection, that I shall
never be able to acquit myself towards you.”