United States or Switzerland ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
"Son," replied the sage, "if thou wert to follow it for a whole year's journey, thy pursuit would be useless; for thou couldst never take it.
"With permission, worthiness, I noticed that Thou couldst lead a regiment in spite of thy young face. But I enter the service of no man. I am a free fisherman; my grandfather was, with permission, a shepherd in Lower Egypt, our family comes of the Hyksos people. It is true that dull Egyptian earth-tillers revile us, but I laugh at them.
"Feed us first and then command us to be virtuous!" will be the words written upon the banner lifted against Thee a banner which shall destroy Thy Church to its very foundations, and in the place of Thy Temple shall raise once more the terrible Tower of Babel; and though its building be left unfinished, as was that of the first one, yet the fact will remain recorded that Thou couldst, but wouldst not, prevent the attempt to build that new tower by accepting the offer, and thus saving mankind a millennium of useless suffering on earth.
"If it be indeed thy will," he said, "and indeed thou couldst not will better, since, as the case is, yonder castle could not many weeks withstand the Sarrasin, thou must come with me, and on the road to my good friend, to whom I journey for safety, I will ponder over this matter, and concert a scheme, whereby the wish of thy heart may be carried out.
JOHANNA. Coming from him, methought it came from God; And fatherly the chastisement will prove. RAIMOND. The heavens themselves bore witness to thy guilt! JOHANNA. The heavens spoke, and therefore I was silent. RAIMOND. Thou with one word couldst clear thyself, and hast In this unhappy error left the world? JOHANNA. It was no error 'twas the will of heaven.
Or, if thou couldst choose in thy heart Varuna amongst the Lokapalas, do so unhesitatingly. O accept this friendly advice." Thus addressed by Naishadha, Damayanti, with eyes bathed in tears of grief spake thus unto Nala, "O lord of the earth, bowing to all the gods, I choose thee for my lord. Truly do I tell thee this."
I know it well." "What is to be done? whether turn for help?" cried Jocelyne in dispair. "Oh! would that I could lay down my life to save his." "Noble girl!" exclaimed the princess. "Thus devoted, whilst he loves another! How far more generous than was I; ay, I believe thee couldst thou lay down thy life for him, thou wouldst do it."
However, kindly she spoke, and asked, saying: "Who are you, and whence come you? what is your name, and what your calling?" the youth was so entirely overwhelmed in the ocean of love and passion that he absolutely could not utter a word: "Couldst thou in fact repeat the seven Saba, or whole Koran by heart, if distracted with love, thou wouldst forget the alphabet": the princess continued: "Why do you not answer me? for I too am one of the sect of dervishes, nay, I am their most devoted slave."
"How couldst Thou commit such a grievous sin, and raise thy hand against the kingdom of the gods? Has thy former wisdom deserted thee?" "Lord," answered the wily Libyan, "sorrow disturbed the reason of the disbanded warriors of his holiness, so they ran to their own destruction, drawing me and mine after them.
"O Emir," asked Talib, "shall we leave our damsel with what is upon her, things which have no equal and whose like is not to be found and more perfect than aught else thou takest; nor couldst thou find a goodlier offering wherewithal to propitiate the favour of the Commander of the Faithful?" But Musa answered, "O man, heardest thou not what the Lady saith on this tablet?