from Canto V

91

Before they entered, Baba paused to hint
     To Juan some slight lessons as his guide:
“If you could just contrive,” he said, “to stint
     That somewhat manly majesty of stride,
‘Twould be as well, and,—(though there’s not much in’t)
     To swing a little less from side to side,
Which has at times an aspect of the oddest;
And also could you look a little modest,

92

”’Twould be convenient; for these mutes have eyes
     Like needles, which may pierce those petticoats;
And if they should discover your disguise,
    You know how near us the deep Bosphorus floats;
And you and I may chance ere morning rise,
    To find our way to Marmora without boats,
Stitched up in sacks—a mode of navigation
A good deal practised here upon occasion.”

93

With this encouragement, he led the way
    Into a room still nobler than the last;
A rich confusion formed a disarray
     In such sort, that the eye along it cast
Could hardly carry any thing away,
     Object on object flashed so bright and fast;
A dazzling mass of gems, and gold, and glitter,
Magnificently mingled in a litter.

94

Wealth had done wonders—taste not much; such things
     Occur in orient palaces, and even
In the more chastened domes of western kings
     (Of which I have also seen some six or seven)
Where I can’t say or gold or diamond flings
     Great lustre, there is much to be forgiven;
Groups of bad statues, tables, chairs, and pictures,
On which I cannot pause to make my strictures.

95

In this imperial hall, at distance lay
    Under a canopy, and there reclined
Quite in a confidential queenly way,
     A lady; Baba stopped, and kneeling signed
To Juan, who though not much used to pray,
     Knelt down by instinct, wondering in his mind
What all this meant: while Baba bowed and bended
His head, until the ceremony ended.

96

The lady rising up with such an air
     As Venus rose with from the wave, on them
Bent like an antelope a Paphian pair
     Of eyes, which put out each surrounding gem;
And raising up an arm as moonlight fair,
     She signed to Baba, who first kissed the hem
Of her deep-purple robe, and speaking low,
Pointed to Juan, who remained below.

97

Her presence was as lofty as her state;
     Her beauty of that overpowering kind,
Whose force description only would abate:
     I’d rather leave it much to your own mind,
Than lessen it by what I could relate
     Of forms and features; it would strike you blind
Could I do justice to the full detail;
So, luckily for both, my phrases fail.

98

This much however I may add,—her years
     Were ripe, they might make six and twenty springs,
But there are forms which Time to touch forbears,
    And turns aside his scythe to vulgar things,
Such as was Mary’s Queen of Scots; true—tears
    And love destroy; and sapping sorrow wrings
Charms from the charmer, yet some never grow
Ugly; for instance—Ninon de l’Enclos.

99

She spake some words to her attendants, who
     Composed a choir of girls, ten or a dozen,
And were all clad alike; like Juan, too,
     Who wore their uniform, by Baba chosen:
They formed a very nymph-like looking crew,
     Which might have called Diana’s chorus “cousin,”
As far as outward show may correspond;
I won’t be bail for any thing beyond.

100

They bowed obeisance and withdrew, retiring,
     But not by the same door through which came in
Baba and Juan, which last stood admiring,
     At some small distance, all he saw within
This strange saloon, much fitted for inspiring
     Marvel and praise; for both or none things win;
And I must say, I ne’er could see the very
Great happiness of the “Nil Admirari.”