Lamekis

by Charles de Fieux

  However, what had just happened caused an awful rumble among the people. They kept watching us on the tower and cried out horribly when they saw their fellow citizen thrown off. The way they were gathered around looked like they were holding a high council, as far as I could tell from my vantage point. They ended up with a new committee; I trembled in fear for the delegates. Indeed, as soon as 30 or so of these natives dressed just like the other showed up, my little friend went over to them. I held him by the head and patted him and he understood, I suppose, what I was trying to say. He stopped in his tracks while I continued patting him and I made a sign to the delegates to send one person toward us. Apparently the sign meant the complete opposite among these people because when they saw it they all started hopping up and down and then throwing themselves on the ground, banging their heads with the same sound and beat as a blacksmith’s hammer on an anvil. I got furious seeing these ridiculous, cruel marks of respect. The eaglet, too, looked astonished, but seemed to be enjoying it.

  “Oh Heavens,” I shouted out loud, “can these men, created by you, be so addled-brained?”

  No sooner said than these poor men started somersaulting and dancing on their heads. During this display, one of them, an old man as venerable for his white hair as he was absurd for his strange dance, spoke to me in my own language, which made me flinch with both pleasure and horror: pleasure at the relief of being able to talk with him and horror at the awful promises that he made to spill the blood of hundreds of human victims to appease, he said, my wrath.

  “Lan-douil-loc,”271 the old man cried out (still dancing on one foot), “deign to hear our timid voices. From the rising of your son272 until his setting, we adore you constantly. Your temple is pure and your girls perpetually purified. And now you show yourself today. May your presence heap upon us the goods that we need! 100 of the most tender, most beautiful boys will be sacrificed on your altar and as long as you are here we will sacrifice the same number every day. Kat-ka-la.”273

  My answer was simple: “Tell these people to go away and stay away.” As soon as I said this, the old man ripped out one of his eyes and presented it to me. I turned away at this gruesome offering and the minister took it back. The other people carried a crystal basin and received it ceremoniously, hopping up and down.

  When I was alone with the old man, I started with what interested me the most and asked him how to get to the kingdom of the Abdalles, but instead of answering, he danced on his head. I became furious. Never was an old man more absurd and stubborn. It was impossible to be reasonable with him; he just kept jumping.

  I decided to wait it out until he got too tired to continue, but his stamina was endless. He hopped and spinned more and more. The eaglet, who was young, obviously found this amusing and he, too, started hopping. I could not help laughing and ended up hopping myself.

  At last the damned elder fell backward and I thanked the Heavens. “Can I finally talk with you?” I asked. “Will you answer me and tell me how I can get to the kingdom of the Abdalles?”

  “Lan-douil-loc,” the old man replied, completely out of breath, “you know everything and you question me!”

  “If it was so, I would not be questioning you. In the name of whatever you respect the most, answer me.”

  “So be it, Lan-douil-loc. You jest, but it doesn’t matter. The kingdom of the Abdalles is to your left.”

  “Is it far?”

  “1,000 baldaillak.”274

  “What is the name of this land,” I continued.

  “Egypt,” the old man answered.

  At this word I shuddered. It was my country. I eagerly asked the name of the city and learned it was the capital, the happy residence where my illustrious father showed his grandeur and heroism. His reputation was still held in high esteem, but Semiramis was still alive. Right then and there I formed a plan to avenge the death of my father—I had the perfect opportunity.

  My plan had been to tell the elder the truth about my so-called divinity since he was the High Priest and successor of Lamekis, my father. But I did not believe that I would offend the Heavens by staying silent about this and using the ready means to punish the wicked Queen. After learning everything that might prove conducive to my project, I sent the old man back with orders to bring me Semiramis to whom I wanted, I said, to explain my supreme will. No sooner said than done.

  Oh Heavens, can the years really bring about such stupendous changes? This Queen, whose ultimate beauty had been the source of so many crimes, looked like a monstrous, living skeleton. Four old men wearing cow heads hopped her forward on a litter. At the sight of her I was enraged.

  “Receive the punishment of your crimes,” I shouted. “You see the son of an illustrious father whom you killed. Lamekis lives no more, but the Heavens saved me to revenge his angry manes.” With these words I smacked Semiramis on the head 20 times with a rod and she was knocked senseless. The eaglet, watching me as usual and reading the indignation in my eyes, finished the punishment. He tore her to pieces and if the priests of Serapis (for, that is who they were) had not fled at the first signs of his fury, there is no doubt that they would have been shredded in turn.

  I have to admit, Sinouis, that vengeance felt good. I felt like it was an omen of another that I believed justified. The idea of Clemelis, unfaithful and seduced by Motacoa, was still on my mind. However, before losing control of the emotions rising up in me, I wanted to be of some use to my country by opening their eyes to the blindness they suffered under their false gods. The whole city was gathered in the center at the foot of the tower where the scene had just played out. The people were extremely distressed. Before leaving them I wanted to harangue them and expose their ignorance in taking me for a god and use the opportunity to urge them to quit their superstitious ways and demand a legitimate, true worship. With this in mind I got back on the eaglet and gently squeezed my knees while laying my hand on his head. He understood the signs and we alit on a dome from where I could be heard. My plan was as successful as I could have hoped. On my arrival the people gathered from all over the city and I asked the High Priest if he knew my language and I could speak through him.

  As soon as the people found out that I was the son of the High Priest Lamekis, they expressed their joy and paid very careful attention to me. I took advantage to explain my views that filled them with such delight that by the end of the day the cult of Serapis and all the false divinities were destroyed. The proofs they gave me left no doubt: they carried all their idols to the square and burned them shouting in joy, which proved the sincerity of their conversion.

  And yet the people asked me for a favor that put me in a most difficult situation and was very hard to refuse. They wanted me to instruct them in the new way that I had just opened up. They asked me to be their High Priest, to build the temple to the great Vilkonhis and teach them his laws. Instead of leaving everything behind to answer such a distinguished and flattering honor, I was so preoccupied with my prospective vengeance that I put their offer off for another time, even though it was really the most important of my duties. Oh Vilkonhis, you have punished me for that and I still suffer today. The results of my misfortunes are sure proofs of this. But it is only fair that I atone for such a great crime and receive my punishment with complete and humble deference.

  The Egyptians seemed humiliated by my leaving and I could not convince them that I would return soon. They started howling pathetically and the eaglet got so upset he flew off. I was not angry with this because it saved me from my own emotions.

  Off to the left we took a break in some woods where I saw trees bursting with fruit. I was famished. I gathered some, ate them and quenched my thirst on the shores of a river. There were some sheep around that fed my little friend—he munched on one that had wandered off. After both of us had had our fill, we got back on our way until we bedded down on the heights of a rock that reached into the clouds.

  We traveled like that for 20 days, always keeping to the left following the old
man’s instructions. Around noon on the 21st day I spied the great peak of the capital of the kingdom of the Abdalles, which could be seen for 30 leagues around. My heart jumped at the sight and trembled with joy…and then with rage. I spent the night in a nearby forest and the next day I went down into a remote part of the dear city to the house of a freedman who owed me his fortune and on whom I could rely.

  I was actually welcomed so hardily and amiably that I had no fear in telling him why I had come back. He could not have been more astonished that I had escaped the punishment I was sentenced to and after hearing the story of my adventures he concluded that the Heavens would not have protected me so much without grand and worthy designs. I learned from him that the Houcaïs had come back from the kingdom of the Amphicleocles soon after my banishment. What he said about Clemelis astounded me: she was living in an austere retreat, saw no one, not even the Queen or her closest friends and spent her precious days in constant sadness and lethargy.

  I also learned that soon after I left the Houcaïs, the Queen and Boldeon did all they could to get her to marry Zelimon, who had recovered from his wounds, but my wife who was still dear to my heart made herself loud and clear about all the notions they might have about her by affirming that she would never belong to anyone.

  Curiously I found out how the Houcaïs was living with her and wondered if it was not possible that this retreat was a wily pretext to have a freer hand. The freedman assured me of the contrary and to leave no doubt in my mind (he said), he offered to conceal me in Clemelis’ house for as long as I wanted. It was easy for him because his brother was the steward and his residence was situated so that no one could enter or leave my wife’s rooms without him knowing. And the time was ripe because the steward was away on business for the Princess and in the meantime the freedman took care of the household affairs.

  I was too jealous and upset to deny such a favorable opportunity. I told the freedman how much his offer pleased me and how much in debt I would be to him if it could support or deny my justifiable suspicions. He promised to get me into his brother’s room that very night. I prepared for the affair by arming myself with a zenghuis to use a second time if my jealous assumptions were verified. I still thought that this retreat housed my shame and dishonor and that the Houcaïs possessed the goods that I alone should enjoy. I was acting on the awful, savage way he had me banished from the states after so many previous signs of friendship. I figured it was only love, and a jealous, angry love that could have carried him to such cruel extremes. The young courtiers’ speech, the letter I found, the secret meetings between the King and Clemelis and Zelimon’s reports—all this roiled in my imagination and bolstered my suspicions. At last a way was open for me to clear up all my doubts; I seized it with jealous avidity.

  Before going to Clemelis’ rooms, I got a key from the freedman to lock up the eaglet in a big room. I chained him by one foot so that he could not get away and I explained to the freedman that he was the only thing left to me and to take special care of him. I told him what to give him to eat and how to do it so that he would not be eaten at the same time.

  In the middle of the night we went to Clemelis’ with my heart pounding as we entered. Her light was still on, but I showed nothing in front of the freedman. He left promising that he would come back every morning to receive my orders. The first thing I did was to run to her room and study it carefully so that I could find my way around in the dark if need be.

  The next day I carefully examined the exterior. There was only one court separating me from her; our windows faced each other; the same hallway connected both rooms and from the window no one could enter my lovely wife’s room without me seeing. I was satisfied with the layout. It seemed to me that I could rest absolutely assured.

  When it was day, I hid in ambush to spy on the room to see if someone left. I waited more than two hours without anything happening. Finally the door opened and I recognized Milkhea, my venerable mother whom I loved so much. The sight of her brought tears to my eyes. She was with a woman whom I knew belonged to Clemelis, but she looked very different—she looked sad. I knew that the tears I caused her by my behavior and by the idea that I was dead were the cause of this change and of her dark melancholy. I sighed and sincerely felt pity and affection for her.

  And if I was touched by this, Sinouis, imagine what I felt when Clemelis appeared. Oh, how she affected me! Her beauty was preserved in all its brilliance, but her lethargy made her a thousand times more beautiful. She looked sad and dreamy when she walked by and sat on the lawn across from my window. She plucked a few blades of grass absentmindedly, lost deep in thought. Sometimes her beautiful eyes looked up at the sky and seemed tear-soaked. Then she looked back down at the ground and sighed. I could see her mumbling and making forced gestures to her sorrowful lament. I lost my breath, but did not miss one of her movements. Everything was dear and precious to me. Love alone was in control and I was so completely absorbed and delighted by her presence that I could not even think.

  Milkhea came with a different girl from the one she had left with. She had a whistling parrot on her finger and brought it to Clemelis, no doubt to distract her from her profound melancholy. Everything is precious when you are in love. My eyes and heart were in step with all her movements: when Clemelis smiled receiving the lovely bird, I smiled with her. She petted it and her reverie vanished for a moment, but how short that moment was! Milkhea and the bird came in vain. Clemelis saw them no more. Her tears got the upper hand and she abandoned herself openly to the raging grief.

  Such a touching state affected me and finally made me think of something. It was unlikely that Clemelis was in love with the Houcaïs and that he paid her back so hard. She was too worthy of love for such a passion to be the source of the fatal situation she was prey to. This so clear, so unsuspicious grief could only be born of a love that was thankless or unreliable. Clemelis was too lovable to get into such a situation. So what could all the weeping mean? If it weren’t for my cruel suspicions, wouldn’t I have thought it was for me?

  The following night I snuck stealthily up her window and witnessed the same signs of sorrow. Three whole days of watching did nothing but prove to me how innocent Clemelis was and how guilty I was. I started to recover completely from the jealousy that I found no likely evidence of. I was already getting ready to surprise her, to clear up my suspicions and then show her every sign of my affection. I told the freedman that very day and he applauded my plan. But that would have been too lucky. An unfortunate accident tore apart all my wonderful projects and threw me back into my old feelings.

  Oh Heavens, I still cannot think of it without trembling with rage! Put yourself in my place, Sinouis, and you will agree that it was justified. Seeing her actions, like I just told you, on the fourth night I left my room with the intention of knocking softly on Clemelis’ window, making myself known and asking to talk with her in secret to explain myself when, on opening my door, I saw someone slip into my wife’s room. I stood there dumbfounded. In spite of the dark night I saw clearly enough that it was a man and by his clothes it was no commoner. I had no doubt that it was the King because in the house there was no other man but me. Besides the freedman telling me this, my own investigation had proved it. So who would have entered the house at such an hour except the powerful Houcaïs or a private lover? They were the same thing to me. I decided once and for all to be sure that the guilty parties would not escape their just desserts. It was just a matter of waiting there for the door to open—it was pretty certain that the lover would leave before the light of day. The wait was long next to the door with sword in hand. My plan was to first strike down my rival and then rush to Clemelis to sacrifice her to my fury.

  The longer the stranger stayed inside, the guiltier Clemelis seemed to me. The evidence was too plain for my heart to even dare to side with the unfaithful and it was almost day and there was no sign of anything. It was agonizing. My forehead was covered in a cold sweat. I wanted to strike someone
down, but I could barely hold myself up.

  Finally the fatal door opened and what did I see? Clemelis leaning on the same man. I bore down with such strong vengeance that my sword slid straight through the one I took as was my rival. A second strike laid him at my feet. I was at the height of rage, but I saw Clemelis. She was seeing the stranger out and separating from him so sweetly that it left no doubt as to my suspicions. Three blows of the zenghuis struck with jealous fury seemed enough to me to take her guilty life. After this punishment, which I believed justified, I ran from Clemelis and back to the freedman’s house. I had the key to both houses so I had no problem leaving the one or entering the other.

  I was plunged in such awful distress that I did not even think of my eaglet. I really had to be in bad condition for that because I knew how much the kind animal missed me. The freedman told me that he had been very sad and was refusing to eat. I had decided earlier to go back to see him, but at that instant I could think of nothing but what had just happened. If my honor seemed to me to be saved, my heart certainly was not. In spite of so much hatred and spite against Clemelis, I never stopped loving her for an instant. Deep in my soul where the cruel thoughts brewed, I saw only too well that this love would end in the grave.

  I was drowning in an abyss of regret, remorse and bitter worry when someone knocked at the door louder and louder. I had been caught unawares. Ah! Of course, I told myself, they want to take away my freedom; they want to punish me again for repeating my crime. The idea of this and the savagery of my first punishment rushed upon me so hard and fast that I ran to the room where the eaglet was kept, intending to unlock him, open the windows and fly away together.