Amurath IV. had twice besieged Bagdad,--in 1625 and 1634; twice his
generals had been compelled disgracefully to raise the siege, when the
sultan, in 1638, determined to punish a city which had so roused his
anger. During thirty days his artillery thundered against its ramparts.
Cannon, steel, and fire spread desolation within the walls; assault
upon assault was given. The grand seignor appeared, scimitar in hand,
striking down such of his own men as even advanced slowly. He killed
the vizier Mahommed, who appeared to him not sufficiently eager to
court danger. At length the city was carried. Thirty thousand unarmed
Persians were slaughtered before the eyes of the cruel conqueror. This
savage prince was about to exterminate all the inhabitants of Bagdad,
when a musician threw himself at his feet, and spoke as follows:
“Sublime emperor! will you permit so divine an art as that of music to
perish this day with me, with Schah-Culi, your slave? Ah! preserve, by
preserving me, a divine art of which I have not yet discovered all the
beauties.” This speech made the sultan laugh, and casting a favourable
look upon the artist, he permitted him to prove his talents. Schah-Culi
immediately took up a _scheydor_, a kind of six-stringed harp, and
adapting his voice to the sounds of that instrument, he sang the tragic
capture of Bagdad and the triumph of Amurath. The sultan at first
appeared astonished; fury was depicted in his countenance: he fancied
himself amidst his warriors, animating the combatants, and leading
them to victory. All at once the artist touched another chord: by
plaintive and affecting sounds he subdued the heart of the implacable
conqueror: the haughty sultan melted into tears; his stern heart was,
for the first time, accessible to pity: he shudders at the barbarous
orders he had given to immolate so many thousand victims; he revokes
them, and puts a stop to the carnage. Overcome by the charms of music,
he restored liberty to the compatriots of Schah-Culi, attached the
musician to his personal service, and loaded him with benefits.