Part 14

Schemselnihar evidently showed, both by her eyes and actions, that she thought these words applicable to herself and the prince, and that he was no longer master of himself. He got up, and advancing towards the balustrade, which served him to lean upon, he contrived to catch the attention of one of the females who sung. And as she was not far from him, he said to her, “Attend to me, and do me the favor to accompany with your lute the song I am now going to sing you.” He then sung an air, the tender and impassioned words of which perfectly expressed the violence of his love. As soon as it was finished, Schemselnihar, following his example, said to one of her women, “Attend to me also, and accompany my voice.” She then sung in a manner that increased, to a still greater degree, the flame that burnt in the heart of the prince of Persia; who only answered her by another air still more tender than the one he sung before.

These two lovers having thus declared their mutual affection by their songs, Schemselnihar at length completely yielded to the strength of hers. She got up from her throne, almost forgetting what she did, and proceeded towards the door of the saloon. The prince, who was aware of her intention, instantly rose also, and hurried to meet her. They met at the very door, where they seized each other’s hands, and embraced with so much transport, that they both fainted on the spot. They would have fallen to the ground, if the female attendants, who followed Schemselnihar, had not prevented them. They supported and led them to a sofa; and it was only by throwing some perfumed water over them, and applying various stimulants, that they returned to their senses.

The first thing Schemselnihar did, as soon as they had recovered, was to look round on all sides; and not seeing Ebn Thaher, she eagerly inquired where he was. The fact was, Ebn Thaher had retired out of respect to her, while the slaves were employed in attending their mistress; for he was really afraid, and not without reason, that some unfortunate consequence would arise from this adventure. As soon as he heard that Schemselnihar asked for him, he came forward and presented himself before her.

She seemed highly satisfied at the appearance of Ebn Thaher, and expressed her joy in these obliging terms. “I know not by what means, Ebn Thaher, I can ever repay the obligations I am under to you; but for you, I should never have become acquainted with the prince of Persia, nor have gained the affections of the most amiable being in the world. Be assured, however, that I shall not die ungrateful; and that my gratitude shall, if possible, equal the benefit I have received through your means.” Ebn Thaher could only answer this flattering speech by an inclination of the head, and by wishing the Favorite the attainment of every thing she could desire.

Schemselnihar then turned towards the prince of Persia, who was seated by her side, and looking at him, though not without feeling confused after what had passed between them; “I cannot, sir,” she said to him, “but be perfectly assured that you love me; and, however strong your passion for me may be, you cannot, I think, doubt that mine is equally violent. Do not, however, let us delusively flatter ourselves; whatever unison there may be between your sentiments and mine, I can look forwards only to pain, disappointment, and misery for each. And no remedy, alas, remains to befriend us in our misfortunes, but perfect constancy in love, entire submission to the will of Heaven, and patient expectation of whatever it may please to decree as our destiny.” “Madam,” replied the prince of Persia, “you would do me the greatest injustice in the world, if you could for a moment doubt the constancy and fidelity of my heart. My affection is so completely blended with my soul, that it forms in fact a part of my very existence; nay, I shall even preserve it beyond the grave. Neither misery, torments, nor obstacles of any kind, can ever be capable of lessening my love for you.” At the conclusion of this speech his tears flowed in abundance; nor could Schemselnihar restrain hers.

Ebn Thaher took this opportunity to speak to the Favorite, “Madam,” said he, “permit me to say, that instead of thus remaining overwhelmed in misery, you ought rather to feel the greatest joy in finding yourselves so fortunately in each other’s society. I really do not understand the motives for your grief. If it be so great now, what must you feel when necessity shall compel you to separate. But why do I say shall compel you: we have already been a long time here; and it is now necessary, as you must be aware, madam, for us to take our departure.” “Alas,” replied Schemselnihar, “how cruel you are! Have not you, who so well know the cause of my tears, any pity for the unfortunate situation in which you see me. O miserable destiny, why am I compelled to submit to so severe a restriction, as to be for ever unable to obtain and enjoy what absorbs my whole affection?”

As however she was well persuaded that Ebn Thaher had said nothing but what was dictated by friendship, she was by no means angry at his speech; she even profited from it; for she directly made a sign to the slave, her confidant, who immediately went out, and soon returned with a small collation of various fruits upon a silver table, which she placed between the Favorite and the prince of Persia. Schemselnihar chose what she thought was the best, and presented it to the prince, entreating him to eat it for her sake. He took it, and instantly carried it to his mouth; taking care, that the very part which had felt the pressure of her fingers, should first touch his lips. The prince, in his turn, then presented something to Schemselnihar, who directly took and eat it in the same manner. Nor did she forget to invite Ebn Thaher to partake with them: but as he knew he was now staying longer in a place than was perfectly safe, he would rather have returned home; and he eat therefore only through complaisance. As soon as the things were taken away, they brought some water in a vase of gold, and a silver bason, in which they both washed their hands at the same time. After this they returned to their seats, and then three of the ten black females brought each of them a cup, formed of beautiful rock crystal, and filled with the most exquisite wine, upon a golden waiter, which they placed before Schemselnihar, the prince of Persia, and Ebn Thaher.

In order to be more by themselves, Schemselnihar retained near her only the ten black slaves, and the other ten females, who were skilled in music and singing. After she had dismissed all the other attendants, she took one of the cups, and holding it in her hand, she sung some of the most tender words, which one of the females accompanied with her lute. When this was finished, she drank the wine. She then took one of the other cups, and, presenting it to the prince, requested him to drink it for love of her, in the same manner she had done hers. He received it with the greatest transport of love and joy. But before he drank it, he sung in his turn an air, accompanied by the instrument of another female; and in singing it, the tears fell in abundance from his eyes: the words, also, which he sung, expressed the idea, that he himself was ignorant whether it was the wine that he was drinking, or his own tears. Schemselnihar then presented the third cup to Ebn Thaher, who thanked her for the honor and attention she showed him.

When this was over, the Favorite took a lute from one of her slaves, and accompanied her own voice in so impassioned a manner, that she was absolutely carried beyond herself; and the prince of Persia, with his eyes intently fixed upon her, remained perfectly motionless, like one enchanted. In the midst of these scenes the trusty slave of the Favorite came in quite alarmed, and told her mistress, that Mesrour, and two other officers, together with many eunuchs, who accompanied them, were at the door, and desired to speak to her as from the caliph. When the prince of Persia and Ebn Thaher heard what the slave said, they changed colour; and trembled, as if their discovery had actually taken place. Schemselnihar however, who perceived them, soon dispelled their fears.

After having endeavoured to quiet their alarm, she charged her confidential slave to go and keep Mesrour and the two officers of the caliph in conversation, while she prepared herself to receive them; and said, she would then send to her to introduce them. She directly ordered all the windows of the saloon to be shut, and the paintings on silk, which were in the garden, to be taken down; and after having again assured the prince and Ebn Thaher, that they might remain therein perfect safety, she opened the door that led to the garden, went out, and shut it after her. In spite, however, of every assurance which she had given them, that they were quite secure from discovery, they could not avoid feeling very much alarmed all the time they were alone.

As soon as Schemselnihar was in the garden, with the women who attended her, she made them take away all the seats, on which the females, who had formed the concert, had sat near the window, from whence the prince and Ebn Thaher had heard them. When she saw that every thing was in the state she wished, she sat down on the silver throne; and then sent to inform her confidential slave, that she might introduce the chief of the eunuchs, and his two under officers.

They appeared, followed by twenty black eunuchs, all properly dressed; each having a scimitar by his side, and a large golden belt round his body, four fingers in breadth. As soon as they perceived the Favorite, although they were at a considerable distance, they made a most profound reverence, which she returned them from her throne. When they approached nearer, she got up, and went towards Mesrour, who walked first. She asked him what intelligence he brought; to which he replied, “The Commander of the Faithful, madam, by whose order I am come, has charged me to say to you, that he cannot live any longer without the pleasure of beholding you. He purposes, therefore, to pay you a visit this evening; and I am come in order to inform you of it, that you may prepare for his reception. He hopes, madam, that you will feel as much joy at receiving him, as he does impatience to be with you.”

When the Favorite observed that Mesrour had finished his speech, she prostrated herself on the ground, to show the submission with which she received the commands of the caliph. When she got up, she said to him, “I beg you will inform the Commander of the Faithful, that it will ever be my glory to fulfil the commands of his majesty, and that his slave will endeavour to receive him with all the respect that is due to him.” She at the same time gave orders to her confidential slave, to make all the necessary preparations in the palace for the caliph’s reception, by means of the black females, who were kept for this purpose. Then taking leave of the chief of the eunuchs, she said to him, “You must see, that it will take some little time to make the necessary preparations; go, therefore, I beg of you, and arrange matters so that the caliph may not be very impatient, and that he may not arrive so soon as to find us quite in confusion.”

The chief of the eunuchs then retired with his attendants; and Schemselnihar returned to the saloon, very much afflicted at the necessity she was under, of sending the prince of Persia back sooner than she intended. She went to him with tears in her eyes, which very much increased the alarm of Ebn Thaher, who seemed to conjecture from it some unfortunate event. “I see, madam,” said the prince to her, “that you come for the purpose of announcing to me, that we are compelled to separate. Provided, however, that I have nothing farther to dread, I trust that Heaven will grant me patience, which I have so much need of, to enable me to support your absence.” “Alas, my love, my dear soul,” cried the too tender Schemselnihar, interrupting him, “how happy do I find yours, when I compare it with my more wretched fate. You doubtless suffer greatly from my absence, but that is your only grief; you can derive consolation from the hopes of seeing me again: but I, just Heaven, to what a painful task am I compelled! I am not only deprived of the enjoyment of the only being I love, but am obliged to bear the sight of one whom you have rendered hateful to me. Will not the caliph’s arrival constantly bring to my recollection the necessity of your departure? And absorbed as I shall be continually with your dear image, how shall I be able to express to that prince any signs of joy at his presence, which was hitherto always accompanied on my part, as he often remarked, with pleasure sparkling in my eyes. When I address him, my mind will be distracted; and the least possible indulgence I shall grant to his affection, will plunge a poniard into my very soul. Can I possibly derive the least pleasure from his kind words and caresses? How dreadful the idea. Judge then, my prince, to what torments I shall be exposed, when you have left me.” The tears, which ran in streams from her eyes, and the convulsive sobs of her bosom, prevented her further utterance. The prince of Persia wished to make a reply, but he had not sufficient strength of mind. His own grief, added to what he saw his mistress suffer, took from him all power of speech.

Ebn Thaher, whose only object was to get out of the palace, was obliged to console them, and beg them to have a little patience. At this moment, the confidential slave broke in upon them; “Madam,” she cried, “you have no time to lose; the eunuchs are beginning to assemble, and you know the caliph, therefore, will very soon be here.”--“Oh Heavens!” exclaimed the Favorite, “how cruel is the separation! Hasten,” she cried to the slave, “and conduct them to the gallery, which on one side looks towards the garden, and on the other over the Tigris: and when night shall have thrown the greatest obscurity over the face of the earth, let them out of the gate that is on the back part of the palace, that they may retire in perfect safety.” At these words she embraced the prince of Persia, without having the power of saying another word; and then went to meet the caliph, with her mind in such a disordered state as may easily be imagined.

In the mean time the confidential slave conducted the prince and Ebn Thaher to the gallery, where Schemselnihar had ordered her: as soon as she had introduced them into it she left them there, and in going away she shut the doors after her: having first assured them that they had nothing to fear; and that she would come at the proper time and let them out.

The slave, however, was no sooner gone, than both the prince and Ebn Thaher forgot the assurances she had given them, that they had nothing to be alarmed at. They examined all round the gallery; and were extremely frightened when they found there was not a single place by which they could escape, in case the caliph, or any of his officers, should take it into their heads to come there.

A sudden light, which they saw through the blinds on the side 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.