And hourly she renews the lay,

So fearful lest its heav'nly sweetness Should, ere the evening, fade away,—

For things so heav'nly have such fleet

ness!

But, far from fading, it but grows
Richer, diviner as it flows;

Till rapt she dwells on every string,

And pours again each sound along, Like echo, lost and languishing,

In love with her own wondrous song.

That evening, (trusting that his soul
Might be from haunting love released
By mirth, by music, and the bowl,)

Th' Imperial SELIM held a feast
In his magnificent Shalimar :-
In whose Saloons, when the first star
Of evening o'er the waters trembled,
The Valley's loveliest all assembled ;
All the bright creatures that, like dreams,
Glide through its foliage, and drink beams
Of beauty from its founts and streams;2
And all those wand'ring minstrel-maids,
Who leave-how can they leave ?-the shades
Of that dear Valley, and are found
Singing in gardens of the South3
Those songs, that ne'er so sweetly sound
As from a young Cashmerian's mouth.

There, too, the Haram's inmates smile ;Maids from the West, with sun-bright hair, And from the Garden of the NILE,

Delicate as the roses there ;*Daughters of Love from CYPRUS' rocks, With Paphian diamonds in their locks ;

1 "In the centre of the plain, as it approaches the Lake, one of the Delhi Emperors, I believe Shah Jehan, constructed a spacious garden called the Shalimar, which is abundantly stored with fruit-trees and flowering shrubs. Some of the rivulets which intersect the plain are led into a canal at the back of the garden, and flowing through its centre, or occasionally thrown into a variety of water-works, compose the chief beauty of the Shalimar. To decorate this spot the Mogul Princes of India have displayed an equal magnificence and taste; especially Jehan Gheer, who, with the enchanting Noor Mahl, made Kashmire his usual residence during the summer months. On arches thrown over the canal are erected, at equal distances, four or five suites of apartments, each consisting of a saloon, with four rooms at the angles, where the followers of the court attend, and the servants prepare sherbets, coffee, and the hookah. The frame of the doors of the principal saloon is composed of pieces of a stone of a black color, streaked with yellow lines, and of a closer grain and higher polish than porphyry. They were taken, it is said, from a Hindoo temple, by one of the Mogul princes, and are esteemed of great value."-Forster.

2 "The waters of Cachemir are the more renowned from its being supposed that the Cachemirians are indebted for their beauty to them."-Ali Yezdi

Light PERI forms, such as they are
On the gold meads of CANDAHAR ;
And they, before whose sleepy eyes,

In their own bright Kathaian bow'rs,
Sparkle such rainbow butterflies,

That they might fancy the rich flow'rs, That round them in the sun lay sighing, Had been by magic all set flying."

Every thing young, every thing fair
From East and West is blushing there,
Except-except-oh, NOURMAHAL !
Thou loveliest, dearest of them all,
The one, whose sme shone out alone,
Amidst a world the only one;
Whose light, among so many lights,
Was like that star on starry nights,
The seaman singles from the sky,
To steer his bark forever by !
Thou wert not there-so SELIM thought,

And every thing seem'd drear without thee;
But, ah! thou wert, thou wert,—and brought
Thy charm of song all fresh about thee.
Mingling unnoticed with a band
Of lutanists from many a land,
And veil'd by such a mask as shades
The features of young Arab maids,—
A mask that leaves but one eye free,
To do its best in witchery,-
She roved, with beating heart, around,

And waited, trembling, for the minute, When she might try if still the sound

Of her loved lute had magic in it.

The board was spread with fruits and wine; With grapes of gold, like those that shine

3" From him I received the following little Gazzel, or Love Song, the notes of which he committed to paper from the voice of one of those singing girls of Cashmere, who wander from that delightful valley over the various parts of India."-Persian Miscellanies.

4"The roses of the Jinan Nile, or Garden of the Nile (attached to the Emperor of Morocco's palace) are unequalled, and mattresses are made of their leaves for the men of rank to recline upon."-Jackson.

"On the side of a mountain near Paphos there is a cavern which produces the most beautiful rock-crystal. On account of its brilliancy it has been called the Paphian diamond.”—Mariti.

6 "There is a part of Candahar, called Peria, or Fairy Land."-Thevenot. In some of those countries to the north of India, vegetable gold is supposed to be produced.

"These are the butterflies which are called in the Chinese language Flying Leaves. Some of them have such shining colors, and are so variegated, that they may be called flying flowers; and indeed they are always produced in the finest flower-gardens."-Dunn.

8 "The Arabian women wear black masks with little clasps prettily ordered."-Carreri. Niebuhr mentions their showing but one eye in conversation.

But, oh the choice what heart can doubt, Of tents with love, or thrones without?

Here sparkles the nectar, that, hallow'd by love, Could draw down those angels of old from their sphere,

Who for wine of this earth' left the fountains above, And forgot heav'n's stars for the eyes we have here.

And, bless'd with the odor our goblet gives forth,
What Spirit the sweets of his Eden would miss ?
For, oh! if there be an Elysium on earth,
It is this, it is this.

The Georgian's song was scarcely mute,
When the same measure, sound for sound,
Was caught up by another lute,

And so divinely breathed around,
That all stood hush'd and wondering,
And turn'd and look'd into the air,
As if they thought to see the wing,

Of ISRAFIL, the Angel, there ;So pow'rfully on ev'ry soul

That new, enchanted measure stole.

While now a voice, sweet as the note

Of the charm'd lute, was heard to float

Along its chords, and so entwine

Its sounds with theirs, that none knew whether

The voice or lute was most divine,

So wondrously they went together :-

There's a bliss beyond all that the minstrel has told,
When two, that are link'd in one heav'nly tie,
With heart never changing, and brow never cold,
Love on through all ills, and love on till they die!
One hour of a passion so sacred is worth

Whole ages of heartless and wandering bliss ;
And, oh! if there be an Elysium on earth,
It is this, it is this.

"Twas not the air, 'twas not the words,
But that deep magic in the chords
And in the lips, that gave such pow'r
As Music knew not till that hour.
At once a hundred voices said,

66
"It is the mask'd Arabian maid!"
While SELIM, who had felt the strain
Deepest of any, and had lain
Some minutes rapt, as in a trance,

After the fairy sounds were o'er,
Too inly touch'd for utterance,

Now motion'd with his hand for more:

Fly to the desert, fly with me,

Our Arab tents are rude for thee;

Our rocks are rough, but smiling there Th' acacia waves her yellow hair, Lonely and sweet, nor loved the less For flow'ring in a wilderness.

Our sands are bare, but down their slope
The silv'ry-footed antelope

As gracefully and gayly springs
As o'er the marble courts of kings.

Then come-thy Arab maid will be
The loved and lone acacia-tree,
The antelope, whose feet shall bless
With their light sound thy loneliness.

Oh there are looks and tones that dart
An instant sunshine through the heart,-
As if the soul that minute caught
Some treasure it through life had sought;

As if the very lips and eyes, Predestined to have all our sighs, And never be forgot again, Sparkled and spoke before us then!

So came thy ev'ry glance and tone
When first on me they breathed and shone;
New, as if brought from other spheres,
Yet welcome as if loved for years.

Then fly with me,—if thou hast known
No other flame, nor falsely thrown
A gem away, that thou hadst sworn
Should ever in thy heart be worn.

Come, if the love thou hast for me,
Is pure and fresh as mine for thee,-
Fresh as the fountain under ground,
When first 'tis by the lapwing found.3

But if for me thou dost forsake Some other maid, and rudely break Her worshipp'd image from its base, To give to me the ruin'd place;

Then, fare thee well-I'd rather make
My bower upon some icy lake
When thawing suns begin to shine,
Than trust to love so false as thine!

1 For an account of the share which wine had in the fall

of the angels, see Mariti.

The Angel of Music. See note 3, p. 436.

The Hudhud, or Lapwing, is supposed to have the pow

er of discovering water under ground.

There was a pathos in this lay,

That, ev'n without enchantment's art,
Would instantly have found its way

Deep into SELIM's burning heart;
But, breathing, as it did, a tone
To earthly lutes and lips unknown;
With every chord fresh from the touch
Of Music's Spirit,-'twas too much!
Starting, he dash'd away the cup,—

Which, all the time of this sweet air,
His hand had held, untasted, up,

As if 'twere fix'd by magic there,And naming her, so long unnamed, So long unseen, wildly exclaim'd, "Oh NOURMAHAL! oh NOURMAHAL ! "Hadst thou but sung this witching strain, "I could forget-forgive thee all, "And never leave those eyes again."

The mask is off-the charm is wroughtAnd SELIM to his heart has caught, In blushes, more than ever bright, His NOURMAHAL, his Haram's Light! And well do vanish'd frowns enhance The charm of every brighten'd glance; And dearer seems each dawning smile For having lost its light awhile: And, happier now for all her sighs,

As on his arm her head reposes, She whispers him, with laughing eyes, "Remember, love, the Feast of Roses!"

FADLADEEN, at the conclusion of this light rhapsody, took occasion to sum up his opinion of the young Cashmerian's poetry, of which, he trusted, they had that evening heard the last. Having recapitulated the epithets, "frivolous"—"inharmonious”—“nonsensical," he proceeded to say that, viewing it in the most favorable light, it resembled one of those Maldivian boats, to which the Princess had alluded in the relation of her dream,'-a slight, gilded thing, sent adrift without rudder or ballast, and with nothing but vapid sweets and faded flowers on board. The profusion, indeed, of flowers and birds, which this poet had ready on all occasions, not to mention dews, gems, &c.—was a most oppressive kind of opulence to his hearers; and had

1 See p. 427.

2 The Chinese had formerly the art of painting on the sides of porcelain vessels fish and other animals, which were only perceptible when the vessel was full of some liquor. They call this species Kia-tsin, that is, azure is put in press, on account of the manner in which the azure is laid on."

the unlucky effect of giving to his style all the glitter of the flower-garden without its method, and all the flutter of the aviary without its song. In addition to this, he chose his subjects badly, and was always most inspired by the worst parts of them. The charms of paganism, the merits of rebellion,-these were the themes honored with his particular enthusiasm; and, in the poem just recited, one of his most palatable passages was in praise of that beverage of the Unfaithful, wine ;-being, perhaps," said he, relaxing into a smile, as conscious of his own character in the Haram on this point, "one of those bards whose fancy owes all its illumination to the grape, like that painted porcelain, so curious and so rare, whose images are only visible when liquor is poured into it." Upon the whole, it was his opinion, from the specimens which they had heard, and which, he begged to say, were the most tiresome part of the journey, that—whatever other merits this well-dressed young gentleman might possess-poetry was by no means his proper avocation: "and indeed," concluded the critic, " from his fondness for flowers and for birds, I would venture to suggest that a florist or a bird-catcher is a much more suitable calling for him than a poet."

They had now begun to ascend those barren mountains, which separate Cashmere from the rest of India; and, as the heats were intolerable, and the time of their encampments limited to the few hours necessary for refreshment and repose, there was an end to all their delightful evenings, and LALLA ROOKH saw no more of FERAMORZ. She now felt that her short dream of happiness was over, and that she had nothing but the recollection of its few blissful hours, like the one draught of sweet water that serves the camel across the wilderness, to be her heart's refreshment during the dreary waste of life that was before her. The blight that had fallen upon her spirits soon found its way to her cheek, and her ladies saw with regret-though not without some suspicion of the cause that the beauty of their mistress, of which they were almost as proud as of their own, was fast vanishing away at the very moment of all when she had most need of it. What must the King of Bucharia feel, when, instead of the lively and beautiful LALLA ROOKн, whom the poets of Delhi had described as more perfect than the divinest images in the house of Azor,' he should receive a

They are every now and then trying to recover the art of this magical painting, but to no purpose."--Dunn.

3 An eminent carver of idols, said in the Koran to be father to Abraham. "I have such a lovely idol as is not to be met with in the house of Azor."-Hafiz.

pale and inanimate victim, upon whose cheek neither health nor pleasure bloomed, and from whose eyes Love had fled,-to hide himself in her heart?

If any thing could have charmed away the melancholy of her spirits, it would have been the fresh airs and enchanting scenery of that Valley, which the Persians so justly called the Unequalled.' But neither the coolness of its atmosphere, so luxurious after toiling up those bare and burning mountains,— neither the splendor of the minarets and pagodas, that shone out from the depth of its woods, nor the grottoes, hermitages, and miraculous fountains, which make every spot of that region holy ground, -neither the countless waterfalls, that rush into the Valley from all those high and romantic mountains that encircle it, nor the fair city on the Lake, whose houses, roofed with flowers, appeared at a distance like one vast and variegated parterre ;-not all these wonders and glories of the most lovely country under the sun could steal her heart for a minute from those sad thoughts, which but darkened, and grew bitterer every step she advanced.

The gay pomps and processions that met her upon her entrance into the Valley, and the magnificence with which the roads all along were decorated, did honor to the taste and gallantry of the young King. It was night when they approached the city, and, for the last two miles, they had passed under arches, thrown from hedge to hedge, festooned with only those rarest roses from which the Attar Gul, more precious than gold, is distilled, and illuminated in rich and fanciful forms with lanterns of the triple-colored tortoise-shell of Pegu. Sometimes, from a dark wood by the side of the road, a display of fireworks would break out, so sudden and

so brilliant, that a Brahmin might fancy he beheld that grove, in whose purple shade the God of Battles was born, bursting into a flame at the moment of his birth;-while, at other times, a quick and playful irradiation continued to brighten all the fields and gardens by which they passed, forming a line of dancing lights along the horizon; like the meteors of the north as they are seen by those hunters, who pursue the white and blue foxes on the confines of the Icy Sea.

These arches and fireworks delighted the Ladies of the Princess exceedingly; and with their usual good logic, they deduced from his taste for illuminations, that the King of Buchia would make the most exemplary husband imaginable. Nor, indeed, could LALLA ROOKи herself help feeling the kindness and splendor with which the young bridegroom welcomed her ;-but she also felt how painful is the gratitude, which kindness from those we cannot love excites; and that their best blandishments come over the heart with all that chilling and deadly sweetness, which we can fancy in the cold, odoriferous wind that is to blow over this earth in the last days.

The marriage was fixed for the morning after her arrival, when she was, for the first time, to be presented to the monarch in that Imperial Palace beyond the lake, called the Shalimar. Though never before had a night of more wakeful and anxious thought been passed in the Happy Valley, yet, when she rose in the morning, and her Ladies came around her, to assist in the adjustment of the bridal ornaments, they thought they had never seen her look half so beautiful. What she had lost of the bloom and radiancy of her charms was more than made up by that intellectual expression, that soul beaming

1 Kachmire be Nazeer.-Forster.

2 "The pardonable superstition of the sequestered inhabitants has multiplied the places of worship of Mahadeo, of Beschan, and of Brama. All Cashmere is holy land, and miraculous fountains abound."-Major Rennel's Memoirs of a Map of Hindostan.

Jehan-Guire mentions "a fountain in Cashmere called Tirnagh, which signifies a snake; probably because some large snake had formerly been seen there."-" During the lifetime of my father, I went twice to this fountain, which is about twenty coss from the city of Cashmere. The vestiges of places of worship and scanctity are to be traced without number amongst the ruins and the caves which are interspersed in its neighborhood."-Toozek Jehangeery.— Vide Asiat. Misc., vol ii.

There is another account of Cashmere by Abul-Fazil, the anthor of the Ayin-Acbaree, "who," says Major Rennel, appears to have caught some of the enthusiasm of the valley, by his description of the holy places in it."

"On a standing roof of wood is laid a covering of fine

earth, which shelters the building from the great quantity of snow that falls in the winter season. This fence communicates an equal warmth in winter, as a refreshing coolness in the summer season, when the tops of the houses, which are planted with a variety of flowers, exhibit at a distance the spacious view of a beautifully-checkered parterre."-Forster.

4 "Two hundred slaves there are, who have no other office than to hunt the woods and marshes for triple-colored tortoises for the King's Vivary. Of the shells of these also lanterns are made."--Vincent le Blanc's Travels.

For a description of the Aurora Borealis as it appears to these hunters, vide Encyclopædia.

This wind, which is to blow from Syria Damascena, is, according to the Mahometans, one of the signs of the Last Day's approach.

Another of the signs is, "Great distress in the world, so that a man when he passes by another's grave shall say, Would to God I were in his place!"-Sale's Preliminary Discourse.