, 1889-04-23
THE BRIDE OF AsEN AsED.


Ing Sevtll6.
Aben Abed, the Moorish King of Granada,
who succeeded his father, al Motadhid the
Cruel, In 1000, lives In the history of Spain
as one of its most romantic figures. Poetry
was his pastime; poets were his favorites and
his ministers Bis misfortunes, his Danish
ment and death still touch q chord Of sym
patty IN the breasts of all TO whom his check
cred career Is known- The most romantic
episode In II, q story historically true, Is his
meeting with his future queen
One evening tho king WINS wandering with
Ben-Amar, the poet, and his chief f~avorite,
along the bank OF the Granddaughter pear the
place where the Silver tower then stood, and
whero the Paseo with its handsome quays
now affords the f~avorite promenade TO mod
ern SeyiIlianS. A gentle breeze was playing
on the surface of the river, rufling 1t into a
multitude Of wavelets that sparkled In the
evening sun
Tho wind md sun upon the stream
Like Furnished mail have made 1t CLEAN,
the prince exclaimed, improvising the first
part of q couplet, which no challenged his
friend to complete. Ben-Amnr hesitated,
and before he had time to answer, one of the
Moorish girls who had come down to draw
winter and stood beside them with her full
pitcher balanced on her head responded to
tho challenge;
Anu NtaS at lINoL " iGhl LIS a1AT
What smith had stronger mail ere madef
Such readiness In improvising was certain
in itself to impress the prince but when no
turned to the authoress of the couplet and
found her looks as attractive rs her wit, he
fell pasionately In love and ordered her
to be conveyed forthwith TO the nlcazar.
Thither he himself hastened, eager to learn
her name and circumstances She was called
Itamid, she told him, and was the slave of
Romiac, the muleteer. Nothing baffied by
her low origin, Aben-Abed determined to
buy her liberty and mako her his queen
This strange union did not turn out unhap-
ply. Itamid's constant gnyety and love of
music and poetry were well fitted to make her
royal husband happy; while her devoted at
tachment to him In his days of misfortune
shows that her nature was not without its
noble side. But her caprices were endless,
and the kings Indulgence of them was the
source OF constant scandal to the more seri
Gus of his courtiers.
Numerous stories of these have come down
to US, and II not all true they are probably
at least characteristics One viii suffice as q
specimen. The king and queen were in Cor
dova one February, when tharo occurred
whit Is still n rare phenomenon In Spain-a
shower of snow. The queen stood ina win
dow In the palnce watching the snow flakes
fall thick and heavy, till the whole ground
WINS covered with a mantle of dnzzling whita
After gazing Tor some time at scene to her
ut once 50 noveland 50 beautiful, she burstinto
tears. The king WINS ut her sido in n moment,
tenderly asking tho cause Of her grief. "Thou
dost not love me as l love thee" she an
swered, "else hndst thou taken me to some
of those far of lands where they tell me the
earth often dons this mantle Of spotless
snow.n The king kissed away her tears and
INSURED her that she should nave snow in the
palace to her hearts content; and sending
over the whole country side he collected tho
white blossoms of the almond trees, then In
full bloom, and made his slaves shower them
down like snow over the gardens of the pal
ace.-Macmillan's Magazine.