n--
A lady's dagger--small, and bright, and fine--
Clashed out upon the marble. "Wherefore that?"
Asked Torel; answered she, "I knew you true;
And I could live, so long as I might wait;
But they--they pressed me hard! my days of grace
Ended to-night--and I had ended too,
Faithful to death, if so thou hadst not come."

_THE CALIPH'S DRAUGHT_.

Upon a day in Ramadan--
When sunset brought an end of fast,
And in his station every man
Prepared to share the glad repast--
Sate Mohtasim in royal state,
The pillaw smoked upon the gold;
The fairest slave of those that wait
Mohtasim's jewelled cup did hold.

Of crystal carven was the cup,
With turquoise set along the brim,
A lid of amber closed it up;
'Twas a great king that gave it him.
The slave poured sherbet to the brink,
Stirred in wild honey and pomegranate,
With snow and rose-leaves cooled the drink,
And bore it where the Caliph sate.

The Caliph's mouth was dry as bone,
He swept his beard aside to quaff:--
The news-reader beneath the throne,
Went droning on with _ghain_ and _kaf_.--
The Caliph drew a mighty breath,
Just then the reader read a word--
And Mohtasim, as grim as death,
Set down the cup and snatched his sword.

"_Ann' amratan shureefatee!_"
"Speak clear!" cries angry Mohtasim;
"_Fe lasr ind' ilj min ulji_,"--
Trembling the newsman read to him
How in Ammoria, far from home,
An Arab girl of noble race
Was captive to a lord of Roum;
And how he smote her on the face,

And how she cried, for life afraid,
"Ya, Mohtasim! help, O my king!"
And how the Kafir mocked the maid,
And laughed, and spake a bitter thing,
"Call louder, fool! Mohtasim's ears
Are long as Barak's--if he heed--
Your prophet's ass; and when he hears,
He'll come upon a spotted steed!"

The Caliph's face was stern and red,
He snapped the lid upon the cup;
"Keep this same sherbet, slave," he said,
"Till such time as I drink it up.
Wallah! the stream my drink shall be,
My hollowed palm my only bowl,
Till I have set that lady free,
And seen that Roumi dog's head roll."

At dawn the drums of war were beat,
Proclaiming, "Thus saith Mohtasim,
'Let all my valiant horsemen meet,
And every s