The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1859-08-25

Wit thou know how to read the teacbin,
OF the stars, to gather the secrets of the spheres
; and interpret the chant of the east wind Shal
hill thy soul with wisdom, and thy heart witt
the desire of knowledge?"
Says the proverb, Evil treads upon wis
aoms heels, and the craving of knowledge il
as thirst in fever y
Thou hast said it, daughter groaned the
sage, ION my beard be it if thou speakest no
truth. What then? Wilt thou have command
over the genii of Solomon ben Daoud, Tor
whose heads be peace y to visit their caves be
meath the sea, and in the far-off mountains
and -
" None of these / wish, oh sage"
Shall tell thee of the enrapturing secrets
OF creation, of the words of Allah, and the
mighty angels -
These would but terrify me, father"
What, then, oh damsel, is thy wish /? Tel
me, SO that l may search it out for thee, and
know the uttermost limits of it. Tell it me-
that may know whether good is decreed for
Its result, or evil-whether it blossoms or with.
I ers.n. - ,'>.'l
Then the maiden, Lutf, the daughter OF
ohelkh faeoub, drawing the liar yet more
closely to her face, and leaning forward, muir.
INJURED In low and trembling voice. that was
like the coo of the ringdove to her mate:
" would have thee look into the heart of
Hassan, son of CASH, and tell me its secrets.
L would see which of the maidens hath won it,
or whether it is indeed of adamant, as the dam
sells OF our tribe complain"
Place then thy right hand upon the rim of
the cup, thus. Alas see, maiden, how the
VINE ceases to bubble, and the spheres to re-
vove! Hath Hassan, son of CASH, ever leaned
thee to his breast, as the mare now presses to
thy shoulder 2"
Woe is me! no, father"
Then | cannot read his heart in thine But
now that thou takest away thy hand see him
sitting moody and listless by the well, like a.
dervise who hath danced himself weary And
he traces letters in the sand-even thy name
damsel! How thine eyes glow through thy
veil, like the stars through the veil of dawn.
ere the sun has come up! Now they call him,
and there is dismay in the camp. His ewes
CLEAN like the fatal fires of the Persian valley.
He clutches his djereed, as if for an enemy's
throat-now he whistles to his mare, mounts,
and gallops this way, his scimetar clanking at
his side, while the tribe ride off in every diree-
ton, like arrows shot at random from mighty
bow"
They miss me, / must 60"
"Stay-the heart of Hassan ben CASH is
dark to me-" Alas, and to me also, oh.
father"
"" But the cup is eloquent of thy DESTINY
Thou must go home. The cup reveals to ME
that great danger awaits thee. Go not by
the well of the craven rock-stay-go that way,
and none ether, oh Lutf daughter of Sheikh
1acoub, for to-day thy fate eliminates, and if
the danger centres there so also does the bliss
centre there. The blessing of Allah descend
upon thee Away haste, and do not larry by
the road, for this is the hour of the fates.
Away away "
A,l L.. II
nal in the battle, Jemschid retired into his cave
while the maiden, all trembling like lotus
that lifts its head above the lake in the begin
ming moonlight, mounted her mare and rode
slowly of homeward, taking the way by the
well of the craven rock, as the sage had hidden
her to do. Tears of sorrow swelled in her eyes,
and her heart was s ~ with grief and bit
was this, oh moon-eyed damsel, that all the
wisdom of Jemschid, and all the powers of his
magic cup failed to procure its solution Well
hath the poet said In every heart there is
corner that is deeper down than the caverns of
the A(rtes and darker than the vaults OF Ebiis.
Fling into one Of these the torches Of conjecture,
and thou shalt see them melt away before thee
into the infinite abyss, fire flies flicker away
on the bosom of the evening breeze. Drop IN
to them the sounding plummet of reason, and,
ere thou hast touched the bottom, the weight OF
thy line will drag thee over the abyss brink.
And Fatma gallopped on, cheered now and
then by word from the distracted maiden,
who did not look up, but wandered tar away on
the wings of soft thoughts, which, like StorkS
in their flight, alghted only on familiar house
tops As the mare drew near to the we'll OF the
craven rock. she pricked up her ears, and
snorted, but Lutf needed her not. Again she
snorted and neighed, and then there came an
| answering neigh from the well. Lutf looked
up and saw troop of mounted Arabs, In whose
dress and pennons she recognised the insignia
| of Ebu Seid an old-time lover of hers, whom
she had scorned, fierce cheftain, and at war
with the tribe of Benz Malouk As she gazed,
she beheld the Sheikh Ebu Seid himself, about
to spring upon his mare, MoOn-eyes, the swiftest
mare that trod the desert, save the mare Fatma,
the far-famed pride of Benz Malouk.,
ala. ha /" laughed the Sheikh, ha, ha, my
proud beauty Thou and the mare have es-
caped me often, but to-day We are mine. Thou
for nv tent, and the mare for my saddle" And
he started to intercept Lutf in her course. But
the maiden was proud with the pride OF the
Benz Malouk, and she gathered her dress tight
" about her, and drew her veil close about her
face, and patting the mare, turned her head
out towards the desert, so as to go round the
well. and. shaking the reins on Fatmas neck
whispered:
ooh nv beauty, oh my darling, on, on On
thou pride of the Benz Maouk, on, and let not
the robber take thee Bring me safe home, and
will feed thee with new dates, and bake thee
a cake of barley meal with my own hands, and
give thee camel's milk to drink, sweetened with
wild honey. On, my desert darling, and the
tribe shall hand down thy memory to then
children forever, the pride of the Benz Malouk.
And the mare seeming to understand these
words. reached out her slim neck, and bounded
along over the sands like the breath OF th'
North Wind. Ebu Seid followed close, as hi
whole tribe. with wells and shouts, joined IN the
chase. Over the desert flew they, like the spiri
) caravan that the pilgrim to Mecca sees gliding
by him at night Yemen-ward, and is gone on
of sight ere he can look again. Over the deser
thew flew, Lutf in advance, and the sheikh clos
behind, like q flight Of cranes in autumn before
the breath Of coming winter, one ahead a
leader. and the rest streaming on in two spread
ing lines behind. On on, over the desert. AM
now Ebu Seid, putting spurs to his mare, ha
left his tribe far in the rear, and was beginning
20 close upon the maiden. Nearer and neare
no drew. until the hot nostrils of Moon-eye
toncbed Fatma's smoking flank, and he bega
tn tell the maiden she was his, and must grac
bic tent forever. Then Lutf, tearing off he
;yar and barring her lovely moon face to tn
y l;obt fiunp the long veil in the sheikh's face
and while he drew rein to free himself, sh
r seized her mare by the right ear, and again e'
), horted her:
"On, my beauty, on like the wind tho
h drinkestl"
1t And the mare sped on with the speed OF
a ray of sunshine, that, bursting above the mori
f. ing clouds, comes glancing from rock to roc
e athwart the desert.
y And now, who is it that hurls himself toward
> | tLo aaidan nuar the desert like the SWOOplnl