Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1889-01-16
AN EASTERN ALLEG0RY.


AN EASTERN ALLEGORI.
INTRODUCTION
When, through the Vaccinations OF EhhA
Adam fell and Allah punished the trsnsgres-
sion with death, be most mercifuny selected
one Of the angels to receive at the dissolution
the soul OF the dying This angel Is called
the Angel Of Death" whom the ignorant
have congounded with Ebiis, but such belief
Is actual heresy The functions Of the Angel
Of Death are terrible and merciless, but the
command comes direct from Allah When
the world got thickly populated the Angel Of
Death intrusted much Of his functions to
myriads OF inferior angels, all acting under
bis command, while on the good and faithful
only he himself dictated II was during the
civil wars OF the faithful. when but few de-
served the grace Of being dissolved from life
by the master hand, that the Angel Of Death
sat reading the proverbs Of Solyman the
Wise. and the following passage, "A scolding
wife is more bitter than death" took his At
tention.
surely" said the angel, mans wisdom is,
after all. like man himself, defective. am,
as the messenger of death, and being also, as
it were. death itself, well aware now bitter
this last struggle is Can, tLen, a mere
sold, and that scold O wife, who, by the
command of Allah, is bound to obey her
husband, outstrip the bitterness of DEATH
Solytnan wise king, thou didst treat on a
subject OF which thou hadst not the slightest
knowledge"
These reflections had hardly been finished
when majestic form stood before the angel
Messenger OF DEATH" said the apparition,
'dost thou recognize me" Il do" said the
Angel of Death, thou art Solyman the Wise,
and was just finding fault with one Of thy
proverbs. which is ridiculously out of place
and has no real foundation. Angel"
saiu the form of Solyman, 1.-THE wis
dom promulgated on earth was Allahs
choicest gift, hence your doubt reflects
on tie giver of all things more than it
does IN me" Not So" replied the Angel
of Death, Il am Allah's most devoted
angel and VOW down to him and his wisdom;
but the1' proverbs were uttered by thee, and
being w tten by mans hand have thus my
doubt auout them. Besides, | am the best
judge of deaths bitterness, and as far Us
know Ladst thou upon earth neither a scold
ing wife nor couldst thou have tasted the
pangs OF death, hence thy saying is quoted
at random Nv ouid 81 thou I've willing TO
make a trial i'll order to convince yourselfr'
asked Solymcu "Assuredly," said the angel
We'll, then, listen, said the ajestiH figure
You have the permission from Allah to
assume human form, to visit the earth and
marry shrew to convince yourself The
conditions, however, are that you have no
power on earth except Us allotted to the rest
OF mankind, and that you cannot return to
your present place until either your wife is
dead or you get lawful divorce" ~ &C.
cept of the proposition and its conditions
with pleasure and even without any raserva-
ton. As for your share, oh, wise king, p
But the form Solyman had vanished and
the angel was left to himself again
THE NARRATIVE
Cairo, city Of delight, with thy thousand
minarets. stronghold of the faithful Of Allah
thou art the wonderful city to the Giaour,
and hast always been a place for miracles
1t was this beautiful town that the Angel Of
Death selected for his trial of a scoiding wife,
Near the eastern gate, within beautiful
grow" OF palm trees, stands the mosque Of
AYES. a. Here the most learned Ulemas,
Dervishns and Hadlds, who all made the
Mecca pilgrimage, congregate and discuss the
wisdom OF Allah, together with the wonder
full mysteries Of the Alcoran. One day,
while the chief wise men Of the community
Were thus engaged in their pious labors, a
stransr If commanding presence made his
appearance among them The salam was
given ard received, and the stranger sat
down TO listen to the words of the prophet
After long pause, the stranger
in his turn took up the word,
and tho whole assembly sat spell
bound. His eloquence was sublime, and
his voice full of melancholy, even as sweet as
the niShtingales; while a strange and holy
fire darted at times from his bright, large
eyes He was as he stated, wandering
Ulena. his weary feet had Travelled all coun-
tries he had seen most things, yet he was but
middle aged man. and at the same time he
announced his name to be Mahalech the
Wandcrer Every one Of the congregation
offered the learned and eloquent Mahalech
hospitality, but be chose to select the good
Ulena Zadic for his host. That night none
of the learned congregation who heard the
stranger speak in the grove before the mosque
could close his eyes, owing to the strange,
almost divine, strains of Mabalech, which
kept them in blissful state of wakefulness
The stranger was prevailed upon to give q
public discourse before the whole congrega-
ton in the mosque and it was then that the
power Of the learned man was really felt. He
had been told rapaeious and wealthy man
had just died who oppressed his fellow man.
The preacher took the occasion to depict to
his hearers the deathbed Of the righteous and
pioux end the death agony and despair Of the
wicked IN language never before power
fully expressed. The whole community felt
electrified, and the heads Of the congregation,
10y unanimous voice, shouted that this holy
man must never leave them.
Mahalech promised to extend his stay for
ono month. For, said he, Il do not know
where Allah will send me to after that And
thu people rejoiced even at this short sojour1.
The ptous man acquainted those who enjoyed
his company that he had no incumbrance,
either VIE or children. in short" said be,
~ am perfectly alone in the world"
Among Lis greatest admirers was Fl Rain,
the rich, who argued the question whether he
could not induce Mnhalech to take a wife be-
longing to the ce;nmunity and thus secure
him for life III Rain had niece, very
handsome and rIch, widow no more than %
years Of age. whose history was really remark
able, being at this early age . widow. after
having lost her third husband
Her name was Myrrha, being the only
child Of rich owner OF two caravans trad
ing to the gulf OF Persia When Myrrha was
but child she lost her mother The child
being very handsome and very forward for
her age, the father well as the whole house
hold Wed with each other In spelling her,
especially as Myrrha unfortunately inherited
from her mother, who was the daughter Of q
Moorish chief an uncomfortable, hsry tenn
per, which her fond father blindly called
high spirit, and in proof OF which. at the
age of IL, not only the slaves and servants Of
the household found her to be the mistress
but even her father resigned himself to be
marshaled and controlled by his young, fiery
and handsome daughter When Myrrha was
l6 years old she told her fond parent that she
had made choice of husband q dashng
young captain of the Saracens and although
her father was grieved at the selection,
he was too much under her control even
to try only to thwart her will The nup
iiais we're celebrated, md the usual honey
moon was In this instance OF but q short
weeks duration Myrrha assumed command
and the captain demurred. but Myrrha few
into passion disdalnlng TO go into tears or
Mysteries. making an onslaught on the carp
tains choicest ornaments, those manly ap
pendas-s of a Saracen. his mustacha The
captain, furiously blind with indignation,
administered on his lovely bride Of q weeks
standing such personal chastisement that
the fair Myrrha was compelled to ask for
quarter Myrrha was left a widow at IS.
and in the meantime her father died. leaving
her absolute mistress Of large fortune, She
then we'idesi, second time. young doctor