The Shaving of Shagpat - George Meredith (bookreader TXT) 📗

and the King seemed not to observe the hawk, and said, “From what city art thou?”

He answered, “Native, O King, to Shiraz; newly from the City of Shagpat.”

And the King asked, “How is it with that hairy wonder?”

He answered, “The dark forest flourisheth about him.”

And the King said, “That is well! We of the City of Oolb take our fashions from them of the City of Shagpat, and it is but yesterday that I bastinadoed a barber that strayed among us.”

Shibli Bagarag sighed when he heard the King, and thought to himself, “How unfortunate is the race of barbers, once honourable and in esteem! Surely it will not be otherwise till Shagpat is shaved!” And the King called out to him for the cause of his sighing; so he said, “I sigh, O King of the age, considering how like may be the case of the barber bastinadoed but yesterday, in his worth and value, to that of Roomdroom, the reader of planets, that was a barber.”

And he related the story of Roomdroom for the edification of the King and the exaltation of barbercraft, delivering himself neatly and winningly and pointedly, so that the story should apply, which was its merit and its origin.

Goorelka of Oolb

When Shibli Bagarag had finished his narration of the case of Roomdroom the barber, the King of Oolb said, “O thou, native of Shiraz, there is persuasion and sweetness and fascination on thy tongue, and I am touched with compassion for the soles of Baba Mustapha, that I bastinadoed but yesterday, and he was from Shiraz likewise.”

Now, the heart of Shibli Bagarag leapt when he heard mention of Baba Mustapha; and he knew him for his uncle that was searching him. He would have cried aloud his relationship, but the hawk whispered in his ear. Then the hawk said to him, “There is danger in the King’s muteness respecting me, for I am visible to him. Proclaim the spirit of prophecy.”

So he proclaimed that spirit, and the King said, “Prophesy to me of barbercraft.”

And he cried, “O King of the age, the barber is abased, trodden underfoot, given over to the sneers and the gibes of them that flatter the powerful ones; he is as the winter worm, as the crocodile in the slime of his sleep by the bank, as the sick eagle before moulting. But I say, O King, that he will come forth like the serpent in a new skin, shaming the old one; he slept a caterpillar, and will come forth a butterfly; he sank a star, and lo! he riseth a constellation.”

Now, while he was speaking in the fervour of his soul, the King said something to one of the court officers surrounding him, and there was brought to the King a basin, a soap-bowl, and barber’s tackle. When Shibli Bagarag saw these, the uses of the barber rushed upon his mind, and desire to sway the tackle pushed him forward and agitated him, so that he could not keep his hands from them.

Then the King exclaimed, “It is as I thought. Our passions betray themselves, and our habits; so is it written. By Allah! I swear thou art thyself none other than a barber, O youth.”

Shibli Bagwrag was nigh fainting with terror at this discovery of the King, but the hawk said in his ear, “Proclaim speech in the tackle.” So he proclaimed speech in the tackle; and the King smiled doubtfully, and said, “If this be a cheat, Shiraz will not see thy face more.”

Then the hawk whispered in his ear, “Drop on the tackle secretly a drop from the phial.” This he did, spreading his garments, and commanded the tackle to speak. And the tackle spake, each portion of it, confusedly as the noise of Babel. So the King marvelled greatly, and said, “ ’Tis a greater wonder than the talking hawk, the talking tackle. Wullahy! it ennobleth barbercraft! Yet it were well to comprehend the saying of the tackle.”

Then the hawk flew to the tackle and fluttered about it, and lo! the blade and the brush stood up and said in a shrill tone, “It is ordained that Shagpat shall be shaved, and that Shibli Bagarag shall shave him.”

The King bit the forefinger of amazement, and said, “What then ensueth, O talking tackle?”

And the brush and the blade stood up, and said in a shrill tone, “Honour to Shibli Bagarag and barbers! Shame unto Shagpat and his fellows!”

Upon that, the King cried, “Enough, O talking tackle; I will forestall the coming thing. I will be shaved! wullahy, that will I!”

Then the hawk whispered to Shibli Bagarag, “Forward and shear him!” So he stepped forth and seized the tackle, and addressed himself keenly to the shaving of the King of Oolb, lathering him and performing his task with perfect skill. And the courtiers crowded to follow the example of the King, and Shibli Bagarag shaved them, all of them. Now, when they were shaved, fear smote them, the fear of ridicule, and each laughed at the change that was in the other; but the King cried, “See that order is issued for the people of Oolb to be as we before tomorrow’s sun. So is laughter taken in reverse.” And the King said aside to Shibli Bagarag, “Say now, what may be thy price for yonder hawk?”

And the hawk bade him say, “The loan of thy cockleshell.”

The King mused, and said, “That is much to ask, for it is that which beareth the Princess my daughter to the Lily of the Enchanted Sea, which she nourisheth; and if ’tis harmed, she will be stricken with ugliness, as was the daughter of the Vizier Feshnavat, who tended it before her. Yet is this hawk a bird of price. What be its qualities, besides the gift of speech?”

Shibli Bagarag answered, “To counsel in extremity; to forewarn; to counteract enchantments and foul magic.”

Upon that the King said, “Follow me!”

And the King led