The Arabian Nights Entertainments - Anonymous (best novels to read in english .TXT) 📗

id="id01010">Let us return to the prince of Persia and Elm Thaher, whom we left in the gallery. Ebn Thaher could not enough admire all he saw. I am not very young, said he, and in my time have seen great entertainments; but I do not think any thing can be more surprising and magnificent. All that is said of enchanted palaces does no way come near this prodigious spectacle we now see. O strange! what riches and magnificence together!

The prince of Persia was nothing moved with those objects which were so pleasant to Ebn Thaher; he could look on nothing but Schemselnihar, and the presence of the caliph threw him into inconceivable grief. Dear Ebn Thaher, said he, would to God I had my mind as free to admire these things as you! But, alas! I am in a quite different condition; all those objects serve only to increase my torment. Can I see the caliph cheek to cheek with her that I love, and not die of grief? Must such a passionate love as mine be disturbed by so potent a rival? O heavens, how cruel is my destiny! It is but a moment since I esteemed myself the most fortunate lover in the world, and at this instant I feel my heart so struck, that it is like to kill me. I cannot resist it, my dear Ebn Thaher; my patience is at an end; my distemper overwhelms me, and my courage fails. While speaking, he saw something pass in the garden, which obliged him to keep silence, and to turn all his attention that way.

The caliph had ordered one of the women, who was near him, to play on her lute, and she began to sing. The words that she sung were very passionate; and the caliph was persuaded that she sung thus by order of Schemselnihar, who had frequently entertained him with the like testimonies of her affection; therefore he interpreted all in his own favour. But this was not now Schemselnihar's meaning; she applied it to her dear Ali Ebn Becar, and was so sensibly touched with grief, to have before her an object whose presence she could no longer enjoy, that she fainted and fell backwards upon her seat, which having no arms to support her, she must have fallen down, had not some of the women helped her in time; who took her up, and carried her into the saloon.

Ebn Thaher, who was in the gallery, being surprised at this accident, turned towards the prince of Persia; but, instead of seeing him stand and look through the window as before, he was extremely amazed to see him fall down at his feet, and without motion. He judged it to proceed from the violence of his love to Schemselnihar, and admired the strange effect of sympathy which threw him into great fear, because of the place in which they were. In the mean time he did all he could to recover the prince, but in vain. Ebn Thaher was in this perplexity when Schemselnihar's confident, opening the gallery door, came in out of breath, as one who knew not where she was. Come speedily, cried she, that I may let you out. All is confusion here, and I fear this will be the last of our days. Ah! how would you have us go? replied Ebn Thaher, with a mournful voice. Come near, I pray you, and see in what condition the prince of Persia is. When, the slave saw him in a swoon, she ran for water in all haste, and returned in an instant.

At last the prince of Persia, after they had thrown water on his face, recovered his spirits. Prince, said Ebn Thaher to him, we run the risk of being destroyed, if we stay here any longer; let us therefore endeavour to save our lives. He was so feeble that he could not rise unassisted. Ebn Thaher and the confident lent him their hands, and supported him on each side. They came to a little iron gate which opened towards the Tigris, went out at it, and got to the side of a little canal communicating with the river. The confident clapped her hands, and immediately a little boat appeared, which came towards them with one rower. Ali Ebn Becar and his comrade went aboard, and the trusty slave staid at the side of the canal. As soon as the prince sat down in the boat, he stretched out one hand towards the palace and laid the other upon his heart. Dear object of my soul! cried he with a feeble voice, receive my faith with this hand, while I assure you with the other, that for you my heart shall for ever preserve the fire with which it burns!

In the mean time the boatman rowed with all his might; and Schemselnihar's trusty slave accompanied the prince of Persia and Ebu Thaher, walking along the side of the canal, until they came to the Tigris; and when she could go no further, she took farewell of them, and returned.

The prince of Persia continued very feeble. Ebn Thaher comforted him, and exhorted him to take courage. Consider, said he, that when we are landed, we have a great way to go before we come to my house; and I would not at this hour, and in this condition, advise you home to your lodgings, which are a great way further off than mine. At length they got out of the boat, but the prince was so weak that he could not walk, which put Ebn Thaher into great perplexity. He remembered he had a friend in the neighbourhood, and carried the prince thither with great difficulty. His friends received them very cheerfully; and, when he made them sit down, asked where they had been so late. Ebn Thaher answered him, I was this evening with a man who owed me a considerable sum of money, and designed to go a long voyage. I was unwilling to lose time to find him, and by the way I met with this young nobleman whom you see, and to whom I am under a thousand obligations; for, knowing my debtor, he would needs do me the favour of going along with me. We had a great deal of trouble to bring the man to reason; besides, we went out of the way, and that is the reason we are so late. In our return home, this good lord, for whom I have all possible respect, was attacked by a sudden distemper; which made me take the liberty of calling at your house, flattering myself that you would be pleased to give us quarters for this night.

Ebn Thaher's friend, who believed all this, told them they were welcome, and offered the prince of Persia, whom he knew not, all the assistance he could desire; but Ebn Thaher spoke for the prince, and said, that his distemper was of a nature that required nothing but rest. His friend understood by this that they desired to go to bed; on which he conducted them to an apartment, where he left them.

Though the prince of Persia slept, he had troublesome dreams, which represented Schemselnihar in a swoon at the caliph's feet, and increased his affliction. Ebn Thaher was very impatient to be at home, and doubted not but his family were in great trouble, because he never used to lie abroad. He rose and deported early in the morning, after taking leave of his friend, who rose at break of day to say his prayers. At last he came home; and the prince of Persia, who had walked so far with much trouble, lay down upon a sofa, as weary as if he had travelled a long journey Not being in a condition to go home, Ebn Thaher ordered a chamber to be got ready for him, and sent to acquaint his friends with his condition, and where he was. In the mean time he begged him to compose himself, to command in his house, and order things as he pleased. I thank you hcartily for these obliging offers, said the prince of Persia; but, that I may not be any way troublesome to you, I conjure you to deal with me as if I were not at your house. I would not stay one moment, if I thought my presence would incommode you in the least.

As soon as Ebn Thaher had time to recollect himself, he told his family all that had passed at Schemselnihar's palace, and concluded by thanking God, who had delivered him from the danger he was in. The prince of Persia's principal domestics came to receive his orders at Ebn Thaher's house, and in a little time several of his friends who had notice of his indisposition arrived. Those friends passed the greater part of the day with him; and, though their conversation could not dissipate those sad ideas which were the cause of his trouble, yet it gave him some relief. He would have taken his leave of Ebn Thaher towards the evening; but this faithful friend found him still so weak, that he obliged him to stay till next day, and in the mean time, to divert him, gave him a concert of vocal and instrumental music in the evening; but this concert served only to put him in mind of the preceding night, and renewed his trouble, instead of assuaging it; so that next day his distemper seempd to increase. Upon this, Ebn Thaher did not oppose his going home, but took care to accompany him thither; and, when alone with him in his chamber, he represented to him all those arguments which might influence him to a generous endeavour to overcome that passion, which in the end would neither prove lucky to himself nor to the favourite. Ah, dear Ebn Thaher! cried the prince, how easy is it for you to give this advice, but how hard is it for me to follow it! I am sensible of its importance, but am not able to profit by it, I have said already, that I shall carry with me to the grave the love that I bear to Schemselnihar. When Ebn Thaher saw that lie could not prevail on the prince, he took his leave of him, and would have retired.

The prince of Persia detained him, and said, Kind Ebn Thaher, since I have declared to you that it is not in my power to follow your wise counsels, I beg you will not charge it on me as a crime, nor forbear to give me the usual testimonies of your friendship; you cannot do me a greater favour than to inform me of the destiny of my dear Schemselnihar, when you hear any news of it. The uncertainty I am in concerning her fate, and the apprehensions which her fainting occasioned me, keep me in this languishing condition you reproach me with. My lord, answered Ebn Thaher, you have reason to hope that her fainting was not attended with any serious consequences; her confident, will soon come and inform me of the issue, and as soon as I know the particulars, I shall not fail to impart them.

Ebn Thaher left the prince in this hope, and returned home where he expected Schemselnihar's confident all day, but in vain, nor did she come next day. His uneasiness to know the state of the prince of Persia's health would not suffer him to stay any longer without seeing him; he went to his lodgings to exhort him to patience, and found him lying in bed as sick as ever, surrounded by many of his friends, and several physicians, who used all their art to discover the cause of his distemper. As soon as he saw Ebn Thaher, he looked upon him smiling, to signify that he had two things to tell him; the one, that he was glad to see him; the other, how much the physicians, who could not discover the cause of his distemper, were mistaken in their reasonings.

His friends and physicians retired one after another; so that Ebn Thaher, being alone with him, came near his bed, to ask how he did since he saw him. I must tell you, answered the prince, that my passion, which continually gathers new strength, and the uncertainty of the lovely Schemselnihar's destiny, augment my distemper every moment, and throw me into such a condition as afflicts my kindred and friends, and breaks the measures of my physicians, who do not understand it. You cannot think, added he, how much I suffer to see so many importunate people about me, and whom I cannot in civility put away. It is your company alone that is comfortable to me: but, in a word, I conjure you not to dissemble with me; what news do you bring of Schemselnihar? Have you seen her confident? What said she to