A House of Pomegranates, Oscar Wilde [suggested reading TXT] 📗

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