第32章

There was no want of lofty mirrors, and The tables, most of ebony inlaid With mother of pearl or ivory, stood at hand, Or were of tortoise-shell or rare woods made, Fretted with gold or silver:- by command, The greater part of these were ready spread With viands and sherbets in ice- and wine-Kept for all comers at all hours to dine.

Of all the dresses I select Haidee's:

She wore two jelicks- one was of pale yellow;

Of azure, pink, and white was her chemise-'Neath which her breast heaved like a little billow;

With buttons form'd of pearls as large as peas, All gold and crimson shone her jelick's fellow, And the striped white gauze baracan that bound her, Like fleecy clouds about the moon, flow'd round her.

One large gold bracelet clasp'd each lovely arm, Lockless- so pliable from the pure gold That the hand stretch'd and shut it without harm, The limb which it adorn'd its only mould;

So beautiful- its very shape would charm;

And, clinging as if loath to lose its hold, The purest ore enclosed the whitest skin That e'er by precious metal was held in.

Around, as princess of her father's land, A like gold bar above her instep roll'd Announced her rank; twelve rings were on her hand;

Her hair was starr'd with gems; her veil's fine fold Below her breast was fasten'd with a band Of lavish pearls, whose worth could scarce be told;

Her orange silk full Turkish trousers furl'd About the prettiest ankle in the world.

Her hair's long auburn waves down to her heel Flow'd like an Alpine torrent which the sun Dyes with his morning light,- and would conceal Her person if allow'd at large to run, And still they seem resentfully to feel The silken fillet's curb, and sought to shun Their bonds whene'er some Zephyr caught began To offer his young pinion as her fan.

Round her she made an atmosphere of life, The very air seem'd lighter from her eyes, They were so soft and beautiful, and rife With all we can imagine of the skies, And pure as Psyche ere she grew a wife-Too pure even for the purest human ties;

Her overpowering presence made you feel It would not be idolatry to kneel.

Her eyelashes, though dark as night, were tinged (It is the country's custom), but in vain;

For those large black eyes were so blackly fringed, The glossy rebels mock'd the jetty stain, And in their native beauty stood avenged:

Her nails were touch'd with henna; but again The power of art was turn'd to nothing, for They could not look more rosy than before.

The henna should be deeply dyed to make The skin relieved appear more fairly fair;

She had no need of this, day ne'er will break On mountain tops more heavenly white than her:

The eye might doubt if it were well awake, She was so like a vision; I might err, But Shakspeare also says, 't is very silly 'To gild refined gold, or paint the lily'

Juan had on a shawl of black and gold, But a white baracan, and so transparent The sparkling gems beneath you might behold, Like small stars through the milky way apparent;

His turban, furl'd in many a graceful fold, An emerald aigrette with Haidee's hair in 't Surmounted as its clasp- a glowing crescent, Whose rays shone ever trembling, but incessant.

And now they were diverted by their suite, Dwarfs, dancing girls, black eunuchs, and a poet, Which made their new establishment complete;

The last was of great fame, and liked to show it:

His verses rarely wanted their due feet;

And for his theme- he seldom sung below it, He being paid to satirize or flatter, As the psalm says, 'inditing a good matter.'

He praised the present, and abused the past, Reversing the good custom of old days, An Eastern anti-jacobin at last He turn'd, preferring pudding to no praise-For some few years his lot had been o'ercast By his seeming independent in his lays, But now he sung the Sultan and the Pacha With truth like Southey, and with verse like Crashaw.

He was a man who had seen many changes, And always changed as true as any needle;

His polar star being one which rather ranges, And not the fix'd- he knew the way to wheedle:

So vile he 'scaped the doom which oft avenges;

And being fluent (save indeed when fee'd ill), He lied with such a fervour of intention-There was no doubt he earn'd his laureate pension.

But he had genius,- when a turncoat has it, The 'Vates irritabilis' takes care That without notice few full moons shall pass it;

Even good men like to make the public stare:-But to my subject- let me see- what was it?-Oh!- the third canto- and the pretty pair-Their loves, and feasts, and house, and dress, and mode Of living in their insular abode.

Their poet, a sad trimmer, but no less In company a very pleasant fellow, Had been the favourite of full many a mess Of men, and made them speeches when half mellow;

And though his meaning they could rarely guess, Yet still they deign'd to hiccup or to bellow The glorious meed of popular applause, Of which the first ne'er knows the second cause.

But now being lifted into high society, And having pick'd up several odds and ends Of free thoughts in his travels for variety, He deem'd, being in a lone isle, among friends, That, without any danger of a riot, he Might for long lying make himself amends;

And, singing as he sung in his warm youth, Agree to a short armistice with truth.

He had travell'd 'mongst the Arabs, Turks, and Franks, And knew the self-loves of the different nations;

And having lived with people of all ranks, Had something ready upon most occasions-Which got him a few presents and some thanks.

He varied with some skill his adulations;

To 'do at Rome as Romans do,' a piece Of conduct was which he observed in Greece.

Thus, usually, when he was ask'd to sing, He gave the different nations something national;

'T was all the same to him- 'God save the king,'

Or 'Ca ira,' according to the fashion all:

His muse made increment of any thing, From the high lyric down to the low rational:

If Pindar sang horse-races, what should hinder Himself from being as pliable as Pindar?

In France, for instance, he would write a chanson;

In England a six canto quarto tale;