Days and Dreams: Poems

THE KHALIF AND THE ARAB

A TranscriptAmong the tales, wherein it hath been told,In golden letters in a book of gold,Of Hatim Taï's hospitality,Who, substanceless in death and shadowy,Made men his guests upon that mountain topWhereon his tomb grayed from a thistle crop; —A tomb of rock where women hewn of stone,Rude figures, spread dishevelled hair; whose moanFrom dark to daybreak made the silence cry;The camel drivers, being tented nigh,"Ghouls or hyenas," shuddering would sayBut only girls of granite find at day: —And of that city, Sheddad son of AadBuilt mid the Sebaa sands. – A king who hadDominion of the world and many kings. —Builded in pride and power out of thingsUnstable of the earth. For he had readOf Paradise, and to his soul had said,"Now in this life the like of ParadiseI 'll build me and the Prophet's may despise,Knowing no need of that he promises."So for this city taxed the lands and seas,And Columned Irem, on a blinding height,Blazed in the desert like a chrysolite;The manner of its building, it is told,Alternate bricks of silver and of gold:How Sheddad with his women and his slaves,His thousand viziers, armored troops as wavesOf ocean countless, God with awful flame —Shot sheer in thunder on him – God, his shameConfounded and abolished, ere his eyesHad glimpsed bright follies of that Paradise;Lay blotted to a wilderness the landAccurséd, and the city lost in sand:Among such tales – who questions of their sooth? —One is recorded of an Arab youth:The Khalif Hisham ben AbdulmelikHunting one day, by some unwonted freakRode parted from his retinue and gaveChase to an antelope. Without or slave,Amir or vizier to a pasture placeOf sheep he came, where dark, in tattered grace,Watched one, an Arab youth. And as it cameThe antelope drew off, with mouth of flameAnd tongue of fire to the youth he turnedShouting, "Ho! fellow! in what school hast learned!Seest not the buck escapes me? worthless one!O desert dullard!"Rising in the sun,"O ignorant," he said, "of that just worthOf those the worthy of our Muslim earth!In that thou look'st upon me – what thou art! —As one fit for contempt, thou lack'st no partOf my disdain? – Allah! I would not ownA dog of thine for friend no other known —Of speech a tyrant, manners of an ass!"And flung him, rags and rage, into the grass.Provoked, astonished, wrinkled angrily,Hissed Hisham, "Slave! thou know'st me not I see!"Calmly the youth, "Aye, verily I know,O mannerless! thy tongue hath told me so,Thy tongue commanding ere it spake me peace—Soon art thou known, nor late may knowledge cease.""O dog! I am thy Khalif! by a hairThy life hangs rav'ling.""May it dangle thereTill thou art rotted! – Whiles, upon thy headMisfortunes shower! – Of his dwelling place,Allah, be thou forgetful! – What! his graceHisham ben Merwan, king of many words —Few generosities!"…A flash of swordsIn drifts of dust and lo! the Khalif's troopsSurrounding ride. As when a merlin stoopsSome stranger quarry, prey that swims the wind,Heron or eagle; kenning not its kindThere whence 'tis cast until it, towering, feelsAn eagle's tearing talons, falling reelsIn broken circles downward – so the youth,An Arab fearless as the face of TruthOf all that made him instant of his death,Waited with eyes indifferent, equal breath.The palace reached, "Bring in the prisonerBefore the Khalif," and he came as wereHe in no wise concerned: unquestioning wentChin bowed on breast, and on his feet a bentDark gaze of scornful freedom unafraid,Till at the Khalif's throne his steps were staid;And unsaluting, standing head held down,An armed attendant blazed him with a frown,"Dog of the Bedouins! thy eyes rot out!Insulter! must the whole big world needs shout'Commander of the Faithful,' so thou see?"To him the Arab sneering, "Verily,Packsaddle of an ass."The Khalif's rageExceeded now, and, "By my realm and rage!Arab, thy hour is come, thy very last;Thy hope is vanished and thy life is past."The shepherd answered, "Aye? – by Allah, then,O Hisham, if my time be stretched again,Unscissored of what Destiny ordain,Little or great, thy words give little pain."Then the chief Chamberlain, "O vilest oneOf all the Arabs! wilt thou not be doneBandying thy baseness with the Ruler ofThe Faithful?" spat upon his face. A scoffFiery made answer:"There be some have heardThe nonsense of our God, the text absurd,'One day each soul whatever shall be promptTo bow before me and to give accompt.'"Then wroth indeed was Hisham; hotly said,"He braves us! – headsman, ho! his peevish head!See; canst thou medicine its speech anew,Doctor its multiplying words to few;Divorce them well." So, where the Arab stood,Bound him; made kneel upon the cloth of blood:With curving sword the headsman leaned at pause,And, even as 'tis custom made of laws,To the descendant of the Prophet quoth,"O Khalif, shall I strike?""By Iblis' oath!Strike!" answered Hisham; but again the slaveQuestioned; and yet again the Khalif gaveHis nodded "yea"; and for the third time thenHe asked – and knowing neither men nor JinnMight save him if the Khalif spake assent,Signalled the sword, the youth with body bentLaughed – till the wang-teeth of each jaw appeared,Laughed – as with scorn the King of kings he 'd beard,Insulting death. So, with redoubled spleenRoared Hisham rising, "It is truly seenThat thou art mad who mockest Azrael!"The Arab answered: "Listen! – Once befell,Commander of the Faithful, that a hawk,A hungry hawk, pounced on a sparrow-cock;And winging nestward with his meal in claw,To him the sparrow, for the creature sawThe hawk's conceit, addressed this slyly, 'Oh,Most great, most royal, there is not, I know,That in me which will stay thy stomach's stress,I am too paltry for thy mightiness';With which the hawk was pleased, and flattered soIn his self-praise, he let the sparrow go."Then smiled the Khalif Hisham; and a signStaying the scimitar, that hung malignA threatening crescent, said, "God bless, preserveThe Prophet whom all true believers serve! —Now by my kinship to the Prophet, andHad he at first but spake us thus this handHad ne'er been reckless, and instead of hateHe had had all – except the Khalifate."Bade stuff his mouth with jewels and entreatHim courteously, then from the palace beat.THE END