{"id":195,"date":"2013-07-13T01:26:31","date_gmt":"2013-07-13T01:26:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/localhost\/?p=195"},"modified":"2013-07-13T01:26:31","modified_gmt":"2013-07-13T01:26:31","slug":"19-the-viziers-of-bassora-act-4-sc-3-vol-07-collected-plays-part-ii-volume-07","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/01-works-of-sri-aurobindo\/01-sabcl\/07-collected-plays-part-ii-volume-07\/19-the-viziers-of-bassora-act-4-sc-3-vol-07-collected-plays-part-ii-volume-07","title":{"rendered":"-19_The Viziers of Bassora Act-4 Sc-3.htm"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n
\n
\n
\n

\n
\nSCENE III <\/font><\/b><\/span>\n\t<\/div>\n

\n

\n <\/div>\n

\n

\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\nThe Gardens outside the Pavilion.
\nHaroun al Rasheed, Mesrour.<\/i><\/font> <\/font><\/p>\n

\n\tH<\/font>AROUN
\n\tAL <\/font>R<\/font>ASHEED
\n\t<\/font>\n<\/p>\n

\nSee, Mesrour; the Pavilion’s all alight<\/font><\/p>\n

\n.
\n‘Tis as I said. Where is the Barmeky?<\/font> <\/font><\/p>\n

\n\tM<\/font>ESROUR<\/font><\/p>\n

\nThe Vizier comes, my lord.<\/font>
\n<\/font><\/p>\n

\nEnter Jaafar.<\/i><\/font>
\n<\/font><\/p>\n

\n\tJ<\/font>AAFAR
\n\t<\/font>\n<\/p>\n

\nPeace be with thee,
\nCommander of the Faithful.<\/font> <\/font><\/p>\n

\n\tH<\/font>AROUN
\n\tAL <\/font>R<\/font>ASHEED
\n\t<\/font>\n<\/p>\n

\nWhere is peace,
\nThou faithless and usurping Vizier ? Hast thou
\nFilched my Bagdad out of my hands, thou rebel,
\nAnd told me nothing?<\/font> <\/font><\/p>\n

\n\tJ<\/font>AAFAR
\n\t<\/font>\n<\/p>\n

\nWhat words are these, O Caliph?<\/font>
\n<\/font><\/p>\n

\n\tH<\/font>AROUN
\n\tAL <\/font>R<\/font>ASHEED
\n\t<\/font>\n<\/p>\n

\nWhat mean these lights then ? Does another Caliph
\nHold revel in my Palace of all Pleasure,
\nWhile Haroun lives and holds the sword ?<\/font>
\n<\/font><\/p>\n

\n\tJ<\/font>AAFAR
\n\t<\/font>(to himself)<\/i><\/font><\/p>\n

\nWhat Djinn<\/font>
\n<\/font><\/p>\n

\nPlays me this antic?<\/font>
\n<\/font><\/p>\n

\n\tHAROUN AL <\/font>RASHEED
\n\t<\/font><\/font>\n<\/p>\n

\nI am waiting. Vizier.<\/font>
\n<\/font><\/p>\n

\nPage \u2013 687<\/font><\/p>\n

\n

\n\tJ<\/font>AAFAR
\n\t<\/font>\n<\/p>\n

\nShaikh Ibrahim, my lord, petitioned me,
\nOn circumcision of his child, for use
\nOf the pavilion. Lord, it had escaped
\nMy memory, I now remember it.<\/font> <\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n\tHAROUN AL <\/font>RASHEED
\n\t<\/font><\/font>\n<\/p>\n

\nDoubly thou erredst, Jaafar, for thou gavest him
\nNo money, which was the significance
\nOf his request, neither wouldst suffer me
\nTo help my servant. <\/b> We will enter. Vizier,
\nAnd hear the grave Faqueers discoursing there
\nOf venerable things. The Shaikh’s devout
\nAnd much affects their reverend company.
\nWe too shall profit by that holy talk
\nWhich arms us against sin and helps to heaven.<\/font>
\n<\/font><\/p>\n

\n\tJ<\/font>AAFAR
\n\t<\/font>(to himself)<\/i><\/font>
\n\t<\/font>\n<\/p>\n

\nHelps to the plague! (aloud)<\/i> Commander of the Faithful,
\nYour mighty presence will disturb their peace
\nWith awe or quell their free unhampered spirits.<\/font>
\n<\/font><\/p>\n

\n\tH<\/font>AROUN AL
\n\t<\/font>R<\/font>ASHEED<\/font><\/p>\n

\nAt least Fid see them.<\/font>
\n<\/font><\/p>\n

\n\tM<\/font>ESROUR
\n\t<\/font>\n<\/p>\n

\nFrom this tower, my lord,
\nWe can look straight into the whole pavilion.<\/font>
\n<\/font><\/p>\n

\n\tH<\/font>AROUN
\n\tAL <\/font>R<\/font>ASHEED<\/font><\/p>\n

\nMesrour, well thought of!<\/font>
\n<\/font><\/p>\n

\n\tJ<\/font>AAFAR
\n\t<\/font>(aside to Mesrour)<\/i><\/font>
\n\t<\/font>\n<\/p>\n

\nA blister spoil thy tongue!<\/font>
\n<\/font><\/p>\n

\n\tM<\/font>ESROUR
\n\t<\/font>(aside to Jaafar)<\/i><\/font><\/p>\n

\nI’ll head you, Jaafar.<\/font>
\n<\/font><\/p>\n

\nPage \u2013 688<\/font><\/p>\n

\n

\n\tH<\/font>AROUN AL
\n\t<\/font>R<\/font>ASHEED
\n\t<\/font>(listening)<\/i><\/font>
\n\t<\/font>\n<\/p>\n

\nIs not that a lute ?
\nA lute at such a grave and reverend meeting!<\/font>
\n<\/font><\/p>\n

\nShaikh Ibrahim sings within.<\/i><\/font>
\n<\/font><\/p>\n

\nChink-a-chunk-a-chink!<\/font>
\n<\/font><\/p>\n

\nWe will kiss and drink,<\/font><\/p>\n

\nAnd be merry, O very very merry.<\/font>
\n<\/font><\/p>\n

\nFor your eyes are bright<\/font>
\n<\/font><\/p>\n

\nEven by candle light<\/font><\/p>\n

\nAnd your lips as red as the red round cherry.<\/font>
\n<\/font><\/p>\n

\n\tH<\/font>AROUN
\n\tAL <\/font>R<\/font>ASHEED
\n\t<\/font>\n<\/p>\n

\nNow by the Prophet! by my great forefathers!<\/font>
\n<\/font><\/p>\n

\nHe rushes into the tower\/allowed by Mesrour.<\/i><\/font>
\n<\/font><\/p>\n

\n\tJ<\/font>AAFAR
\n\t<\/font>\n<\/p>\n

\nMay the devil fly away with Shaikh Ibrahim and drop him upon
\na hill of burning brimstone!<\/font> <\/font><\/p>\n

\nHe follows the Caliph, who now appears with
\nMesrour on the platform of the tower.<\/i><\/font>
\n<\/font><\/p>\n

\n\tH<\/font>AROUN
\n\tAL <\/font>R<\/font>ASHEED
\n\t<\/font>\n<\/p>\n

\nHo, Jaafar, see this godly ceremony
\nThou gav’st permission for, and these fair Faqueers.<\/font>
\n<\/font><\/p>\n

\n\tJ<\/font>AAFAR<\/font><\/p>\n

\nShaikh Ibrahim has utterly deceived me.<\/font>
\n<\/font><\/p>\n

\n\tH<\/font>AROUN
\n\tAL <\/font>R<\/font>ASHEED
\n\t<\/font>\n<\/p>\n

\nThe aged hypocrite! Who are this pair
\nOf heavenly faces ? Was there then such beauty
\nIn my Bagdad, yet Haroun’s eyes defrauded
\nOf seeing it ?<\/font> <\/font><\/p>\n

\n\tJ<\/font>AAFAR
\n\t<\/font>\n<\/p>\n

\nThe girl takes up the lute.<\/font>
\n<\/font> <\/p>\n

\nPage \u2013 689<\/font><\/p>\n

\n

\n\tHAROUN AL <\/font>RASHEED
\n\t<\/font><\/font>\n<\/p>\n

\nNow if she play and sing divinely, Jaafar,
\nYou shall be hanged alone for your offence,
\nIf badly, all you four shall swing together.<\/font>
\n<\/font><\/p>\n

\n\tJ<\/font>AAFAR<\/font><\/p>\n

\nI hope she will play vilely.<\/font>
\n<\/font><\/p>\n

\n\tH<\/font>AROUN
\n\tAL <\/font>R<\/font>ASHEED
\n\t<\/font>\n<\/p>\n

\nWherefore, Jaafar?<\/font>
\n<\/font><\/p>\n

\n\tJ<\/font>AAFAR
\n\t<\/font>\n<\/p>\n

\nI ever loved good company, my lord,
\nAnd would not tread my final road alone.<\/font>
\n<\/font><\/p>\n

\n\tH<\/font>AROUN
\n\tAL <\/font>R<\/font>ASHEED
\n\t<\/font>\n<\/p>\n

\nNo, when thou goest that road, my faithful servant,
\nWell do I hope that we shall walk together.<\/font>
\n<\/font><\/p>\n

\n\tA<\/font>NICE<\/font>-A<\/font>LJALICE
\n\t<\/font>(within)<\/i><\/font>
\n\t<\/font>\n<\/p>\n

\nSong
\n<\/i>King of my heart, wilt thou adore me,<\/font>
\n<\/font><\/p>\n

\nCall me goddess, call me thine ?<\/font><\/p>\n

\nI too will bow myself before thee<\/font>
\n<\/font><\/p>\n

\nAs in a shrine,<\/font><\/p>\n

\nTill we with mutual adoration
\nAnd holy earth-defeating passion<\/font> <\/font><\/p>\n

\nDo really grow divine.<\/font>
\n<\/font><\/p>\n

\n\tH<\/font>AROUN
\n\tAL <\/font>R<\/font>ASHEED
\n\t<\/font>\n<\/p>\n

\nThe mighty Artist shows his delicate cunning
\nUtterly in this fair creature. I will talk
\nWith the rare couple.<\/font> <\/font><\/p>\n

\n\tJ<\/font>AAFAR
\n\t<\/font>\n<\/p>\n

\nNot in your own dread person,
\nOr fear will make them dumb.<\/font> <\/font><\/p>\n

\nPage \u2013 690<\/font><\/p>\n

\n

\n\tHAROUN AL <\/font>RASHEED
\n\t<\/font><\/font>\n<\/p>\n

\nI’ll go disguised.
\nAre there not voices by the river, Jaafar ?
\nFishermen, I would wager. My commands
\nAre well obeyed in my Bagdad, O Vizier!
\nBut I have seen too much beauty and cannot now
\nRemember to be angry. Come, descend.<\/font> <\/font><\/p>\n

\nAs they descend, enter Kareem.<\/i><\/font>
\n<\/font><\/p>\n

\n\tK<\/font>AREEM
\n\t<\/font>\n<\/p>\n

\nHere’s a fine fat haul! O my jumpers! my little beauties!
\nO your
\nfine white bellies! What a joke, to catch the Caliph’s own fish and
\nsell them to him at thrice their value!<\/font>
\n<\/font><\/p>\n

\n\tH<\/font>AROUN AL
\n\t<\/font>R<\/font>ASHEED<\/font><\/p>\n

\nWho art thou?<\/font>
\n<\/font><\/p>\n

\n\tK<\/font>AREEM
\n\t<\/font>\n<\/p>\n

\nO Lord, ’tis the Caliph himself! I am a dead fisherman, (falling
\nflat)<\/i> O Commander of the Faithful! Alas, I am an honest
\nfisherman. <\/font><\/p>\n

\n\tH<\/font>AROUN
\n\tAL <\/font>R<\/font>ASHEED
\n\t<\/font>\n<\/p>\n

\nDost thou lament thy honesty?
\nWhat fish hast thou?<\/font> <\/font><\/p>\n

\n\tK<\/font>AREEM
\n\t<\/font>\n<\/p>\n

\nOnly a few whitebait and one or two minnows. Poor thin rogues,
\nall of them! They are not fit for the Caliph’s honourable stomach.<\/font>
\n<\/font><\/p>\n

\n\tH<\/font>AROUN
\n\tAL <\/font>R<\/font>ASHEED
\n\t<\/font>\n<\/p>\n

\nShow me thy basket, man.
\nAre these thy whitebait and thy two thin minnows ?<\/font>
\n<\/font><\/p>\n

\n\tK<\/font>AREEM<\/font><\/p>\n

\nAlas, sir, ’tis because I am honest.<\/font>
\n<\/font><\/p>\n

\nPage \u2013 691<\/font><\/p>\n

\n

\n\tHAROUN AL <\/font>RASHEED
\n\t<\/font><\/font>\n<\/p>\n

\nGive me thy fish.<\/font>
\n<\/font><\/p>\n

\n\tK<\/font>AREEM
\n\t<\/font>\n<\/p>\n

\nHere they are, here they are, my lord!<\/font>
\n<\/font><\/p>\n

\n\tHAROUN AL <\/font>RASHEED
\n\t<\/font><\/font>\n<\/p>\n

\nOut! the whole basket, fellow.
\nDo I eat live fish, you thrust them in my face ?
\nAnd now exchange thy outer dress with me.<\/font>
\n<\/font><\/p>\n

\n\tK<\/font>AREEM
\n\t<\/font>\n<\/p>\n

\nMy dress ? Well, you may have it: I am liberal as well as honest.
\nBut ’tis a good gaberdine; I pray you, be careful of it.<\/font> 
\n<\/font><\/p>\n

\n\tH<\/font>AROUN
\n\tAL <\/font>R<\/font>ASHEED
\n\t<\/font>\n<\/p>\n

\nWoe to thee, fellow! What’s this filthiness
\nThou call’st a garment?<\/font> <\/font><\/p>\n

\n\tK<\/font>AREEM
\n\t<\/font>\n<\/p>\n

\nO sir, when you have worn it ten days, the filth will come easy to
\nyou and, as one may say, natural. And ’tis honest filth; it will
\nkeep you warm in winter.<\/font> <\/font><\/p>\n

\n\tH<\/font>AROUN AL
\n\t<\/font>R<\/font>ASHEED<\/font><\/p>\n

\nWhat, shall I wear thy gaberdine so long?<\/font>
\n<\/font><\/p>\n

\n\tK<\/font>AREEM
\n\t<\/font>\n<\/p>\n

\nCommander of the Faithful! Since you are about to leave king-craft and follow an honest living for the good of your soul, you
\nmay wear worse than an honest fisherman’s gaberdine. ‘Tis a
\ngood craft and an honourable. <\/font><\/p>\n

\n\tH<\/font>AROUN
\n\tAL <\/font>R<\/font>ASHEED
\n\t<\/font>\n<\/p>\n

\nOff with thee. In my dress thou’lt find a purse
\nCrammed full of golden pieces. It is thine.<\/font>
\n<\/font><\/p>\n

\nPage \u2013 692<\/font><\/p>\n

\n

\n\tK<\/font>AREEM<\/font><\/p>\n

\nGlory to Allah! This comes of being honest.<\/font>
\n<\/font><\/p>\n

\nExit.<\/i><\/font>
\n<\/font><\/p>\n

\n\tJ<\/font>AAFAR
\n\t<\/font>(coming up)<\/i><\/font>
\n\t<\/font>\n<\/p>\n

\nWho’s this? Ho, Kareem! wherefore here tonight?
\nThe Caliph’s in the garden. You’ll be thrashed
\nAnd very soundly, fisher.<\/font> <\/font><\/p>\n

\n\tH<\/font>AROUN
\n\tAL <\/font>R<\/font>ASHEED
\n\t<\/font>\n<\/p>\n

\nJaafar, ’tis I.<\/font>
\n<\/font><\/p>\n

\n\tJ<\/font>AAFAR<\/font><\/p>\n

\nThe Caliph?<\/font>
\n<\/font><\/p>\n

\n\tH<\/font>AROUN
\n\tAL <\/font>R<\/font>ASHEED
\n\t<\/font>\n<\/p>\n

\nNow to fry these fish and enter.<\/font>
\n<\/font><\/p>\n

\n\tJ<\/font>AAFAR<\/font><\/p>\n

\nGive them to me. I am a wondrous cook.<\/font>
\n<\/font><\/p>\n

\n\tH<\/font>AROUN
\n\tAL <\/font>R<\/font>ASHEED
\n\t<\/font>\n<\/p>\n

\nNo, by the Prophet! My two lovely friends
\nShall eat a Caliph’s cookery tonight.<\/font> <\/font><\/p>\n

\nExeunt.<\/i><\/font>
\n<\/font>\n\t\t<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

SCENE III     The Gardens outside the Pavilion. Haroun al Rasheed, Mesrour. HAROUN AL RASHEED See, Mesrour; the Pavilion’s all alight . ‘Tis as…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-195","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-07-collected-plays-part-ii-volume-07","wpcat-6-id"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/195","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=195"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/195\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=195"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=195"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=195"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}