Part 5 (1/2)
”Observe,” said she, ”that range of dark houses which lines for some distance the sh.o.r.e beneath us: they were once the happy homes of my dearest friends and connexions. The evening which preceded the fatal day to which you allude, had been pa.s.sed in their society, and when I quitted them, to return to my own residence, it was with feelings of security as great as could be reasonably indulged in a city, where, at that time, the life of a Greek was exposed to a thousand perils. Alas!
it was the last time I ever saw them alive. On the following morning, when I looked from my window, I beheld the body of each of my friends suspended from his own threshold, where they remained for the greater part of the day. In vain we pet.i.tioned to have them delivered up, that we might perform towards them the last sad duties of humanity. No! the request was denied, and they were delivered to the Jews, who, with a brutal feeling unequalled, except among the most ferocious savages, mutilated and defiled the remains of these descendants of the Grecian princes;--yesterday men of rank and fortune,--to-day treated as dogs, and refused even Christian burial.
[Sidenote: ANECDOTE OF THE SULTAN.] ”Though this occurrence took place in 1822, ten years ago, yet the horrid spectacle is still as fresh in my memory as if it had happened but yesterday. My husband, being a great favourite with the Sultan, was allowed to purchase his life by the sacrifice of nearly all he possessed; but he was long obliged to remain in concealment. Those were, indeed, times of misery and distress: there was not a single family belonging to my nation but had to deplore the loss of some one of its members; and every Greek village presented a scene of pillage and wanton ma.s.sacre.
”But enough of this; let us now converse on more agreeable subjects. Two years ago, our n.o.ble Sultan,--may his beard be white!--having heard of the beauty of this garden, and the extensive prospects it commands, sent a message to signify it was his pleasure to pay me a visit; and, a day being appointed, he came with his sword-bearer, and two other officers of the court. Let me first inform you, however, that some hours previous, every dish and sweetmeat intended to be placed before his Highness, was commanded to be sent over to the kiosk, in order that they might be tasted before he partook of them, to prevent the possibility of poison being administered through their means. After each dish had undergone the necessary scrutiny, it was returned to me, enclosed in a gauze net, carefully sealed by the proper officer.
”Well, the Sultan came, as I said before, and eat, drank, and was merry.
He is pa.s.sionately fond of music, and the piano-forte was placed out under the trees, where Anna and Zuleika sat singing and playing Greek and Italian music to him, until he was quite enraptured.
”In the course of the evening, several of the young people of Terapia were sent for by his Highness's special desire; and we waltzed, and danced quadrilles, until long after the morn had shed its golden beams on the smooth waters of the Bosphorus.
”Our sovereign remained during the whole time, so perfectly did he relish and enter into the entertainments we had provided for him. Next day, I received a magnificent present of flowers, sufficient to deck some half dozen churches, and sweetmeats enough to last for a whole year; accompanied by a message from the Sultan, expressive of the pleasure he had experienced the evening before.
”But he could not be more delighted with my poor efforts to entertain him, than I was by his affability, condescension, and engaging demeanour. He promised to renew the visit; but, the aspect of public affairs has ever since been too stormy and menacing, to allow the anxious Mahmoud any opportunity of relaxation. Should days of peace return, and the father of his people still remember his promise, he may again delight us by his presence.”
Whilst thus expatiating with an air of enthusiasm on the virtues of Sultan Mahmoud, all the cruelty, indignity, and outrage committed on her countrymen and relations, by his orders, seemed to vanish from the old lady's recollection, as though she had tasted of the fabled Lethe.
Happy the tyrant, who, by a single act of condescension, can thus obliterate the sanguinary records of his earlier days; and wash out the remembrance of blood in libations to Bacchus, and draughts of the too seductive and all-powerful Champagne!
[Sidenote: NEAPOLITAN STEAM-BOAT.] On returning to the house, I found an express from Pera awaited me, announcing the arrival of the Neapolitan steam-boat Francesco, with the Prince of Bavaria.
_Sunday, 9th._--I went down to Pera at an early hour this morning, and found the Francesco Primo floating proudly in the centre of the Horn.
She was surrounded by hundreds of caiques, full of Turks and Greeks, admiring this fine vessel, the largest steamer that had ever visited Constantinople.
At Tongo's, I roused up some of its pa.s.sengers, whom I had expected, and who were in our old quarters. They had been delighted with their trip, but were highly dissatisfied with the treatment on board, where they had to quarrel with bad provender, bad wine, and disobliging servants. In the course of the voyage, they had visited Corfu, Napoli, Egina, Corinth, Athens, and Smyrna. At the consul's I found Taylor, and near the house, Lord Wilts.h.i.+re, Ruddel, and Hatfield: every lodging-house, every thing which went by the name of an albergo, was occupied; and such an immigration of visitors with purses full of money, and pockets crammed with note books, had probably never happened in Stamboul before.
The Prince of Bavaria and his suite occupied the Palace of Austria.
[Sidenote: JEWISH MUSICIAN.] After dinner, we sallied forth for the Sweet Waters of Europe, where I believe the whole crew of the boat had gathered together. The crowd of natives was also considerable to-day; and I saw many very beautiful Greeks among them. We stopped to observe a party of Turkish ladies, to whom a Jew was singing, and accompanying himself on a guitar. After listening to various songs, they asked him for a French or English ditty, as he professed to have visited all countries; but he attempted to evade the request, afraid, no doubt, of being detected by the Europeans standing round, for, probably, he had never been five miles from Constantinople in his life. As the ladies insisted, he at last commenced the following ditty;
Alendo falendo Malendo Calendo Li fuli Culendo Buon Giorn.
which he repeated five or six times, much to the satisfaction of his Turkish auditors, but more to our amus.e.m.e.nt, for most of us laughed heartily, notwithstanding the sour looks of the old Turks, who, I presume, were scandalized at seeing us expose ourselves in the presence of the fair. The poor singer was heartily glad when we moved away, when he, no doubt, treated his attentive listeners to another series of English or Italian airs.
Boat loads of laughing, joyous Greeks now began to crowd the landing-place; and every caique had either a guitar, flute, or violin on board. After landing, the parties strolled about, while their servants spread the carpets and viands upon the velvet turf. This done, each jovial company squatted down on their cus.h.i.+ons, and commenced feasting and merry-making, which generally lasted until the night was far advanced.
[Sidenote: BEAUTIFUL GREEK.] Many of the Greeks present were from the Fa.n.a.l, and three ladies from that quarter, who stepped out of the same caique, attracted universal admiration wherever they moved; for, if not princesses by birth, they were, at all events, ent.i.tled to claim that distinction in the court of beauty; and the eldest was the most lovely creature I ever beheld. She possessed one of those fine intellectual faces, which, once seen, can never be obliterated from the gazer's remembrance; and there was a languor and a softness in her countenance, and in the expression of her large, dark, sleepy eyes, inexpressibly fascinating, though more allied to Oriental than Grecian loveliness.
They were,
”Black as death, their lashes the same hue, Of downcast length--in whose silk shadow lies Deepest attraction.”
Her hair was of a deep glossy brown, nearly approaching to black, and fell in luxuriant ringlets on a neck of ivory; while her tall, commanding figure seemed to have been moulded by the Graces; and though somewhat inclining to the _embonpoint_, she moved with an elegance and dignity befitting Juno herself.
I have already observed, that the ankle of the true Grecian race is remarkable for its exquisite symmetry; and hers was a model of perfection, which plainly indicated her descent from a people, among whom beauty is the most decided national characteristic. Her delicate small foot was _chaussee'd_ in a very neat black shoe, with a stocking of snowy whiteness: in a word, she seemed the personification of Dudu,
”Somewhat large, languis.h.i.+ng, and lazy, But of a beauty that would drive you crazy.”
[Sidenote: ELEGANT COSTUME.] The ferridge or cloak, worn by this ”Queen of the Sweet Waters,” was thrown loosely on her shoulders, disclosing a dress remarkable for its elegant simplicity. Her veil of white gauze, worked at the ends with silk and gold, floated at random over her head and shoulders; a rich shawl was bound round her waist, and served to confine the tunic close to her bust: the remainder of her dress was of muslin, plain, neat, and of the purest white. She appeared perfectly unconscious of her superior beauty, and though this costume was calculated to display her attractions to the greatest advantage, her whole demeanour was characterised by the most perfect modesty.
The other ladies, if seen elsewhere, might have been considered handsome; but on this occasion their charms were completely eclipsed. In attempting to describe the person of so singular and lovely a female, I feel conscious how inadequate my language has been to convey any idea of the reality; which, like a Peri descended from the celestial paradise, flits before my eyes, ”rich in all woman's loveliness.”
”Who hath not proved how feebly words essay To fix one spark of Beauty's heavenly ray?