A description of the entertainment, which is followed by an event
destructive to Hajji Babas happiness.
The only persons, besides servants, admitted into the saloon where the
Shah dined, were the three princes, his sons, who had accompanied him;
and they stood at the farthest end, with their backs against the wall,
attired in dresses of ceremony, with swords by their sides. Mirza Ahmak
remained in attendance without. A cloth, of the finest Cashmerian shawl
fringed with gold, was then spread on the carpet before the king, by
the chief of the valets, and a gold ewer and basin were presented
for washing hands. The dinner was then brought in trays which, as a
precaution against poison, had been sealed with the signet of the head
steward before they left the kitchen, and were broken open by him again
in the presence of the Shah. Here were displayed all the refinements
of cookery. Rice, in various shapes, smoked upon the board; first the
_chilau_, as white as snow; then the _pilau_, with a piece of boiled
lamb smothered in the rice; then another pilau, with a baked fowl in it;
a fourth coloured with saffron, mixed up with dried peas; and at length,
the king of Persian dishes, the _narinj pilau_, made with slips of
orange-peel, spices of all sorts, almonds, and sugar: salmon and
herring, from the Caspian Sea, were seen among the dishes; and trout
from the river Zengî, near Erivan; then in china basins and bowls of
different sizes were the ragouts, which consisted of hash made of a fowl
boiled to rags, stewed up with rice, sweet herbs, and onions; a stew,
in which was a lambs marrow-bone, with some loose flesh about it, and
boiled in its own juice; small gourds, crammed with force-meat, and done
in butter; a fowl stewed to rags, with a brown sauce of prunes; a large
omelette, about two inches thick; a cup full of the essence of meat,
mixed up with rags of lamb, almonds, prunes, and tamarinds, which was
poured upon the top of the chilau; a plate of poached eggs, fried in
sugar and butter; a dish of _badenjáns_, slit in the middle and boiled
in grease; a stew of venison; and a great variety of other messes too
numerous to mention. After these came the roasts. A lamb was served up
hot from the spit, the tail of which, like marrow, was curled up over
its back. Partridges, and what is looked upon as the rarest delicacy in
Persia, two _capk dereh_, partridges of the valley, were procured on the
occasion. Pheasants from Mazanderan were there also, as well as some
of the choicest bits of the wild ass and antelope. The display and the
abundance of delicacies surprised every one; and they were piled up in
such profusion around the king, that he seemed almost to form a part
of the heap. I do not mention the innumerable little accessories of
preserves, pickles, cheese, butter, onions, celery, salt, pepper,
sweets, and sours, which were to be found in different parts of the
tray, for that would be tedious: but the sherbets were worthy of notice,
from their peculiar delicacy: these were contained in immense bowls
of the most costly china, and drank by the help of spoons of the most
exquisite workmanship, made of the pear-tree. They consisted of the
common lemonade, made with superior art; of the _sekenjebîn_, or
vinegar, sugar, and water, so mixed that the sour and the sweet, were as
equally balanced as the blessings and miseries of life; the sherbet of
sugar and water, with rose-water to give it a perfume, and sweet seeds
to increase its flavour; and that made of the pomegranate; all highly
cooled by lumps of floating ice.
The king then, doubling himself down with his head reclining towards his
food, buried his hand in the pilaus and other dishes before him, and ate
in silence, whilst the princes and the servants in waiting, in attitudes
of respect, remained immovable. When he had finished he got up, and
walked into an adjoining room, where he washed his hands, drank his
coffee, and smoked his water-pipe.
In the course of his eating he ordered one of the pilaus, of which he
had partaken, to be carried to Mirza Ahmak, his host, by a servant in
waiting. As this is considered a mark of peculiar honour, the mirza was
obliged to give a present in money to the bearer. A similar distinction
was conferred upon the poet for his impromptu, and he also made a
suitable present. His majesty also sent one of the messes, of which he
had freely partaken, to the doctors wife, who liberally rewarded the
bearer. And in this manner he contrived to reward two persons, the one
who received the present, and the other who bore it.
The princes then sat down, and when they had eat their fill they rose,
and the dishes were served up in another room, where the noble of
nobles, the court poet, the master of the horse, and all the officers of
state and courtiers who had attended his majesty, were seated, and who
continued the feast which the king and his sons had begun. After this,
the dinner was taken in succession to the different servants, until the
dishes were cleared by the tent-pitchers and scullions.
In the meanwhile the Shah had been introduced into the harem by the
doctor in person; and as immediate death would have been inflicted upon
any one who might have been caught peeping, I waited in the greatest
suspense until I could learn what might have taken place there; but what
was my horror! what my consternation! on hearing (as soon as the king
had returned to the great saloon) that the doctor had made a present of
his Cûrdish slave to his majesty! At this intelligence I grew sick with
apprehension; and, although there was every reason to rejoice at her
leaving her present situation, yet there were consequences which
I anticipated--consequences which might even ultimately affect her
life,--at the very thought of which my blood ran cold. We had been too
much enamoured to listen to the dictates of prudence, and now the future
opened a prospect to me, the background of which was darkened by images
the most horrible that the imagination can conceive.
I will endeavour, thought I, to gain some certain intelligence of what
has happened; perhaps in the confusion, I may chance to get a sight
of Zeenab herself. I lost no time, therefore, in resorting to our old
place of meeting on the terrace. Much noise and clatter were heard below
amongst the women, a large number having come as visitors, in addition
to those which composed the doctors harem; but I could perceive no one
amongst them that looked at all like her I sought; indeed, the night had
closed in, and I despaired of making any sign which might be recognized;
but, trusting to the sympathies of love, I thought it certain that she
would hit upon precisely the same plan which I had devised to see
her. Part of the terrace where our first interview had taken place was
situated near the street, and upon this the women of the harem were
accustomed to take their station whenever anything remarkable was to be
seen abroad. Here I hoped Zeenab would not fail to come at the moment
of the Shahs departure, which was now close at hand. The clatter of
the horses, the shouts of men, the passing to and fro of lanterns,
all announced the close of the scene; and to my delight I heard a
corresponding shuffling of womens slippers and voices making for the
steps of the terrace. I had placed myself behind the wall, so as to be
seen by those only who had a knowledge of the premises, and I flattered
myself that Zeenab, by a natural impulse, would turn her eyes towards
me. I was not mistaken. She was among the women who had ascended the
terrace, and she recognized me. That was all I wanted, and I left it to
her ingenuity to devise a mode of conversing with me.
The cry of _Gitchin!_ Begone! made by the heralds whenever the king
rises to depart, was now heard, and every one arranged himself in the
procession. With the exception of the numerous lanterns; which by their
size announced the dignity of the different personages whose steps they
lighted, the ceremony of the kings return to his palace was the same as
on his leaving it, and with his majesty departed all that had a moment
before given life and animation to the place.
The women, satisfied that nothing more was to be seen, also left
the terrace. Their conversation, during the time of their stay, had
consisted almost entirely of disputes of who had been most seen and
admired by the Shah; and, as they were descending, I overheard great
expressions of envy and jealousy at the good fortune which, in their
eyes, had fallen to the share of Zeenab.
I cant conceive, said one, what the Shah could have seen so
attractive in her. After all, she has no beauty. Did you ever see so
large a mouth? She has no salt in her complexion.[58]
She is crooked, said another.
As for her waist, said a third, tis like that of an elephant; and
then her feet--a camel has smaller.
And then, said a fourth, she is a Yezeedi. She must have got a charm
from the shaitan himself, to make herself remarked.
That is the truth, they all exclaimed. Yes, thats it--she and the
devil are in partnership to make the king eat dirt. Upon this they all
seemed satisfied, and I heard no more of them.
But one woman still remained behind on the terrace, apparently engrossed
with what was passing on in the street; she immediately rose when the
others had left it, and came towards me. It was Zeenab.