, Grand
Duke of Florence, made him governor of Volterra and of Pisa.
Duke of Florence, made him governor of Volterra and of Pisa.
Warner - World's Best Literature - v10 - Emp to Fro
" Then, turn-
ing his eyes again upon Hamlet, "Ay, you may draw your
sword: what signifies a sword against the power of the Devil? "
During the second act, Partridge made very few remarks.
He greatly admired the fineness of the dresses; nor could he
help observing upon the King's countenance. "Well," said he,
"how people may be deceived by faces! Nulla fides fronti is, I
find, a true saying. Who would think, by looking in the King's
face, that he had ever committed a murder? " He then inquired
after the Ghost; but Jones, who intended that he should be sur-
prised, gave him no other satisfaction than that he might possi-
bly see him again soon, and in a flash of fire.
Partridge sat in fearful expectation of this; and now when the
Ghost made his next appearance Partridge cried out:-" There,
sir, now: what say you now? Is he frightened now, or no? As
much frightened as you think me; and to be sure, nobody can
help some fears. I would not be in so bad a condition as what's-
his-name, Squire Hamlet, is there, for all the world. Bless me!
## p. 5723 (#307) ###########################################
HENRY FIELDING
5723
What's become of the spirit? As I am a living soul, I thought
I saw him sink into the earth. "
"Indeed, you saw right," answered Jones.
"Well, well," cries Partridge, "I know it is only a play; and
besides, if there was anything in all this, Madam Miller would
not laugh so; for as to you, sir, you would not be afraid, I be-
lieve, if the Devil were here in person. There, there
wonder you are in such a passion; shake the vile wicked wretch
to pieces. If she was my own mother I should serve her so.
To be sure, all duty to a mother is forfeited by such wicked
doings. Ay, go about your business; I hate the sight of you. "
-ay, no
Our critic was now pretty silent till the play which Hamlet
introduces before the King. This he did not at first understand
till Jones explained it to him; but he no sooner entered into the
spirit of it than he began to bless himself that he had never
committed murder. Then, turning to Mrs. Miller, he asked her
if she did not imagine the King looked as if he was touched;
"though he is," said he, "a good actor, and doth all he can to
hide it. Well, I would not have so much to answer for as that
wicked man there hath, to sit upon a much higher chair than he
sits upon.
No wonder he ran away; for your sake I'll never
trust an innocent face again. "
The grave-digging scene next engaged the attention of Par-
tridge, who expressed much surprise at the number of skulls
thrown upon the stage. To which Jones answered that "it was
one of the most famous burial-places about town. "
"No wonder, then," cries Partridge, "that the place is
haunted. But I never saw in my life a worse grave-digger. I
had a sexton, when I was clerk, that should have dug three
graves while he is digging one. The fellow handles a spade as
if it was the first time he had ever had one in his hand. Ay,
ay, you may sing. You had rather sing than work, I believe. "
Upon Hamlet's taking up the skull, he cried out, "Well, it is
strange to see how fearless some men are; I never could bring
myself to touch anything belonging to a dead man on any
account. He seemed frightened enough, too, at the Ghost, I
thought. Nemo omnibus horis sapit. "
Little more worth remembering occurred during the play, at
the end of which Jones asked him which of the players he had
liked best?
To this he answered, with some appearance of indignation at
the question, "The King, without doubt. "
## p. 5724 (#308) ###########################################
5724
HENRY FIELDING
"Indeed, Mr. Partridge," says Mrs. Miller, "you are
the same opinion as the town; for they are all agreed that Ham-
let is acted by the best player who was ever on the stage. "
"He the best player! " cried Partridge, with a contemptuous
sneer; "why, I could act as well as he myself. I am sure if I
had seen a ghost, I should have looked in the very same man-
ner, and done just as he did. And then, to be sure, in that
scene, as you call it, between him and his mother, where you
told me he acted so fine, why, Lord help me! any man,—that is,
any good man,- that had had such a mother, would have done
exactly the same. I know you are only joking with me; but
indeed, madam, though I was never at a play in London, yet I
have seen acting before in the country; and the King for my
money; he speaks all his words distinctly, half as loud again as
the other. Anybody may see he is an actor. "
While Mrs. Miller was thus engaged in conversation with
Partridge, a lady came up to Mr. Jones whom he immediately
knew to be Mrs. Fitzpatrick. She said she had seen him from
the other part of the gallery, and had taken that opportunity
of speaking to him, as she had something to say which might
be of great service to himself. She then acquainted him with
her lodgings, and made him an appointment the next day in the
morning, which upon recollection she presently changed to the
afternoon; at which time Jones promised to attend her.
Thus ended the adventure at the play-house; where Partridge
had afforded great mirth, not only to Jones and Mrs. Miller, but
to all who sat within hearing, who were more attentive to what
he said than to anything that passed on the stage.
He durst not go to bed all that night for fear of the Ghost;
and for many nights after, sweat two or three hours before he
went to sleep with the same apprehensions; and waked several
times in great horrors, crying out, "Lord have mercy upon us!
there it is. "
## p. 5725 (#309) ###########################################
HENRY FIELDING
5725
THE FAREWELL
From Amelia'
"I
I AM not mistaken, madam," continued Booth, "I was just
going to acquaint you with the doctor's opinion, when we
were interrupted by the keeper.
"The doctor, having heard counsel on both sides, that is to
say, Mrs. Harris for my staying and Miss Betty for my going,
at last delivered his own sentiments. As for Amelia, she sat
silent, drowned in her tears; nor was I myself in a much better
situation.
"As the commissions are not signed,' said the doctor, 'I
think you may be said to remain in your former regiment; and
therefore I think you ought to go on this expedition: your duty
to your King and country, whose bread you have eaten, requires
it; and this is a duty of too high a nature to admit the least
deficiency; regard to your character likewise requires you to go;
for the world, which might justly blame your staying at home
if the case was even fairly stated, will not deal so honestly by
you; you must expect to have every circumstance against you
heightened, and most of what makes for your defense omitted;
and thus you will be stigmatized as a coward, without any pallia-
tion. As the malicious disposition of mankind is too well known,
and the cruel pleasure which they take in destroying the reputa-
tions of others, the use we are to make of this knowledge is to
afford no handle to reproach: for bad as the world is, it seldom
falls on any man who has not given some slight cause for cen-
sure, though this perhaps is often aggravated ten thousandfold;
and when we blame the malice of the aggravation, we ought not
to forget our own imprudence in giving the occasion. Remem-
ber, my boy, your honor is at stake; and you know how nice the
honor of a soldier is in these cases. This is a treasure which he
must be your enemy indeed who would attempt to rob you of;
therefore you ought to consider every one as your enemy, who
by desiring you to stay would rob you of your honor. '
"Do you hear that, sister? ' cries Miss Betty. 'Yes, I do
hear it,' answered Amelia, with more spirit than I ever saw her
exert before; and would preserve his honor at the expense of
my life.
I will preserve it if it should be at that expense; and
since it is Dr. Harrison's opinion that he ought to go, I give my
consent. Go, my dear husband,' cried she, falling upon her
## p. 5726 (#310) ###########################################
5726
HENRY FIELDING
knees; may every angel of heaven guard and preserve you! '
I cannot repeat her words without being affected," said he, wip-
ing his eyes; "the excellence of that woman no words can paint.
Miss Matthews, she has every perfection in human nature.
"I will not tire you with the repetition of any more that
passed on that occasion, nor with the quarrel that ensued be-
tween Mrs. Harris and the doctor; for the old lady could not
submit to my leaving her daughter in her present condition. She
fell severely on the army, and cursed the day in which her daugh-
ter was married to a soldier, not sparing the doctor for having
had some share in the match. I will omit, likewise, the tender
scene which passed between Amelia and myself previous to my
departure. "
"Indeed, I beg you would not," cries Miss Matthews: "noth-
ing delights me more than scenes of tenderness. I should be
glad to know, if possible, every syllable which was uttered on
both sides. "
"I will indulge you then," cries Booth, "as far as it is in
my power. Indeed, I believe I am able to recollect much the
greater part; for the impression is never to be effaced from my
memory. "
He then proceeded as Miss Matthews desired; but lest our
readers should not be of her opinion, we will, according to our
usual custom, endeavor to accommodate ourselves to every taste;
and shall therefore place this scene in a chapter by itself, which
we desire all our readers who do not love, or who perhaps do
not know the pleasure of tenderness, to pass over; since they
may do this without any prejudice to the thread of the narrative.
A SCENE OF THE TENDER KIND
From Amelia'
"THE
HE doctor, madam," continued Booth, "spent his evening at
Mrs. Harris's house, where I sat with him whilst he
smoked his pillow-pipe, as the phrase is. Amelia was re-
tired above half an hour to her chamber before I went to see her.
At my entrance I found her on her knees, a posture in which I
never disturbed her. In a few minutes she arose, came to me,
and embracing me, said she had been praying for resolution to
support the cruelest moments she had ever undergone, or could
## p. 5727 (#311) ###########################################
HENRY FIELDING
5727
possibly undergo.
I reminded her how much more bitter a fare-
well would be on a death-bed, when we never could meet, in
this world at least, again. I then endeavored to lessen all those
objects which alarmed her most, and particularly the danger I
was to encounter, upon which head I seemed a little to comfort
her; but the probable length of my absence, and the certain
length of my voyage, were circumstances which no oratory of
mine could even palliate. 'Oh heavens! ' said she, bursting into
tears; 'can I bear to think that hundreds, thousands, for aught I
know, of miles or leagues-that lands and seas are between us?
What is the prospect from that mount in our garden, where I
have sat so many happy hours with my Billy? what is the
distance between that and the farthest hill which we see from
thence, compared to the distance which will be between us?
You cannot wonder at this idea: you must remember, my Billy,
at this place this very thought came formerly into my fore-
boding mind. I then begged you to leave the army-why
would you not comply? Did I not tell you then, that the
smallest cottage we could survey from the mount would be with
you a paradise to me? It would be so still. Why can't my Billy
think so? Am I so much his superior in love? Where is the
dishonor, Billy? or, if there be any, will it reach our ears in our
little hut? Are glory and fame, and not his Amelia, the happi-
ness of my husband? Go, then, purchase them at my expense!
You will pay a few sighs, perhaps a few tears, at parting, and
then new scenes will drive away the thoughts of poor Amelia
from your bosom; but what assistance shall I have in my afflic-
tion? Not that any change of scene could drive you one moment
from my remembrance; yet here every object I behold will place
your loved idea in the liveliest manner before my eyes. This is
the bed in which you have reposed; that is the chair in which
you sat; upon these boards you have stood; these books you
have read to me. Can I walk among our beds of flowers with-
out viewing your favorites, nay, those which you have planted
with your own hands? Can I see one beauty from our beloved
mount which you have not pointed out to me? ' Thus she went
on; the woman, madam, you see, still prevailing. "—"Since you
mention it," says Miss Matthews, with a smile, "I own the same
observation occurred to me. It is too natural to us to consider
ourselves only, Mr. Booth. "-"You shall hear," he cried: "at
last, the thoughts of her present condition suggested themselves.
## p. 5728 (#312) ###########################################
5728
HENRY FIELDING
'But if,' said she, 'my situation even in health will be so in-
tolerable, how shall I, in the danger and agonies of childbirth,
support your absence! ' Here she stopped, and looking on me
with all the tenderness imaginable, cried out:-'And am I then
such a wretch as to wish for your presence at such a season?
Ought I not to rejoice that you are out of the hearing of my
cries or the knowledge of my pains? If I die, will you not have
escaped the horrors of a parting ten thousand times more dread-
ful than this? Go, go, my Billy; the very circumstance which
made me most dread your departure has perfectly reconciled me
to it.
I perceive clearly now that I was only wishing to support
my own weakness with your strength, and to relieve my own
pains at the price of yours. Believe me, my love, I am ashamed
of myself. I caught her in my arms with raptures not to be
expressed in words, calling her my heroine (sure none ever better
deserved that name); after which we remained some time speech-
less, and locked in each other's embraces. ”
"I am convinced," said Miss Matthews with a sigh, "there are
moments in life worth purchasing with worlds. "
"At length the fatal morning came. I endeavored to hide
every pang in my heart, and to wear the utmost gayety in my
countenance. Amelia acted the same part. In these assumed
characters we met the family at breakfast; at their breakfast, I
mean,- for we were both full already.
were both full already. The doctor had spent
above an hour that morning in discourse with Mrs. Harris, and
had in some measure reconciled her to my departure.
He now
made use of every art to relieve the poor distressed Amelia; not
by inveighing against the folly of grief, or by seriously advising
her not to grieve; both which were sufficiently performed by Miss
Betty. The doctor, on the contrary, had recourse to every means
which might cast a veil over the idea of grief and raise comfort-
able images in my angel's mind. He endeavored to lessen the
supposed length of my absence, by discoursing on matters which
were more distant in time. He said he intended next year to
rebuild a part of his parsonage house; and you, captain,' says
he, shall lay the corner-stone, I promise you;' with many other
instances of the like nature, which produced, I believe, some good
effect on us both.
"Amelia spoke but little; indeed, more tears than words
dropped from her; however, she seemed resolved to bear her
affliction with resignation: but when the dreadful news arrived
## p. 5729 (#313) ###########################################
HENRY FIELDING
5729
that the horses were ready, and I, having taken my leave of all
the rest, at last approached her, she was unable to support the
conflict with nature any longer; and clinging round my neck, she
cried, 'Farewell-farewell forever! for I shall never, never see
you more! At which words the blood entirely forsook her lovely
cheeks, and she became a lifeless corpse in my arms.
"Amelia continued so long motionless, that the doctor, as well
as Mrs. Harris, began to be under the most terrible apprehen-
sions, so they informed me afterwards; for at that time I was
incapable of making any observation. I had indeed very little
more use of my senses than the dear creature whom I supported.
At length, however, we were all delivered from our fears, and
life again visited the loveliest mansion that human nature ever
afforded it.
"I had been, and yet was, so terrified with what had happened,
and Amelia continued yet so weak and ill, that I determined,
whatever might be the consequence, not to leave her that day;
which resolution she was no sooner acquainted with than she fell
on her knees, crying, 'Good Heaven! I thank thee for this re-
prieve at least. Oh that every hour of my future life could be
crammed into this dear day! '
"Our good friend the doctor remained with us; he said he
had intended to visit a family in some affliction; but I don't
know,' says he, 'why I should ride a dozen miles after affliction,
when we have enough here. ' Of all mankind the doctor is the
best of comforters. As his excessive good-nature makes him
take vast delight in the office, so his great penetration into the
human mind, joined to his great experience, renders him the
most wonderful proficient in it; and he so well knows when to
soothe, when to reason, and when to ridicule, that he never ap-
plies any of those arts improperly, which is almost universally
the case with the physicians of the mind, and which it requires
very great judgment and dexterity to avoid.
"The doctor principally applied himself to ridiculing the dan-
gers of the siege, in which he succeeded so well that he some-
times forced a smile even into the face of Amelia. But what
most comforted her were the arguments he used to convince her
of the probability of my speedy, if not immediate, return. He
said the general opinion was that the place would be taken
before our arrival there; in which case we should have nothing
more to do than to make the best of our way home again.
X-359
## p. 5730 (#314) ###########################################
5730
HENRY FIELDING
"Amelia was so lulled by these arts that she passed the day
much better than I expected. Though the doctor could not
make pride strong enough to conquer love, yet he exalted the
former to make some stand against the latter; insomuch that
my poor Amelia, I believe, more than once flattered herself, to
speak the language of the world, that her reason had gained an
entire victory over her passion; till love brought up a reinforce-
ment, if I may use that term, of tender ideas, and bore down
all before him.
"In the evening the doctor and I passed another half-hour
together, when he proposed to me to endeavor to leave Amelia.
asleep in the morning, and promised me to be at hand when she
awaked, and to support her with all the assistance in his power;
he added that nothing was more foolish than for friends to take
leave of each other. 'It is true indeed,' says he, 'in the com-
mon acquaintance and friendship of the world, this is a very
harmless ceremony; but between two persons who really love
each other, the Church of Rome never invented a penance half
so severe as this which we absurdly impose on ourselves. '
"I greatly approved the doctor's proposal, thanked him, and
promised if possible to put it in execution. He then shook me
by the hand and heartily wished me well, saying in his blunt
way, Well, boy, I hope to see thee crowned with laurels at thy
return: one comfort I have at least, that stone walls and a sea
will prevent thee from running away. '
"When I had left the doctor I repaired to my Amelia, whom
I found in her chamber, employed in a very different manner
from what she had been the preceding night: she was busy in
packing up some trinkets in a casket, which she desired me to
carry with me. This casket was her own work, and she had just
fastened it as I came to her.
"Her eyes very plainly discovered what had passed while she
was engaged in her work; however, her countenance was now
serene, and she spoke at least with some cheerfulness; but after
some time, 'You must take care of this casket, Billy,' said she;
'you must, indeed, Billy, for her passion almost choked her
till a flood of tears gave her relief, and then she proceeded -
'for I shall be the happiest woman that ever was born when I
see it again. I told her, with the blessing of God, that day
would soon come. 'Soon? answered she, 'no, Billy, not soon;
a week is an age; but yet the happy day may come. It shall, it
## p. 5731 (#315) ###########################################
HENRY FIELDING
5731
must, it will! Yes, Billy, we shall meet never to part again -
even in this world, I hope. ' Pardon my weakness, Miss Mat-
thews, but upon my soul I cannot help it," cried he, wiping
his eyes.
"Well, I wonder at your patience, and I will try it no longer.
Amelia, tired out with so long a struggle between a variety of
passions, and having not closed her eyes during three successive
nights, towards the morning fell into a profound sleep, in which
sleep I left her; and having dressed myself with all the expedi-
tion imaginable, singing, whistling, hurrying, attempting by every
method to banish thought, I mounted my horse, which I had
over-night ordered to be ready, and galloped away from that
house where all my treasure was deposited.
"Thus, madam, I have in obedience to your commands run
through a scene, which if it has been tiresome to you, you must
yet acquit me of having obtruded upon you. This I am convinced
of, that no one is capable of tasting such a scene who has not a
heart full of tenderness, and perhaps not even then, unless he
has been in the same situation. "
## p. 5732 (#316) ###########################################
5732
VINCENZO DA FILICAIA
(1642-1707)
ITERARY historians agree that Italian poetry reached its lowest
ebb in the early part of the seventeenth century. The verse
of the imitators of Marini degenerated into mere artifice.
Brought to a high technical perfection, it yet lacked substance and
truth of feeling, and was become a mere plaything in the hands of
skillful versifiers. Near the end of the century a group of Roman
literary men founded a society called "The Arcadia," whose avowed
object was to repudiate this verse-making à la mode, and to bring
poetry back to nature. But they marred
still further what they had set out to mend.
In their hands simplicity became inanity.
Instead of returning to nature they played
at being shepherds and shepherdesses, while
their pastoral Muse wore patches and French
heels.
In this period of make-believe, almost
the only genuine voice was that of Vin-
cenzo da Filicaia. Born in Florence in 1642
of an ancient and noble family, he was lib-
erally educated, at first in the schools of
his native city and afterwards at the Uni-
VINCENZO DA FILICAIA versity of Pisa. Then, withdrawing to a
small villa near Florence, he gave himself
up to study and to writing. Like all his contemporaries, he began by
composing amatory verse. After the marriage and early death of the
lady whom he had celebrated, he burned all these youthful effusions,
and dedicated his muse to God and to Italy. In 1683, when John
Sobieski raised the siege of Vienna and saved the civilization of Eu-
rope from the invading Turks, Filicaia, thrilled by the heroism of the
Polish king, celebrated his victory in six famous odes. Uplifted by
the grandeur of his theme, the poet rose to heights of lyric enthusiasm
that set him among the inspired singers of his country. Read in all
the courts of Europe, the modest poet who had hardly dared to show
his verses to his friends, suddenly found himself face to face with a
European reputation. The Christian nations, trembling to see their
fate hang in the balance, found in these odes a passionate expression
of their joy in deliverance, and of their admiration for the warrior
king.
## p. 5733 (#317) ###########################################
VINCENZO DA FILICAIA
5733
The brilliant Christina of Sweden drew the poet into her circle in
Rome, and undertook to educate his two sons. Cosmo III.
, Grand
Duke of Florence, made him governor of Volterra and of Pisa. Fili-
caia spent the last few years of his life at Florence, where he had
been raised to the rank of a senator. He died in that city Septem-
ber 24th, 1707.
Although himself an Arcadian, and the most noted of that school,
Filicaia was remarkably free from its extravagances. He was saved
from bathos by the depth of his thought, the strength and energy of
his expression, his mastery over technique, and the genuineness of his
enthusiasm. Yet, sincere though he was, he did not quite escape the
charge of affectation. His fame in consequence has undergone some
mutations. Much of his poetry is still read with admiration, and his
famous sonnet on Italy, which Byron has so finely paraphrased in the
fourth canto of Childe Harold,' all Italians still know by heart.
TIME
SAW a mighty river, wild and vast,
I
Whose rapid waves were moments, which did glide
So swiftly onward in their silent tide,
That ere their flight was heeded, they were past;
A river, that to death's dark shores doth fast
Conduct all living with resistless force,
And though unfelt, pursues its noiseless course,
To quench all fires in Lethe's stream at last.
Its current with creation's birth was born;
And with the heaven's commenced its march sublime,
In days and months, still hurrying on untired.
Marking its flight, I inwardly did mourn,
And of my musing thoughts in doubt inquired
The river's name: my thoughts responded, Time.
OF PROVIDENCE
UST as a mother, with sweet pious face,
J
Turns towards her little children from her seat,
Gives one a kiss, another an embrace,
Takes this upon her knees, that on her feet;
And while from actions, looks, complaints, pretenses,
She learns their feelings and their various will,
To this a look, to that a word dispenses,
And whether stern or smiling, loves them still;-
――――――――
## p. 5734 (#318) ###########################################
5734
VINCENZO DA FILICAIA
So Providence for us, high, infinite,
Makes our necessities its watchful task,
Hearkens to all our prayers, helps all our wants;
And even if it denies what seems our right,
Either denies because 'twould have us ask,
Or seems but to deny, or in denying grants.
TO ITALY
TALIA, O Italia! hapless thou,
IT
Who didst the . fatal gift of beauty gain,—
A dowry fraught with never-ending pain,
A seal of sorrow stamped upon thy brow:
Oh, were thy bravery more, or less thy charms!
Then should thy foes, they whom thy loveliness
Now lures afar to conquer and possess,
Adore thy beauty less, or dread thine arms!
No longer then should hostile torrents pour
Adown the Alps; and Gallic troops be laved
In the red waters of the Po no more;
No longer then, by foreign courage saved,
Barbarian succor should thy sons implore,-
Vanquished or victors, still by Goths enslaved.
## p. 5735 (#319) ###########################################
5735
FIRDAUSĪ
(935-1020)
BY A. V. WILLIAMS JACKSON
the national poet of Persia.
IRDAUSĨ, author of the 'Shah Namah,' or Book of Kings, is
With the name of Firdausī in
the tenth century of our era, modern Persian poetry may be
said to begin. Firdausī, however, really forms only one link in the
long chain of Iranian literature which extends over more than twenty-
five centuries, and whose beginnings are to be sought in the Avesta,
five hundred years before the birth of Christ.
A brief glance may first be taken at the history of the literary
development of Persia. The sacred Zoroastrian scriptures of the
Avesta, together with the Old Persian rock inscriptions of the Achæ-
menian kings, Darius, Xerxes, and Artaxerxes, form the ancient
epoch known as Old Iranian Literature, beginning at least in the fifth
century before the Christian era. A second great division in the lit-
erary history of Iran is constituted by the Middle Persian. This is
the period inaugurated by the Sassanian dynasty in the third century
A. D. , and it extends beyond the Mohammedan conquest of Persia
(651) to about the ninth century. The language and literature of
this Middle Persian period is called Pahlavi. The Pahlavi records are
chiefly writings relating to the Zoroastrian religion. The Mohamme-
dan conquest of Iran by the Arabs somewhat resembles, in its effect
upon Persian literature, the Norman conquest of England. Hardly
two centuries had elapsed before an Iranian renaissance is begun to
be felt in Persia. Firdausī comes three hundred years after the battle
of Nihāvand, in which the eagle of the Persian military standard
sank before the crescent of Allah's prophet and the Mohammedan
sword; just as Chaucer followed the battle of Hastings by three hun-
dred years.
Such was the literary situation at the end of the ninth century.
Firdausi was the poet in whom the wave of the national epos culmi-
nated in the tenth century. But as there were English poets who
struck the note before Chaucer, so in Persia, Firdausī had his literary
predecessors. A mere mention of the more important of these must
suffice. Abbas of Merv (809) was one of these earlier bards.
greater repute was Rūdagi (died 954), who is said to have composed
no less than a million verses. But Firdausi's direct predecessor and
Of
## p. 5736 (#320) ###########################################
5736
FIRDAUSI
inspirer in the epic strain was Daqiqi. This young poet, like Mar-
lowe, the herald of Shakespeare, was cruelly murdered when he had
sung but a thousand lines. Yet these thousand verses are immortal,
as Firdausi has incorporated them into his poem and has thus hap-
pily preserved them. They are the lines that describe the founding
of the religion of Zoroaster, priest of fire. There was possibly a cer-
tain amount of tact on Firdausī's part in using these, or in claiming
to employ Daqiqi's rhymes: he thus escaped having personally to
deal with the delicate religious question of the Persian faith in the
midst of the fanatical Mohammedans, who are said to have assassi-
nated Daqiqi on account of his too zealous devotion to the old-time
creed. With Firdausi, then, the New Persian era is auspiciously in-
augurated in the tenth century; its further development through the
romantic, philosophic, mystic, didactic, and lyric movements must be
sought under the names of Nizami, Omar Khayyam, Jalāl-ad-din
Rūmi, Sa'di, Hafiz, and Jāmi.
Firdausī is pre-eminently the heroic poet of Persia. The date of
his birth falls about 935. His full name seems to have been Abul-
qasim Hasan (Ahmad or Mansur); the appellative "Firdausī " (Para-
dise), by which he is known to fame, was bestowed upon him,
according to some accounts, by his royal patron the Sultan Mahmud.
Firdausi's native place was Tūs in Khorasan. By descent he was
heir to that Persian pride and love of country which the Arab con-
quest could not crush. By birth, therefore, this singer possessed
more than ordinary qualifications for chanting in rhythmical measures
the annals of ancient Iran. He had undoubtedly likewise made long
and careful preparation for his task, equipping himself by research
into the Pahlavi or Middle Persian sources, from which he drew ma-
terial for his chronicle-poem. From statements in the Shah Namah'
itself, we may infer that Firdausi was nearly forty years of age when,
with his extraordinary endowments, he made the real beginning of
his monumental work. We likewise know, from personal references
in the poem, that he had been married and had two children. The
death of his beloved son is mourned in touching strains. One of the
crowning events now in the poet's life was his entrance into the lit-
erary circle of the court of Sultan Mahmud of Ghazna, who ruled
998-1030. To Mahmud the great epic is finally dedicated, and the
story of Firdausi's career may best be told in connection with the
masterpiece.
The removal of the heroic bard Daqiqi by fate and by the assas-
sin's dagger had left open the way for an ambitious epic poet. Fir-
dausi was destined to be the fortunate aspirant. A romantic story
tells of his coming to the court of Sultan Mahmud. This legendary
account says that when he first approached the Round Table, the
## p. 5737 (#321) ###########################################
FIRDAUSI
5737
three court poets, Ansari, Farrukhi, and Asjadi wished no intruder
into their favored circle of poetic composition, and accordingly sought
to rid themselves of his unwelcome presence by putting him to shame.
They suggested a trial of metrical skill in improvisation. The first
of the three poets chose a very difficult Persian word (javshan ·
« cuirass ") to which there was hardly a rhyming word known,—like
the English twelfth, window, silver, chilver (woolly ewe). Firdausī,
they thought, would not be able to complete the quatrain. So Ansari
began:-
"The glance of thy face rivals moonlight or silver;"
Farrukhi matched this with:-
-:
«Thy cheek's downy bloom is as soft as the chilver;"
Asjadi continued the puzzling catchword by:
"Thy eyelashes pierce through the warrior's cuirass;»
Firdausī instantly added:
"As did Giw's fatal lance-stroke at Pashan harass. "
The readiness of this response, and the interesting historical allu-
sion, which was unknown to the coterie until Firdausī proceeded in
perfect verse to tell the story of the fateful battle between the two
heroes whom he had mentioned,- both these facts won generous
admiration and applause from Ansari, Farrukhi, and Asjadī. Charmed
by Firdausi's poetic grace, and impressed by his power and his learn-
ing, they unhesitatingly recognized him as their compeer or superior,
and proceeded in every way to advance him in favor with the Sul-
tan. If true, such an example of disinterestedness would not be easy
to parallel in the East or elsewhere. Unfortunately this pretty story,
although it is written in very choice Persian, is commonly now re-
garded as mere fiction or a baseless fabrication. Nevertheless it
conveys some idea of the general estimate in which Firdausī's genius
was held. We also know that this poet laureate lived long in the
sunshine of the court, and was promised a gold piece for each line
he composed. The liberality of Sultan Mahmud's favor called forth
from Firdausi a splendid poetical panegyric, that is only eclipsed by
the fierce savageness of the scathing satire which later the poet
poured out against his royal patron, when disappointed in old age of
the promised reward that was to crown his great work.
Tradition narrates that Firdausī was a septuagenarian when he
finished the last line of the sixty thousand rhyming couplets that
make up the 'Shah Namah. ' He now looked for the reward of his
· -
-:
## p. 5738 (#322) ###########################################
5738
FIRDAUSI
life's work. But jealousy and intrigue against him had not been idle
during his long residence at court. The Grand Vizier appears to have
induced the Sultan to send Firdausi sixty thousand silver dirhems,
instead of the promised gold. Firdausi is said to have been in the
bath when the elephant laden with the money-bags arrived. On dis-
covering the deception, the injured poet rejected the gift with scorn,
and dividing the silver into three portions, he presented one of these
to the bath steward, the second to the elephant-driver, and he gave
the last to the man who brought him a glass of cordial. He then
wrote the famous satire upon Mahmud, and fled from the city for his
life. For ten years the aged singer was an exile, and he would have
been a wanderer but for the friendly protection extended to him by a
prince of Iraq, who apparently also tried, without effect, to reconcile
the Sultan and the aged poet. Enjoying the solace of this prince's
shelter, Firdausi composed his last work, the 'Yusuf and Zulikha,' a
romantic poem nearly as long as the Iliad, on Joseph and the pas-
sionate love of Potiphar's wife for him.
But Firdausi was now advanced to his eightieth year, and he seems
to have longed to visit his native town of Tus once more. A sad
story is preserved of his death of a broken heart. It is also told that
Mahmud relented and sent to the city of Tus a magnificent caravan
conveying gifts and robes for the aged singer, and bearing likewise
the sixty thousand gold pieces that had once been promised. But all
too late. The treasure-laden camel procession met at the city gate
the funeral cortège that was conducting the dead poet's body to the
grave. Firdausi's death occurred in 1020. His tomb at Tus is still a
place of pious pilgrimage.
The story of the Shah Namah,'. Book of Kings,-may be de-
scribed in briefest words as the chronicle-history of the empire of
Iran, from the moment of its rise in legendary antiquity and during
the golden reign of King Jamshid, through its glorious ascendency
under the majesty of the Kayanian rulers, and down to the days of
Zoroaster; thence onward to the invasion of Persia by Alexander the
Great. The poem from this point follows the various fortunes and
changes of the Persian sovereignty, until its downfall and ruin before
the Mohammedans and Islam. Firdausī naturally treats his subject as
a poetic chronicler, not as a historian; but there is history in the
poem, and he has given a certain unity to his long epic by keeping
sight of the aim that he had in view, which was to exalt the fallen
glory of Iran. The epic is written in a style befitting the theme. A
word must also be bestowed upon Firdausi's romantic poem 'Yusuf
and Zulikha, in which the Biblical story of Joseph, as narrated in the
Quran, was his source. This poem was in great measure the work
of his old age, as it was written after he was seventy; but in the
-
## p. 5739 (#323) ###########################################
FIRDAUSI
5739
episode of Joseph and Potiphar's wife the luxuriousness of color, the
richness of imagery, the lavish exuberance, and the passion, might in
some degree allow of comparison with Shakespeare's 'Venus and
Adonis, or with Marlowe's 'Hero and Leander. '
Translations of Firdausī should be mentioned. There is an Eng-
lish abridgment of the 'Shah Namah' with versions in prose and in
rhyme by James Atkinson-Shāh Nāmah' (London, 1832; cheaply
reprinted in the 'Chandos Series,' New York, 1886). Several versi-
fied selections are found in Robinson-'Persian Poetry for English
Readers' (privately printed; Glasgow, 1883). There is a standard
French prose translation of the entire 'Shah Nāmah' by Jules Mohl
-Le Livre des Rois' (7 vols. , Paris, 1876-78).
An Italian prose
rendering, also complete, has been made by Italo Pizzi - 'Firdusi, Il
Libro dei Re' (8 vols. , Turin, 1886-89); and Pizzi has given exten-
sive metrical renderings in his 'Storia della Poesia Persiana' (Turin,
1894). In German, there is a running paraphrase of the story by
Görres-Heldenbuch von Iran' (2 vols. , Berlin, 1820). Spirited ren-
derings of selections have also appeared in German: by A. F. von
Schack-Heldensagen des Firdusi' (3 vols. , Stuttgart, 1877); and
by Rückert (unfinished) -'Firdosi's Königsbuch Schahname' (ed.
Bayer, 3 vols. , Berlin, 1890-95). Of the Yusuf and Zulikha' (com-
plete) there is a German translation into rhymed verse by O.
Schlechta-Wssehrd — 'Jussuf und Suleicha' (Vienna, 1889).
A. r. Willeann
-Jackerws
THE BEAUTIFUL RUDABAH DISCLOSES HER LOVE TO ZĀL
From the Shāh-Nāmah›
[After a time Rudabah resolves to reveal her passion to her attendants. ]
HEN she said to her prudent slaves:-
"I will discover what I have hitherto concealed;
Ye are each of you the depositaries of my secrets,
My attendants, and the partners of my griefs.
I am agitated with love like the raging ocean,
Whose billows are heaved to the sky.
My once bright heart is filled with the love of Zal;
My sleep is broken with thoughts of him.
My soul is perpetually filled with my passion;
Night and day my thoughts dwell upon his countenance.
THE
## p. 5740 (#324) ###########################################
FIRDAUSI
5740
"Not one except yourselves knoweth my secret:
Ye my affectionate and faithful servants,
What remedy now can ye devise for my ease?
What will ye do for me? What promise will ye give me?
Some remedy ye must devise,
To free my heart and soul from this unhappiness. "
Astonishment seized the slaves,
That dishonor should come nigh the daughter of kings.
In the anxiety of their hearts they started from their seats,
And all gave answer with one voice:-
"O crown of the ladies of the earth!
―
Maiden pre-eminent amongst the pre-eminent!
Whose praise is spread abroad from Hindustan to China;
The resplendent ring in the circle of the harem;
Whose stature surpasseth every cypress in the garden;
Whose cheek rivaleth the lustre of the Pleiades;
Whose picture is sent by the ruler of Kanūj
Even to the distant monarchs of the West-
Have you ceased to be modest in your own eyes?
Have you lost all reverence for your father,
That whom his own parent cast from his bosom,
Him you will receive into yours?
A man who was nurtured by a bird in the mountains!
A man who was a byword amongst the people!
You with your roseate countenance and musky tresses,
Seek a man whose hair is already white with age!
You who have filled the world with admiration,
Whose portrait hangeth in every palace,
And whose beauty, and ringlets, and stature, are such
That you might draw down a husband from the skies! "
[To this remonstrance she makes the following indignant answer:]
When Rudabah heard their reply,
Her heart blazed up like fire before the wind.
She raised her voice in anger against them;
Her face flushed, but she cast down her eyes.
After a time, grief and anger mingled in her countenance,
And knitting her brows with passion, she exclaimed:-
"O unadvised and worthless counselors,
It was not becoming in me to ask your advice!
Were my eye dazzled by a star,
How could it rejoice to gaze even upon the moon?
## p. 5741 (#325) ###########################################
FIRDAUSI
5741
He who is formed of worthless clay will not regard the rose,
Although the rose is in nature more estimable than clay!
I wish not for Cæsar, nor Emperor of China,
Nor for any one of the tiara-crowned monarchs of Irān;
The son of Sam, Zāl, alone is my equal,
With his lion-like limbs and arms and shoulders.
You may call him, as you please, an old man or a young;
To me he is in the room of heart and of soul.
Except him, never shall any one have a place in my heart;
Mention not to me any one except him.
Him hath my love chosen unseen,
Yea, hath chosen him only from description.
For him is my affection, not for face or hair;
And I have sought his love in the way of honor. "
[Her vehemence overcomes the reluctance of the slaves, and one of them
promises, if possible, to contrive an interview. ]
"May hundreds of thousands such as we are be a sacrifice for
thee;
May the wisdom of the creation be thy worthy portion;
May thy dark narcissus-eye be ever full of modesty;
May thy cheek be ever tinged with bashfulness!
If it be necessary to learn the art of the magician,
To sew up the eyes with the bands of enchantment,
We will fly till we surpass the enchanter's bird,
We will run like the deer in search of a remedy.
Perchance we may draw the King nigh unto his moon,
And place him securely at thy side. "
The vermeil lip of Rudabah was filled with smiles;
She turned her saffron-tinged countenance toward the slave,
and said:
"If thou shalt bring this matter to a happy issue,
Thou hast planted for thyself a stately and fruitful tree,
Which every day shall bear rubies for its fruit,
And shall pour that fruit into thy lap. "
[The story proceeds to say how the slaves fulfill their promise. They go
forth, and find Zāl practicing with the bow. Busying themselves in gather-
ing roses, they attract his attention. He shoots an arrow in that direction,
and sends his quiver-bearer to bring it back. The slaves inquire who the
hero is who draws the bow with so much strength and skill. The boy
answers scornfully, "Do they not know that it is Zal, the most renowned
warrior in the world? ” In reply, they vaunt the superior attractions of Ruda-
bah. The boy reports their account of her to Zal, who goes to speak to
1
12
## p. 5742 (#326) ###########################################
FIRDAUSI
5742
them, receives from them a warm description of her charms, and presses them
to procure for him the means of obtaining an interview. This little incident
is well imagined: it is Zal who is made to ask for the meeting, and the
honor of Rudabah is not compromised. The slaves return to their mistress
and report upon their mission, eulogizing the goodly qualities of the hero.
Her ironical answer to their former depreciation is animated and natural. ]
Then said the elegant cypress-formed lady to her maidens:—
"Other than this were once your words and your counsel!
Is this then the Zāl, the nursling of a bird?
This the old man, white-haired and withered?
Now his cheek is ruddy as the flower of the arghavan;
His stature is tall, his face beautiful, his presence lordly!
Ye have exalted my charms before him;
Ye have spoken, and made me a bargain! ”
She said, and her lips were full of smiles;
But her cheek crimsoned like the bloom of pomegranate.
[The interview takes places in a private pavilion of the Princess; and the
account of it is marked with more than one touch of truth and beauty. ]
When from a distance the son of the valiant Sam
Became visible to the illustrious maiden,
She opened her gem-like lips and exclaimed:
"Welcome, thou brave and happy youth!
The blessing of the Creator of the world be upon thee!
On him who is the father of a son like thee!
-
May Destiny ever favor thy wishes!
May the vault of heaven be the ground thou walkest on!
The dark night is turned into day by thy countenance;
The world is soul-enlivened by the fragrance of thy presence!
Thou hast traveled hither on foot from thy palace;
Thou hast pained, to behold me, thy royal footsteps! "
When the hero heard the voice from the battlement,
He looked up and beheld a face resplendent as the sun,
Irradiating the terrace like a flashing jewel,
And brightening the ground like a flaming ruby.
Then he replied: "O thou who sheddest the mild radiance of
the moon,
The blessing of Heaven, and mine, be upon thee!
How many nights hath cold Arcturus beholden me,
Uttering my cry to God, the Pure,
And beseeching the Lord of the universe
That he would vouchsafe to unveil thy countenance before me!
## p. 5743 (#327) ###########################################
FIRDAUSI
5743
Now I am made joyful in hearing thy voice,
In listening to thy rich and gracious accents.
But seek, I pray thee, some way to thy presence;
For what converse can we hold, I on the ground and thou on
the terrace ? »
The Peri-faced maiden heard the words of the hero;
Quickly she unbound her auburn locks,
Coil upon coil and serpent on serpent;
And she stooped and dropped down the tresses from the bat-
tlement,
And cried:-"O hero, child of heroes,
Take now these tresses; they belong to thee,
And I have cherished them that they might prove an aid to
my beloved. »
And Zāl gazed upward at the lovely maiden,
And stood amazed at the beauty of her hair and of her coun-
tenance;
He covered the musky ringlets with his kisses,
And his bride heard the kisses from above;
-
Then he exclaimed: "That would not be right-
May the bright sun never shine on such a day!
It were to lay my hand on the life of one already distracted;
It were to plunge the arrow-point into my own wounded
bosom. "
Then he took his noose from his boy, and made a running
knot,
And threw it, and caught it on the battlement,
And held his breath, and at one bound
Sprang from the ground, and reached the summit.
As soon as the hero stood upon the terrace,
The Peri-faced maiden ran to greet him,
And took the hand of the hero in her own,
And they went like those who were overcome with wine.
Then he descended from the lofty gallery,
His hand in the hand of the tall Princess,
And came to the door of the gold-painted pavilion,
And entered that royal assembly,
Which blazed with light like the bowers of Paradise;
And the slaves stood like houris before them:
And Zal gazed in astonishment
On her face, and her hair, and her stately form, and on all
that splendor.
## p. 5744 (#328) ###########################################
FIRDAUSI
5744
And Zal was seated in royal pomp
Opposite that mildly radiant beauty;
And Rudabah could not rest from looking towards him,
And gazing upon him with all her eyes;
On that arm and shoulder, and that splendid figure,
On the brightness of that soul-enlightening countenance;
So that the more and more she looked,
The more and more was her heart inflamed.
Then he kissed and embraced her, renewing his vows-
Can the lion help pursuing the wild ass? —
And said: "O sweet and graceful silver-bosomed maiden,
It may not be, that, both of noble lineage,
We should do aught unbecoming our birth;
For from Sam Nariman I received an admonition,
To do no unworthy deed, lest evil should come of it;
For better is the seemly than the unseemly,
That which is lawful than that which is forbidden;
And I fear that Manuchahar, when he shall hear of this affair,
Will not be inclined to give it his approval:
I fear too that Sam will exclaim against it,
And will boil over with passion, and lay his hand upon me.
Yet though soul and body are precious to all men,
Life I will resign, and clothe myself with a shroud
And this I swear by the righteous God-
Ere I will break the faith which I have pledged thee.
I will bow myself before him, and offer my adoration,
And supplicate him as those who worship him in truth,
That he will cleanse the heart of Sām, King of the earth,
From opposition, and rage, and rancor.
Perhaps the Creator of the world may listen to my prayer,
-
And thou mayest yet be publicly proclaimed my wife. "
And Rudabah said:-"And I also, in the presence of the
righteous God,
Take the same pledge, and swear to thee my faith;
And He who created the world be witness to my words,
That no one but the hero of the world,
The throned, the crowned, the far-famed Zāl,
Will I ever permit to be sovereign over me.
ing his eyes again upon Hamlet, "Ay, you may draw your
sword: what signifies a sword against the power of the Devil? "
During the second act, Partridge made very few remarks.
He greatly admired the fineness of the dresses; nor could he
help observing upon the King's countenance. "Well," said he,
"how people may be deceived by faces! Nulla fides fronti is, I
find, a true saying. Who would think, by looking in the King's
face, that he had ever committed a murder? " He then inquired
after the Ghost; but Jones, who intended that he should be sur-
prised, gave him no other satisfaction than that he might possi-
bly see him again soon, and in a flash of fire.
Partridge sat in fearful expectation of this; and now when the
Ghost made his next appearance Partridge cried out:-" There,
sir, now: what say you now? Is he frightened now, or no? As
much frightened as you think me; and to be sure, nobody can
help some fears. I would not be in so bad a condition as what's-
his-name, Squire Hamlet, is there, for all the world. Bless me!
## p. 5723 (#307) ###########################################
HENRY FIELDING
5723
What's become of the spirit? As I am a living soul, I thought
I saw him sink into the earth. "
"Indeed, you saw right," answered Jones.
"Well, well," cries Partridge, "I know it is only a play; and
besides, if there was anything in all this, Madam Miller would
not laugh so; for as to you, sir, you would not be afraid, I be-
lieve, if the Devil were here in person. There, there
wonder you are in such a passion; shake the vile wicked wretch
to pieces. If she was my own mother I should serve her so.
To be sure, all duty to a mother is forfeited by such wicked
doings. Ay, go about your business; I hate the sight of you. "
-ay, no
Our critic was now pretty silent till the play which Hamlet
introduces before the King. This he did not at first understand
till Jones explained it to him; but he no sooner entered into the
spirit of it than he began to bless himself that he had never
committed murder. Then, turning to Mrs. Miller, he asked her
if she did not imagine the King looked as if he was touched;
"though he is," said he, "a good actor, and doth all he can to
hide it. Well, I would not have so much to answer for as that
wicked man there hath, to sit upon a much higher chair than he
sits upon.
No wonder he ran away; for your sake I'll never
trust an innocent face again. "
The grave-digging scene next engaged the attention of Par-
tridge, who expressed much surprise at the number of skulls
thrown upon the stage. To which Jones answered that "it was
one of the most famous burial-places about town. "
"No wonder, then," cries Partridge, "that the place is
haunted. But I never saw in my life a worse grave-digger. I
had a sexton, when I was clerk, that should have dug three
graves while he is digging one. The fellow handles a spade as
if it was the first time he had ever had one in his hand. Ay,
ay, you may sing. You had rather sing than work, I believe. "
Upon Hamlet's taking up the skull, he cried out, "Well, it is
strange to see how fearless some men are; I never could bring
myself to touch anything belonging to a dead man on any
account. He seemed frightened enough, too, at the Ghost, I
thought. Nemo omnibus horis sapit. "
Little more worth remembering occurred during the play, at
the end of which Jones asked him which of the players he had
liked best?
To this he answered, with some appearance of indignation at
the question, "The King, without doubt. "
## p. 5724 (#308) ###########################################
5724
HENRY FIELDING
"Indeed, Mr. Partridge," says Mrs. Miller, "you are
the same opinion as the town; for they are all agreed that Ham-
let is acted by the best player who was ever on the stage. "
"He the best player! " cried Partridge, with a contemptuous
sneer; "why, I could act as well as he myself. I am sure if I
had seen a ghost, I should have looked in the very same man-
ner, and done just as he did. And then, to be sure, in that
scene, as you call it, between him and his mother, where you
told me he acted so fine, why, Lord help me! any man,—that is,
any good man,- that had had such a mother, would have done
exactly the same. I know you are only joking with me; but
indeed, madam, though I was never at a play in London, yet I
have seen acting before in the country; and the King for my
money; he speaks all his words distinctly, half as loud again as
the other. Anybody may see he is an actor. "
While Mrs. Miller was thus engaged in conversation with
Partridge, a lady came up to Mr. Jones whom he immediately
knew to be Mrs. Fitzpatrick. She said she had seen him from
the other part of the gallery, and had taken that opportunity
of speaking to him, as she had something to say which might
be of great service to himself. She then acquainted him with
her lodgings, and made him an appointment the next day in the
morning, which upon recollection she presently changed to the
afternoon; at which time Jones promised to attend her.
Thus ended the adventure at the play-house; where Partridge
had afforded great mirth, not only to Jones and Mrs. Miller, but
to all who sat within hearing, who were more attentive to what
he said than to anything that passed on the stage.
He durst not go to bed all that night for fear of the Ghost;
and for many nights after, sweat two or three hours before he
went to sleep with the same apprehensions; and waked several
times in great horrors, crying out, "Lord have mercy upon us!
there it is. "
## p. 5725 (#309) ###########################################
HENRY FIELDING
5725
THE FAREWELL
From Amelia'
"I
I AM not mistaken, madam," continued Booth, "I was just
going to acquaint you with the doctor's opinion, when we
were interrupted by the keeper.
"The doctor, having heard counsel on both sides, that is to
say, Mrs. Harris for my staying and Miss Betty for my going,
at last delivered his own sentiments. As for Amelia, she sat
silent, drowned in her tears; nor was I myself in a much better
situation.
"As the commissions are not signed,' said the doctor, 'I
think you may be said to remain in your former regiment; and
therefore I think you ought to go on this expedition: your duty
to your King and country, whose bread you have eaten, requires
it; and this is a duty of too high a nature to admit the least
deficiency; regard to your character likewise requires you to go;
for the world, which might justly blame your staying at home
if the case was even fairly stated, will not deal so honestly by
you; you must expect to have every circumstance against you
heightened, and most of what makes for your defense omitted;
and thus you will be stigmatized as a coward, without any pallia-
tion. As the malicious disposition of mankind is too well known,
and the cruel pleasure which they take in destroying the reputa-
tions of others, the use we are to make of this knowledge is to
afford no handle to reproach: for bad as the world is, it seldom
falls on any man who has not given some slight cause for cen-
sure, though this perhaps is often aggravated ten thousandfold;
and when we blame the malice of the aggravation, we ought not
to forget our own imprudence in giving the occasion. Remem-
ber, my boy, your honor is at stake; and you know how nice the
honor of a soldier is in these cases. This is a treasure which he
must be your enemy indeed who would attempt to rob you of;
therefore you ought to consider every one as your enemy, who
by desiring you to stay would rob you of your honor. '
"Do you hear that, sister? ' cries Miss Betty. 'Yes, I do
hear it,' answered Amelia, with more spirit than I ever saw her
exert before; and would preserve his honor at the expense of
my life.
I will preserve it if it should be at that expense; and
since it is Dr. Harrison's opinion that he ought to go, I give my
consent. Go, my dear husband,' cried she, falling upon her
## p. 5726 (#310) ###########################################
5726
HENRY FIELDING
knees; may every angel of heaven guard and preserve you! '
I cannot repeat her words without being affected," said he, wip-
ing his eyes; "the excellence of that woman no words can paint.
Miss Matthews, she has every perfection in human nature.
"I will not tire you with the repetition of any more that
passed on that occasion, nor with the quarrel that ensued be-
tween Mrs. Harris and the doctor; for the old lady could not
submit to my leaving her daughter in her present condition. She
fell severely on the army, and cursed the day in which her daugh-
ter was married to a soldier, not sparing the doctor for having
had some share in the match. I will omit, likewise, the tender
scene which passed between Amelia and myself previous to my
departure. "
"Indeed, I beg you would not," cries Miss Matthews: "noth-
ing delights me more than scenes of tenderness. I should be
glad to know, if possible, every syllable which was uttered on
both sides. "
"I will indulge you then," cries Booth, "as far as it is in
my power. Indeed, I believe I am able to recollect much the
greater part; for the impression is never to be effaced from my
memory. "
He then proceeded as Miss Matthews desired; but lest our
readers should not be of her opinion, we will, according to our
usual custom, endeavor to accommodate ourselves to every taste;
and shall therefore place this scene in a chapter by itself, which
we desire all our readers who do not love, or who perhaps do
not know the pleasure of tenderness, to pass over; since they
may do this without any prejudice to the thread of the narrative.
A SCENE OF THE TENDER KIND
From Amelia'
"THE
HE doctor, madam," continued Booth, "spent his evening at
Mrs. Harris's house, where I sat with him whilst he
smoked his pillow-pipe, as the phrase is. Amelia was re-
tired above half an hour to her chamber before I went to see her.
At my entrance I found her on her knees, a posture in which I
never disturbed her. In a few minutes she arose, came to me,
and embracing me, said she had been praying for resolution to
support the cruelest moments she had ever undergone, or could
## p. 5727 (#311) ###########################################
HENRY FIELDING
5727
possibly undergo.
I reminded her how much more bitter a fare-
well would be on a death-bed, when we never could meet, in
this world at least, again. I then endeavored to lessen all those
objects which alarmed her most, and particularly the danger I
was to encounter, upon which head I seemed a little to comfort
her; but the probable length of my absence, and the certain
length of my voyage, were circumstances which no oratory of
mine could even palliate. 'Oh heavens! ' said she, bursting into
tears; 'can I bear to think that hundreds, thousands, for aught I
know, of miles or leagues-that lands and seas are between us?
What is the prospect from that mount in our garden, where I
have sat so many happy hours with my Billy? what is the
distance between that and the farthest hill which we see from
thence, compared to the distance which will be between us?
You cannot wonder at this idea: you must remember, my Billy,
at this place this very thought came formerly into my fore-
boding mind. I then begged you to leave the army-why
would you not comply? Did I not tell you then, that the
smallest cottage we could survey from the mount would be with
you a paradise to me? It would be so still. Why can't my Billy
think so? Am I so much his superior in love? Where is the
dishonor, Billy? or, if there be any, will it reach our ears in our
little hut? Are glory and fame, and not his Amelia, the happi-
ness of my husband? Go, then, purchase them at my expense!
You will pay a few sighs, perhaps a few tears, at parting, and
then new scenes will drive away the thoughts of poor Amelia
from your bosom; but what assistance shall I have in my afflic-
tion? Not that any change of scene could drive you one moment
from my remembrance; yet here every object I behold will place
your loved idea in the liveliest manner before my eyes. This is
the bed in which you have reposed; that is the chair in which
you sat; upon these boards you have stood; these books you
have read to me. Can I walk among our beds of flowers with-
out viewing your favorites, nay, those which you have planted
with your own hands? Can I see one beauty from our beloved
mount which you have not pointed out to me? ' Thus she went
on; the woman, madam, you see, still prevailing. "—"Since you
mention it," says Miss Matthews, with a smile, "I own the same
observation occurred to me. It is too natural to us to consider
ourselves only, Mr. Booth. "-"You shall hear," he cried: "at
last, the thoughts of her present condition suggested themselves.
## p. 5728 (#312) ###########################################
5728
HENRY FIELDING
'But if,' said she, 'my situation even in health will be so in-
tolerable, how shall I, in the danger and agonies of childbirth,
support your absence! ' Here she stopped, and looking on me
with all the tenderness imaginable, cried out:-'And am I then
such a wretch as to wish for your presence at such a season?
Ought I not to rejoice that you are out of the hearing of my
cries or the knowledge of my pains? If I die, will you not have
escaped the horrors of a parting ten thousand times more dread-
ful than this? Go, go, my Billy; the very circumstance which
made me most dread your departure has perfectly reconciled me
to it.
I perceive clearly now that I was only wishing to support
my own weakness with your strength, and to relieve my own
pains at the price of yours. Believe me, my love, I am ashamed
of myself. I caught her in my arms with raptures not to be
expressed in words, calling her my heroine (sure none ever better
deserved that name); after which we remained some time speech-
less, and locked in each other's embraces. ”
"I am convinced," said Miss Matthews with a sigh, "there are
moments in life worth purchasing with worlds. "
"At length the fatal morning came. I endeavored to hide
every pang in my heart, and to wear the utmost gayety in my
countenance. Amelia acted the same part. In these assumed
characters we met the family at breakfast; at their breakfast, I
mean,- for we were both full already.
were both full already. The doctor had spent
above an hour that morning in discourse with Mrs. Harris, and
had in some measure reconciled her to my departure.
He now
made use of every art to relieve the poor distressed Amelia; not
by inveighing against the folly of grief, or by seriously advising
her not to grieve; both which were sufficiently performed by Miss
Betty. The doctor, on the contrary, had recourse to every means
which might cast a veil over the idea of grief and raise comfort-
able images in my angel's mind. He endeavored to lessen the
supposed length of my absence, by discoursing on matters which
were more distant in time. He said he intended next year to
rebuild a part of his parsonage house; and you, captain,' says
he, shall lay the corner-stone, I promise you;' with many other
instances of the like nature, which produced, I believe, some good
effect on us both.
"Amelia spoke but little; indeed, more tears than words
dropped from her; however, she seemed resolved to bear her
affliction with resignation: but when the dreadful news arrived
## p. 5729 (#313) ###########################################
HENRY FIELDING
5729
that the horses were ready, and I, having taken my leave of all
the rest, at last approached her, she was unable to support the
conflict with nature any longer; and clinging round my neck, she
cried, 'Farewell-farewell forever! for I shall never, never see
you more! At which words the blood entirely forsook her lovely
cheeks, and she became a lifeless corpse in my arms.
"Amelia continued so long motionless, that the doctor, as well
as Mrs. Harris, began to be under the most terrible apprehen-
sions, so they informed me afterwards; for at that time I was
incapable of making any observation. I had indeed very little
more use of my senses than the dear creature whom I supported.
At length, however, we were all delivered from our fears, and
life again visited the loveliest mansion that human nature ever
afforded it.
"I had been, and yet was, so terrified with what had happened,
and Amelia continued yet so weak and ill, that I determined,
whatever might be the consequence, not to leave her that day;
which resolution she was no sooner acquainted with than she fell
on her knees, crying, 'Good Heaven! I thank thee for this re-
prieve at least. Oh that every hour of my future life could be
crammed into this dear day! '
"Our good friend the doctor remained with us; he said he
had intended to visit a family in some affliction; but I don't
know,' says he, 'why I should ride a dozen miles after affliction,
when we have enough here. ' Of all mankind the doctor is the
best of comforters. As his excessive good-nature makes him
take vast delight in the office, so his great penetration into the
human mind, joined to his great experience, renders him the
most wonderful proficient in it; and he so well knows when to
soothe, when to reason, and when to ridicule, that he never ap-
plies any of those arts improperly, which is almost universally
the case with the physicians of the mind, and which it requires
very great judgment and dexterity to avoid.
"The doctor principally applied himself to ridiculing the dan-
gers of the siege, in which he succeeded so well that he some-
times forced a smile even into the face of Amelia. But what
most comforted her were the arguments he used to convince her
of the probability of my speedy, if not immediate, return. He
said the general opinion was that the place would be taken
before our arrival there; in which case we should have nothing
more to do than to make the best of our way home again.
X-359
## p. 5730 (#314) ###########################################
5730
HENRY FIELDING
"Amelia was so lulled by these arts that she passed the day
much better than I expected. Though the doctor could not
make pride strong enough to conquer love, yet he exalted the
former to make some stand against the latter; insomuch that
my poor Amelia, I believe, more than once flattered herself, to
speak the language of the world, that her reason had gained an
entire victory over her passion; till love brought up a reinforce-
ment, if I may use that term, of tender ideas, and bore down
all before him.
"In the evening the doctor and I passed another half-hour
together, when he proposed to me to endeavor to leave Amelia.
asleep in the morning, and promised me to be at hand when she
awaked, and to support her with all the assistance in his power;
he added that nothing was more foolish than for friends to take
leave of each other. 'It is true indeed,' says he, 'in the com-
mon acquaintance and friendship of the world, this is a very
harmless ceremony; but between two persons who really love
each other, the Church of Rome never invented a penance half
so severe as this which we absurdly impose on ourselves. '
"I greatly approved the doctor's proposal, thanked him, and
promised if possible to put it in execution. He then shook me
by the hand and heartily wished me well, saying in his blunt
way, Well, boy, I hope to see thee crowned with laurels at thy
return: one comfort I have at least, that stone walls and a sea
will prevent thee from running away. '
"When I had left the doctor I repaired to my Amelia, whom
I found in her chamber, employed in a very different manner
from what she had been the preceding night: she was busy in
packing up some trinkets in a casket, which she desired me to
carry with me. This casket was her own work, and she had just
fastened it as I came to her.
"Her eyes very plainly discovered what had passed while she
was engaged in her work; however, her countenance was now
serene, and she spoke at least with some cheerfulness; but after
some time, 'You must take care of this casket, Billy,' said she;
'you must, indeed, Billy, for her passion almost choked her
till a flood of tears gave her relief, and then she proceeded -
'for I shall be the happiest woman that ever was born when I
see it again. I told her, with the blessing of God, that day
would soon come. 'Soon? answered she, 'no, Billy, not soon;
a week is an age; but yet the happy day may come. It shall, it
## p. 5731 (#315) ###########################################
HENRY FIELDING
5731
must, it will! Yes, Billy, we shall meet never to part again -
even in this world, I hope. ' Pardon my weakness, Miss Mat-
thews, but upon my soul I cannot help it," cried he, wiping
his eyes.
"Well, I wonder at your patience, and I will try it no longer.
Amelia, tired out with so long a struggle between a variety of
passions, and having not closed her eyes during three successive
nights, towards the morning fell into a profound sleep, in which
sleep I left her; and having dressed myself with all the expedi-
tion imaginable, singing, whistling, hurrying, attempting by every
method to banish thought, I mounted my horse, which I had
over-night ordered to be ready, and galloped away from that
house where all my treasure was deposited.
"Thus, madam, I have in obedience to your commands run
through a scene, which if it has been tiresome to you, you must
yet acquit me of having obtruded upon you. This I am convinced
of, that no one is capable of tasting such a scene who has not a
heart full of tenderness, and perhaps not even then, unless he
has been in the same situation. "
## p. 5732 (#316) ###########################################
5732
VINCENZO DA FILICAIA
(1642-1707)
ITERARY historians agree that Italian poetry reached its lowest
ebb in the early part of the seventeenth century. The verse
of the imitators of Marini degenerated into mere artifice.
Brought to a high technical perfection, it yet lacked substance and
truth of feeling, and was become a mere plaything in the hands of
skillful versifiers. Near the end of the century a group of Roman
literary men founded a society called "The Arcadia," whose avowed
object was to repudiate this verse-making à la mode, and to bring
poetry back to nature. But they marred
still further what they had set out to mend.
In their hands simplicity became inanity.
Instead of returning to nature they played
at being shepherds and shepherdesses, while
their pastoral Muse wore patches and French
heels.
In this period of make-believe, almost
the only genuine voice was that of Vin-
cenzo da Filicaia. Born in Florence in 1642
of an ancient and noble family, he was lib-
erally educated, at first in the schools of
his native city and afterwards at the Uni-
VINCENZO DA FILICAIA versity of Pisa. Then, withdrawing to a
small villa near Florence, he gave himself
up to study and to writing. Like all his contemporaries, he began by
composing amatory verse. After the marriage and early death of the
lady whom he had celebrated, he burned all these youthful effusions,
and dedicated his muse to God and to Italy. In 1683, when John
Sobieski raised the siege of Vienna and saved the civilization of Eu-
rope from the invading Turks, Filicaia, thrilled by the heroism of the
Polish king, celebrated his victory in six famous odes. Uplifted by
the grandeur of his theme, the poet rose to heights of lyric enthusiasm
that set him among the inspired singers of his country. Read in all
the courts of Europe, the modest poet who had hardly dared to show
his verses to his friends, suddenly found himself face to face with a
European reputation. The Christian nations, trembling to see their
fate hang in the balance, found in these odes a passionate expression
of their joy in deliverance, and of their admiration for the warrior
king.
## p. 5733 (#317) ###########################################
VINCENZO DA FILICAIA
5733
The brilliant Christina of Sweden drew the poet into her circle in
Rome, and undertook to educate his two sons. Cosmo III.
, Grand
Duke of Florence, made him governor of Volterra and of Pisa. Fili-
caia spent the last few years of his life at Florence, where he had
been raised to the rank of a senator. He died in that city Septem-
ber 24th, 1707.
Although himself an Arcadian, and the most noted of that school,
Filicaia was remarkably free from its extravagances. He was saved
from bathos by the depth of his thought, the strength and energy of
his expression, his mastery over technique, and the genuineness of his
enthusiasm. Yet, sincere though he was, he did not quite escape the
charge of affectation. His fame in consequence has undergone some
mutations. Much of his poetry is still read with admiration, and his
famous sonnet on Italy, which Byron has so finely paraphrased in the
fourth canto of Childe Harold,' all Italians still know by heart.
TIME
SAW a mighty river, wild and vast,
I
Whose rapid waves were moments, which did glide
So swiftly onward in their silent tide,
That ere their flight was heeded, they were past;
A river, that to death's dark shores doth fast
Conduct all living with resistless force,
And though unfelt, pursues its noiseless course,
To quench all fires in Lethe's stream at last.
Its current with creation's birth was born;
And with the heaven's commenced its march sublime,
In days and months, still hurrying on untired.
Marking its flight, I inwardly did mourn,
And of my musing thoughts in doubt inquired
The river's name: my thoughts responded, Time.
OF PROVIDENCE
UST as a mother, with sweet pious face,
J
Turns towards her little children from her seat,
Gives one a kiss, another an embrace,
Takes this upon her knees, that on her feet;
And while from actions, looks, complaints, pretenses,
She learns their feelings and their various will,
To this a look, to that a word dispenses,
And whether stern or smiling, loves them still;-
――――――――
## p. 5734 (#318) ###########################################
5734
VINCENZO DA FILICAIA
So Providence for us, high, infinite,
Makes our necessities its watchful task,
Hearkens to all our prayers, helps all our wants;
And even if it denies what seems our right,
Either denies because 'twould have us ask,
Or seems but to deny, or in denying grants.
TO ITALY
TALIA, O Italia! hapless thou,
IT
Who didst the . fatal gift of beauty gain,—
A dowry fraught with never-ending pain,
A seal of sorrow stamped upon thy brow:
Oh, were thy bravery more, or less thy charms!
Then should thy foes, they whom thy loveliness
Now lures afar to conquer and possess,
Adore thy beauty less, or dread thine arms!
No longer then should hostile torrents pour
Adown the Alps; and Gallic troops be laved
In the red waters of the Po no more;
No longer then, by foreign courage saved,
Barbarian succor should thy sons implore,-
Vanquished or victors, still by Goths enslaved.
## p. 5735 (#319) ###########################################
5735
FIRDAUSĪ
(935-1020)
BY A. V. WILLIAMS JACKSON
the national poet of Persia.
IRDAUSĨ, author of the 'Shah Namah,' or Book of Kings, is
With the name of Firdausī in
the tenth century of our era, modern Persian poetry may be
said to begin. Firdausī, however, really forms only one link in the
long chain of Iranian literature which extends over more than twenty-
five centuries, and whose beginnings are to be sought in the Avesta,
five hundred years before the birth of Christ.
A brief glance may first be taken at the history of the literary
development of Persia. The sacred Zoroastrian scriptures of the
Avesta, together with the Old Persian rock inscriptions of the Achæ-
menian kings, Darius, Xerxes, and Artaxerxes, form the ancient
epoch known as Old Iranian Literature, beginning at least in the fifth
century before the Christian era. A second great division in the lit-
erary history of Iran is constituted by the Middle Persian. This is
the period inaugurated by the Sassanian dynasty in the third century
A. D. , and it extends beyond the Mohammedan conquest of Persia
(651) to about the ninth century. The language and literature of
this Middle Persian period is called Pahlavi. The Pahlavi records are
chiefly writings relating to the Zoroastrian religion. The Mohamme-
dan conquest of Iran by the Arabs somewhat resembles, in its effect
upon Persian literature, the Norman conquest of England. Hardly
two centuries had elapsed before an Iranian renaissance is begun to
be felt in Persia. Firdausī comes three hundred years after the battle
of Nihāvand, in which the eagle of the Persian military standard
sank before the crescent of Allah's prophet and the Mohammedan
sword; just as Chaucer followed the battle of Hastings by three hun-
dred years.
Such was the literary situation at the end of the ninth century.
Firdausi was the poet in whom the wave of the national epos culmi-
nated in the tenth century. But as there were English poets who
struck the note before Chaucer, so in Persia, Firdausī had his literary
predecessors. A mere mention of the more important of these must
suffice. Abbas of Merv (809) was one of these earlier bards.
greater repute was Rūdagi (died 954), who is said to have composed
no less than a million verses. But Firdausi's direct predecessor and
Of
## p. 5736 (#320) ###########################################
5736
FIRDAUSI
inspirer in the epic strain was Daqiqi. This young poet, like Mar-
lowe, the herald of Shakespeare, was cruelly murdered when he had
sung but a thousand lines. Yet these thousand verses are immortal,
as Firdausi has incorporated them into his poem and has thus hap-
pily preserved them. They are the lines that describe the founding
of the religion of Zoroaster, priest of fire. There was possibly a cer-
tain amount of tact on Firdausī's part in using these, or in claiming
to employ Daqiqi's rhymes: he thus escaped having personally to
deal with the delicate religious question of the Persian faith in the
midst of the fanatical Mohammedans, who are said to have assassi-
nated Daqiqi on account of his too zealous devotion to the old-time
creed. With Firdausi, then, the New Persian era is auspiciously in-
augurated in the tenth century; its further development through the
romantic, philosophic, mystic, didactic, and lyric movements must be
sought under the names of Nizami, Omar Khayyam, Jalāl-ad-din
Rūmi, Sa'di, Hafiz, and Jāmi.
Firdausī is pre-eminently the heroic poet of Persia. The date of
his birth falls about 935. His full name seems to have been Abul-
qasim Hasan (Ahmad or Mansur); the appellative "Firdausī " (Para-
dise), by which he is known to fame, was bestowed upon him,
according to some accounts, by his royal patron the Sultan Mahmud.
Firdausi's native place was Tūs in Khorasan. By descent he was
heir to that Persian pride and love of country which the Arab con-
quest could not crush. By birth, therefore, this singer possessed
more than ordinary qualifications for chanting in rhythmical measures
the annals of ancient Iran. He had undoubtedly likewise made long
and careful preparation for his task, equipping himself by research
into the Pahlavi or Middle Persian sources, from which he drew ma-
terial for his chronicle-poem. From statements in the Shah Namah'
itself, we may infer that Firdausi was nearly forty years of age when,
with his extraordinary endowments, he made the real beginning of
his monumental work. We likewise know, from personal references
in the poem, that he had been married and had two children. The
death of his beloved son is mourned in touching strains. One of the
crowning events now in the poet's life was his entrance into the lit-
erary circle of the court of Sultan Mahmud of Ghazna, who ruled
998-1030. To Mahmud the great epic is finally dedicated, and the
story of Firdausi's career may best be told in connection with the
masterpiece.
The removal of the heroic bard Daqiqi by fate and by the assas-
sin's dagger had left open the way for an ambitious epic poet. Fir-
dausi was destined to be the fortunate aspirant. A romantic story
tells of his coming to the court of Sultan Mahmud. This legendary
account says that when he first approached the Round Table, the
## p. 5737 (#321) ###########################################
FIRDAUSI
5737
three court poets, Ansari, Farrukhi, and Asjadi wished no intruder
into their favored circle of poetic composition, and accordingly sought
to rid themselves of his unwelcome presence by putting him to shame.
They suggested a trial of metrical skill in improvisation. The first
of the three poets chose a very difficult Persian word (javshan ·
« cuirass ") to which there was hardly a rhyming word known,—like
the English twelfth, window, silver, chilver (woolly ewe). Firdausī,
they thought, would not be able to complete the quatrain. So Ansari
began:-
"The glance of thy face rivals moonlight or silver;"
Farrukhi matched this with:-
-:
«Thy cheek's downy bloom is as soft as the chilver;"
Asjadi continued the puzzling catchword by:
"Thy eyelashes pierce through the warrior's cuirass;»
Firdausī instantly added:
"As did Giw's fatal lance-stroke at Pashan harass. "
The readiness of this response, and the interesting historical allu-
sion, which was unknown to the coterie until Firdausī proceeded in
perfect verse to tell the story of the fateful battle between the two
heroes whom he had mentioned,- both these facts won generous
admiration and applause from Ansari, Farrukhi, and Asjadī. Charmed
by Firdausi's poetic grace, and impressed by his power and his learn-
ing, they unhesitatingly recognized him as their compeer or superior,
and proceeded in every way to advance him in favor with the Sul-
tan. If true, such an example of disinterestedness would not be easy
to parallel in the East or elsewhere. Unfortunately this pretty story,
although it is written in very choice Persian, is commonly now re-
garded as mere fiction or a baseless fabrication. Nevertheless it
conveys some idea of the general estimate in which Firdausī's genius
was held. We also know that this poet laureate lived long in the
sunshine of the court, and was promised a gold piece for each line
he composed. The liberality of Sultan Mahmud's favor called forth
from Firdausi a splendid poetical panegyric, that is only eclipsed by
the fierce savageness of the scathing satire which later the poet
poured out against his royal patron, when disappointed in old age of
the promised reward that was to crown his great work.
Tradition narrates that Firdausī was a septuagenarian when he
finished the last line of the sixty thousand rhyming couplets that
make up the 'Shah Namah. ' He now looked for the reward of his
· -
-:
## p. 5738 (#322) ###########################################
5738
FIRDAUSI
life's work. But jealousy and intrigue against him had not been idle
during his long residence at court. The Grand Vizier appears to have
induced the Sultan to send Firdausi sixty thousand silver dirhems,
instead of the promised gold. Firdausi is said to have been in the
bath when the elephant laden with the money-bags arrived. On dis-
covering the deception, the injured poet rejected the gift with scorn,
and dividing the silver into three portions, he presented one of these
to the bath steward, the second to the elephant-driver, and he gave
the last to the man who brought him a glass of cordial. He then
wrote the famous satire upon Mahmud, and fled from the city for his
life. For ten years the aged singer was an exile, and he would have
been a wanderer but for the friendly protection extended to him by a
prince of Iraq, who apparently also tried, without effect, to reconcile
the Sultan and the aged poet. Enjoying the solace of this prince's
shelter, Firdausi composed his last work, the 'Yusuf and Zulikha,' a
romantic poem nearly as long as the Iliad, on Joseph and the pas-
sionate love of Potiphar's wife for him.
But Firdausi was now advanced to his eightieth year, and he seems
to have longed to visit his native town of Tus once more. A sad
story is preserved of his death of a broken heart. It is also told that
Mahmud relented and sent to the city of Tus a magnificent caravan
conveying gifts and robes for the aged singer, and bearing likewise
the sixty thousand gold pieces that had once been promised. But all
too late. The treasure-laden camel procession met at the city gate
the funeral cortège that was conducting the dead poet's body to the
grave. Firdausi's death occurred in 1020. His tomb at Tus is still a
place of pious pilgrimage.
The story of the Shah Namah,'. Book of Kings,-may be de-
scribed in briefest words as the chronicle-history of the empire of
Iran, from the moment of its rise in legendary antiquity and during
the golden reign of King Jamshid, through its glorious ascendency
under the majesty of the Kayanian rulers, and down to the days of
Zoroaster; thence onward to the invasion of Persia by Alexander the
Great. The poem from this point follows the various fortunes and
changes of the Persian sovereignty, until its downfall and ruin before
the Mohammedans and Islam. Firdausī naturally treats his subject as
a poetic chronicler, not as a historian; but there is history in the
poem, and he has given a certain unity to his long epic by keeping
sight of the aim that he had in view, which was to exalt the fallen
glory of Iran. The epic is written in a style befitting the theme. A
word must also be bestowed upon Firdausi's romantic poem 'Yusuf
and Zulikha, in which the Biblical story of Joseph, as narrated in the
Quran, was his source. This poem was in great measure the work
of his old age, as it was written after he was seventy; but in the
-
## p. 5739 (#323) ###########################################
FIRDAUSI
5739
episode of Joseph and Potiphar's wife the luxuriousness of color, the
richness of imagery, the lavish exuberance, and the passion, might in
some degree allow of comparison with Shakespeare's 'Venus and
Adonis, or with Marlowe's 'Hero and Leander. '
Translations of Firdausī should be mentioned. There is an Eng-
lish abridgment of the 'Shah Namah' with versions in prose and in
rhyme by James Atkinson-Shāh Nāmah' (London, 1832; cheaply
reprinted in the 'Chandos Series,' New York, 1886). Several versi-
fied selections are found in Robinson-'Persian Poetry for English
Readers' (privately printed; Glasgow, 1883). There is a standard
French prose translation of the entire 'Shah Nāmah' by Jules Mohl
-Le Livre des Rois' (7 vols. , Paris, 1876-78).
An Italian prose
rendering, also complete, has been made by Italo Pizzi - 'Firdusi, Il
Libro dei Re' (8 vols. , Turin, 1886-89); and Pizzi has given exten-
sive metrical renderings in his 'Storia della Poesia Persiana' (Turin,
1894). In German, there is a running paraphrase of the story by
Görres-Heldenbuch von Iran' (2 vols. , Berlin, 1820). Spirited ren-
derings of selections have also appeared in German: by A. F. von
Schack-Heldensagen des Firdusi' (3 vols. , Stuttgart, 1877); and
by Rückert (unfinished) -'Firdosi's Königsbuch Schahname' (ed.
Bayer, 3 vols. , Berlin, 1890-95). Of the Yusuf and Zulikha' (com-
plete) there is a German translation into rhymed verse by O.
Schlechta-Wssehrd — 'Jussuf und Suleicha' (Vienna, 1889).
A. r. Willeann
-Jackerws
THE BEAUTIFUL RUDABAH DISCLOSES HER LOVE TO ZĀL
From the Shāh-Nāmah›
[After a time Rudabah resolves to reveal her passion to her attendants. ]
HEN she said to her prudent slaves:-
"I will discover what I have hitherto concealed;
Ye are each of you the depositaries of my secrets,
My attendants, and the partners of my griefs.
I am agitated with love like the raging ocean,
Whose billows are heaved to the sky.
My once bright heart is filled with the love of Zal;
My sleep is broken with thoughts of him.
My soul is perpetually filled with my passion;
Night and day my thoughts dwell upon his countenance.
THE
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5740
"Not one except yourselves knoweth my secret:
Ye my affectionate and faithful servants,
What remedy now can ye devise for my ease?
What will ye do for me? What promise will ye give me?
Some remedy ye must devise,
To free my heart and soul from this unhappiness. "
Astonishment seized the slaves,
That dishonor should come nigh the daughter of kings.
In the anxiety of their hearts they started from their seats,
And all gave answer with one voice:-
"O crown of the ladies of the earth!
―
Maiden pre-eminent amongst the pre-eminent!
Whose praise is spread abroad from Hindustan to China;
The resplendent ring in the circle of the harem;
Whose stature surpasseth every cypress in the garden;
Whose cheek rivaleth the lustre of the Pleiades;
Whose picture is sent by the ruler of Kanūj
Even to the distant monarchs of the West-
Have you ceased to be modest in your own eyes?
Have you lost all reverence for your father,
That whom his own parent cast from his bosom,
Him you will receive into yours?
A man who was nurtured by a bird in the mountains!
A man who was a byword amongst the people!
You with your roseate countenance and musky tresses,
Seek a man whose hair is already white with age!
You who have filled the world with admiration,
Whose portrait hangeth in every palace,
And whose beauty, and ringlets, and stature, are such
That you might draw down a husband from the skies! "
[To this remonstrance she makes the following indignant answer:]
When Rudabah heard their reply,
Her heart blazed up like fire before the wind.
She raised her voice in anger against them;
Her face flushed, but she cast down her eyes.
After a time, grief and anger mingled in her countenance,
And knitting her brows with passion, she exclaimed:-
"O unadvised and worthless counselors,
It was not becoming in me to ask your advice!
Were my eye dazzled by a star,
How could it rejoice to gaze even upon the moon?
## p. 5741 (#325) ###########################################
FIRDAUSI
5741
He who is formed of worthless clay will not regard the rose,
Although the rose is in nature more estimable than clay!
I wish not for Cæsar, nor Emperor of China,
Nor for any one of the tiara-crowned monarchs of Irān;
The son of Sam, Zāl, alone is my equal,
With his lion-like limbs and arms and shoulders.
You may call him, as you please, an old man or a young;
To me he is in the room of heart and of soul.
Except him, never shall any one have a place in my heart;
Mention not to me any one except him.
Him hath my love chosen unseen,
Yea, hath chosen him only from description.
For him is my affection, not for face or hair;
And I have sought his love in the way of honor. "
[Her vehemence overcomes the reluctance of the slaves, and one of them
promises, if possible, to contrive an interview. ]
"May hundreds of thousands such as we are be a sacrifice for
thee;
May the wisdom of the creation be thy worthy portion;
May thy dark narcissus-eye be ever full of modesty;
May thy cheek be ever tinged with bashfulness!
If it be necessary to learn the art of the magician,
To sew up the eyes with the bands of enchantment,
We will fly till we surpass the enchanter's bird,
We will run like the deer in search of a remedy.
Perchance we may draw the King nigh unto his moon,
And place him securely at thy side. "
The vermeil lip of Rudabah was filled with smiles;
She turned her saffron-tinged countenance toward the slave,
and said:
"If thou shalt bring this matter to a happy issue,
Thou hast planted for thyself a stately and fruitful tree,
Which every day shall bear rubies for its fruit,
And shall pour that fruit into thy lap. "
[The story proceeds to say how the slaves fulfill their promise. They go
forth, and find Zāl practicing with the bow. Busying themselves in gather-
ing roses, they attract his attention. He shoots an arrow in that direction,
and sends his quiver-bearer to bring it back. The slaves inquire who the
hero is who draws the bow with so much strength and skill. The boy
answers scornfully, "Do they not know that it is Zal, the most renowned
warrior in the world? ” In reply, they vaunt the superior attractions of Ruda-
bah. The boy reports their account of her to Zal, who goes to speak to
1
12
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5742
them, receives from them a warm description of her charms, and presses them
to procure for him the means of obtaining an interview. This little incident
is well imagined: it is Zal who is made to ask for the meeting, and the
honor of Rudabah is not compromised. The slaves return to their mistress
and report upon their mission, eulogizing the goodly qualities of the hero.
Her ironical answer to their former depreciation is animated and natural. ]
Then said the elegant cypress-formed lady to her maidens:—
"Other than this were once your words and your counsel!
Is this then the Zāl, the nursling of a bird?
This the old man, white-haired and withered?
Now his cheek is ruddy as the flower of the arghavan;
His stature is tall, his face beautiful, his presence lordly!
Ye have exalted my charms before him;
Ye have spoken, and made me a bargain! ”
She said, and her lips were full of smiles;
But her cheek crimsoned like the bloom of pomegranate.
[The interview takes places in a private pavilion of the Princess; and the
account of it is marked with more than one touch of truth and beauty. ]
When from a distance the son of the valiant Sam
Became visible to the illustrious maiden,
She opened her gem-like lips and exclaimed:
"Welcome, thou brave and happy youth!
The blessing of the Creator of the world be upon thee!
On him who is the father of a son like thee!
-
May Destiny ever favor thy wishes!
May the vault of heaven be the ground thou walkest on!
The dark night is turned into day by thy countenance;
The world is soul-enlivened by the fragrance of thy presence!
Thou hast traveled hither on foot from thy palace;
Thou hast pained, to behold me, thy royal footsteps! "
When the hero heard the voice from the battlement,
He looked up and beheld a face resplendent as the sun,
Irradiating the terrace like a flashing jewel,
And brightening the ground like a flaming ruby.
Then he replied: "O thou who sheddest the mild radiance of
the moon,
The blessing of Heaven, and mine, be upon thee!
How many nights hath cold Arcturus beholden me,
Uttering my cry to God, the Pure,
And beseeching the Lord of the universe
That he would vouchsafe to unveil thy countenance before me!
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5743
Now I am made joyful in hearing thy voice,
In listening to thy rich and gracious accents.
But seek, I pray thee, some way to thy presence;
For what converse can we hold, I on the ground and thou on
the terrace ? »
The Peri-faced maiden heard the words of the hero;
Quickly she unbound her auburn locks,
Coil upon coil and serpent on serpent;
And she stooped and dropped down the tresses from the bat-
tlement,
And cried:-"O hero, child of heroes,
Take now these tresses; they belong to thee,
And I have cherished them that they might prove an aid to
my beloved. »
And Zāl gazed upward at the lovely maiden,
And stood amazed at the beauty of her hair and of her coun-
tenance;
He covered the musky ringlets with his kisses,
And his bride heard the kisses from above;
-
Then he exclaimed: "That would not be right-
May the bright sun never shine on such a day!
It were to lay my hand on the life of one already distracted;
It were to plunge the arrow-point into my own wounded
bosom. "
Then he took his noose from his boy, and made a running
knot,
And threw it, and caught it on the battlement,
And held his breath, and at one bound
Sprang from the ground, and reached the summit.
As soon as the hero stood upon the terrace,
The Peri-faced maiden ran to greet him,
And took the hand of the hero in her own,
And they went like those who were overcome with wine.
Then he descended from the lofty gallery,
His hand in the hand of the tall Princess,
And came to the door of the gold-painted pavilion,
And entered that royal assembly,
Which blazed with light like the bowers of Paradise;
And the slaves stood like houris before them:
And Zal gazed in astonishment
On her face, and her hair, and her stately form, and on all
that splendor.
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5744
And Zal was seated in royal pomp
Opposite that mildly radiant beauty;
And Rudabah could not rest from looking towards him,
And gazing upon him with all her eyes;
On that arm and shoulder, and that splendid figure,
On the brightness of that soul-enlightening countenance;
So that the more and more she looked,
The more and more was her heart inflamed.
Then he kissed and embraced her, renewing his vows-
Can the lion help pursuing the wild ass? —
And said: "O sweet and graceful silver-bosomed maiden,
It may not be, that, both of noble lineage,
We should do aught unbecoming our birth;
For from Sam Nariman I received an admonition,
To do no unworthy deed, lest evil should come of it;
For better is the seemly than the unseemly,
That which is lawful than that which is forbidden;
And I fear that Manuchahar, when he shall hear of this affair,
Will not be inclined to give it his approval:
I fear too that Sam will exclaim against it,
And will boil over with passion, and lay his hand upon me.
Yet though soul and body are precious to all men,
Life I will resign, and clothe myself with a shroud
And this I swear by the righteous God-
Ere I will break the faith which I have pledged thee.
I will bow myself before him, and offer my adoration,
And supplicate him as those who worship him in truth,
That he will cleanse the heart of Sām, King of the earth,
From opposition, and rage, and rancor.
Perhaps the Creator of the world may listen to my prayer,
-
And thou mayest yet be publicly proclaimed my wife. "
And Rudabah said:-"And I also, in the presence of the
righteous God,
Take the same pledge, and swear to thee my faith;
And He who created the world be witness to my words,
That no one but the hero of the world,
The throned, the crowned, the far-famed Zāl,
Will I ever permit to be sovereign over me.
