The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-01-23

ieiam who are called, in the slang of the day, 'highbrows." But the exquisite melody of his verse and the grace and beauty of his prose find a wider appre- oiation for Moore than any cult of critics could afford and his works will continue to give delight to millions as long as the minds of men are affected by the beau tiful and the hearts of men touched by the songs and tales of love- Inougn Moore was never in the east, his story of LaIla Rookh has been pronounced wonderfully accurate picture of ori- ental life and displays marvellous col lection of varied knowledge pertaining to eastern affairs. The story itself IS a prose work hut in it are set some or the best known and longest of Moore's poems. It has been translated into ai- most every living tongue and the Per sian version of it is popular in Ispanan and repeated by story-tellers beside the marble tanks of Carbul.
 A BDALLA, King of Bucharia, weary
 "A of the cares of royalty, abdicated A his throne in favor of his son. Prince Aliris, and set out on pilgrim age to the Holy City of Mecca. This was in the eleventh year of the reign Of Au- rungzebe, that splendid and mighty Elm peror, and when Abdalla, who was a. lineal descendant of the ali-conausrins Zingis reached the imperial city Of Delhi Aurungzebe entertained the pilgrim in a manner worthy of guest and host. Now Abdalls having given his son throne thought to add to his favors by selecting wife for him, and so well brought up was Aliris that he never thought of ob- jecting when his father remarked that on his way to the City of the Prophet he would look in at several royal capitals examine the list of eligible princesses and send him back wife to share his throne.
 The retired monarch and the magnih- cent Aurungzebe got on exceedingly well together and before he resumed his jour ney Abdalla arranged with the Emperor a marriage between his son and Aurung- zebe's youngest daughter, Lalla Rookh, n princess described by the poets of the times more beautiful than Leila, Shrine Dewilde or any other of the heroines or romance and song whose loves embeiiisn the poetry of Persia and Hindustan. It was arranged that the marriage should take place at Cashmere in the delightful valley of that name, where the young King as soon as the cares of state would allow was to meet his bride and conduct her over the snowy hills to Bucharia. After completing these arrangements, ln which. of course, the two parents never thought for a moment of consulting or taking into consideration the persons most interested. Aurungzebe conducted Abdalla with great pomp to surat, where the pilgrim embarked for Mecca Lalia Rookh was ordered to prepare to journey to Cashmere and be married, and courier was dispatched to King Aliris ordering him to proceed to the appointed place and take his part in the approach ing nuptials-
 I.alla did not view the prospect or ma rriage with an unknown person With any great delight, but she was a oau- ful child, and concluded that her fath- CT knew best what she ought to oo- 30 her only real grief was at parting with her parents and sisters and brothers and at leaving the place where her happy childhood had been passed. But she was young, and the great festival which graced her departure from Delhi soon captivated her attention anu ofieo her tears. The day of her departure was as splendid as sunshine and pa reantry could make it. The bazars ana baths were all covered with the richest tanestrv hundreds of gilded barges foated upon the Jumna, with their banners shining in the water, Wnils through the streets groups of beauu- fuI children went strewing around the most delicious flowers, as in that Ter sian festival called the Scattering or the Roses, till every part of the city
 caravan or musk had passed through it. Anrungze- be having hung around his daughter = Heok a comedian talisman on wnich was carved a verse from the horah' stood to take a last look from his pal- conv as the procession accompanying the palankeen of his Lalla Rookh moved slowly on the road to Lahore.
 Seldom has the Eastern world seen cavalcade so superb. From the imperiai nalace to the gardens of the suburbs 1t was one unbroken line of spenoor. Raiahs and Great Mogul Lords rooe there, gorgeously arrayed. in their tur- hans. the feathers of the egret of Cashmere and small silver kettle drums at the jeweied bows or tneir saddles, and accompanying them were hosts of their cavaliers Who' III Ino brightness of tn cir silver battle axes and the massiveness of their maces Of gold, rivaled the famous guards Of the great Keder Kahn. The shining Of the gilt pineapp1es on the top of the many palankee the embroidered trappings of the elephants, bearing on their backs small turrets in the shape of antique temples within which the ladies Of ,-.rxI1a Rookh lay. as it were. nshrined, inc rose-colored curtains of the Prin- cess' litter in front of which q fair' young female slave sat flaming her through the curtains with feathers or inc Argus pheasant; the lovely troop of Tartarian and Cashmerian maids Of honor, whom the young King had sent to accompany his bride and who rode m either side of the litter on small Arabian horses, all conspired to make pfcture brilliant, tasteful. magnificent and pleasing.
 Even that severe critic Fadladeen, Chamberlain of the Harem. who was rorne in his palalreen immediately after the Princess, could discern nothing to find fault about though he professed hirnself judge of everything from the Af.~