Obsidian

“ This course, they urged, presented a double advantage: on the one hand they would be sure of speedy assistance from their friends; and on the other, in that barren country, the numerous army of the enemy must needs be reduced to great scarcity. But Abu Obeidah, fearing lest such a retreat might by the caliph be interpreted cowardice in him, durst not approve of this advice. Others preferred to die in the defence of those stately buildings, fruitful fields, and pleasant meadows they had won by the sword, than voluntarily to return to their former starving condition. ”

“ Why should he not become the King of the Arician Grove? ‘The king is always a runaway slave.’ Those words of Ofellus rang in his ear. He was regaining strength. He was swift of foot. His gladiatorial training had taught him how to wield a sword. If Christ had forsaken him, why should not he forsake Christ? What mattered it that he would soon be murdered in his turn? For a few years, at any rate, he might keep his life, and be in honour, and share in gay festivals. ”

“ Abu Obeidah selected thirty men to go with him, and bade them not to despise their commander because of the meanness of his condition, he being a slave, and swore, that but for the care of the whole army, which lay upon him, he would be the first man that should go under him upon such an enterprise. To which they answered with entire submission and profound respect. Dames, who lay hid at no great distance, went out several times, and brought in with him five or six Greeks, but never a man of them understood one word of Arabic, which made him angry, and say, “God curse these dogs! ”

“ Therefore he would give the command of the army to Abu Obeidah, whom he knew to be a man of a tender and gentle disposition, and one that would be kind to the Mussulmans. “He did not approve of Kaled,” he said, “because he was prodigal and extravagant;” adding, “I would not have your enemies think that it is at all the better for them because I have deposed a fierce man, and put a mild one in his place, for God will be with him, to assist and strengthen him.” Upon this he came down from the pulpit, and taking a sheet of parchment, wrote to Abu Obeidah a long letter, full of good advice. ”

“ Maximus of Tyre, and Apollonius of Rhodes, following Orpheus, speak of the war of the gods against the angels who rebelled under their chief Ophion, or the Serpent, and Pherecydes, according to Origen, sang of this event as having taken place in pre-historic times; so that the knowledge of it could only have reached man by revelation. He described the two armies face to face,—one commanded by Saturn, the supreme Creator; the other by Ophioneus, the old Dragon, and the defeat of the latter and its expulsion from the realms of bliss to Ogenos, the regions of annihilation. ”

“ But he turned a deaf ear to them, for he had rather take the town by force, and put the inhabitants to the sword, and let his Saracens have the plunder, than that they should surrender, and have security for their lives and their property. But Abu Obeidah was of a quite different disposition, a well-meaning, merciful man, who had rather at all times that they should surrender, and become tributaries, than be exposed to any extremity ”

“ And now, just about to return the 181 V. 95-123 dart drawn from his body, he falls sinking down upon his limbs void of blood. Here, too, Odytes, the next in rank among the followers of Cepheus, after the king, lies prostrate under the sword of Clymenus; Hypseus kills Protenor, and Lyncides Hypseus. There is, too, among them the aged Emathion, an observer of justice, and a fearer of the Gods; as his years prevent him from fighting, he engages by talking, and he condemns and utters imprecations against their accursed arms. ”

“ When Abu Obeidah came before it, he resolved to be=siege it closely. Mead Ebn Jabal told Abu Obeidah that he knew the town was so crowded, that the people were almost treading one upon another, and he thought it could scarce contain them all; adding, “If we hold on against it, we hope, at last, God will deliver it into the hands of the Mussulmans; for God will not cease to give the earth for an inheritance to his servants the saints; because he has said, ‘We have written in the Psalms, that my servants the saints shall inherit the earth.” ”

“ Nor let Adonis, bewailed by Venus, 711 escape you; and the seventh holy-day observed by the Jew of Syria. 712 Nor fly from the Memphian temples of Isis the linen-wearing heifer; she has made many a woman 713 that which she was herself to Jove. Even the Courts, (who would have believed it?) are favourable to Love; and oft in the noisy Forum has the flame been found. Where the erection 714 of Appius, 715 adjoining the temple of Venus, built of marble, beats the air with its shooting stream ”

“ But neither Juno, bridal goddess, nor Hymen, nor the Graces were present at that wedding. The Furies lighted them with torches stolen from a funeral; the Furies spread the couch, and the uncanny screech-owl brooded and sat on the roof of their chaber. Under this omen were Procne and Tereus wedded; under this omen was their child conceived. Thrace, indeed, rejoiced with them, and they themselves gave thanks to the gods; both the day on which Pandion's daughter was married to their illustrious king, and that day on which Itys was born, they made a festival: even so is our true advantage hidden. ”

“ But a greater boon than what you ask, my Jason, will I try to give. By my art and not your years I will try to renew your father's long span of life, if only the three-formed goddess will help me and grant her present aid in this great deed which I dare attempt." There were yet three nights before the horns of the moon would meet and make the round orb. When the moon shone at her fullest and looked down upon the earth with unbroken shape, Medea went forth from her house clad in flowing robes, barefoot, her hair unadorned and streaming down her shoulders ”

“ It will be seen above, that since African charms are to prevent evil, and others to procure it, the first belong to the worship, and are derived from the power, of the good spirit; and the second are from the opposite source. It is to be concluded, then, that the superstition of Obi is no other than the practice of, and belief in the worship of Obboney or Oboni, the evil deity of the Africans, the serpent of Africa and of Europe, and the old serpent and Satan of the scriptures; and that the witchcraft of the negroes is evidently the same with our own. ”

“ Jupiter had seen Io as she was returning from her father’s stream, and had said, “O maid, worthy of Jove, and destined to make I know not whom happy in thy marriage, repair to the shades of this lofty grove (and he pointed at the shade of the grove) while it is warm, and while the Sun is at his height, in the midst of his course. But if thou art afraid to enter the lonely abodes of the wild beasts alone, thou shalt enter the recesses of the groves, safe under the protection of a God, and that a God of no common sort; but with me, who hold the sceptre of heaven in my powerful hand ”

“ But Rafi Ebn Omeirah perceiving this, called out to them with a loud voice, and said, “What! don’t you know, that whosoever turns his back upon his enemies, offends God and his prophet? Has not the prophet declared that the gates of paradise should be open to none but such as fought for religion? Come on! I’ll go before you. If your captain be dead or taken prisoner, yet your God is alive, and sees what you do.” With these words he restored the battle. In the meantime news came to Kaled that Derar was taken. Upon which he immediately consulted Abu Obeidah as to what was best to be done. ”

“ The stars all flee away, and the morning star closes their ranks as, last of all, he departs from his watch-tower in the sky.
When Titan saw him setting and the world grow red, and the slender horns of the waning moon fading from sight, he bade the swift Hours to yoke his steeds. The goddesses quickly did his bidding, and led the horses from the lofty stalls, breathing forth fire and filled with ambrosial food, and they put upon them the clanking bridles. Then the father anointed his son's face with a sacred ointment, and made it proof against the devouring flames ”

“ And I, who despise Jove, and the heavens, and the piercing lightnings, dread thee, daughter of Nereus; than the lightnings is thy wrath more dreadful to me. But I should be more patient under these slights, if thou didst avoid all men. For why, rejecting the Cyclop, dost thou love Acis? And why prefer Acis to my embraces? Yet, let him please himself, and let him please thee, too, Galatea, though I wish he could not; if only the opportunity is given, he shall find that I have strength proportioned to a body so vast. I will pull out his palpitating entrails ”

“ The king's daughters, as they were bid, entered his chamber with the Colchian and stood 865 METAMORPHOSES BOOK VII around his bed. " Why do you hesitate now, you laggards?" Medea said. "Come, draw your swords, and let out his old blood that I may refill his empty veins with young blood again. In your own hands rests your father's life and youth filial love, and if the hopes are not vain that you are cherishing, come, do your duty by your father; drive out age at your weapon's point; let out his enfeebled blood with the stroke of the steel." ”

“ Then they went about burying their martyrs, as they call them, and put them into the ground, all bloody as they were, their clothes, arms, and all together. For Abu Obeidah had said, that he had heard the apostle of God say, that “The martyrs and those who are killed in the service of God shall be raised at the day of judgment with their blood upon their throats, which shall have the colour of blood, but the smell of musk, and they shall be led directly into paradise, without being called to an account.” ”

“ To her the Divinity said, "Lo! I come to thee a more constant lover; damsel of Gnossus, lay aside thy fear, the wife of Bacchus shalt thou be. Receive heaven as my gift: a conspicuous Constellation in the heavens, full oft, Cretan Diadem, 793 shalt thou direct the veering bark." Thus he said; and he leapt from the chariot, that she might not be in dread of the tigers; the sand yielded to his foot placed upon it. And folding her in his bosom he bore her off; for to struggle she was unable: how easy 'tis for a God to be able to do anything. ”

“ Fear not, we are with thee, and of nothing of our souls will we be niggardly for thy sake, and all that thou hast done that too would we have done; and one such as is this knight were more worthy our possessing than all else in the world, for he is without guile and without blemish; —then Alia, hearing this, her heart was quieted, and she arose full of joy, and bent down and kissed the hands of Abu Zeyd. And all the damsels in like manner kissed his hands. And they undid their veils before him to the right and to the left. And Alia bade them bring meats in dishes, and the damsels brought them. ”

“ All the Deities stand around the Sun, as he says such things; and they entreat him, with suppliant voice, not to determine to bring darkness over the world. Jupiter, as well, excuses the hurling of his lightnings, and imperiously adds threats to entreaties. Phœbus calls together his steeds, maddened and still trembling with terror, and, subduing them, vents his fury both with whip and lash; for he is furious, and upbraids them with his son, and charges his death upon them. ”

“ There,—no woman's foot is seen upon the Serpent's head! There,—no woman usurps the place of the all-glorious Redeemer!
In Ophiuchus we see Him in dread conflict with the Serpent, and we see His foot upon the Scorpion's heart (Scorpio) . We see Him, the Risen Lamb (Aries) , binding Cetus, the great Monster of the Deep; we see Him in the glorious Orion, whose foot is coming down on the enemy's head (Lepus) ; we see Him in the Lion of the Tribe of Judah (Leo) , about to tread down that Old Serpent (Hydra) the Devil ”

“ I ask no reward save only you. Take as the pledge of my love this purple lock, and know that I am giving to you not a lock, but my father's life." And in her sin-stained hand she held out the prize to him Minos recoiled from the proffered gift, and, in horror at the sight of so unnatural an act, he replied: < May the gods banish you from their world, O foul disgrace of our age May both land and sea be denied to you! Be sure that I shall not permit so vile a monster to set foot on Crete, my world, the cradle of Jove's infancy. ”

“ Thence, swimming with his huge hands through the Etrurian seas, Glaucus arrived at the grass-clad hills, and the halls of Circe, the daughter of the Sun, filled with various wild beasts. Soon as he beheld her, after salutations were given and received, he said, “Do thou, a Goddess, have compassion on me a God; for thou alone (should I only seem deserving of it,) art able to relieve this passion of mine. Daughter of Titan, by none is it better known how great is the power of herbs, than by me, who have been transformed by their agency ”

“ Five hundred travellers conducted by the Obushy met a spirit, who, in order to frighten them, appeared in the most terrible and disgusting forms, and asked them: "Have you ever seen such monsters?" "We have more dreadful ones," answered the Obushy. "Who are they?" "All who are envious, greedy, lying, and revengful; after death they become monsters, much more terrible and disgusting than these." The spirit hid himself and changed into such a lean and gaunt man that the veins stuck to his bones, and then appeared again to the travellers and said: "Have you such people?" ”