FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85  
86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   >>   >|  
t the door: he stood still before the threshold, and watched the youth with astonishment. The young man gazed earnestly at him. He suddenly recognized the features of the old man, and threw himself on his knees before him, seized his hand, and bowing his head on it, bedewed it with his tears, and covered it with kisses. "My father!" cried he: "is it so indeed? Have you so much altered in the course of so few years?--that is my fault. Father, forgive your easily offending son, who forgot you in the height of prosperity." Naima stretched his other hand to him, blessed him, and said, "Rise up, my son, rise: he who feels repentance is forgiven." He rose and threw himself into his father's arms. When he looked up, he saw a man approach, leading a maiden whose features he recognized. It was Saad and his daughter Zoraine, Haschem's playfellow. After welcoming him, they sat down, and Haschem related to them all that had happened to him since that evening. He related, truly and candidly, how he had forgotten his father, and nearly fallen into greater crimes, because he had been blinded by fortune, by empty greatness, and honour. Whilst they were sitting, they observed three birds, who came from a distance, and seemed to pursue one another. They soon perceived a black bird, which flew anxiously, and seemed followed by a bird of prey. He would soon have reached his prey, had he not been pursued by a larger bird; and to avoid this, he was often compelled to go from side to side: at last they came to close conflict. The pursued black bird flew into Haschem's lap; the bird of prey, struck by his pursuer, fell to the ground at their feet, and was, by his strong hooked bill and sharp claws, soon killed and torn to pieces. Scarcely had the last occurrence taken place, when the conqueror changed into a venerable-looking sage. He turned to Haschem, who was quite astonished, and said, "Dip quickly your forefinger in the blood of this slain one, and anoint with it the beak of the black bird." Haschem obeyed immediately; and scarcely had he touched the black bird's beak with the blood, than it changed, and a handsome youth in kingly dress stood before them. "Guess who this is," said the genius. "Mundian Oppu?" asked Haschem. And the genius answered, "It is he!" And as he stood looking at the young man with astonishment, he said, "You do not perceive how and why all this has happened. I could explain to you all these myste
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85  
86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

Haschem

 

father

 
features
 

recognized

 

happened

 

changed

 

related

 

genius

 

pursued

 

astonishment


perceived
 

ground

 

pursuer

 

struck

 

strong

 

reached

 

anxiously

 

hooked

 

larger

 

conflict


compelled

 

turned

 

Mundian

 

answered

 

touched

 

handsome

 

kingly

 

explain

 

perceive

 
scarcely

immediately

 
occurrence
 

Scarcely

 

pieces

 

killed

 

conqueror

 

venerable

 

forefinger

 

anoint

 

obeyed


quickly

 

astonished

 

candidly

 

Father

 

forgive

 

easily

 

altered

 
offending
 

forgot

 

blessed