When they entered the principal court, there were unusual appearances of some recent and considerable occurrence: groups of Turkish soldiers, disarmed4, reclining camels, baggage and steeds, and many of the armed tribes of the mountain.
‘What is all this?’ inquired Fakredeen.
”Tis the harem of the Pasha of Aleppo,’ replied a warrior5, ‘captured on the plain, and carried up into the mountains to our Queen of queens.’
‘The war begins,’ said Fakredeen, looking round at Tancred with a glittering eye.
‘Women make war on women,’ he replied.
”Tis the first step,’ said the Emir, dismounting; ‘I care not how it comes. Women are at the bottom of everything. If it had not been for the Sultana Mother, I should have now been Prince of the Mountain.’
When they had regained6 their apartments the lordly Keferinis soon appeared, to offer them his congratulations on their return. The minister was peculiarly refined and mysterious this morning, especially with respect to the great event, which he involved in so much of obscurity, that, after much conversation, the travellers were as little acquainted with the occurrence as when they entered the courtyard of Gindarics.
‘The capture of a pasha’s harem is not water spilt on sand, lordly Keferinis,’ said the Emir. ‘We shall hear more of this.’
‘What we shall hear,’ replied Keferinis, ‘is entirely7 an affair of the future; nor is it in any way to be disputed that there are few men who do not find it more difficult to foretell8 what is to happen than to remember what has taken place.’
‘We sometimes find that memory is as rare a quality as prediction,’ said Tancred.
‘In England,’ replied the lordly Keferinis; ‘but it is never to be forgotten, and indeed, on the contrary, should be entirely recollected9, that the English, being a new people, have nothing indeed which they can remember.’
Tancred bowed.
‘And how is the most gracious lady, Queen of queens?’ inquired Fakredeen.
‘The most gracious lady, Queen of queens,’ replied Keferinis, very mysteriously, ‘has at this time many thoughts.’
‘If she require any aid,’ said Fakredeen, ‘there is not a musket10 in Lebanon that is not at her service.’
Keferinis bent11 his head, and said, ‘It is not in any way to be disputed that there are subjects which require for their management the application of a certain degree of force, and the noble Emir of the Lebanon has expressed himself in that sense with the most exact propriety12; there are also subjects which are regulated by the application of a certain number of words, provided they were well chosen, and distinguished13 by an inestimable exactitude. It does not by any means follow that from what has occurred there will be sanguinary encounters between the people of the gracious lady, Queen of queens, and those that dwell in plains and cities; nor can it be denied that war is a means by which many things are brought to a final conjuncture. At the same time courtesy has many charms, even for the Turks, though it is not to be denied, or in any way concealed14, that a Turk, especially if he be a pasha, is, of all obscene and utter children of the devil, the most entirely contemptible15 and thoroughly16 to be execrated17.’
‘If I were the Queen, I would not give up the harem,’ said Fakredeen; ‘and I would bring affairs to a crisis. The garrison18 at Aleppo is not strong; they have been obliged to march six regiments19 to Deir el Kamar, and, though affairs are comparatively tranquil20 in Lebanon for the moment, let me send a pigeon to my cousin Francis El Kazin, and young Syria will get up such a stir that old Wageah Pasha will not spare a single man. I will have fifty bonfires on the mountain near Beiroot in one night, and Colonel Rose will send off a steamer to Sir Canning to tell him there is a revolt in the Lebanon, with a double despatch21 for Aberdeen, full of smoking villages and slaughtered22 women!’ and the young Emir inhaled23 his nargileh with additional zest24 as he recollected the triumphs of his past mystifications.
At sunset it was announced to the travellers that the Queen would receive them. Astarte appeared much gratified by their return, was very gracious, although in a different way, to both of them, inquired much as to what they had seen and what they had done, with whom they had conversed26, and what had been said. At length she observed, ‘Something has also happened at Gindarics in your absence, noble princes. Last night they brought part of a harem of the Pasha of Aleppo captive hither. This may lead to events.’
‘I have already ventured to observe to the lordly Keferinis,’ said Fakredeen, ‘that every lance in the Lebanon is at your command, gracious Queen.’
‘We have lances,’ said Astarte; ‘it is not of that I was thinking. Nor indeed do I care to prolong a quarrel for this capture. If the Pasha will renounce27 the tribute of the villages, I am for peace; if he will not, we will speak of those things of which there has been counsel between us. I do not wish this affair of the harem to be mixed up with what has preceded it. My principal captive is a most beautiful woman, and one, too, that greatly interests and charms me. She is not a Turk, but, I apprehend28, a Christian29 lady of the cities. She is plunged30 in grief, and weeps sometimes with so much bitterness that I quite share her sorrow; but it is not so much because she is a captive, but because some one, who is most dear to her, has been slain31 in this fray32. I have visited her, and tried to console her; and begged her to forget her grief and become my companion. But nothing soothes33 her, and tears flow for ever from eyes which are the most beautiful I ever beheld34.’
‘This is the land of beautiful eyes,’ said Tancred, and Astarte almost unconsciously glanced at the speaker.
Cypros, who had quitted the attendant maidens35 immediately on the entrance of the two princes, after an interval36, returned. There was some excitement on her countenance37 as she approached her mistress, and addressed Astarte in a hushed but hurried tone. It seemed that the fair captive of the Queen of the Ansarey had most unexpectedly expressed to Cypros her wish to repair to the divan38 of the Queen, although, the whole day, she had frequently refused to descend39. Cypros feared that the presence of the two guests of her mistress might prove an obstacle to the fulfilment of this wish, as the freedom of social intercourse40 that prevailed among the Ansarey was unknown even among the ever-veiled women of the Maronites and Druses. But the fair captive had no prejudices on this head, and Cypros had accordingly descended41 to request the royal permission, or consult the royal will. Astarte spoke42 to Keferinis, who listened with an air of great profundity43, and finally bowed assent44, and Cypros retired45.
Astarte had signified to Tancred her wish that he should approach her, while Keferinis at some distance was engaged in earnest conversation with Fakredeen, with whom he had not had previously46 the opportunity of being alone. His report of all that had transpired47 in his absence was highly favourable48. The minister had taken the opportunity of the absence of the Emir and his friend to converse25 often and amply about them with the Queen. The idea of an united Syria was pleasing to the imagination of the young sovereign. The suggestion was eminently49 practicable. It required no extravagant50 combinations, no hazardous51 chances of fortune, nor fine expedients52 of political skill. A union between Fakredeen and Astarte at once connected the most important interests of the mountains without exciting the alarm or displeasure of other powers. The union was as legitimate53 as it would ultimately prove irresistible54. It ensured a respectable revenue and a considerable force; and, with prudence55 and vigilance, the occasion would soon offer to achieve all the rest. On the next paroxysm in the dissolving empire of the Ottomans, the plain would be occupied by a warlike population descending56 from the mountains that commanded on one side the whole Syrian coast, and on the other all the inland cities from Aleppo to Damascus.
The eye of the young Emir glittered with triumph as he listened to the oily sentences of the eunuch. ‘Lebanon,’ he whispered, ‘is the key of Syria, my Keferinis, never forget that; and we will lock up the land. Let us never sleep till this affair is achieved. You think she does not dream of a certain person, eh? I tell you, he must go, or we must get rid of him: I fear him not, but he is in the way; and the way should be smooth as the waters of El Arish. Remember the temple to the Syrian goddess at Deir el Kamar, my Keferinis! The religion is half the battle. How I shall delight to get rid of my bishops57 and those accursed monks58: drones, drivellers, bigots, drinking my golden wine of Canobia, and smoking my delicate Latakia. You know not Canobia, Keferinis; but you have heard of it. You have been at Bted-deen? Well, Bteddeen to Canobia is an Arab moon to a Syrian sun. The marble alone at Canobia cost a million of piastres. The stables are worthy59 of the steeds of Solomon. You may kill anything you like in the forest, from panthers to antelopes60. Listen, my Keferinis, let this be done, and done quickly, and Canobia is yours.’
‘Do you ever dream?’ said Astrate to Tancred. ‘They say that life is a dream.’ ‘I sometimes wish it were. Its pangs61 are too acute for a shadow.’
‘But you have no pangs.’
‘I had a dream when you were away, in which I was much alarmed,’ said Astarte. ‘Indeed!’
‘I thought that Gindarics was taken by the Jews. I suppose you have talked of them to me so much that my slumbering62 memory wandered.’
‘It is a resistless and exhaustless theme,’ said Tancred; ‘for the greatness and happiness of everything, Gindarics included, are comprised in the principles of which they were the first propagators.’
‘Nevertheless, I should be sorry if my dream came to be true,’ said Astarte.
‘May your dreams be as bright and happy as your lot, royal lady!’ said Tancred.
‘My lot is not bright and happy,’ said the Queen; ‘once I thought it was, but I think so no longer.’
‘But why?’
‘I wish you could have a dream and find out,’ said the Queen. ‘Disquietude is sometimes as perplexing as pleasure. Both come and go like birds.’
‘Like the pigeon you sent to Damascus,’ said Tancred.
‘Ah! why did I send it?’
‘Because you were most gracious, lady.’
‘Because I was very rash, noble prince.’
‘When the great deeds are done to which this visit will lead, you will not think so.’
‘I am not born for great deeds; I am a woman, and I am content with beautiful ones.’
‘You still dream of the Syrian goddess,’ said Tan-cred.
‘No; not of the Syrian goddess. Tell me: they say the Hebrew women are very lovely, is it so?’
‘They have that reputation.’
‘But do you think so?’
‘I have known some distinguished for their beauty.’
‘Do they resemble the statue in our temple?’
‘Their style is different,’ said Tancred; ‘the Greek and the Hebrew are both among the highest types of the human form.’
‘But you prefer the Hebrew?’
‘I am not so discriminating63 a critic,’ said Tancred; ‘I admire the beautiful.’
‘Well, here comes my captive,’ said the Queen; ‘if you like, you shall free her, for she wonderfully takes me. She is a Georgian, I suppose, and bears the palm from all of us. I will not presume to contend with her: she would vanquish64, perhaps, even that fair Jewess of whom, I hear, you are so enamoured.’
Tancred started, and would have replied, but Cypros advanced at this moment with her charge, who withdrew her veil as she seated herself, as commanded, before the Queen. She withdrew her veil, and Fakredeen and Tancred beheld Eva!
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1
intrigues
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| n.密谋策划( intrigue的名词复数 )；神秘气氛；引人入胜的复杂情节v.搞阴谋诡计( intrigue的第三人称单数 )；激起…的好奇心 | |
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2
sanguine
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| adj.充满希望的，乐观的，血红色的 | |
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complaisance
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| n.彬彬有礼，殷勤，柔顺 | |
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disarmed
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| v.裁军( disarm的过去式和过去分词 )；使息怒 | |
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warrior
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| n.勇士，武士，斗士 | |
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regained
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| 复得( regain的过去式和过去分词 )； 赢回； 重回； 复至某地 | |
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7
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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foretell
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| v.预言，预告，预示 | |
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recollected
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| adj.冷静的；镇定的；被回忆起的；沉思默想的v.记起，想起( recollect的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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10
musket
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| n.滑膛枪 | |
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bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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propriety
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| n.正当行为；正当；适当 | |
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distinguished
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| adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的 | |
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concealed
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| a.隐藏的，隐蔽的 | |
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contemptible
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| adj.可鄙的，可轻视的，卑劣的 | |
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thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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execrated
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| v.憎恶( execrate的过去式和过去分词 )；厌恶；诅咒；咒骂 | |
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18
garrison
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| n.卫戍部队；驻地，卫戍区；vt.派(兵)驻防 | |
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regiments
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| （军队的）团( regiment的名词复数 )； 大量的人或物 | |
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20
tranquil
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| adj. 安静的, 宁静的, 稳定的, 不变的 | |
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21
despatch
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| n./v.(dispatch)派遣；发送；n.急件；新闻报道 | |
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22
slaughtered
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| v.屠杀，杀戮，屠宰( slaughter的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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23
inhaled
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| v.吸入( inhale的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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24
zest
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| n.乐趣；滋味，风味；兴趣 | |
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25
converse
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| vi.谈话，谈天，闲聊；adv.相反的，相反 | |
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26
conversed
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| v.交谈，谈话( converse的过去式 ) | |
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27
renounce
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| v.放弃；拒绝承认，宣布与…断绝关系 | |
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28
apprehend
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| vt.理解，领悟，逮捕，拘捕，忧虑 | |
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Christian
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| adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒 | |
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30
plunged
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| v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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31
slain
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| 杀死，宰杀，杀戮( slay的过去分词 )； (slay的过去分词) | |
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32
fray
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| v.争吵；打斗；磨损，磨破；n.吵架；打斗 | |
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33
soothes
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| v.安慰( soothe的第三人称单数 )；抚慰；使舒服；减轻痛苦 | |
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34
beheld
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| v.看，注视( behold的过去式和过去分词 )；瞧；看呀；（叙述中用于引出某人意外的出现）哎哟 | |
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35
maidens
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| 处女( maiden的名词复数 )； 少女； 未婚女子； （板球运动）未得分的一轮投球 | |
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36
interval
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| n.间隔，间距；幕间休息，中场休息 | |
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37
countenance
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| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
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38
divan
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| n.长沙发；（波斯或其他东方诗人的）诗集 | |
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39
descend
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| vt./vi.传下来，下来，下降 | |
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40
intercourse
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| n.性交；交流，交往，交际 | |
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41
descended
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| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
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42
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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43
profundity
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| n.渊博；深奥，深刻 | |
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44
assent
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| v.批准，认可；n.批准，认可 | |
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45
retired
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| adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的 | |
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46
previously
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| adv.以前，先前（地） | |
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47
transpired
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| （事实，秘密等）被人知道( transpire的过去式和过去分词 )； 泄露； 显露； 发生 | |
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48
favourable
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| adj.赞成的，称赞的，有利的，良好的，顺利的 | |
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49
eminently
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| adv.突出地；显著地；不寻常地 | |
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50
extravagant
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| adj.奢侈的；过分的；(言行等)放肆的 | |
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51
hazardous
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| adj.(有)危险的，冒险的；碰运气的 | |
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52
expedients
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| n.应急有效的，权宜之计的( expedient的名词复数 ) | |
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53
legitimate
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| adj.合法的，合理的，合乎逻辑的；v.使合法 | |
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54
irresistible
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| adj.非常诱人的，无法拒绝的，无法抗拒的 | |
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55
prudence
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| n.谨慎，精明，节俭 | |
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56
descending
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| n. 下行 adj. 下降的 | |
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57
bishops
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| （基督教某些教派管辖大教区的）主教( bishop的名词复数 )； （国际象棋的）象 | |
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58
monks
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| n.修道士，僧侣( monk的名词复数 ) | |
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59
worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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60
antelopes
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| 羚羊( antelope的名词复数 )； 羚羊皮革 | |
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61
pangs
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| 突然的剧痛( pang的名词复数 )； 悲痛 | |
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62
slumbering
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| 微睡，睡眠（slumber的现在分词形式） | |
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discriminating
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| a.有辨别能力的 | |
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vanquish
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| v.征服，战胜；克服；抑制 | |
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