Achmed Abdullah

“ The feet of his soul were walking down the path of some tremendous, dazzling verity. The facts of the outer world touched him no longer with their hard, cutting edges. These facts were untrue; they were not; they were only the lying thoughts of the lying, lesser gods.
The poppy fumes whirled up, wreathing everything in floating vapors. They darkened the air with a solid, bloating shadow. ”

“ She is strong and high-breasted. She will bear you as many men-children as there are hairs in my queue."
"Your too-indulgent lips have pronounced words full of the most delicate beauty," replied Yung Han-Rai. "Alas, it grieves me, but I cannot accept. I am the very little and unimportant one. My ancestry is wretched, my manners deplorable, and my learning less than the shadow of nothing at all. The honor would be too great, O wise and older brother."
"It is my own justly despised family which will be exquisitely honored," replied the other, rising, and bowing deeply with clasped hands. ”

“ The first read: "Love—like moon-born clouds casting their tremulous shadows over stairs of rose-red jade!" The second: "Love—like little ghosts of May-time ruffling the river of heart's desire!" The third: "Love—like a hidden lute softly lilting behind a silken alcove!" ”

“ The folds of smoke joined over the lamp whose flame was hidden by a filagree screen of butterflies in green enamel.
"The opium will clear the clouds from our brains," continued the master of the house slowly. "It will purify our judgments, make our hearts more sensitive to beauty, and take away the tyrannical sensations of actual life—the sources, these, of all vulgar mistakes. Will you smoke again?"
"With pleasure."
Both men drew in the acrid fumes with all the strength of their lungs.
Yung Han-Rai smiled dreamily. ”

“ He entered, exchanged the customary Pekinese civilities, sipped his cup of wine, and smiled at his host who smiled back.
"Will you smoke?" asked the latter.
"Gladly."
"A pipe of jade, or a pipe of tortoise-shell with five yellow tassels?"
"Either would be too flattering for me. Are you not my brother, very wise and very old? And am I not the unworthy and very little one? Let me, I beseech you, smoke my old bamboo." ”

“ She, on the other hand, will make you a delightful wife. Her eyes are like sunbeams filtering their gold through the shadows of the pine woods. The mating-songs of all the birds are echoed in the harmony of her voice. ”

“ He looked about the room, dusty, grimy, bare of all furnishings except the narrow, wooden bunk where Yung Han-Rai lay stretched out, the bamboo pipe in his stiff fingers, and the small taboret with the smoker's paraphernalia which stood beside the bunk.
He touched the Chinese on the shoulder with his heavy hand.
"Looka here, Yung," he said. "I don't wanta pinch yer. Ye're a decent lad. I'm only gonna talk t' yer like a Dutch uncle, see? Yer gotta cut out the poppy, get me? Wottahell! Look at yerself! Look at this room! Doity and grimy, and not a stick o' furniture! Ain't yer ashamed o yerself? ”