This etext was produced by Pat Castevans <Patcat@ctnet.net>
and David Widger <widger@cecomet.net>
By George Meredith
1898/1909
Contents:
Now, after the cockle-shell had skimmed calmly awhile, it began to pitchand grew unquiet, and came upon a surging foam, pale, and withscintillating bubbles. The surges increased in volume, and boiled,hissing as with anger, like savage animals. Presently, the cockle-shellrose upon one very lofty swell, and Shibli Bagarag lost hold of it, andlo! it was overturned and engulfed in the descent of the great mountainof water, and the Princess Goorelka was immersed in the depths. Shewould have sunk, but Shibli Bagarag caught hold of her, and supported herto the shore by the strength of his right arm. The shore was one of sandand shells, their wet cheeks sparkling in the moonlight; over it hung apromontory, a huge jut of black rock. Now, the Princess when she landed,seeing not him that supported her, delayed not to run beneath the rock,and ascended by steps cut from the base of the rock. And Shibli Bagaragfollowed her by winding paths round the rock, till she came to thehighest peak commanding the circle of the Enchanted Sea, and glimpses ofenthralled vessels, and mariners bewitched on board; long paths ofstarlight rippled into the distant gloom, and the reflection of the moonopposite was as a wide nuptial sheet of silver on the waters: islands,green and white, and with soft music floating from their foliage, sailedslowly to and fro. Surely, to dwell reclining among the slopes of thoseislands a man would forfeit Paradise! Now, the Princess, as she stoodupon the peak, knew that she was not alone, and pretended to slip fromher footing, and Shibli Bagarag called out and ran to her; but she turnedin the direction of his voice and laughed, and he knew he was outwitted.Then, to deceive her, he dropped from the phial twenty drops round her onthe rock, and those twenty drops became twenty voices, so that she wasbewildered with their calls, and stopped her ears, and ran from them, anddescended from the eminence nimbly, slipping over ledges and leaping theabysses. And Shibli Bagarag followed her, clutching at the trailers andtearing them with him, letting loose a torrent of stones and earth, tillon a sudden they stood together above a greenswarded basin of the rockopening to the sea; and in the middle of the basin, lo! in stature like amaiden of the mountains, and one that droopeth her head pensivelythinking of her absent lover, the Enchanted Lily. Wonder knocked at thebreast of Shibli Bagarag when he saw that queenly flower waving itsillumined head to the breeze: he could not retain a cry of rapture. Ashe did this the Princess stretched her hand to where he was and groped amoment, and caught him by the silken dress and tore in it a great rent,and by the rent he stood revealed to her. Then said she, 'O youth, thouhalt done ill to follow me here, and the danger of it is past computing;surely, the motive was a deep one, nought other than the love of me.'
She spoke winningly, sweet words to a luted voice, and the youth fellupon his knees before her, smitten by her beauty; and he said, 'Ifollowed thee here as I would follow s