The Complete Poems of Sir Thomas Moore Part 173

[313] "In the centre of the plain, as it approaches the Lake, one of the Delhi Emperors, I believe Shan Jehan, constructed a s.p.a.cious 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 ca.n.a.l 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."--_Forster_.

[314] "The waters of Cachemir are the more renowned from its being supposed that the Cachemirians are indebted for their beauty to them."--_Ali Yezdi_.

[315] "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_.

[316] "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_.

[317] "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_.

[318] "These 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.

[319] "These are the b.u.t.terflies which are called in the Chinese language Flying Leaves. Some of them have such s.h.i.+ning colors, and are so variegated, that they may be called flying flowers; and indeed they are always produced in the finest flower-gardens."--_Dunn_.

[320] "The Arabian women wear black masks with little clasps prettily ordered."--_Carreri_. Niebuhr mentions their showing but one eye in conversation.

[321] "The golden grapes of Casbin."--_Description of Persia_.

[322] "The fruits exported from Caubul are apples, pears, pomegranates,"

etc.--_Elphinstone_.

[323] "We sat down under a tree, listened to the birds, and talked with the son of our Mehmaundar about our country and Caubul, of which he gave an enchanting account; that city and its 100,000 gardens," etc.--_Ib_.

[324] "The mangusteen, the most delicate fruit in the world; the pride of the Malay islands."--_Marsden_.

[325] "A delicious kind of apricot, called by the Persians tokmekshems, signifying sun's seed."--_Description of Persia_.

[326] "Sweetmeats, in a crystal cup, consisting of rose-leaves in conserve, with Iemon of Visna cherry, orange flowers," etc.--_Russel_.

[327] "Antelopes cropping the fresh berries of Erac."--The _Moallakat_, Poem of Tarafa.

[328] "Mauri-ga-Sima, an island near Formosa, supposed to have been sunk in the sea for the crimes of its inhabitants. The vessels which the fishermen and divers bring up from it are sold at an immense price in China and j.a.pan."--See _Kempfer_.

[329] Persian Tales.

[330] The white wine of Kishma.

[331] "The King of Zeilan is said to have the very finest ruby that was ever seen. Kublai-Khan sent and offered the value of a city for It, but the king answered he would not give it for the treasure of the world."--_Marco Polo_.

[332] The Indians feign that Cupid was first seen floating down the Ganges on the Nymphaea Nelumbo.--See _Pennant_.

[333] Teflis is celebrated for its natural warm baths.--See _Ebn Haukal_.

[334] "The Indian Syrinda, or guitar."--_Symez_.

[335] "Around the exterior of the Dewan Khafs (a building of Shah Allum's) in the cornice are the following lines in letters of gold upon a ground of white marble--'_If there be a paradise upon earth, it is this, it is this.'"--Franklin_.

[336] "Delightful are the flowers of the Amra trees on the mountain tops while the murmuring bees pursue their voluptuous toil."--_Song of Jayadera_.

[337] "The Nison or drops of spring rain, which they believe to produce pearls if they fall into sh.e.l.ls."--_Richardson_.

[338] For an account of the share which wine had in the fall of the angels, see _Mariti_.

[339] The Angel of Music.

[340] The Hudhud, or Lapwing, is supposed to have the power of discovering water under ground.

[341] "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."--"They are every now and then trying to discover the art of this magical painting, but to no purpose."--_Dunn_.

[342] 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_.

[343] Kachmire be Nazeer.--_Forster_.

[344] 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 wors.h.i.+p and sanct.i.ty are to be traced without number amongst the ruins and the caves which are interspersed in its neighborhood."--_Toozek Jehangeery_.--v. _Asiat. Misc_. vol. ii.

[345] "On a standing roof of wood is laid a covering of fine earth, which shelters the building from the great quant.i.ty of snow that falls in the winter season. This fence communicates an equal warmth in winter, as a refres.h.i.+ng coolness in the summer season, when the tops of the houses, which are planted with a variety of flowers, exhibit at a distance the s.p.a.cious view of a beautifully checkered parterre."--_Forster_.

[346] "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 sh.e.l.ls of these also lanterns are made."--_Vincent le Blanc's_ Travels.

[347] 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 pa.s.ses by another's grave shall say, Would to G.o.d I were in his place!"--_Sale's_ Preliminary Discourse.

[348] "On Mahommed Shaw's return to Koolburga (the capital of Dekkan), he made a great festival, and mounted this throne with much pomp and magnificence, calling it Firozeh or Cerulean. I have heard some old persons, who saw the throne Firozeh in the reign of Sultan Mamood Bhamenee, describe it. They say that it was in length nine feet, and three in breadth; made of ebony covered with plates of pure gold, and set with precious stones of immense value. Every prince of the house of Bhamenee, who possessed this throne, made a point of adding to it some rich stones; so that when in the reign of Sultan Mamood it was taken to pieces to remove some of the jewels to be set in vases and cups, the jewellers valued it at one corore of oons (nearly four millions sterling). I learned also that it was called Firozeh from being partly enamelled of a sky-blue color which was in time totally concealed by the number of jewels."-- _Ferishta_.

THE LOVES OF THE ANGELS.

PREFACE.

The Eastern story of the angels Harut and Marut and the Rabbinical fictions of the loves of Uzziel and Shamchazai are the only sources to which I need refer for the origin of the notion on which this Romance is founded. In addition to the fitness of the subject for poetry, it struck me also as capable of affording an allegorical medium through which might be shadowed out (as I have endeavored to do in the following stories) the fall of the Soul from its original purity[1]--the loss of light and happiness which it suffers, in the pursuit of this world's perishable pleasures--and the punishments both from conscience and Divine justice with which impurity, pride, and presumptuous inquiry into the awful secrets of Heaven are sure to be visited--The beautiful story of Cupid and Psyche owes its chief charm to this sort of "veiled meaning," and it has been my wish (however I may have failed in the attempt) to communicate to the following pages the same _moral_ interest.

Among the doctrines or notions derived by Plato from the East, one of the most natural and sublime is that which inculcates the pre-existence of the soul and its gradual descent into this dark material world from that region of spirit and light which it is supposed to have once inhabited and to which after a long lapse of purification and trial it will return. This belief under various symbolical forms may be traced through almost all the Oriental theologies. The Chaldeans represent the Soul as originally endowed with wings which fall away when it sinks from its native element and must be re-produced before it can hope to return. Some disciples of Zoroaster once inquired of him, "How the wings of the Soul might be made to grow again?"

"By sprinkling them," he replied, "with the Waters of Life."

"But where are those Waters to be found?" they asked.

"In the Garden of G.o.d," replied Zoroaster.