The Works of Lord Byron Volume VI Part 53

CXV.

His youth and features favoured the disguise, And should you ask how she, a Sultan's bride, Could risk or compa.s.s such strange phantasies, This I must leave sultanas to decide: Emperors are only husbands in wives' eyes, And kings and consorts oft are mystified,[fm]

As we may ascertain with due precision, Some by experience, others by tradition.

CXVI.

But to the main point, where we have been tending:-- She now conceived all difficulties past, And deemed herself extremely condescending When, being made her property at last, Without more preface, in her blue eyes blending Pa.s.sion and power, a glance on him she cast, And merely saying, "Christian, canst thou love?"

Conceived that phrase was quite enough to move.

CXVII.

And so it was, in proper time and place; But Juan, who had still his mind o'erflowing With Haidee's isle and soft Ionian face, Felt the warm blood, which in his face was glowing Rush back upon his heart, which filled apace, And left his cheeks as pale as snowdrops blowing: These words went through his soul like Arab spears,[306]

So that he spoke not, but burst into tears.

CXVIII.

She was a good deal shocked; not shocked at tears, For women shed and use them at their liking; But there is something when man's eye appears Wet, still more disagreeable and striking: A woman's tear-drop melts, a man's half sears, Like molten lead, as if you thrust a pike in His heart to force it out, for (to be shorter) To them 't is a relief, to us a torture.

CXIX.

And she would have consoled, but knew not how: Having no equals, nothing which had e'er Infected her with sympathy till now, And never having dreamt what 't was to bear Aught of a serious, sorrowing kind, although There might arise some pouting petty care To cross her brow, she wondered how so near Her eyes another's eye could shed a tear.

CXX.

But Nature teaches more than power can spoil,[fn]

And, when a strong although a strange sensation Moves--female hearts are such a genial soil For kinder feelings, whatso'er their nation, They naturally pour the "wine and oil,"

Samaritans in every situation; And thus Gulbeyaz, though she knew not why, Felt an odd glistening moisture in her eye.

CXXI.

But tears must stop like all things else; and soon Juan, who for an instant had been moved To such a sorrow by the intrusive tone Of one who dared to ask if "he _had_ loved,"

Called back the Stoic to his eyes, which shone Bright with the very weakness he reproved; And although sensitive to beauty, he Felt most indignant still at not being free.

CXXII.

Gulbeyaz, for the first time in her days, Was much embarra.s.sed, never having met In all her life with aught save prayers and praise; And as she also risked her life to get Him whom she meant to tutor in love's ways Into a comfortable tete-a-tete, To lose the hour would make her quite a martyr, And they had wasted now almost a quarter.

CXXIII.

I also would suggest the fitting time To gentlemen in any such like case, That is to say in a meridian clime-- With us there is more law given to the chase, But here a small delay forms a great crime: So recollect that the extremest grace Is just two minutes for your declaration-- A moment more would hurt your reputation.

CXXIV.

Juan's was good; and might have been still better, But he had got Haidee into his head: However strange, he could not yet forget her, Which made him seem exceedingly ill-bred.

Gulbeyaz, who looked on him as her debtor For having had him to her palace led, Began to blush up to the eyes, and then Grow deadly pale, and then blush back again.

CXXV.

At length, in an imperial way, she laid Her hand on his, and bending on him eyes Which needed not an empire to persuade, Looked into his for love, where none replies: Her brow grew black, but she would not upbraid, That being the last thing a proud woman tries; She rose, and pausing one chaste moment threw Herself upon his breast, and there she grew.

CXXVI.

This was an awkward test, as Juan found, But he was steeled by Sorrow, Wrath, and Pride: With gentle force her white arms he unwound, And seated her all drooping by his side, Then rising haughtily he glanced around, And looking coldly in her face he cried, "The prisoned eagle will not pair, nor I Serve a Sultana's sensual phantasy.

CXXVII.

"Thou ask'st, if I can love? be this the proof How much I _have_ loved--that I love not _thee!_ In this vile garb, the distaff, web, and woof, Were fitter for me: Love is for the free!

I am not dazzled by this splendid roof; Whate'er thy power, and great it seems to be, Heads bow, knees bend, eyes watch around a throne, And hands obey--our hearts are still our own."

CXXVIII.

This was a truth to us extremely trite; Not so to her, who ne'er had heard such things: She deemed her least command must yield delight, Earth being only made for Queens and Kings.

If hearts lay on the left side or the right She hardly knew, to such perfection brings Legitimacy its born votaries, when Aware of their due royal rights o'er men.

CXXIX.

Besides, as has been said, she was so fair As even in a much humbler lot had made A kingdom or confusion anywhere, And also, as may be presumed, she laid Some stress on charms, which seldom are, if e'er, By their possessors thrown into the shade: She thought hers gave a double "right divine;"

And half of that opinion's also mine.

Cx.x.x.

Remember, or (if you can not) imagine, Ye! who have kept your chast.i.ty when young, While some more desperate dowager has been waging Love with you, and been in the dog-days stung[fo]

By your refusal, recollect her raging!

Or recollect all that was said or sung On such a subject; then suppose the face Of a young downright beauty in this case!

Cx.x.xI.

Suppose,--but you already have supposed, The spouse of Potiphar, the Lady b.o.o.by,[307]

Phaedra,[308] and all which story has disclosed Of good examples; pity that so few by Poets and private tutors are exposed,[fp]

To educate--ye youth of Europe--you by!

But when you have supposed the few we know, You can't suppose Gulbeyaz' angry brow.

Cx.x.xII.

A tigress robbed of young, a lioness, Or any interesting beast of prey, Are similes at hand for the distress Of ladies who can _not_ have their own way; But though my turn will not be served with less, These don't express one half what I should say: For what is stealing young ones, few or many, To cutting short their hope of having _any?_

Cx.x.xIII.

The love of offspring's Nature's general law, From tigresses and cubs to ducks and ducklings; There's nothing whets the beak, or arms the claw Like an invasion of their babes and sucklings; And all who have seen a human nursery, saw How mothers love their children's squalls and chucklings: This strong extreme effect (to tire no longer Your patience) shows the cause must still be stronger.[fq]

Cx.x.xIV.

If I said fire flashed from Gulbeyaz' eyes, 'T were nothing--for her eyes flashed always fire; Or said her cheeks a.s.sumed the deepest dyes, I should but bring disgrace upon the dyer, So supernatural was her pa.s.sion's rise; For ne'er till now she knew a checked desire: Even ye who know what a checked woman is (Enough, G.o.d knows!) would much fall short of this.

Cx.x.xV.

Her rage was but a minute's, and 't was well-- A moment's more had slain her; but the while It lasted 't was like a short glimpse of h.e.l.l: Nought's more sublime than energetic bile, Though horrible to see, yet grand to tell, Like Ocean warring 'gainst a rocky isle; And the deep pa.s.sions flas.h.i.+ng through her form Made her a beautiful embodied storm.