-
Articles/Ads
Article AN ORIENTAL FABLE. ← Page 2 of 3 →
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
An Oriental Fable.
man a heart susceptible of virtue , and a soul capable of tasting the p leasures which arise from doing good . A noble and disinterested action must , somewhere , meet with its reward . Listen , O ! sons of Adam , listen to my faithful tale ! In one of those delightful vallies , which cut the chain ofthe mountains in Arabia , for a long time lived a rich pastor . He was happybecause he was contentand his happiness consisted in doing
, , good . One day , as he was walking on the enamelled borders of a torrent , under the shade of a grove of palm trees , which extended their verdant branches even to the heads ofthe lofty cedars , with which the top of the mountain was crowned , he heard a voice which frequently echoed into the valley the most piercing cries , and sometimes low murmuring plaints , which were lost in the noise
ofthe torrent . The venerable pastor hastened to the place'from whence the voice proceeded : he saw a young man , prostrate ' .. 1 the sand at the foot of a rock : his garments were torn , and his hair in wild confusion covered his face , on which were easily to be traced the flowers of beauty faded by grief . Ttcrs , -trickled down his cheeks , and his
head was sunk ou his bosom : lie appeared like the rose , which the rude blasts of a storm has levelled to the earth . ' The pastor was touched at the sig ht . He approached the yonth , and said to him , " O , child of grief , hasten to my arms ! let me press to my bosom " the offspring of despair !" The youth lifted up his head in mournful silence . With
astonishment he fixed his eyes on the pastor ; for he supposed no human being was capable of feeling for his sufferings . The sight of so venerable a figure inspired him with confidence , and he perceived in his eyes the tear of pity , and the fire of generosity . If to a generous sou ] it is pleasure to complain , and unfold the injured secrets ofthe heart , that pleasure surely must be heightened , when we complain to thosewho will not shut theirears to the voice of truthbut will
, , weigh every thing in the scale of reason , even though those truths may be disagreeable , and such as they wish to have no existence . The youth rose up , covered with dust , and , as he flew to the arms of the pastor , uttered cries , which the neighbouring mountains trebly echoed . " O , my father ! ( said he ) O my father ! " when he had a little recovered himself , after the tender embraces and the
wise counsels ofthe old man , who asked him many questions . " It is ( continued the unfortunate youth ) behind those lofty ce" dars , which you behold on those hig h mountains , it is there dwells " Shel-Adar , the father of Fatima . The abode of my father is not " far distant from thence . Fatima is the most beautiful damsel " among all those of the mountains . I offered my service to
Shel" Adar , to conduct one particular part of his flock , and he accepted " my service . The father of Fatima is rich , mine is poor . I fell " in love with Fatima , Fatima fell in love with me . Her father " perceived it , and I was ordered to retire from that quarter in " which lived the beautiful Fatima . I besought Shel-Adar in the c [ most suppliant term to permit me to attend his most distant
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
An Oriental Fable.
man a heart susceptible of virtue , and a soul capable of tasting the p leasures which arise from doing good . A noble and disinterested action must , somewhere , meet with its reward . Listen , O ! sons of Adam , listen to my faithful tale ! In one of those delightful vallies , which cut the chain ofthe mountains in Arabia , for a long time lived a rich pastor . He was happybecause he was contentand his happiness consisted in doing
, , good . One day , as he was walking on the enamelled borders of a torrent , under the shade of a grove of palm trees , which extended their verdant branches even to the heads ofthe lofty cedars , with which the top of the mountain was crowned , he heard a voice which frequently echoed into the valley the most piercing cries , and sometimes low murmuring plaints , which were lost in the noise
ofthe torrent . The venerable pastor hastened to the place'from whence the voice proceeded : he saw a young man , prostrate ' .. 1 the sand at the foot of a rock : his garments were torn , and his hair in wild confusion covered his face , on which were easily to be traced the flowers of beauty faded by grief . Ttcrs , -trickled down his cheeks , and his
head was sunk ou his bosom : lie appeared like the rose , which the rude blasts of a storm has levelled to the earth . ' The pastor was touched at the sig ht . He approached the yonth , and said to him , " O , child of grief , hasten to my arms ! let me press to my bosom " the offspring of despair !" The youth lifted up his head in mournful silence . With
astonishment he fixed his eyes on the pastor ; for he supposed no human being was capable of feeling for his sufferings . The sight of so venerable a figure inspired him with confidence , and he perceived in his eyes the tear of pity , and the fire of generosity . If to a generous sou ] it is pleasure to complain , and unfold the injured secrets ofthe heart , that pleasure surely must be heightened , when we complain to thosewho will not shut theirears to the voice of truthbut will
, , weigh every thing in the scale of reason , even though those truths may be disagreeable , and such as they wish to have no existence . The youth rose up , covered with dust , and , as he flew to the arms of the pastor , uttered cries , which the neighbouring mountains trebly echoed . " O , my father ! ( said he ) O my father ! " when he had a little recovered himself , after the tender embraces and the
wise counsels ofthe old man , who asked him many questions . " It is ( continued the unfortunate youth ) behind those lofty ce" dars , which you behold on those hig h mountains , it is there dwells " Shel-Adar , the father of Fatima . The abode of my father is not " far distant from thence . Fatima is the most beautiful damsel " among all those of the mountains . I offered my service to
Shel" Adar , to conduct one particular part of his flock , and he accepted " my service . The father of Fatima is rich , mine is poor . I fell " in love with Fatima , Fatima fell in love with me . Her father " perceived it , and I was ordered to retire from that quarter in " which lived the beautiful Fatima . I besought Shel-Adar in the c [ most suppliant term to permit me to attend his most distant