This eBook was produced by David Widger <widger@cecomet.net>
[NOTE: There is a short list of bookmarks, or pointers, at the end of thefile for those who may wish to sample the author's ideas before making anentire meal of them. D.W.]
AN EGYPTIAN PRINCESS, Part 1.
By Georg Ebers
Three days before the time fixed for the departure of Nitetis, Rhodopishad invited a large number of guests to her house at Naukratis, amongstwhom Croesus and Gyges were included.
The two lovers had agreed to meet in the garden, protected by thedarkness and the old slave, while the guests were occupied at thebanquet. Melitta, therefore, having convinced herself that the guestswere thoroughly absorbed in conversation, opened the garden-gate,admitted the prince, brought Sappho to him, and then retired, promisingto warn them of any intruder by clapping her hands.
"I shall only have you near me three days longer," whispered Sappho."Do you know, sometimes it seems to me as if I had only seen youyesterday for the first time; but generally I feel as if you had belongedto me for a whole eternity, and I had loved you all my life."
"To me too it seems as if you had always been mine, for I cannot imaginehow I could ever have existed without you. If only the parting were overand we were together again!"
"Oh, believe me, that will pass more quickly than you fancy. Of courseit will seem long to wait—very long; but when it is over, and we aretogether again, I think it will seem as if we had never been parted. Soit has been with me every day. How I have longed for the morning to comeand bring you with it! but when it came and you were sitting by my side,I felt as if I had had you all the time and your hand had never left myhead."
"And yet a strange feeling of fear comes over me, when I think of ourparting hour."
"I do not fear it so very much. I know my heart will bleed when you sayfarewell, but I am sure you will come back and will not have forgottenme. Melitta wanted to enquire of the Oracle whether you would remainfaithful; and to question an old woman who has just come from Phrygia andcan conjure by night from drawn cords, with incense, styrax, moon-shapedcakes, and wild-briar leaves; but I would have none of this, for my heartknows better than the Pythia, the cords, or the smoke of sacrifice, thatyou will be true to me, and love me always."
"And your heart speaks the truth."
"But I have sometimes been afraid; and have blown into a poppy-leaf,and struck it, as the young girls here do. If it broke with a loud crackI was very happy, and cried, 'Ah! he will not forget!' but if the leaftore without a sound I felt sad. I dare say I did this a hundred times,but generally the leaf gave the wished-for sound, and I had much oftenerreason to be joyful than sad."
"May it be ever thus!"
"It must be! but dearest, do not speak so loudly; I see Knakias goingdown to the Nile for water and he will hear us."
"Well, I will speak low. There, I will stroke back your silky hair andwhisper in your ear 'I love you.' Could you understand?"
"My grandmother says that it is easy to understand what we like to hear;but if you had just whispered, 'I hate you,' your eyes would have told mewith a thousand glad voices that you loved me. Silent eyes are much moreeloquent than all the tongues in the world."
"If I could only speak the beautiful Greek language as yo