Satin

“ If thou wilt be loved by me, therefore, make over to me by deed all thou hast—thy gold and thy silver, thy lands and houses, thy goods and all that belongs to thee. So that the house wherein I dwell may become thy house!"
And Satni, looking into the long black jewels of her eyes, forgot the worth of all that he possessed; and a scribe was summoned, and the scribe drew [Pg 12] up the deed giving to Thoutboui all the goods of Satni. ”

“ And Satni, gazing upon the witchery of her bosom, curved like ivory carving, rounded like the eggs of the ostrich, forgot his loving children; and the deed was written.... Even at that moment a messenger came, saying: "O Satni, thy children are below, and await thee." And he said: "Bid them ascend hither."
Then said Thoutboui: "Still will I test thee, since thou dost so desire. If thou wilt have my love, let thy children be put to death, lest at some future time they seek to claim that which thou hast given. So that the house in which I dwell may be thy house!" ”

“ Satni. I have no God. If there be a god, he is so great, so far from as, so utterly beyond our comprehension, that for us it is as though he did not exist. To believe that one of our actions, to believe that a prayer could act upon the will of God, is to belittle him, to deny him. He is himself incapable of a miracle; it would be to belie himself. Could he improve his work, he would not then have created it perfect from the first. He could not do it.
Rheou. Our ancient gods at least permitted hope.
Satni. Keep them.
Rheou. In the heart of Mieris, you have destroyed them. ”

“ Satni [looking behind him] Before which God do you still bow down?
Rheou. Before you. If you be not a God, you are the spirit of a God.
Satni. I do not understand your words.
Rheou. Who can call down thunderbolts from heaven, unless he be an envoy of the Gods?
Satni. I am no—
Rheou. 'Tis well, 'tis well. You would have us blind to your power of working miracles. After yesterday you can hide it no more. Henceforth, Satni, you must no longer confine your teaching to Mieris, to me, to your parents, Yaouma, to a few—henceforth you may speak to all, all ears are opened by this miracle. ”

“ Ammon has proclaimed to me that you are sincere! You are pardoned, on conditions which I shall presently impart. [Rheou bows and kneels down] Satni! [Satni stands up. He casts down his eyes, he is steeped in sorrow and shame] Satni, you have admitted and proclaimed the power of the gods, whom you dared to deny. You have bowed you down before them. Once, in the temple, you took the first priestly vows; your life is therefore sacred. But you stand now reproved. This very day you will quit Egypt. Withdraw from the Gods! ”

“ Everywhere, in niches of the walls, under trees, on pedestals at frequent corners, are idols, hideously ugly; red idols, idols with silver faces and stone bodies, some with mouths from ear to ear, big idols, little idols, the worst omnium gatherum imaginable. Sati, nothing visible but her curious silver face, beams over a black mother-hubbard sort of gown that conceals whatever she may possess in the way of a body ”

“ Stealthily Satiani unlocked them, and, falling on his knees by the couch, cried, "O God, take this soul unto Thyself!" loud enough to be heard by the impatient ears without the room. One sentence after another of this mockery of prayer came from his diabolical throat; and in less than ten seconds, amid the roaring of thunder, the flashing of lightning, the hissing rain, and the knocking at the door, there lay before him what seemed to be a corpse, white, still, silent, with purple lips. All the while, kneeling beside the couch, louder and louder did he pray. ”

“ I, the Prince Satni, son of King Ousirmari, do so love thee that I feel as one about to die.... If thou wilt love me as I desire, thou shalt have kingliest gifts; otherwise, know that I have the power to bury thee alive among the dead, so that none may ever see thee again. ”

“ Five members of the Coven at Crook of Devon in 1662 spoke of the Devil's head-gear: 'Sathan was in the likeness of a man with gray cloathes and ane blue bannet, having ane beard. Ane bonnie young lad with ane blue bonnet. Ane uncouth man with black clothes with ane hood on his head. Sathan had all the said times black coloured cloathes and ane blue bonnet being an unkie like man. Ane little man with ane blue bonnet on his head with rough gray cloathes on him.' [86] In 1662 in Connecticut Robert Sterne saw 'two black creatures like two Indians, but taller' ”

“ Satni. In spite of you, I will save you. [Yaouma goes up the stairway leading to the terrace. Satni stands on a bench and shouts to the crowd] Hear me, my brothers, I know of better Gods, of Gods who ask for no victims—
The People. They are false Gods!
Satni. They are better Gods—
Steward. Rheou! Rheou! bid him cease!
Rheou. No—let him speak.
Satni. I come to save you from error, to overthrow the idols, to teach you eternal truths—
An immense shout of acclamation drowns the rest of Satni's words, as Yaouma, who has appeared on the terrace above, stands with her arms raised to the setting sun. ”

“ Satni. I gave you the lie that you begged for. I wanted to lull your sorrows to sleep.
A Man. You have brought down on us the anger of the gods.
Another. The evils that crush us, 'tis you have let them loose on us.
All. Yes, yes! Liar! Curse you! Let him be accursed!
Satni. Curse me. You are right. I am guilty. I had not the strength to persevere; to lead you, in spite of your tears, to the summits I would lead you to. To still a few sobs, to give hope to some who were stricken, I worked the miracle; and, beholding that false miracle, you made submission. ”

“ The story alluded to by the poet is this;—"Daksha was the son of Brahma and father of Satí, whom, at the recommendation of the Rishis, or Sages, he espoused to Siva, but he was never wholly reconciled to the uncouth figure and practices of his son-in-law. Having undertaken to celebrate a solemn sacrifice, he invited all the Gods except Siva, which so incensed Satí, that she threw herself into the sacrificial fire."— (Wilson, Specimens of Hindu Theatre, Vol. II. p. 263.) The name of Satí meaning good, true, chaste woman, is the modern Suttee, as it is pronounced and corruptly written. ”

“ Sadik racked his brain to think who in the palace or in official life might be made the scapegoat, upon whom the dark spirit in the heart of the Khedive might be turned. His mean, colourless eyes wandered inquiringly over the crowd, as the mad dervishes, half-naked, some with masses of dishevelled hair, some with no hair at all, bleached, haggard, moaning and shrieking, threw themselves to the ground on the matting, while attendants pulled off their slippers and placed them under their heads, which lay face downwards. ”

“ Santi, who no longer considered them as kids, bargained with Girolino for three livres, and they being two fine ones, he bought them, rather to prevent some one else from having the bargain, paid Santi for them, and led him to the house of a cousin of his in the market-place, took him up stairs, saying to him, “what is the matter with you? are you not well? are you in any pain? how pale you look; will you have a glass of wine? why, thou art not the same man, how changed!” ”

“ The beautiful and faithful soul of Sati had indeed fled.
Then Nandi, her old attendant, set out swiftly for Kailash, to report to Siva what had happened. But as he did so, shaking in every limb, he turned round in the doorway and said, "If you, O Duksha, survive these deeds at all, may it be only with a goat's head on your human body!" In such great moments men see truly, even into the future. ”

“ So Satni took the book of Thoth, and, carrying a fork and stick in his hands and a lighted brazier upon his head, carried it to the Theban necropolis and into the tomb of Noferkephtah. And Ahouri clapped her hands, and smiled to see the light again return. And Noferkephtah laughed, saying: "Did I not tell thee beforehand?" "Aye!" said Ahouri, "thou wert enchanted, O Satni!" But Satni, prostrating himself before Noferkephtah, asked how he might make atonement. ”

“ Satni. Yaouma! Yaouma! One word! One look of farewell! Yaouma! 'Tis I, Satni! Look on me!
The acclamations drown his voice. Yaouma is wrapped in her soul's dream. She passes without hearing Satni's voice. The crowd follows her.
Mieris [to Delethi who supports her] Lead me to Satni—go— [To Satni] Satni, your words have sunk deep in my heart—Yaouma, they tell me, did not hear your voice. She is lost in the joy of sacrifice. The need to make sacrifice is in us all. If the gods are not, to whom shall we sacrifice ourselves? ”

“ One day, whilst out hunting, he happened to pass a funeral pyre, upon which a Brahman’s widow had just become Sati (a holy woman) with the greatest fortitude. On his return home he related the adventure to Sita Rani, his spouse, and she at once made reply that virtuous women die with their husbands, killed by the fire of grief, not by the flames of the pile. To prove her truth the prince, after an affectionate farewell, rode forth to the chase, and presently sent back the suite with his robes torn and stained, to report his accidental death. ”

“ Satni. Yours do not exist.
The People [terrified at the blasphemy] Oh!
A Man. Why do you lead us away from our gods, if you have no others to give us?
Another. You shall not insult our gods!
Another. We will hand you over to the priests lest the gods smite us for hearing you!
Another. Ammon will chastise us!
Satni. No.
A Man. Isis will abandon us!
Satni. It will not make you more wretched.
Another. Then show us you are stronger than our gods.
Mieris. A miracle!
Rheou. He is stronger than our gods!} Yaouma. A miracle or I die!} [Together]
Satni. You demand it! You demand a miracle. ”

“ When Satanta had finished, a murmur of approval, [76] in satisfied grunts, arose from the other Indians; and even the officers exchanged words of admiration. Satanta had made a great speech.
“Tell him,” quoth General Hancock, to Romeo, “that we have heard, and are glad to know that he is our friend. We do not come in war, but in peace. Tell him that in token of our friendship we give him the uniform of a great white chief.”
At a sign by the general another officer brought forward, to Satanta, the coat and sash and hat of a major-general. ”

“ Rheou. [to Satni] Satni, can you still refuse?
Satni. You torture me! No, I will not be credited with power that is not mine; to stir men up against their fellows—I would not kill, I tell you.
Mieris. I understand you, Satni—it is wrong to kill!—But look once more upon me—I am poor [Pg 168] now, I am going away, will you not consent to heal me?
Satni [anguished] Mieris—Could I have healed you, would it not be done already?
Mieris. You can do it! I know you can do it! Work a miracle.
Yaouma. A miracle! Show that your god is more powerful than our gods.
A Man [who has just entered] Heal us! ”

“ Saton said softly—“is she also your ward? You are related to her, perhaps?”
“She is the woman I love,” Rochester answered. “Our ways through life may lie apart, or fate may bring them together. That is not your business or your concern. When I tell you that she is the woman I love, I mean you to understand that she is the woman whom I will protect against all manner of evil, now and always. Remember that if you disregard my warning, in the spirit or in the letter, so surely as we two live you will repent it.” ”

“ Satni [bowing before Rheou] Rheou, I salute you!
Rheou. What do I behold! Satni—'tis you—
Pakh. My son!
Satni [kneeling] Father!
Pakh. 'Twas you!—you, who came that way, despite the scarabs?
Satni. It was I.
Pakh. You know then some magic words, I do not doubt; but I—I who saw them—I must needs go purify myself before the prayer—to-day is the feast of the Nomination—did you know? ”

“ Then said the Lady Una: “Tell me now whether you have seen or heard aught of the champion whom I am seeking? He bears a red cross on his armour.” The old man answered: “Fair lady, truly I have seen such an one with these eyes, and a sorry sight it was, for he lay dead upon the ground.” When the Lady Una heard these words she fell to the earth in a swoon. When Satyrane with much care had brought her back to life, she said: “Friend, tell me all that you know; one who has borne the greater pain may well endure the less.” ”

“ Sāstri is recorded in my notes as a title of Dēvāngas.
Sātāni.—The Sātānis are described in the Madras Census Report, 1891, as “a class of temple servants very much like the Mālis of Bengal. The word Sātāni is a corrupt form of Sāttādavan, which, literally means one who does not wear (the sacred thread and tuft of hair) . For temple services Rāmānuja classed Vaishnavites into Sāttinavan and Sāttādavan. The former are invariably Brāhmans, and the latter Sūdras. Hence Sātāni is the professional name given to a group of the Vaishnava creed. ”

“ Monsieur de Santillane, said he with a smile on the close of my narrative, I perceive that hitherto you have had your principles to choose. My lord, answered I, coloring up to the eyes, your excellency enjoined me to deal sincerely, and I have complied with your orders. I take your doing so in good part, replied he. It is all very well, my good fellow: you have escaped from the snares of this wicked world more by luck than management: it is wonderful that bad example should not have corrupted you irreparably. ”

“ Who but this idol can raise his hands to God? If thou wilt, tarry here to-night, so that to-morrow the mystery of this may become known to thee.”
The night was as long as the Day of Judgment; the fire-worshippers around me prayed without ablution. In the morning, they came again into the temple, and I was sick with anger and confused from lack of sleep. Suddenly, the idol raised its arm; and later, when the crowd had left, the Brahmin looked smilingly towards me, saying:
“I know that now thou wilt have no doubts; truth has become manifest, falsehood remaineth not.” ”