The Queen's Son.

Lake Wakatip Mail, Issue 1521, 5 March 1886, Page 3

The Queen's Son.

AN ORIENTAL TALE.

In former timet there waa a great king, whose army waa numerous and whose treasury waa full to overflowing; but' having no enemy to contend with, he beglected to pay his soldiers, in consequence of which they were in • state of destitution and discontent At length one day the soldiers went to the prime vaxir and made their condition known to him. The vazir promised that be would speedily deviae a plan by which they should have employment and money. Next morning he presented himself bffore the king, and said that it was widely reported the Kaysar of Borne had a daughter unsurpassed for beauty—one who was fit only for such a great monarch a< hia majesty; and suggested that it would be advantageous if an alliance were formed between two such potentates. The notion p'eased the king well, and he forthwith despatched to Rome an ambassador with rich gifts, and requ< s'td the Kaysar to grant him his daughter in marriage. But the Kaysar waxed wroth at this and refused to give his daughter to tho king. When the ambassador returned thus unsuccessful, the king, enraged at being made of no account, reeolved to make war upon the Kaysar, snd, opening the doors of his treasury, he distributed much money among his troopa, and then, M with a woe-bring, ing Inst, and a blood-drinking army, he trampled Rome and the Romans in the dust.'* And when the Kaysar was powerless, he sent his daughter to the king, who married her according to the law of Islam.

Now that princes* bad a son by a | former husband, and the Kaysar bad ; said to her before she departed:— ( " Beware that thou mention not tby 1 son, for my love for his society is great! and I cannot part with him." But, the Piincen was lick at heart for thei absence of ber son, and she was ever ■ f ordering how she could speak to the' ing about him, and in what manner she might bring him to her. It happened one day the king gave her a ; string of pearls snd a casket of jewels. 1 She said—" With my father is a slave who is well skilled in the science of jeweli." Th* king replied—" If I should aak that slave of thy fsther,, would he give bim to me?"' " Nay," j said she, "for he holds him in the l place of a son. But if the king desire bim. I will send a merchant to Rome,, and I myself will give him a token, and with pleasant wiles and fair; speechee will bring him hither." Then the king sent for a clever merchsnt who ki ew Arabic eloquently and the language of Rome, and gave bim 1 goods for trading, and sent bim to 1 Rome with the object of procuring j that slave But the daughter of the K«vsarsaid privat»ly tu the merchant,, " That slsTe is my son ; 1 have, for a good reason, said to the king be is a slave; so thou must bring him as a slave, and let be thy duty to tske care of bim." In due course the merchant 1 brought the youth to the king's service; and when the king saw his fair face' and discovered in him many pleasing and varied <tccomplisbmentß, he treated 1 bim with distinction and favour, and conferred on the merchant a robe of honour and gifta. His mother saw bim from afar, and was pleaded with receiving a secret salutation from* bim.

One day (the text prtceedn) the king bad gone to th« cbase, and the place retrained rnid of rival* ; bo the toother called in ber ton, kiweH hn fair face, and told him the tale of her great sorrow. A chamberlain became aware of he secret, and anoiher •uapicion fell upon him, and he raid to himaelf—»•' The barem of tbe king i* the sanctuary of security and the palace of protection, if 1 speak not of thi?, 1 shall be guilty of treachery, ami shall have wrought unfaithfulness." When tbe kirg returned from the chaae, tbe chambeilain related to him what he had seen, and tbe king was angr/, and said'-" This woman has deceived me with words and deeds, and haa brought hither her desire by craft and cunning. This conjecture most be true, else why did she play such a trick P and why did she batch such a pint, and why did be send the merchant ? ■ The king, enraged, went into the harem; tbe queen saw from bi» countenance that the occurrence of tbe night before bad bren made known to bim, and she said, " B«* it not that 1 see tbe king angry." H* said, " How should I nut be angry P Thou, by craft, snd trickery, and intrigue, and plotting, haat brought thy B-me—what wantonness is thin that thou baat done P " Then he thought to slay her, but be forebore, because of bis great lore for htr. But he ordered the chamberlain to carry the youth to some obscure place, and straightway sever his head from his body. W ben the poor mother saw this she well-uigb fell on ber face, and her soul was near tearing ber body. But she knew that sorrow would not •rail, and ibe restrained herself. And when the chamberlain took tbe youth into his boose, be said to him— M 0 youth, know you not thattbe barem of tbe king is tbe sanctuary of security P What great treachery is tbis thou haat perpetrated P" the youth replied—- " Tl at queen is my mother, and I am her true son. Because of ber natural delicacy she said not to the king that ebe bad a «on by another husband. And when * earning came oyer her, ihe

contrived to bring me here from Borne; end, while the king vu engaged in the chew, maternal love stirred, and she called me to her, and embraced me." On hearing this, the chamberlain said to himself— M What is passing in his mother'* breast? What I bare not done I can jet do, and it were better that I preserve this jouth some days, for snch a rose may not be wounded through idle words, snd such a bough may not be broken by a breath. For some day the tru'h of this matter will be disclosed, and it will become known to the king, when repentance will be of no avail " Another day he went before the King, and said, "That which was commanded hare 1 fulfilled." On hearing this the king's wrath was to some extent removed, but his trust in the Kajsar's daughter was departed; while she, poor creature, was gnered and dszed at the loss of her son.

Now in the palace harem there was an old woman, who said to the queen, M How is it that I find thee sorrowful ?" And the queen told the whole story, concealing nothing. The old woman was a heroine in the field of craft, and she answered—" Keep thy mind at ease; I will devise a stratagem by which the heart of the king will be pleased with thee, and every grief he hss will vanish from his heart." The queen said that, if she did so, she should be amply rewarded. One day the old woman seeing the king alone, said to him—" Why is tSy former aspect altered, and why are traces of care and anxiety visible on thy countenance ?" The king then told her all. The old woman said—"l have an amuiet of the charms of Solomon, in the Syriac language, in the writing of the jinn (genii). When the queen is asleep do thou place it on her breast, and, whatever it may be, she will tell all the truth of it. But t*ke care, fail not thou asleep, but listen well to what she pays" The king wondered at this, and said—" Give me that amulet, that the truth of this matter may be learned." 80 the old woman gave him the amulet, and then went to the queen and explained what she had done, and said —" Do thou feign to be asleep, ana relate the whole of thy story faithfully."

When a watch of the night was past, the king laid the amulet upon hit wife's breast, and she thus began —" By a former husband I had a son, and, when my father gave me to this king, 1 was ashamed to say I had a tall son. When my yearning parsed all bounds, I brought him here by an artifice. One day that the king was gor.e to the chase, I called him into the house, when, after the way of mothers, 1 took him in my arms and kissed bim. This reached the king's ears; he utwittingly gate it another construction, and cut «!f the head of that innocent b«»y, and withdrew from me bis t.wu heart Alike is my eon lost to me, and the king angry." i When the king heard these words he kis«ed her, and nclaimed, " 0 my life, what an error is this tbou bast com mitted ? Thou hast brought calumny ! upon thyself, and Last given such a son !to the winds, and hast made me ashamed !" Straightway he call< d the cbambarlain, and said—" That boy whom thou bait kill< d is the son of my ! b*l..Ted and the darling of my beauty ! Where is hit grave, that we may make there a guest-house ? " The chamberlain said, " That youth is yet alive. When the king commanded his death 1 1 was about to kill bim, but be said, 'That queen is my mother; through modesty before the king she revealed not the secret that she baa a tall son. ' Kill me not; it may be that some day ' the truth will become known, and repentance profits not, and regret is , useless.'" The king commanded I them to bring the youth, so they i brought him straightway. And when 1 the mother saw the face of her son, she thanked Ood and praised the i Most High, and became one of the Muslims, and from the sect of un- ! believers came into the faith of Islam. } And the king favoured the chamberlain in the highest degree, and they i passed the rest of their lives in comfort 1 and ease.