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wit and learning; and whether or no he is capable of writing good verfe, you may be fure that, on fuch an occafion, he would not want the affiftance of the beft Poets in the empire. Thus the verfes may be looked upon as a fample of their fineft poetry; and I don't doubt but you'll be of my mind, that it is most wonderfully refembling the Song of Solomon, which was alfo addreffed to a royal Bride.

TURKISH VERSES addrefed to the Sultana, eldest daughter of Sultan Achmet III.

Ver.

I.

T

STANZA I.

HE Nightingale now wanders in the vines;
Her paffion is to feek roles.

2. I went down to admire the beauty of the vines ;
The fweetness of your charms has ravished my foul.

3. Your eyes are black and lovely,

But wild and difdainful as thofe of a stag;

STANZA JI.

1. The wished poffeffion is delayed from day to day,
The cruel Sultan ACHMET will not permit me
To fee thofe cheeks, more vermillion than rofes.

2. I dare not fnatch one of your kiffes,

The fweetness of your charms has ravish'd my soul.

3. Your eyes are black and lovely,

But wild and difdainful as thofe of a flag.

STANZA III.

1. The wretched IBRAHIM fighs in these verses,
One dart from your eyes has pierc'd thro' my heart.

2. Ah! when will the hour of poffeffion arrive?
Muft I yet wait a long time?

The fweetness of your charms has ravish'd my foul.
3. Ah! SULTANA! ftag-ey'd-an angel amongst angels!
I defire,-and, my defire remains unfatisfied.
Can you take delight to prey upon my heart?

STANZ A IV.

1. My cries pierce the heavens!

My eyes are without fleep!

Turn to me SULTANA-let me gaze on thy beauty.

2. Adieu-I go down to the grave.

If you cali me

I return.

My heart is hot as fulphur ;-figh and it will flame.

3. Crown

3. Crown of my life, fair light of my eyes!

My SULTANA! my Princefs!

I rub my face against the earth; I am drown'd in fcalding tears-I rave!

Have you no compaffion? will you not turn to look upon

me?

"I have taken abundance of pains to get these verses into a literal translation; and if you were acquainted with my Interpreters, I might spare myfelf the trouble of affuring you, that they have received no poetical touches from their hands. In my opinion, (allowing for the inevitable faults of a prose translation into a language fo very different) there is a good deal of beauty in them. The epithet of tag-ey'd (though the found is not very agreeable in English) pleafes me extremely; and I think it a very lively image of the fire and indifference in his Miftreffes eyes.Monfieur Boileau has very justly observed, that we are never to judge of the elevation of an expreffion in any ancient Author, by the found it carries with us; fince it may be extremely fine with them, when, at the fame time, it appears low or uncouth to us. You are fo well acquainted with Homer, you cannot but have observed the fame thing, and you must have the fame indulgence for all oriental poetry. The repetitions at the end of the two first stanzas, are meant for a fort of Chorus, and are agreeable to the ancient manner of writing. The mufic of the verses apparently changes in the third stanza, where the burden is altered; and, I think, he very artfully feems more paffionate at the conclufion, as it is natural for people to warm themselves by their own difcourse, especially on a fubject in which one is deeply concerned; it is certainly far more touching than our modern cuftom of concluding a fong of paffion with a turn which is inconfiftent with it. The first verfe is a defcription of the feafon of the year; all the country now being full of nightingales, whofe amours with rofes, is an Arabian fable, as well known here, as any part of Ovid amongst us, and is much the fame as if an English poem fhould begin, by faying, "Now Philomela fings." Or what if I turned the whole into the ftile of English poetry, to fee how it would look ?

STANZA I.

OW Philomel renews her tender train,

"NO"

"Indulging all the night her pleafing pain;

"I fought the groves to hear the wanton fing,
"There faw a face more beauteous than the spring,

"Your large ftags-eyes, where thousand glories play,
As bright, as lively, but as wild as they.

STANZA

STANZA II.

"In vain I'm promis'd fuch a heavenly prize.
"Ah! cruel SULTAN! who delay't my joys!
"While piercing charms transfix my amorous heart,
"I dare not fnatch one kifs, to eafe the fmart.

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"I have taken the liberty, in the fecond verfe, of following, what I fuppofe, the true fenfe of the Author, though not literally exprefled. By his faying he went down to admire the beauty of the Vines, and her charms ravished his foul. I understand a poetical fiction, of having first seen her in a garden, where he was admiring the beauty of the fpring. But I could not forbear retaining the comparifon of her eyes with thofe of a ftag; though, perhaps, the novelty of it may give it a burlefque found in our language. I cannot determine, upon the whole, how well [ have fucceeded in the tranflation, neither do I think our English proper to exprefs fuch violence of paffion, which is very feldom felt amongst us, We want, alio, thofe compound words which are very frequent and ftrong in the Turkish language.'

The fubject of the XXXIft, Letter, is the Turkish practice of Inoculation for the fmall-pox; which this Lady, ever ready to receive improvement from whatever quarter it might come, and with a mind free from the little prejudices and big .try of her fex, adopted in her own family, and was the happy means of introducing into this country.

In Letter XXXII. we have a pleafing defcription of fome animals which fell under her Ladyfhip's obfervation; as the camel, the buffalo, and the pretty, fpirited Turkish horses: also fome account of their buildings, gardens, and Hanns, or inns.

Letter XXXIII. is a voluptuous one, and will not fail to delight every Reader who has not fworn eternal mortification both of body and mind. It is addreffed to the Countess of filter to the Writer.

"I was invited to dine with the Grand Vizier's Lady, and it was with a great deal of pleasure I prepared myself for an entertainment which was never before given to any Chriflian. I thought I fhould very little fatisfy her curiofity, (which I did not doubt was a confiderable motive to the invitation) by going in a dress she was used to fee, and therefore dreffed myself in the court habit of Vienna, which is much more magnificent than ours. However, I chofe to go incognito, to avoid any difputes about ceremony, and went in a Turkifh coach, only attended by my woman that held up my train, and the Greck Lady, who was my Interpretefs.

"I was met, at the court-door, by her black Eunuch, who helped me out of the coach with great refpect, and conducted me through feveral rooms, where her fhe-flaves, finely dreffed, were ranged on each fide. In the innermoft I found the Lady fitting on her fofa, in a fable veft. She advanced to meet me, and prefented me half a dozen of her friends, with great civility. She feemed a very good woman, near fifty years old. I was furprized to obferve fo little magnificence in her houfe, the furniture being all very moderate; and, except the habits and number of her flaves, nothing about her appeared expenfive. She gueffed at my thoughts, and told me, fhe was no longer of an age to spend either her time or money in fuperfluities; that her whole expence was in charity, and her whole employment praying to God. There was no affectation in this fpeech; both The and her husband are entirely given up to devotion. He never looks upon any other woman; and what is much more extraordinary, touches no bribes, notwithstanding the example of all his predeceffors. He is fo fcrupulous in this point, he would not accept Mr. W's prefent, till he had been affured over and over, that it was a fettled perquifite of his place, at the entrance of every Ambaffador.

"She entertained me with all kind of civility till dinner came in, which was ferved, one difh at a time, to a vast number, all finely dreffed after their manner, which I don't think fo bad as you have perhaps heard it represented. I am a very good judge

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of their eating, having lived three weeks in the house of an Etfendi at Belgrade, who gave us very magnificent dinners, dreffed by his own cooks. The firft week they pleafed me extremely; but, I own, I then begun to grow weary of their table, and defired our own cook might add a difh or two after our manner. But I attribute this to custom, and am very much inclined to believe, that an Indian, who had never tafted of either, would prefer their cookery to ours. Their fauces are very high; all the roaft very much done. They ufe a great deal of very rich fpice. The foup is ferved for the laft difh; and they have, at leaft, as great a variety of ragouts as we have. I was forry I could not eat of as many as the good Lady would have had me, who was very earneft in ferving me of every thing. The treat concluded with coffee and perfumes, which is a high mark of respect; two flaves kneeling cenfed my hair, cloaths, and handkerchief. After this ceremony fhe commanded her flaves to play and dance; which they did with their guitars in their hands; and the excufed to me their want of skill, faying she took no care to accomplish them in that art.

"I returned her thanks, and foon after took my leave. I was conducted back in the fame manner I entered, and would have gone ftrait to my own houfe, but the Greek Lady with me, earnestly folicited me to vifit the Kahya's Lady, faying, he was the fecond Officer in the empire, and ought, indeed, to be looked upon as the firft, the Grand Vizier having only the name, while he exercifed the authority. I had found fo little diverfion in the Vizier's haram, that I had no mind to go into another. But her importunity prevailed with me, and I am extremely glad I was fo complaifant. All things here were with quite another air than at the Grand Vizier's; and the very houfe confeffed the difference between an old Devotee and a young Beauty. It was nicely clean and magnificent.

"I was met at the door by two black Eunuchs, who led me through a long gallery, between two ranks of beautiful young girls, with their hair finely plaited, almoft hanging to their feet, all dreffed in fine light damasks, brocaded with filver. I was forry that decency did not permit me to ftop to confider them nearer. But that thought was loft upon my entrance into a large room, or rather pavilion, built round with gilded fafhes, which were most of them thrown up, and the trees planted near them, gave an agreeable fhade, which hindered the fun from being troublefome. The jeffamines and honey-fuckles that twifted round their trunks, fhed a foft perfume, increafed by a white marble fountain playing fweet water in the lower part of the room, which fell into three or four bafons, with a pleafing found.

The

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