Till then no beacon on the cliff May shape the course of struggling skiff; Are thrown the fragrant beads of amber, And many a bright emblazon'd rhyme "And Sheeraz' tribute of perfume; All that can eye or sense delight Are gather'd in that gorgeous room: She, of this Peri cell the sprite, What doth she hence, and on so rude a night? VI. Wrapt in the darkest sable vest, Which none save noblest Moslem wear, As heaven itself to Selim dear, (1) When rubbed, the amber is susceptible of a perfume, which is slight but not disagreeable. (2) The belief in amulets engraved on gems, or enclosed in gold boxes, containing scraps from the Koran, worn found the neck, wrist, or arm, is still universal in the East. The Koorsee (throne) verse in the second chap. of the Koran describes the attributes of the Most High, and is engraved in this manner, and worn by the pious, as the most esteemed and sublime of all sentences. (3) "Comboloio" -a Turkish rosary. The MSS., particularly those of the Persians, are richly adorned and illuminated. The Greek females are kept in utter ignorance; but many of the Turkish girls are highly accomplished, though not actu ally qualified for a Christian coterie. Perhaps some of our own "blues" might not be the worse for bleaching. With cautious steps the thicket threading, The maid pursued her silent guide; VII. They reach'd at length a grotto, hewn VIII. Since last she visited the spot Some change seem'd wrought within the grot: It might be only that the night Disguised things seen by better light: That brazen lamp but dimly threw A ray.of no celestial hue; But in a nook within the cell Her eye on stranger objects fell. There arms were piled, not such as wield But brands of foreign blade and hilt, And one was red-perchance with guilt! IX. His robe of pride was thrown aside, His brow no high-crown'd turban bore, Wreathed lightly round, his temples wore : No longer glitter'd at his waist, Spake in his eye, and tone, and hand, In him was some young Galiongée. (') X. "I said I was not what I seem'd; And now thou see'st my words were true : In this I speak not now of love; (1) "Galiongée". —or Galiongi, a sailor, that is, a Turkish sailor; the Greeks navigate, the Turks work the guns. Their dress is picturesque; and I have seen the Capitan Pacha more than once wearing it as a kind of incog. Their legs, however, are generally naked. The buskins described in the text as sheathed behind with silver are those of an Arnaut robber, who was my host, (he had quitted the profession,) at his Pyrgo, near Gastouni in the Morea; they were plated in scales ope uver the other, like the back of an armadillo. XI. "Oh! not my brother! — yet unsay God! am I left alone on earth -- Thy sister-friend- Zuleika still. XII. ; 66 My slave, Zuleika ! - nay, I'm thine : And be that thought thy sorrow's balm. In danger's hour to guard us both, The name in which thy heart hath prided Although thy Sire's my deadliest foe. That Selim late was deem'd to thee; But spared, at least, my infancy; (1) The characters on all Turkish scimitars contain sometimes the name of the place of their manufacture, but more generally a text from the Koran, in letters of gold. Among those in my possession, is one with a blade of singular construction; it is very broad, and the edge notched into serpentine curves like the ripple of water, or the wavering of flame. I asked the Arminian who sold it, what possible use such a figure could add: he said, in Italian, that he did not know: but the Mussulmans had an idea that those of this form gave a severer wound; and liked it because it was "piu feroce." I did not much admire the reason, but bought it for its peculiarity, And lull'd me with a vain deceit That gnaws and yet may break his chain. Is boiling; but for thy dear sake No present vengeance will I take; How Giaffir wrought this deed of fear. XIII. "How first their strife to rancour grew, And how my birth disclosed to me, Whate'er beside it makes, hath made me free. XIV. "When Paswan, after years of strife, (1) It is to be observed, that every allusion to any thing or personage in the Old Testament, such as the ark, or Cain, is equally the privilege of Mussulman and Jew: Indeed, the former profess to be much better acquainted with the lives, true and fabulous, of the patriarchs, than is warranted by our own sacred writ; and not content with Adam, they have a biography of Pre-Adamites. Solomon is the monarch of all necromancy, and Moses a prophet inferior only to Christ and Mahomet. Zuleika is the Persian name of Potiphar's wife; and her amour with Joseph constitutes one of the finest poems in their language. It is, therefore, no violation of costume to put the names of Cain, or Noah, into the mouth of a Moslem. (2) Paswan Oglou, the rebel of Widin; who, for the last years of his life, set the whole power of the Porte at defiance. |