Part 27 (1/2)
But poor Lord Houghton was too far gone to appreciate the jest Indeed, he was on the brink of the grave A few days later he left for Vichy, where he died on August 11th His reht to Fryston, and Burton and Arbuthnot were present at his funeral
In October, while he was the guest of Lord Salisbury at Hatfield, Burton solicited the consulate of Morocco, and as his application was supported by fiftyit
Apparently, it was during this visit to England, too, that Burton co Mr Gladstone At souest of the evening, took it upon himself, while every one listened in respectful silence, to enlarge on Oriental matters
After he had finished, Burton, who had been fidgeting considerably, turned to him and said, ”I can assure you, Mr Gladstone, that everything you have said is absolutely and entirely opposite to fact”
The rest of the cohast, could scarcely, indeed, believe their ears; and one of them, as soon as he had recovered fro like mad on a menu card Presently Burton felt the card tucked into his hand under the table On glancing at it he read ”Please do not contradict Mr Gladstone nobody ever does”
133 A Brief Glance through the Nights
By this time Burton had finished the first voluhts, which left the press 12th Septeold, the colours of the Abbaside caliphs; and contained a circular ”earnestly requesting that the work ht not be exposed for sale in public places or permitted to fall into the hands of any save curious students of Moslem manners” The last volues of this remarkable work, surrender ourselves for a few moments to its charms, and then endeavour to coreat translation by Mr Payne
What a glorious panorama unfolds itself before us! Who does not know the introduction--about the king who, because his as unfaithful, vowed to take a neife every evening and slay her in the hter, the beautiful Shahrazad, ith a nificent scheme in her head, voluntarily cahtful risk
Did ever tale-teller compare with Shahrazad? Who does not sympathise with the Trader who killed the invisible son of the jinni? Who has not dreamt of the poor fisher Solo Yunon of leprosy and was sent home on the royal steed reads like a verse out of Esther, [439] andthe historical portions of the Bible than by studying The Arabian Nights
King Yunan richly deserved the death that overtook hi his thu over the leaves of the book [440] What a rare tale is that of the Ensorcelled Prince, alias The Young King of the Black Isles, who though he sat in a palace where fountains lieold,” was from his midriff doards not man but marble! Who is not shocked at the behaviour of the Three Ladies of Baghdad! In what fearful peril the caliph and the Kalendars placed the, they would ask questions! How delightful are the verses of the Nights, whether they have or have not any bearing upon the text! Says the third Kalendar, apropos of nothing:
”Howthe mourner's heart with joy to thrill”
What an imbecile of imbeciles was this same Kalendar when he found hiht as moons to wait upon hi quarters, for he cried, ”Hereupon such gladness possessed ot the sorrows of the world one and all, and said, 'This is indeed life!'” Then the ninny o and open that fatal fortieth door! The story of Nur al-Din Ali and his son Badr al-Din Hasan has the distinction of being the hts What stupendous events result frorily quitted his brother must have appealed forcibly to Burton:
Travel! and thou shalt find new friends for old ones left behind; toil! for the sweets of human life by toil and ht attains but want; so leave thy place of birth and wander all the world around [441]
As long as ti her charroo on his head The moribund Nur al-Din turns Polonius and delivers himself of sententious precepts ”Security,” he tells his son, ”lieth in seclusion of thought and a certain retirement from the society of thy fellows In this world there is none thouhope of none Let thine own faults distract thine attention from the faults of other men
[442] Be cautious, kind, charitable, sober, and econoood old man's life ”went forth” This son, when, soon after, confronted with hts in the whole work:
”It is strange men should dwell in the house of abjection, when the plain of God's earth is so wide and great” [443]
But there is another verse in the sa--we mean the one uttered by Badr al-Din Hasan (turned tart merchant) when struck by a stone thrown by his son
Unjust it were to bid the world be just; and blaives thee, leave all griefs aside, for now to fair and Then to foul her lust is [444]
We need do no more than mention the world-famatical but charitable Barber Very lovely is the tale of Nur al-Din and the Damsel Anis al Jalis [445]
better known as ”Noureddin and the Beautiful Persian” How tender is the scene when they enter the Sultan's garden! ”Then they fared forth at once from the city, and Allah spread over them His veil of protection, so that they reached the river bank, where they found a vessel ready for sea” Arrived at Baghdad they enter a garden which turns out to be the Sultan's ”By Allah,” quoth Nur al-Din to the daht pleasant is this place” And she replied, ”O my lord, sit with me awhile on this bench, and let us take our ease So they mounted and sat them down
and the breeze blew cool on thelory be to Him who never sleepeth” Little need to enquire what it is that entwines The Arabian Nights round our hearts
When cala up riches:
”Kisra and Caesars in a bygone day stored wealth; where is it, and ah! where are they?” [446]
But all caht in the end, for ”Allah's aid is ever near at hand”