The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-02-27


asked of him: What is this love of which
all the birds are singing In the gardens
below? You are learned, solve the ques-
ton which perplexes me-"
But the owl replied: My nights are
taken up in study and my days in rum
mating within me all that I have
learned. AS to those singing birds of
| which you speak, I have never listened
| to them. Allah be praised, l cannot sing.
In word, I am philosopher and know
nothing of this thing called Love-"
| When he Intercepted the bat upon the
same. question he found him the most
! unsatisfactory of all. why do you dis
hturBsafhe in my fslptpAsgs.I .crisa ting
lcreetuie Love, Indeed. l fly only by
rtwHRsit and never treebieA-myseif with
Erhe. affairs of birds. l am neither bird
nor beast myself and am thankful for it,
for | have found out the villainy of the
whole of them and hate them; | know
nothing of this thing called Love"
7-As for the swallow, he replied to the
princes question with: Upon my word
what have l to do with such trivial
matter; have so many important things
to attend to every day, SO many matters
to inquire into that l have no leisure
for the words of little songbirds. I am a
citizen of the world and know not love. -
| When, a little later old Ebon Bonab-
bon entered the apartment and the prince
! suddenly asked of that venerable dry-as-
dust, what is love?p e.superaprlated
sage nearlysfell dead in his tracks
When he mad sufficiently recovered him
self he felt his. head TO See that it was
still upon his shoulders and then ex-
| claimed: What could have suggested
such an idle word TO my prince? Where
could he have learned it?'' The prince
| led the, old man to the window of the
tower and said iglfstenrs From grove and
sardeprcame the same song-as old as the
worldssof Lover Love Love. A. nfgf1tfns
gale sat below in the garden singing to
the rose. and from every spray and bower
came the melody.
''Allah Achbar. God is greatr' ex-
claimed the sage, who shall pretend to
keep this knowledge from the hearts of
ppn?' Then he besought the prince for
1 rfs. own sake to think not of love. for
\ love was the cause of half the ills of
wretched humanity. Care and sorrow,
seepless nights and strife were its ac-
compartments. He begged him to dis
miss the deadly thought from his mind
| But Ahmed could not dismiss it, al
though he tried. If Love was the cause
i aof SO arnuch woe as his tutor said, why
swePe mot those birds which sang of it
tnxfr, oah nj IN MA c;t+
Lin 1nouEnful solitude? One morning as he
lay upon his couch and the morning
breeze came gently through the open win
! dow'd beautiful dove, pursued by hawk
which had wounded It, came fiuttering
finto the apartment and dropped exhausted
! by his side. He soothed the wounded
4 Bird, put it in a golden cage and Of
fered 1t the finest wheat to eat. But the
bird was inconsoable. Ahmed said,
What aileth thee? Hast thou not every
thing that heart could desire?'
.Alas no." replied the dove, for I am
separated from the partner of my heart
and that, too in the happy springtime
the very season of love- 9 +s.~.
"Of lover' exclaimed the prince, then
canst thou tell me what is love?r
The dove began and discoursed so elo-
lquently of the joys of the great passion
that AhIned's heart was inflamed and he
ltook the bird from the cage and let it
60, enyying it its destiny.
d -WheA Ebon came in to see him the
d prince. reproached him for Keeping him
'iin.ienorance of The meaning of love and
sliuwed by his words that he had. at last
Learned, in theory at ,east, what. that pas
sion was. .Ebon wars dismayed, but told
the prince the whole story of the reason
Of his prolonged captivity and also begged
Thin On his knees to Keep the fact of
his discovery from the knowledge of the
king. as the king surely would carry out
his threat with Ifeeasd I'd the sage's Head.
.Ah," said the prince. s'every created
being rejoices in the mate, only am de-
barred from the, experience d. aSknowl-
edge ia Khfdhs find, even the ineanest
insect is ssos 4sarned. x But the prince
was AZ reasonable as could be expected Of
a youth OF ~ yeati ana, ,pesides Ne real:
LIZ had high regard Tor his old tutor 50
he promised to confine to his own breast
iLtle sknQxledgss zhlch be bad acquired ,ss=
. E]lt one day came flying " At his win;
dow fhV dove which he had released that