The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1900-09-29
geleet gtorp.
AN ARABIAN NIGHTS TALE.
From London Telegraph.

creatures themselves converse. What else
makes the secret and most attractive charm
Of Mr. Rudyard Kipling's Jungle Books
and what else causes one Of our poets with
such impatient faith to exclain
shall not ask Jean jacques Rousseau
If birds conftbuate or no?
herself in eThe Thousand
and One Nights does not hesitate 10 in
terrupt the flow of her romantic and fan
tastic tales with some remarkable stories
about animals, though these seldom or
never are given in the current versions of
the book. On the one hundred and forty
sixth night of the immortal work she says
to the sultan and to her sister Donyazade,
sIf you have admired the history Of King
Omar el Ncman, how much would you
not like to hear the birds and beasts dis
course?' ''By Allah, cries the sultan,
'that would be delightful r and so the
inexhaustible raconteuse of 1.-The Thous-
and and One Nights tells an entertaining
story of the wilderness which is perhaps as
old as anything in ''Lokman' or "Fsop
and may have given to La Fontaine him
self ideas, although by channels unknown
to the great Frenchman. / will shorten
one curious apologize of the kind here
chiefly by drawing from the translation
which DIR. Mardrus has made of it in
French out of the Arabic text Thus runs
the antique Arab fable :
It came to me, o lord of fortune, how
once on time peacock and peahen were
living in peace and happiness on beauti-
full island in lake apart from all troubles,
and the island was covered with fruit trees
and blossoms and they were very happy.
But one day there flew thither a wild
goose in great trepidation, with fluttering
wings and wild cries, to which the two
birds bade kindly welcome and asked the
cause of its fright.
'.Ah, whimpered the goose, II am
still sick with terror have seen Il man,
an Ibn- Adam Allah deliver us all from
the Ibn- Adam T.
''Calm thyself,' the peahen said. BE
Ibn- Adam ever SO terrible he cannot dis
turb us here, protected as we are by the
water
"Most beautiful lady" the goose re-
sponded, ''you do not know Ibn- Adam.
He can make the fish come to him out of
the sea and the hawks aud eag lies fall down
from the air. Feeble, contemplate, ugly
as he is, he can tame the huge elephant
himself and take his big white tusks away
to make cups and ornaments. But | will
tell you what have seen and why dread
the lbn- Adam. -
Il was still flying from the evil vision
| had seen Of man, not daring to stop
for food or drink, when saw at the en-
trance of cavern young lion with red
name, of lordly demeanor, who also OBJ
served me and babe me approach, asking
my name. 20 prince of lions, said, i
am wild goose, of the race of birds.
why dost thou tremble so, wild goose ?
he inquired. Then | related how had
dreamed of or seen living man and was
astonished when he replied /: Il also have
dreamed about the thing yon call Ibn-
Adam and have heard my father say that
it is creature to be distrusted. But
have never seen one and have no fear Of
them
''Then | spake: oh, eldest son OF
the sultan of all animals, what glory tC
thee if thou couldst rid the earth of the
plague of man How would all creature,
of the earth and air and water praise and
thank thy valor Thus did l encourage
and fatter the young lion until he had re
solved to 90 forth with me and to find and
slay this common enemy.
$50 the young lion paced forth from
his cave, fercely lashing his back with his
tail. | following behind. We had not
gone far in company before we saw cloud
of dust in the thicket, which, drifting
away, disclosed to u. an ass without sad
die or bride rolling in the sand from side
to side, his four feet in the air.
"At sight of this my young lion was
somewhat astonished, since he had wan
dered little outside his cavern and knew
nothing of the world, but he called the ass
to him and said, Thou senseless object,
what are thou and why dost thou in SO
foolish manner roll and bray? The beast
replied, Noble master, am thy slave,
an ass, and have fled hither to escape Ibn-
Adam, the man, my master. The young
lion said with laugh, Thou art long
backed and lusty, why shouldst thou fear
that feeble thing, man? Spake the
donkey, gravely shaking his head: Prince
of the forest, it is clear thou knowest not
this creature. do not fear that he will
kill me, but he does much worse to me
than that. While l am young and strong
he places upon my back thing he calls a
pack saddle, fastens round my belly tight
girth, puts an iron ring under my tail the
name of which | forget, though it gals
me horribly, and buckles in my mouth a
Of steel which makes my
tongue bleed and is called bit. Then
he Jumps on me and to make me go faster
beats me behind and before, and if ia
tigued | slacken my pace he rains upon
me the abuse of such shocking words be-
fore all the world that cause me, though
am only donkey, actually to shudder.
If lie down and roll, he also gives way
to expressions which dare not repeat to
you, being prince. When | am old, he
will sell me to some water carrier, who
will tie wooden yoke on my back and
lead me with skins and pitchers of water
until at last even my patient strength will
succumb, and | shall die Then he will
throw my carcass to the dogs and vultures.
Do not well therefore, o my lord, and
thou, too, good goose, to roll myself and
rejoice at liberty now that l am quit of
Ibn- Adam?
q Truly 1 said, 'this ass seems very
excusable, and the lion was for taking
him as a guide to find the man. But the
ass begged of, pleading that he wished to
put days journey at least between him
self and his master, and SO he went away,
his ears cooked for listening in every di-