CHAPTER II.
THE TRIBE.
The next day Nadir returned to seek the sage, and thus addressedhim:--"Father, man is not like the flower, fixed upon a stem, he can ofhimself advance towards his destiny; ought he then, like the Rose, towait until the traveller demands his perfume? Tell me, oh! father, whatis the destiny which God has assigned to man; what is the happiness towhich it is the will of Heaven that he should aspire?"
"My son," replied the sage, "the virtue as well as the happiness ofthe plant consists in patience. There, in the retreat in which Godhas placed it, let it await his will, and if it die without havingbeen made use of, if its salutary properties return with it into theearth, still let it not murmur; for God has seen it, and the Most Highrejoices in his own works.
"The animal is destined for action, but in the interest, and under thedirection of man. Obedience is his duty, it is the merit which will beaccounted to him, the blessing of which he may avail himself. The horsewhose submissive ardour obeys with joy the signal of his master, feelsneither the whip nor the spur.
"Man, my son, has received the power of voluntary action. Let him notsuffer either his deed or his will to perish uselessly, but let himearnestly seek out the portion of labour assigned to him by God inthe work of the Universe. Let him submit to it with docility, underthe guidance of the Most High, who deigns to make him the instrumentof His decrees; and let him accept with resignation the measure ofsuccess, which it may be the will of Heaven to bestow."
"Oh! my father," demanded Nadir, "how, amidst this array of humanactivities, amidst this immense variety of labours which the worldspreads out before me, how may I always distinguish the portion of thework to which it is the will of Heaven that I should devote my powers?"
"Always look around and see in what direction thou canst do the mostgood, without doing any evil.
"Ask of the creatures of God such assistance as they can render thee,without acting in contradiction to the destiny imposed upon them bytheir Father, and thine.
"Gather the fruit of the vine, but break not its stem to form thystaff. For the stem of the vine, left to its natural destiny, willstill for many years offer a grape to the parched lips of the pilgrim.When thou no longer needest the axe, take not its handle to feed theflame of thy hearth, for though no longer useful to thee, the handle ofthe axe is not the less destined to fulfil a long service.
"Go, my son, be active as the fire that never sleeps, docile as thecourser to the impulse of the hand which guides him, resigned as thesolitary plant."
Such were the counsels of the sage; and Nadir departed to begin life.
Nadir was beautiful as the moon, when from the blue vault of heaven shesilently looks down upon the earth; agile and proud as the stag, atthe head of a troop of fawns and young deer; compassionate as a motherto the cries of her child. His words reverberated in the depths of theheart like the cymbal, whose every sound responds to the step of thewarrior, burning with impatience to reach his enemy; and when his voiceburst forth in song, or when his hand swept the lyre, it seemed as ifone were transported to the borders of fountains where the sound meltsaway in rapture, to the harmonious voices of earth and air.
One day he had to make his choice between two paths. "The first," itwas said, "will conduct you to the abodes of a happy people, rich inthe joys of life, and skilful in using them: your talents and beautywill there secure to you pleasure, glory, and fortune. By following theother, you will find a tribe of savage men, wild as their native woods,hard as the rocks they scale." The young blood of Nadir rushed towardsthe spot where difficulty and labour awaited him. He recollected thewords of the sage, and found them grateful to his heart. "There," hesaid, "is a good that I can accomplish, these happy people have no needof me." And he bent his steps towards the savage tribe.
For three days a terrible lion had spread desolation and terrorthroughout their neighbourhood: all night its roaring was heard aroundtheir dwellings: in the day he pounced silently upon his prey. Thetimid maiden, gathering wild roots, dreaded to see him spring frombehind each bush; the mother dared not leave her child within the hut;and the warrior, who went forth with spear in hand, looked anxiouslyaround, fearing to seek the game which he had wounded in the cavernor the pit, lest he should meet the terrible animal ready to disputeit with him. Nadir arrived; the temper of his scimitar, the vigour ofhis arm, the courage of his soul triumphed over the lion. The peopleworshipped him as a god: the heads of the tribe came to him and said,"Thou art stronger than we are: command us; and with us thou shalt bethe master of this people."
Nadir reflected: "I can impose wise laws upon this people: but, if theysubmit to them by force, they will act in opposition to the destinywhich God has appointed for man, which is, to act in accordance withhis own will." Therefore, before disclosing to them his thoughts, Nadirlistened to theirs; and their thoughts, on the lips of Nadir, became amusic enchanting to their ears. He did not force them to exchange thespear for the plough, nor the toil of the wandering huntsman for thatof the industrious labourer; but he headed their chase, and at theirfeasts purchased at the price of fatigue and danger: he expatiated, inglowing language, on the luxury of fruits improved by culture, of cakesmade from wheaten flour, of the presents conferred by the goat, whogives to man her milk, when he ceases to demand her blood. Clad likethem, in the skins of the wild beasts he had slain, he taught the youngmen to place them on their shoulders with more elegance; and the womenwere eager to fashion them with grace, in order to give pleasure to theyoung men. Labour introduced among this people abundance, sociability,and innocent gaiety; and they sang: "Nadir is a gift more precious thana son to his mother; for he renders us happy without having ever causedus pain."
Nevertheless, there were some among them who rebelled against thepower which the people had delegated to Nadir. First in this numberwas a young man named Sibal: he was seized. The chiefs who recognizedthe superiority of Nadir, and the old men, to whom he had taught thescience of counsel, exclaimed, "Let Sibal die, that his death may be awarning to others!"
But Nadir replied: "Has he not received from God a destiny more suitedto his nature than that of dying for the benefit of others, like thegrain which they grind for food?" He ordered Sibal to be brought intohis presence, and said, "Why dost thou seek to reject my laws? Is thyheart not strong enough to bear them?"
"Thy laws, like the honey of the bee," said Sibal, "may be sweet tohim who has made them; but I cannot feed upon the honey from another'shive."
"Let him who is also capable of making honey," replied Nadir, "assistthose who are occupied in filling the hive. Aid me in giving laws tothis people, and govern them with me, if thou art competent; if thouart more competent, govern them in my stead."
Sibal fell prostrate before him. The words of Nadir had sunk deep intohis heart, even as the shower which awakens the germs still sleepingin the bosom of the earth, and he said: "Oh, Nadir! I am worthy ofsomething better than the death to which they would have condemned me;"and as the father begets the sons who increase his power, so Nadirtaught wisdom to Sibal, and the wisdom of Sibal increased the strengthof Nadir; and the life of Sibal was before the eyes of this people anexample, which would have been lost by his death: for the voice of eachmorning raises a hymn to the glory of the sun, but the earth forgets ina few hours the cloud which passes away in storm.
The wonders accomplished by Nadir were related at the Court of theSophi, on whom this tribe depended; and the Court wished to draw himto itself, as it does everything precious. He went, therefore, to theCourt of the Sophi. There he beheld Zuleiman, who had distinguishedhimself in arms. He had surpassed every warrior in valour, every chiefin discipline. The Sophi had just delegated to him the government of aprovince which he had conquered. "Govern it in peace," he said, "sincethou hast gained it by war." But Zuleiman was only fit for subjugatingmen; a thing which may be done so long as war lasts. The huntsmantraces out, according to his pleasure, the enclosure within which hewishes to shut up and pursue the beasts of the
forest; but the shepherdleads his flocks to the pastures which they themselves prefer.
Zuleiman did not crush his people by his avarice; he did not subjectthem to unworthy favourites, neither did he force them to respect adegrading idleness; on the contrary, he required them to adorn theirtowns with religious edifices; he obliged them to construct, uponthe path of the traveller, fountains, shaded by palm-trees; and tosend their children to schools, in which they might be well educated.But since, in the means he took to obtain their obedience, he did notconsult their character, but his own, they did not adapt their willsto his laws; but as the branch, of which the child forms his bow, whensubjected to a curve contrary to its nature, wounds the hand whichforces it, or, breaking loose, darts from his grasp; so they, beingconstrained by force to bend to his laws, obeyed his rule with hatred,or evaded it by stratagem.
"These men," said Zuleiman, "are perverse. I sow amongst them the goodseed of virtue, and they return to me the tares of vice."
"Brave Zuleiman," replied Nadir, "men become perverse through hatred ofa rule opposed to their inclinations. Think not to conduct them to goodby laws at variance with the powers which God has bestowed upon themfor its attainment. The will of a tyrant is like a thunderbolt hurledagainst a rock: the rock turns it off, and it strikes a temple."
One day a slave was labouring with his axe on the gnarled trunk of anoak which he wished to fell. It had already wearied his arm, and hedemanded time for repose, but in vain; Zuleiman would not grant it.Then the slave, summoning his remaining strength, raised his axe--butonly to let it fall in vengeance on the head of Zuleiman. Nadir hurriedto the spot, and found him expiring. Zuleiman said to him: "If I soughtto precipitate events, it was only that the short period of life mightstill leave me time for the accomplishment of great deeds."
"Oh! Zuleiman," replied Nadir, "nothing can be truly great, but thatwhich accords with the destiny traced out for man by the finger of Himwho alone is great." But Nadir mourned for Zuleiman: for he had beenpowerful in action, and only failed by depending too much on obedience.
Nadir also visited the Palace of Massour. He beheld him, like a fruit,nourished by the prodigality of a too fertile soil, by the abundanceof the fountains, and the moist freshness of the shade; the purifyingbreath of heaven, the generous ardour of the sun, have never penetratedits retreat. Swelled with useless juice, insipid and discoloured, ithangs, bearing down by its weight the branch which supports it. Suchappeared Massour. Life was to him dull and weary; for he knew not howto restore its vigour. In vain he sought for novelty in his luxuries:the cup of pleasure was filled to the very brim; to pour in more wasbut to make it overflow, without increasing its contents.
Massour, too, was threatened by misfortune; and he beheld it as webehold a phantom, which chills us with terror, though we know it is buta phantom. His riches no longer gave him joy; yet to preserve theseriches, he abandoned, though with tears, to the hatred of a powerfulenemy, the friend who had implored his aid.
Then Nadir departed from the Palace of Massour, saying, "God has givenactivity to man, as he has given the current to the waters, to preservethem from corruption."