Delphi Complete Works of Oscar Wilde (Illustrated) (151 page)

‘At last they stopped at a square white house.  There were no windows to it, only a little door like the door of a tomb.  They set down the palanquin and knocked three times with a copper hammer.  An Armenian in a caftan of green leather peered through the wicket, and when he saw them he opened, and spread a carpet on the ground, and the woman stepped out.  As she went in, she turned round and smiled at me again.  I had never seen any one so pale.

‘When the moon rose I returned to the same place and sought for the house, but it was no longer there.  When I saw that, I knew who the woman was, and wherefore she had smiled at me.

‘Certainly thou shouldst have been with me.  On the feast of the New Moon the young Emperor came forth from his palace and went into the mosque to pray.  His hair and beard were dyed with rose-leaves, and his cheeks were powdered with a fine gold dust.  The palms of his feet and hands were yellow with saffron.

‘At sunrise he went forth from his palace in a robe of silver, and at sunset he returned to it again in a robe of gold.  The people flung themselves on the ground and hid their faces, but I would not do so.  I stood by the stall of a seller of dates and waited.  When the Emperor saw me, he raised his painted eyebrows and stopped.  I stood quite still, and made him no obeisance.  The people marvelled at my boldness, and counselled me to flee from the city.  I paid no heed to them, but went and sat with the sellers of strange gods, who by reason of their craft are abominated.  When I told them what I had done, each of them gave me a god and prayed me to leave them.

‘That night, as I lay on a cushion in the tea-house that is in the Street of Pomegranates, the guards of the Emperor entered and led me to the palace.  As I went in they closed each door behind me, and put a chain across it.  Inside was a great court with an arcade running all round.  The walls were of white alabaster, set here and there with blue and green tiles.  The pillars were of green marble, and the pavement of a kind of peach-blossom marble.  I had never seen anything like it before.

‘As I passed across the court two veiled women looked down from a balcony and cursed me.  The guards hastened on, and the butts of the lances rang upon the polished floor.  They opened a gate of wrought ivory, and I found myself in a watered garden of seven terraces.  It was planted with tulip-cups and moonflowers, and silver-studded aloes.  Like a slim reed of crystal a fountain hung in the dusky air.  The cypress-trees were like burnt-out torches.  From one of them a nightingale was singing.

‘At the end of the garden stood a little pavilion.  As we approached it two eunuchs came out to meet us.  Their fat bodies swayed as they walked, and they glanced curiously at me with their yellow-lidded eyes.  One of them drew aside the captain of the guard, and in a low voice whispered to him.  The other kept munching scented pastilles, which he took with an affected gesture out of an oval box of lilac enamel.

‘After a few moments the captain of the guard dismissed the soldiers.  They went back to the palace, the eunuchs following slowly behind and plucking the sweet mulberries from the trees as they passed.  Once the elder of the two turned round, and smiled at me with an evil smile.

‘Then the captain of the guard motioned me towards the entrance of the pavilion.  I walked on without trembling, and drawing the heavy curtain aside I entered in.

‘The young Emperor was stretched on a couch of dyed lion skins, and a gerfalcon perched upon his wrist.  Behind him stood a brass-turbaned Nubian, naked down to the waist, and with heavy earrings in his split ears.  On a table by the side of the couch lay a mighty scimitar of steel.

‘When the Emperor saw me he frowned, and said to me, “What is thy name?  Knowest thou not that I am Emperor of this city?”  But I made him no answer.

‘He pointed with his finger at the scimitar, and the Nubian seized it, and rushing forward struck at me with great violence.  The blade whizzed through me, and did me no hurt.  The man fell sprawling on the floor, and when he rose up his teeth chattered with terror and he hid himself behind the couch.

‘The Emperor leapt to his feet, and taking a lance from a stand of arms, he threw it at me.  I caught it in its flight, and brake the shaft into two pieces.  He shot at me with an arrow, but I held up my hands and it stopped in mid-air.  Then he drew a dagger from a belt of white leather, and stabbed the Nubian in the throat lest the slave should tell of his dishonour.  The man writhed like a trampled snake, and a red foam bubbled from his lips.

‘As soon as he was dead the Emperor turned to me, and when he had wiped away the bright sweat from his brow with a little napkin of purfled and purple silk, he said to me, “Art thou a prophet, that I may not harm thee, or the son of a prophet, that I can do thee no hurt?  I pray thee leave my city to-night, for while thou art in it I am no longer its lord.”

‘And I answered him, “I will go for half of thy treasure.  Give me half of thy treasure, and I will go away.”

‘He took me by the hand, and led me out into the garden.  When the captain of the guard saw me, he wondered.  When the eunuchs saw me, their knees shook and they fell upon the ground in fear.

‘There is a chamber in the palace that has eight walls of red porphyry, and a brass-sealed ceiling hung with lamps.  The Emperor touched one of the walls and it opened, and we passed down a corridor that was lit with many torches.  In niches upon each side stood great wine-jars filled to the brim with silver pieces.  When we reached the centre of the corridor the Emperor spake the word that may not be spoken, and a granite door swung back on a secret spring, and he put his hands before his face lest his eyes should be dazzled.

‘Thou couldst not believe how marvellous a place it was.  There were huge tortoise-shells full of pearls, and hollowed moonstones of great size piled up with red rubies.  The gold was stored in coffers of elephant-hide, and the gold-dust in leather bottles.  There were opals and sapphires, the former in cups of crystal, and the latter in cups of jade.  Round green emeralds were ranged in order upon thin plates of ivory, and in one corner were silk bags filled, some with turquoise-stones, and others with beryls.  The ivory horns were heaped with purple amethysts, and the horns of brass with chalcedonies and sards.  The pillars, which were of cedar, were hung with strings of yellow lynx-stones.  In the flat oval shields there were carbuncles, both wine-coloured and coloured like grass.  And yet I have told thee but a tithe of what was there.

‘And when the Emperor had taken away his hands from before his face he said to me: “This is my house of treasure, and half that is in it is thine, even as I promised to thee.  And I will give thee camels and camel drivers, and they shall do thy bidding and take thy share of the treasure to whatever part of the world thou desirest to go.  And the thing shall be done to-night, for I would not that the Sun, who is my father, should see that there is in my city a man whom I cannot slay.”

‘But I answered him, “The gold that is here is thine, and the silver also is thine, and thine are the precious jewels and the things of price.  As for me, I have no need of these.  Nor shall I take aught from thee but that little ring that thou wearest on the finger of thy hand.”

‘And the Emperor frowned.  “It is but a ring of lead,” he cried, “nor has it any value.  Therefore take thy half of the treasure and go from my city.”

‘“Nay,” I answered, “but I will take nought but that leaden ring, for I know what is written within it, and for what purpose.”

‘And the Emperor trembled, and besought me and said, “Take all the treasure and go from my city.  The half that is mine shall be thine also.”

‘And I did a strange thing, but what I did matters not, for in a cave that is but a day’s journey from this place have, I hidden the Ring of Riches.  It is but a day’s journey from this place, and it waits for thy coming.  He who has this Ring is richer than all the kings of the world.  Come therefore and take it, and the world’s riches shall be thine.’

But the young Fisherman laughed.  ‘Love is better than Riches,’ he cried, ‘and the little Mermaid loves me.’

‘Nay, but there is nothing better than Riches,’ said the Soul.

‘Love is better,’ answered the young Fisherman, and he plunged into the deep, and the Soul went weeping away over the marshes.

And after the third year was over, the Soul came down to the shore of the sea, and called to the young Fisherman, and he rose out of the deep and said, ‘Why dost thou call to me?’

And the Soul answered, ‘Come nearer, that I may speak with thee, for I have seen marvellous things.’

So he came nearer, and couched in the shallow water, and leaned his head upon his hand and listened.

And the Soul said to him, ‘In a city that I know of there is an inn that standeth by a river.  I sat there with sailors who drank of two different-coloured wines, and ate bread made of barley, and little salt fish served in bay leaves with vinegar.  And as we sat and made merry, there entered to us an old man bearing a leathern carpet and a lute that had two horns of amber.  And when he had laid out the carpet on the floor, he struck with a quill on the wire strings of his lute, and a girl whose face was veiled ran in and began to dance before us.  Her face was veiled with a veil of gauze, but her feet were naked.  Naked were her feet, and they moved over the carpet like little white pigeons.  Never have I seen anything so marvellous; and the city in which she dances is but a day’s journey from this place.’

Now when the young Fisherman heard the words of his Soul, he remembered that the little Mermaid had no feet and could not dance.  And a great desire came over him, and he said to himself, ‘It is but a day’s journey, and I can return to my love,’ and he laughed, and stood up in the shallow water, and strode towards the shore.

And when he had reached the dry shore he laughed again, and held out his arms to his Soul.  And his Soul gave a great cry of joy and ran to meet him, and entered into him, and the young Fisherman saw stretched before him upon the sand that shadow of the body that is the body of the Soul.

And his Soul said to him, ‘Let us not tarry, but get hence at once, for the Sea-gods are jealous, and have monsters that do their bidding.’

So they made haste, and all that night they journeyed beneath the moon, and all the next day they journeyed beneath the sun, and on the evening of the day they came to a city.

And the young Fisherman said to his Soul, ‘Is this the city in which she dances of whom thou didst speak to me?’

And his Soul answered him, ‘It is not this city, but another.  Nevertheless let us enter in.’  So they entered in and passed through the streets, and as they passed through the Street of the Jewellers the young Fisherman saw a fair silver cup set forth in a booth.  And his Soul said to him, ‘Take that silver cup and hide it.’

So he took the cup and hid it in the fold of his tunic, and they went hurriedly out of the city.

And after that they had gone a league from the city, the young Fisherman frowned, and flung the cup away, and said to his Soul, ‘Why didst thou tell me to take this cup and hide it, for it was an evil thing to do?’

But his Soul answered him, ‘Be at peace, be at peace.’

And on the evening of the second day they came to a city, and the young Fisherman said to his Soul, ‘Is this the city in which she dances of whom thou didst speak to me?’

And his Soul answered him, ‘It is not this city, but another.  Nevertheless let us enter in.’  So they entered in and passed through the streets, and as they passed through the Street of the Sellers of Sandals, the young Fisherman saw a child standing by a jar of water.  And his Soul said to him, ‘Smite that child.’  So he smote the child till it wept, and when he had done this they went hurriedly out of the city.

And after that they had gone a league from the city the young Fisherman grew wroth, and said to his Soul, ‘Why didst thou tell me to smite the child, for it was an evil thing to do?’

But his Soul answered him, ‘Be at peace, be at peace.’

And on the evening of the third day they came to a city, and the young Fisherman said to his Soul, ‘Is this the city in which she dances of whom thou didst speak to me?’

And his Soul answered him, ‘It may be that it is in this city, therefore let us enter in.’

So they entered in and passed through the streets, but nowhere could the young Fisherman find the river or the inn that stood by its side.  And the people of the city looked curiously at him, and he grew afraid and said to his Soul, ‘Let us go hence, for she who dances with white feet is not here.’

But his Soul answered, ‘Nay, but let us tarry, for the night is dark and there will be robbers on the way.’

So he sat him down in the market-place and rested, and after a time there went by a hooded merchant who had a cloak of cloth of Tartary, and bare a lantern of pierced horn at the end of a jointed reed.  And the merchant said to him, ‘Why dost thou sit in the market-place, seeing that the booths are closed and the bales corded?’

And the young Fisherman answered him, ‘I can find no inn in this city, nor have I any kinsman who might give me shelter.’

‘Are we not all kinsmen?’ said the merchant.  ‘And did not one God make us?  Therefore come with me, for I have a guest-chamber.’

So the young Fisherman rose up and followed the merchant to his house.  And when he had passed through a garden of pomegranates and entered into the house, the merchant brought him rose-water in a copper dish that he might wash his hands, and ripe melons that he might quench his thirst, and set a bowl of rice and a piece of roasted kid before him.