IN heavy sleep the Caliph lay, | |
| When some one called, “Arise, and pray!” | |
| |
| The angry Caliph cried, “Who dare | |
| Rebuke his king for slighting prayer?” | |
| |
| Then, from the corner of the room, | 5 |
| A voice cut sharply through the gloom: | |
| |
| “My name is Satan, Rise! obey | |
| Mohammed’s law; awake, and pray!” | |
| |
| “Thy words are good,” the Caliph said, | |
| “But their intent I somewhat dread. | 10 |
| |
| For matters cannot well be worse | |
| Than when the thief says, ‘Guard your purse!’ | |
| |
| I cannot trust your counsel, friend, | |
| It surely hides some wicked end.” | |
| |
| Said Satan, “Near the throne of God, | 15 |
| In ages past, we devils trod; | |
| |
| Angels of light, to us ’t was given | |
| To guide each wandering foot to heaven. | |
| |
| Not wholly lost is that first love, | |
| Nor those pure tastes we knew above. | 20 |
| |
| Roaming across a continent, | |
| The Tartar moves his shifting tent, | |
| |
| But never quite forgets the day | |
| When in his father’s arms he lay; | |
| |
| So we, once bathed in love divine, | 25 |
| Recall the taste of that rich wine. | |
| |
| God’s finger rested on my brow,— | |
| That magic touch, I feel it now! | |
| |
| I fell, ’t is true—O, ask not why, | |
| For still to God I turn my eye. | 30 |
| |
| It was a chance by which I fell, | |
| Another takes me back from hell. | |
| |
| ’T was but my envy of mankind, | |
| The envy of a loving mind. | |
| |
| Jealous of men, I could not bear | 35 |
| God’s love with this new race to share. | |
| |
| But yet God’s tables open stand, | |
| His guests flock in from every land; | |
| |
| Some kind act towards the race of men | |
| May toss us into heaven again. | 40 |
| |
| A game of chess is all we see,— | |
| And God the player, pieces we. | |
| |
| White, black—queen, pawn,—’t is all the same, | |
| For on both sides he plays the game. | |
| |
| Moved to and fro, from good to ill, | 45 |
| We rise and fall as suits his will.” | |
| |
| The Caliph said, “If this be so, | |
| I know not, but thy guile I know; | |
| |
| For how can I thy words believe, | |
| When even God thou didst deceive? | 50 |
| |
| A sea of lies art thou,—our sin | |
| Only a drop that sea within.” | |
| |
| “Not so,” said Satan, “I serve God, | |
| His angel now, and now his rod. | |
| |
| In tempting I both bless and curse, | 55 |
| Make good men better, bad men worse. | |
| |
| Good coin is mixed with bad, my brother, | |
| I but distinguish one from the other.” | |
| |
| “Granted,” the Caliph said, “but still | |
| You never tempt to good, but ill. | 60 |
| |
| Tell then the truth, for well I know | |
| You come as my most deadly foe.” | |
| |
| Loud laughed the fiend. “You know me well, | |
| Therefore my purpose I will tell. | |
| |
| If you had missed your prayer, I knew | 65 |
| A swift repentance would ensue; | |
| |
| And such repentance would have been | |
| A good, outweighing far the sin. | |
| |
| I chose this humbleness divine, | |
| Borne out of fault, should not be thine, | 70 |
| |
| Preferring prayers elate with pride | |
| To sin with penitence allied.” | |
| |
