LE LION ABATTU PAR L’HOMME

On exposait une peinture Où l’artisan avait tracé Un lion d’immense stature Par un seul homme terrassé.

Les regardants en tiraient gloire.

Un lion, en passant, rabattit leur caquet.

“Je vois bien,” dit-il, “ qu’en effet On vous donne ici la victoire :

Mais l’ouvrier vous a déçus ;

Il avait liberté de feindre.

Avec plus de raison nous aurions le dessus Si mes confrères savaient peindre.”

La Fontaine’ s Fables, Book III., Fable x.

45 7 — Montezuma : King of Mexico (1502-1520). In

1502 lhe Spanish, under Cortez, landed on his estâtes, and were allowed to enter Mexico. Cortez wanting a hostage in an unknown country, had Montezuma seized in his own palace and imprisoned in the Spanish quarter. An insurrection broke out to set the king at liberty ; the latter, in order to stop it, showed himself to his subjects, and was wounded. Then, not willing to be used any longer as an instrument of slavery with regard to his own people, he refused both help and food, and starved himself to death (1520).

45 14 — Constantinople : Anciently Byzantium, called by

the Turks Istamboul or Stamboul, became the seat of the empire under Constantine the Great, was 8tormed by the Crusaders in the thirteenth century, and in 1453 was taken by Mohammed, son of the Turkish Sultan, Amurath, over the Christian Emperor, Constantine, and chosen as the seat of the Turkish empire, which it has continued to be ever since.

45 16 — Le commandeur des croyants : A title given to

califs.

45 17 — Zobeide : Zobeidah, cousin and wife of Kalife

Haroun-al-JRaschid, died in 831. This princess play s a great part in the Arabian nights.

45 24 — Rehaussant la richesse de leurs atours : Enhancing

the richness of their attire.

46 14 — La Dore : A rivulet in France which, united to the

Dogne, forms the Dordogne.

47 20 — Mon cœur te donne : A poetical ellipsis and in-

version for “ Je te donne mon cœur.”

NOTES

Tage 48 line 16 — llaâgi : i.e., in Arabian, a pilgrim, a name taken by Mussulmans who hâve been on pilgrimage to Mecca or Médina. Every true disciple of Mahomet must accomplish this journey at least once in his life.

48 16 — Médine : A city of Arabia, in the province of

El Hejâz.

51 16 — Un sourire déchirant : A heartrending smile.

53 20 — Je vous tiens pour prud'homme : 1 hold you for a

good and true tnan.

54 6 — Transpercé de douleur : Pierced to the heart with

grief.

54 19 — Maroc : Morocco, the capital of the empire of that

name.

54 20 — V Yémen : A région in the S.W. of Arabia, the

principal part of the Arabia Félix of the ancients.

54 21 — La Mecque : Mecca, a city of Arabia, capital of

the province of El Hejaz. It contains the temple of La Kaabah, to which Mecca owes its sanctity in the eyes of the folio wers of Mahomet. Kaabah, i.e., the cube or square house.

55 7 — Lui servit de second : Was his second.

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