IV.

The night hath closed on Helle's stream,
Nor yet hath risen on Ida's hill
That moon, which shone on his high theme;
No warrior chides her peaceful beam,

But conscious shepherds bless it still.
Their flocks are grazing on the mound

Of him who felt the Dardan's arrow; That mighty heap of gather'd ground Which Ammon's son ran proudly round,* By nations raised, by monarchs crown'd,

Is now a lone and nameless barrow ! Within-thy dwelling-place how narrow! Without-can only strangers breathe The name of him that was beneath : Dust long outlasts the storied stone; But Thou-thy very dust is gone!

v.

Late, late to-night will Dian cheer
The swain, and chase the boatman's fear;
Till then-no beacon on the cliff
May shape the course of struggling skiff;
The scatter'd lights that skirt the bay,
All, one by one, have died away;
The only lamp of this lone hour
Is glimmering in Zuleika's tower.

Yes, there is light in that lone chamber,
And o'er her silken ottoman
Are thrown the fragrant beads of amber,
O'er which her fairy fingers ran: †
Near these, with emerald rays beset,
(How could she thus that gem forget?)
Her mother's sainted amulet,+
Whereon engraved the Koorsee text,
Could smooth this life, and win the next :
And by her comboloio lies §

A Koran of illumined dyes;
And many a bright emblazon'd rhyme
By Persian scribes redeem'd from time;
And o'er those scrolls, not oft so mute,
Reclines her now neglected lute;
And round her lamp of fretted gold
Bloom flowers in urns of China's mould;
The richest work of Iran's loom,
And Sheeraz' tribute of perfume;
All that can eye or sense delight

• Before his Persian invasion, and crowned the altar with laurel, &c. He was afterwards imitated by Caracalla in his race. It is believed that the last also poisoned a friend, named Festus, for the sake of new Patroclan games. I have seen the sheep feeding on the tombs of sietes and Antilochus: the first is in the centre of the plain.

When rubbed, the amber is susceptible of a perfume, which is slight, but not disagreeable.

The belief in amulets engraved on gems, or enclosed in gold boxes, containing scraps from the Koran, worn round the neck, wrist, or arm, is still universal in the East. The Koorsee (throne) verse in the second chapter of the Koran describes the attributes of the Most High, and is engraved in this manner, and worn by the pious, as the most esteemed and sublime of all sentences.

Comboloio, a Turkish rosary. The MSS., particularly those of the Persians, are richly adorned and illuminated. The Greek females are kept in utter ignorance; but many of the Turkish girls are highly accomplished, though not actually qualified for a Christian coteric. Perhaps some of our own blues' might not be the worse for bleaching.

Are gather'd in that gorgeous room; But yet it hath an air of gloom. She, of this Peri cell the sprite, [night? What does she hence, and on so rude a

VI.

Wrapt in the darkest sable vest,

Which none save noblest Moslem wear, To guard from winds of heaven the breast As heaven itself to Selim dear, With cautious steps the thicket threading, And starting oft, as through the glade The gust its hollow moanings made, Till on the smoother pathway treading, More free her timid bosom beat,

The maid pursued her silent guide; And though her terror urged retreat, How could she quit her Selim's side? How teach her tender lips to chide?

VII.

They reach'd at length a grotto, hewn By nature, but enlarged by art, Where oft her lute she wont to tune,

And oft her Koran conn'd apart; And oft in youthful reverie She dream'd what Paradise might be : Where woman's parted soul shall go, Her Prophet had disdain'd to show; But Selim's mansion was secure, Nor deem'd she, could he long endure His bower in other worlds of bliss, Without her, most beloved in this! Oh! who so dear with him could dwell? What Houri soothe him half so well?

VIII.

Since last she visited the spot,

[grot:

Some change seem'd wrought within the
It might be only that the night
Disguised things seen by better light :
The brazen lamp but dimly threw
A ray of no celestial hue;

But in a nook within the cell
Her eye on stranger objects fell.

There arms were piled, not such as wield
The turban'd Delis in the field;

But brands of foreign blade and hilt,
And one was red-perchance with guilt!
Ah! how without can blood be spilt?
A cup, too, on the board was set
That did not seem to hold sherbet.
What may this mean? She turn'd to see
Her Selim-Oh! can this be he

IX.

His robe of pride was thrown aside,

His brow no high-crown'd turban bore, But in its stead a shawl of red,

Wreathed lightly round, his temples wore;
That dagger, on whose hilt the gem
Were worthy of a diadem,

No longer glitter'd at his waist,
Where pistols unadorn'd were braced ⚫

And from his belt a sabre swung,
And from his shoulder loosely hung
The cloak of white, the thin capote
That decks the wandering Candiote ;
Beneath his golden plated vest
Clung like a cuirass to his breast;
The greaves below his knee that wound
With silvery scales were sheathed and bound.
But were it not that high command
Spake in his eye, and tone, and hand,
All that a careless eye could see
In him was some young Galiongée.*

X.

'I said I was not what I seem'd;

And now thou seest my words were true: I have a tale thou hast not dream'd,

If sooth-its truth must others rue. My story now 'twere vain to hide, I must not see thee Osman's bride : But had not thine own lips declared How much of that young heart I shared, I could not, must not, yet have shown The darker secret of my own. In this I speak not now of love; That, let time, truth, and peril prove: But first-oh! never wed anotherZuleika ! I am not thy brother !'

XI.

'Oh! not my brother!-yet unsay—
God! am I left alone on earth
To mourn-I dare not curse-the day
That saw my solitary birth?
Oh! thou wilt love me now no more!
My sinking heart foreboded ill;
But know me all I was before,

Thy sister-friend-Zuleika still.
Thou led'st me here perchance to kill;
If thou hast cause for vengeance, see!
My breast is offer'd-take thy fill!

Far better with the dead to be,
Than live thus nothing now to thee!
Perhaps far worse, for now I know
Why Giaffir always seem'd thy foe;
And I, alas! am Giaffir's child,

For whom thou wert contemn'd, reviled.
If not thy sister-wouldst thou save
My life, oh, bid me be thy slave!

XII.

'My slave, Zuleika !-nay, I'm thine:
But, gentle love, this transport calm,
Thy lot shall yet be link'd with mine;
I swear it by our Prophet's shrine,

And be that thought thy sorrow's balm.

'Galiongée, or Galiongi, a sailor, that is, a Turkish sailor: the Greeks navigate, the Turks work the guns. Their dress is picturesque; and I have seen the Capitan Pacha more than ence wearing it as a kind of incog. Their legs, however, are generally naked. The buskins described in the text as sheathed behind with silver are those of an Arnaut robber, who was my host (he had quitted the profession, at his Pyrgo, near Gastouni in the Morea: they were plated in scales one over the other, like the back of an armadillo.

So may the Koran verse display'd'
Upon its steel direct my blade,
In danger's hour to guard us both,
As I preserve that awful oath !
The name in which thy heart hath prided
Must change; but, my Zuleika, know
That tie is widen'd, not divided,

Although thy Sire's my deadliest foe.
My father was to Giaffir all

That Selim late was deem'd to thee; That brother wrought a brother's fall, But spared at least my infancy, And lull'd me with a vain deceit That yet a like return may meet. He rear'd me, not with tender help, But like the nephew of a Cain; t He watch'd me like a lion's whelp, That gnaws and yet may break his chain. My father's blood in every vein Is boiling; but for thy dear sake No present vengeance will I take, Though here I must no more remain. But first, beloved Zuleika! hear How Giaffir wrought this deed of fear.

• The characters on all Turkish scimitars contain sometimes the name of the place of their manufacture, but more generally a text from the Koran, in letters of gold. Amongst those in my possession is one with a blade of singular construction; it is very broad, and the edge notched into serpentine curves like the ripple of water, or the wavering of flame. I asked the Armenian who sold it what possible use such a figure could add. He said, in Italian, that he did not know; but the Mussulmans had an idea that those of this form gave a severer wound, and liked it because it was pin feroce. I did not much admire the reason, but bought it for its peculiarity.

It is to be observed that every allusion to any thing or personage in the Old Testament, such as the Ark or Cain, is equally the privilege of Mussulman and Jew: indeed, the former profess to be much better acquainted with the lives, true and fabulous, of the patriarchs, than is warranted by our own sacred writ; and not content with Adam, they have a biography of Pre-Adamites. Solomon is the monarch of all necromancy, and Moses a prophet inferior only to Christ and Mahomet. Zuleika is the Persian name of Potiphar's wife; and her amour with Joseph constitutes one of the finest poems in their language. It is therefore no violation of costume to put the names of Cain or Noah into the mouth of a Moslem.

Paswan Oglou, the rebel of Widdin; who, for the last years of his life, set the whole power of the Porte at defiance,"

Nor last, nor least in high command,
Each brother led a separate band:
They gave their horse-tails to the wind,"
And mustering in Sophia's plain
Their tents were pitch'd, their posts as-
To one, alas, assign'd in vain! [sign'd:
What need of words? the deadly bowl,

By Giaffir's order drugg'd and given,
With venom subtle as his soul,

Dismiss'd Abdallah's hence to heaven. Reclined and feverish in the bath,

He, when the hunter's sport was up, But little deem'd a brother's wrath

To quench his thirst had such a cup : The bowl a bribed attendant bore; He drank one draught, nor needed more!† If thou my tale, Zuleika, doubt, Call Haroun-he can tell it out.

XV.

"The deed once done, and Paswan's feud
In part suppress'd, though ne'er subdued,
Abdallah's Pachalic was gain'd:-
Thou know'st not what in our Divan
Can wealth procure for worse than man-
Abdallah's honours were obtain'd
By him a brother's murder stain'd:
"Tis true, the purchase nearly drain'd
His ill-got treasure, soon replaced.
Wouldst question whence? Survey the
And ask the squalid peasant how [waste,
His gains repay his broiling brow!-
Why me the stern usurper spared,
Why thus with me his palace shared,
I know not. Shame, regret, remorse,
And little fear from infant's force;
Besides, adoption as a son
By him whom Heaven accorded none,
Or some unknown cabal, caprice,
Preserved me thus-but not in peace :
He cannot curb his haughty mood,
Nor I forgive a father's blood.

XVI.

'Within thy father's house are foes; Not all who break his bread are true: To these should I my birth disclose,

His days, his very hours, were few: They only want a heart to lead, A hand to point them to the deed. But Haroun only knows, or knew, This tale, whose close is almost nigh: He in Abdallah's palace grew,

And held that post in his Serai Which holds he here-he saw him die : But what could single slavery do?

'Horse-tail,' the standard of a Pacha.

Giaffir, Pacha of Argyro Castro, or Scutari, I am not sure which, was actually taken off by the Albanian Ali in the manner described in the text. Ali Pacha, while I was in the country, married the daughter of his victim, some years after the event had taken place at a bath in Sophia, or Adrianople. The poison was mixed in the cup of coffee, which is presented before the sherbet by the bath-keeper, after dressing.

Avenge his lord? alas! too late;
Or save his son from such a fate?
He chose the last, and when elate
With foes subdued, or friends betray'd,
Proud Giaffir in high triumph sate,
He led me helpless to his gate,

And not in vain it seems essay'd
To save the life for which he pray'd.
The knowledge of my birth secured

From all and each, but most from me; Thus Giaffir's safety was ensured.

Removed he too from Roumelie
To this our Asiatic side,

Far from our seats by Danube's tide,
With none but Haroun, who retains
Such knowledge-and that Nubian feels
A tyrant's secrets are but chains,
From which the captive gladly steals,
And this and more to me reveals:
Such still to guilt just Allah sends-
Slaves, tools, accomplices-no friends!
XVII.

'All this, Zuleika, harshly sounds;
But harsher still my tale must be :
Howe'er my tongue thy softness wounds,
Yet I must prove all truth to thee.
I saw thee start this garb to see,
Yet it is one I oft have worn,

And long must wear: this Galiongée,
To whom thy plighted vow is sworn,
Is leader of those pirate hordes,
Whose laws and lives are on their swords;
To hear whose desolating tale
Would make thy waning cheek more pale:
Those arms thou seest my band have
brought,

The hands that wield are not remote;
This cup, too, for the rugged knaves

Is fill'd-once quaff'd, they ne'er repine: Our Prophet might forgive the slaves; They're only infidels in wine.

XVIII.

'What could I be? Proscribed at home,
And taunted to a wish to roam;
And listless left-for Giaffir's fear
Denied the courser and the spear-
Though oft-oh, Mahomet, how oft!-
In full Divan the despot scoff'd,
As if my weak, unwilling hand
Refused the bridle or the brand:
He ever went to war alone,
And pent me here untried, unknown;
To Haroun's care with women left,
By hope unblest, of fame bereft.
While thou-whose softness long endear'd,
Though it unmann'd me, still had cheer'd-
To Brusa's walls for safety sent,
Awaited'st there the field's event.
Haroun, who saw my spirit pining
Beneath inaction's sluggish yoke,

His captive, though with dread, resigning,
My thraldom for a season broke,

On promise to return before
The day when Giaffir's charge was o'er.
'Tis vain-my tongue can not impart
My almost drunkenness of heart,
When first this liberated eye
Survey'd Earth, Ocean, Sun, and Sky,
As if my spirit pierced them through,
And all their inmost wonders knew!
One word alone can paint to thee
That more than feeling-I was Free!
E'en for thy presence ceased to pine;
The World,-nay Heaven itself, was mine!

XIX.

'The shallop of a trusty Moor
Convey'd me from this idle shore;
I long'd to see the isles that gem
Old Ocean's purple diadem:

I sought by turns, and saw them all : *
But when and where I join'd the crew,
With whom I'm pledged to rise or fall,
When all that we design to do

Is done, 'twill then be time more meet
To tell thee, when the tale's complete.

XX.

Tis true, they are a lawless brood, But rough in form, nor mild in mood; And every creed, and every race, With them hath found-may find a place: But open speech, and ready hand, Obedience to their chief's command; A soul for every enterprise, That never sees with terror's eyes; Friendship for each, and faith to all, And vengeance vow'd for those who fall, Have made them fitting instruments For more than ev'n my own intents. And some-and I have studied all Distinguish'd from the vulgar rank, But chiefly to my council call

The wisdom of the cautious FrankAnd some to higher thoughts aspire, The last of Lambro's patriots there † Anticipated freedom share; And oft around the cavern fire On visionary schemes debate, To snatch the Rayahs from their fate.+ So let them ease their hearts with prate Of equal rights, which man ne'er knew; I have a love for freedom too.

Ay! let me like the ocean-Patriarch roam,"
Or only know on land the Tartar's home! +
My tent on shore, my galley on the sea,
Are more than cities and Serais to me:
Borne by my steed, or wafted by my sail,
Across the desert, or before the gale,
Bound where thou wilt, my barb! or glide, my
prow!

But be the star that guides the wanderer, Thou!
Thou, my Zuleika! share and bless my bark;
The Dove of peace and promise to mine ark;
Or, since that hope denied in worlds of strife,
Be thou the rainbow to the storms of life!
The evening beam that smiles the clouds away,
And tints to-morrow with prophetic ray!
Blest-as the Muezzin's strain from Mecca's wall
To pilgrims pure and prostrate at his call;
Soft-as the melody of youthful days, [praise;
That steals the trembling tear of speechless
Dear-as his native song to Exile's ears,
Shall sound each tone thy long-loved voice en-
dears.

For thee in those bright isles is built a bower
Blooming as Aden in its earliest hour.

A thousand swords, with Selim's heart and hand,
Wait-wave-defend -destroy-at thy com-
Girt by my band, Zuleika at my side, [mand!
The spoil of nations shall bedeck my bride.
The Haram's languid years of listless ease
Are well resign'd for cares-for joys like these:
Not blind to fate, I see, where'er I rove,
Unnumber'd perils--but one only love!
Yet well my toils shall that fond breast repay,
Though fortune frown or falser friends betray.
How dear the dream in darkest hours of ill,
Should all be changed, to find thee faithful still:
Be but thy soul, like Selim's, firmly shown;
To thee be Selim's tender as thine own;
To soothe each sorrow, share in each delight,
Blend every thought, do all-but disunite;
Once free, 'tis mine our horde again to guide:
Friends to each other, foes to aught beside:
Yet there we follow but the bent assign'd
By fatal Nature to man's warring kind:
Mark! where his carnage and his conquests
cease!

He makes a solitude, and calls it-peace!
I like the rest must use my skill or strength,
But ask no land beyond my sabre's length:
Power sways but by division-her resource
The best alternative of fraud or force!
Ours be the last; in time deceit may come
When cities cage us in a social home:
There ev'n thy soul might err-how oft the heart
Corruption shakes which peril could not part!

And woman, more than man, when death or woe,
Or even Disgrace, would lay her lover low,
Sunk in the lap of Luxury will shame-
Away suspicion !-not Zuleika's name!
But life is hazard at the best; and here
No more remains to win and much to fear.
Yes, fear! the doubt, the dread of losing thee,
By Osman's power, and Giaffir's stern decree.'
That dread shall vanish with the favouring gale,
Which Love to-night hath promised to my sail :
No danger daunts the pair his smile hath blest,
Their steps still roving, but their hearts at rest.
With thee all toils are sweet, each clime hath
charms;

Earth-sea alike—our world within our arms!
Ay-let the loud winds whistle o'er the deck,
So that those arms cling closer round my neck;
The deepest murmur of this lip shall be,
No sigh for safety, but a prayer for thee!
The war of elements no fears impart
To Love, whose deadliest bane is human Art:
There lie the only rocks our course can check ;
Here moments menace-there are years of wreck!
But hence ye thoughts that rise in Horror's
shape!

This hour bestows, or ever bars escape.
Few words remain of mine my tale to close;
Of thine but one to waft us from our foes:
Yea-foes-to me will Giaffir's hate decline?
And is not Osman, who would part us, thine?

XXI.

'His head and faith from doubt and death
Return'd in time my guard to save;
Few heard, none told, that o'er the wave
From isle to isle I roved the while :
And since, though parted from my band
Too seldom now I leave the land,

No deed they've done, nor deed shall do,
Ere I have heard and doom'd it too:
I form the plan, decree the spoil,
'Tis fit I oftener share the toil.
But now too long I've held thine ear;
Time presses, floats my bark, and here
We leave behind but hate and fear.
To-morrow Osman with his train
Arrives-to-night must break thy chain:
And wouldst thou save that haughty Bey,-
Perchance his life who gave thee thine,-
With me this hour away-away!

But yet, though thou art plighted mine,
Wouldst thou recall thy willing vow,
Appall'd by truths imparted now,
Here rest I-not to see thee wed:
But be that peril on my head!'

XXII.

Zuleika, mute and motionless, Stood like that statue of distress, When, her last hope for ever gone, The mother harden'd into stone; All in the maid that eye could see Was but a younger Niobè.

But ere her lip, or even her eye,
Essay'd to speak, or look reply,
Beneath the garden's wicket porch
Far flash'd on high a blazing torch!
Another-and another-and another-
'Oh! fly-no more-yet now my more than
brother!'

Far, wide, through every thicket spread,
The fearful lights are gleaming red;
Nor these alone-for each right hand
Is ready with a sheathless brand.
They part, pursue, return, and wheel
With searching flambeau, shining steel;
And last of all, his sabre waving,
Stern Giaffir in his fury raving:
And now almost they touch the cave-
Oh! must that grot be Selim's grave?

XXIII.

Dauntless he stood--"Tis come-soon past-
One kiss, Zuleika-'tis my last :

But yet my band not far from shore
May hear this signal, see the flash ;
Yet now too few-the attempt were rash:
No matter-yet one effort more.'
Forth to the cavern mouth he stept';
His pistol's echo rang on high,
Zuleika started not, nor wept,

Despair benumb'd her breast and eye!--
'They hear me not, or if they ply
Their oars, 'tis but to see me die;
That sound hath drawn my foes more nigh.
Then forth my father's scimitar,
Thou ne'er hast seen less equal war!
Farewell, Zuleika !-Sweet! retire;
Yet stay within-here linger safe,
At thee his rage will only chase.
Stir not-lest even to thee perchance
Some erring blade or ball should glance.
Fear'st thou for him?-may I expire
If in this strife I seek thy sire!
No-though by him that poison pour'd;
No-though again he call me coward!
But tamely shall I meet their steel?
No-as each crest save his may feel!'

XXIV.

One bound he made, and gain'd the sand.
Already at his feet hath sunk

The foremost of the prying band,

A gasping head, a quivering trunk:
Another falls-but round him close
A swarming circle of his foes;
From right to left his path he cleft,

And almost met the meeting wave:
His boat appears-not five oars' length-
His comrades strain with desperate strength-
Oh! are they yet in time to save?
His feet the foremost breakers lave;
His band are plunging in the bay,
Their sabres glitter through the spray;
Wet-wild-unwearied to the strand
They struggle-now they touch the land!