by Mika Waltari
I did become exceedingly agitated, however, to hear a rippling laugh and see coming toward us an unveiled and richly dressed woman with a jeweled net over her hair. She put her arms about Prince Jehangir, and I at once flung myself to the ground, hiding my face in my hands. Yet I was as usual unable to master my curiosity, and stole a glance at her between my fingers, feeling that since in any case my punishment for entering the Sultana’s pavilion must be death, it could make little difference if I had a glimpse of the woman of whom so many tales were told and whom Christian princes overwhelmed with presents.
My first impression was disappointing, for I had expected a ravishing beauty. This was the woman who, alone among countless lovely maidens from all corners of the world, had received the Sultan’s handkerchief and for years after their wedding night had kept his favor. She was a fairly tall, plump woman, still young, but her face was unusually round and her nose anything but aristocratic. It was in her lively play of feature and continual laughter that her charm lay, though it seemed to me that her blue eyes had no part in that mirth. As she regarded the deeply bowing Mustafa over Jehangir’s head I saw in them a singular coldness.
Prince Mustafa explained that he had been commanded to bring me with him to tend the sick monkey and prepare a draught for it. My dog now rose smartly on his hind legs and stretched forth his nose toward the Sultana, in whom he plainly saw the dispenser of titbits. Prince Jehangir giggled, and at once the Sultana sent her women after sweetmeats, which she then gave the dog herself, laughing her silvery laugh. Meanwhile a cup of warm milk had been brought and I was able to induce the monkey to drink a little of it; but it would not leave me and kept one arm tightly round my neck while with the other it tried to coax the dog to come to it.
Sultana Khurrem now turned to me and asked in Turkish, “Who are you, and how can a eunuch have a beard? Can you really treat sick monkeys?”
I pressed my forehead to the ground before her, while the monkey sat on the back of my neck and tried to snatch off my turban.
“Sovereign lady,” I said, “I have not ventured so much as a glance at your radiant beauty. For the sake of my little dog and the sick monkey, protect me, for I’m no eunuch. Through no fault of mine I was brought to the gardens to coax the monkey down from the top of the plane tree, and I’ve not the least idea how I come to be in your presence, most lovely of all women in the world.”
She answered, laughing, “Lift your head and look at me, you simple man, now that you’re here. You’ve made my son Jehangir smile and he loves your dog. But the Kislar-Aga will no doubt receive the silken cord for his negligence, so you’ll die in good company. Prince Mustafa deserves punishment for his stupidity.”
In deep dejection I replied, “I welcome death, if it be Allah’s will. But allow me first to give my dog to Prince Jehangir, if he is fond of him. After my death there will be no one else to care for the poor beast. I will also prepare a draught for the monkey and relieve its suffering. I’m not aware of having in any way offended against yourself or the Lord of all Nations, for it was not of my own will or with evil intent that I entered your presence. Nor can your beauty put me in a state of impurity, for how could one of my lowly estate raise his eyes to you?”
The poor monkey, still sitting on the back of my neck, was now overcome by another fit of coughing. I had to sit up again and take her into my arms. She coughed so violently that froth tinged with blood appeared at the corners of her mouth and she could offer no resistance when I laid her on the soft cushion in the cage, which was warmed by a charcoal brazier. Rael, replete with sweetmeats, jumped into the cage too, and curled up beside the monkey, which put an arm about his neck and tugged his ears. Prince Jehangir crept from his mother’s arms, drew a cushion forward to the cage, and sat down cross legged to gaze with his big, sad eyes at his pet. I could see that he was a gentle boy, who would not ill treat my dog. I then rapidly recited the first sura and said, “Prince Jehangir, my dog is the cleverest dog in the world and has seen many countries. I bequeath him to you, since I am to meet the One who severs the bonds of friendship and silences the voice of happiness. Take care of Rael and be a good master to him, and Allah will surely reward you.”
I was convinced that by the merciless laws of the Seraglio I must die. But the princes cared nothing for my melancholy fate; they clapped their hands and began to make much of their grieving brother Jehangir, in the hope that they too might play with my dog. Sultana Khur- rem said, “Such an animal is no very becoming gift for the son of the Sultan; but he himself is not without blemish and perhaps the animal will be a comfort to him if the monkey dies-as I hope it will, for the smell of its cage pollutes the room. But I’m not hardhearted, and I will speak to the Sultan, if I should be so favored as to meet with him before the mutes have put the rope about your neck. But your entry into this pavilion without permission is so abominable a disgrace for the Kislar-Aga that he will hardly spare your life, and as the Sultan’s slave I am bound to obey the Kislar-Aga in all things.”
I knew enough of the laws of the Seraglio to realize that she was speaking the truth, and that without the Kislar-Aga’s mediation she had not the least chance of approaching the Sultan. Suleiman himself had to submit to that official’s complex ceremonial when wishing to visit the house where his slave women lived, and if one of these had dared to address him without leave it would have constituted an insult to the Sultan’s majesty. For the same reason Suleiman could not visit his favorite without previously making known his intention. He could send for his children, to walk with them in the gardens, but at such times all the women had, on pain of disfavor and dismissal, to stay within doors and out of sight. Only by this strict rule could the Sultan be at peace, for without it his women would have been constantly slinking after him in an attempt to win his favor.
Having reflected as coolly as I could upon my unenviable plight, I said, “I was commanded by the Sultan himself to tend the monkey, so I must now fetch the necessary remedies. Should anyone slay me while I’m on this errand he will be acting against the Sultan’s express command. I will go now; when-and if-I return, the Kislar-Aga may do with me as he pleases.”
The Sultana broke again into a cooing laugh, and this continual mirth began to make me strangely uneasy. She said, “Don’t think for a moment that you can escape. By looking into my face you have broken the strictest rule of the harem. For his own sake the Kislar-Aga will be forced to have you strangled as soon as he catches you, and even now, no doubt, is awaiting you eagerly at the Seraglio gates.”
Prince Mustafa cried excitedly, “This should be good sport! Let’s follow him and see what happens. My father the Sultan entrusted this man to my care, but if I can’t save his life I should at least like to watch him die. Although I’m the Sultan’s eldest son I have not seen many men die. Come, Muhammed!”
The smile faded from Sultana Khurrem’s lips and her eyes turned ice blue, as if the shadow of death had glided through the room. Perhaps danger had quickened my wits, for I understood at once that Mustafa, on ascending the throne after his father’s death, would have his brothers slain. It would be but in accordance with the law, for the gravest menace to the Ottoman Empire had ever been that of civil war between brothers. I had strayed into the gardens of death; what hope remained?
I believe only Prince Mustafa’s arrogant manner saved me, for, since it stung Khurrem to hear him boast of his age compared with that of his half-brother, she made it a point of honor to protect me. She said, therefore, “Mustafa and Muhammed, go at once and find the Kislar- Aga. Tell him to come here instantly on pain of my most severe displeasure.”
The princes were thus compelled to renounce the exciting game in which I was to be the bait. They tossed their heads and muttered, but at length obeyed. As soon as they had gone Khurrem turned to me and asked quickly, “Who are you and what is your profession? I hope I do not compromise myself by shielding an unworthy man.”
Rapidly I told her of my travels and of how I took the t
urban, of how Khaireddin of Algiers had sent me to be the Sultan’s slave because of my languages and my familiarity with conditions in Christendom. At this point the Kislar-Aga arrived in a state of unspeakable agitation, and pressing his forehead to the floor in repeated prostrations he said, “Sovereign lady! Most high Sultana! I cannot tell how the error occurred, but mutes await this impudent slave at the copper gates. The matter shall remain a secret and your fair fame unsullied. Not even the Lord of all Nations need hear what has occurred.”
The flabby, ashen-faced eunuch stood there in his resplendent official dress and his eyes as he glared at me were dark with fury. But Sultana Khurrem said, “This slave was commanded by the Sultan himself to tend Prince Jehangir’s monkey. See that he is given the drugs he requires and that he returns safely to my pavilion, unless you should receive contrary orders from the Sultan.”
The Kislar-Aga was compelled to obey. He escorted me from the pavilion, and two strong eunuchs seized me and hustled me out of the gardens even more speedily than I had entered them. The Kislar- Aga, pouring forth an unbroken stream of abuse, never let me out of his sight for an instant until we reached the apothecary’s shop in the forecourt. Here the Sultan’s Jewish physician Solomon quickly mixed the medicine I asked for, though he seemed jealous because I was accompanied by the Kislar-Aga and asked spitefully at which learned university I had taken my medical degree. The Sultan’s physicians were chosen from among the foremost specialists in the world and would suffer no outside competition. Humbly I explained that I was in attendance on a mere soulless beast which no man of distinction would deign to treat, and that I had studied medicine under eminent professors although I had never taken the diploma. The Kislar-Aga suddenly put both hands to his head and cried, “Blessed be Allah! Tell me again where you studied and graduated. If you’re a physician you may of course practice in the harem itself, in the presence of eunuchs, if the Sultan so commands.”
He offered me here the opportunity for a convenient lie, for I could have named any university and explained that I had lost my papers when taken into slavery by the Moslems. But had I sought such a refuge I should have revealed myself as an untrustworthy character and so justified his earlier suspicions. After careful reflection I replied, “No, no. Allah be my witness that I’m an honest man and won’t resort to falsehood even to save my life. When I have given the monkey its medicine you may take off my head, noble Kislar-Aga. I can claim no degree.”
The Kislar-Aga stared and seemed not to believe his ears. Turning to the Jewish physician he said, “Truly this man is mad and afflicted of Allah! He refuses to profit by the most innocent lie to get himself and me out of trouble, although he would best serve the Sultan by so doing.”
I repeated obstinately, “No, no. I cannot lie.”
The physician stroked his beard and said smiling, “This man may not be a doctor yet, but he may become one at any time. All that is required is a diploma sealed with the seal of the madrasseh and signed by three learned tselebs.”
The proposal flattered my vanity, for the physician evidently believed me fully trained in medicine. But I knew that I could never satisfy the learned examiners.
“My knowledge is inadequate,” I confessed, “and besides, I studied my texts in Latin, not in Arabic.”
The Jewish physician answered slyly, “You know the suras and prayers; you’re a pious Moslem, as your turban shows. Were so important a man as the Kislar-Aga to vouch for you at the madrasseh I don’t doubt they would make an exception in your case and allow you to answer the more difficult questions through an interpreter. And were I that interpreter I could certainly express what you have to say in the most telling manner, and testify to your exceptional learning.”
The suggestion greatly tempted me, for though it smacked of dishonesty, yet for this the Jew and not I would be responsible. I knew enough, I thought, not to harm my patients more than any other doctor, and was glad to think that the nickname “el-Hakim,” given me in jest by Abu, was now to be ratified by a document signed and sealed. Such a diploma was worth much fine gold, and I should have been mad not to accept so excellent an offer.
With becoming reluctance I said, “I would agree to your proposal to oblige the noble Kislar-Aga, but I’m a poor man and cannot pay for the seal.”
Solomon the physician rubbed his yellow hands together and said quickly, “Don’t trouble yourself about that. I will pay for the seal and so forth if you, like an honorable colleague, will give me half of any fee you may receive for tending the monkey. I shall lose by it, of course, but in the name of the Compassionate I shall also acquire merit.”
The Kislar-Aga exclaimed, “May Allah bless you! You walk in the true path, Jew though you be. If you will make a qualified physician of this man, discreetly and without undue chatter, you may be assured of my favor.”
He lent his signet ring to Solomon and gave him a young eunuch to attend him. The physician then mounted a mule and rode away to speak with the learned tselebs in the medical department of the madrasseh. The Kislar-Aga committed me to the care of three armed eunuchs, ordering them to accompany me back to Sultana Khurrem’s pavilion and not let me out of their sight for an instant. If I attempted to run away, or to address the Sultana, they were to strike off my head immediately.
Prince Jehangir was still sitting on his cushion with his head propped in his hand, watching the fevered monkey. My dog lay beside her, licking her dry nose from time to time. Koko had torn off her velvet kaftan and had not tasted the luscious fruits that had been set before her. In the dim corners of the room sat a few silent slave girls, deeply moved by the little Prince’s grief.
I forgot my own fears and knew not whom to pity more-the dying beast or the deformed Prince, who with tears rolling down his cheeks sat motionless on his cushion, himself looking like nothing so much as a richly dressed monkey. I administered the soothing draught and applied a compress to the monkey’s chest, and then sat with her in my arms. Prince Jehangir sat beside me and stroked the sick animal’s coat from time to time.
I was fighting a hard battle with myself. Although I had promised to give my dog to Prince Jehangir only in the event of my death, I could not take Rael back, were my life to be spared, without deeply grieving the boy. It was clear that I must part with Rael in any event, and indeed the dog could have no better master than this solemn child. Here he would lack for nothing, while in my heart I knew it was only a matter of time before Giulia lost all patience with him. She would begin to ill treat him, and perhaps even do away with him altogether. I too was now very sorrowful; tears rose to my eyes as I recalled the adventures of my past life and I knew that never should I find a better or more faithful friend than my dog Rael.
The soothing medicine allowed the monkey to fall into a deep sleep; I laid her in the gilt cage and covered her warmly over. I then ordered my dog to keep watch beside her, and promised the Prince that I would come again next morning. The eunuchs led me away. Red and gold clouds hung over the Sea of Marmara and the air was crystal clear, as it so often is after a long spell of rain. The heavy scent of hyacinths lay over the gardens. As my guards led me toward the copper gates, I was filled with inexpressible sadness; everything seemed strangely unreal, as if I were walking by my own side and watching my journey through an incomprehensible world. At that moment I had no fear of death. The will of Allah was guiding me from cradle to grave; my life was an insignificant thread in his infinite web, whose pattern I could not see.
When we reached the Sultan’s court the unarmed white eunuchs took charge of me and led me to their bathhouse where I was given a steam bath, massaged severely, and rubbed with sweet-smelling ointments. In the dressing room I was arrayed in fine new linen garments and a respectable kaftan. Hardly was I dressed when the hour of evening prayer had come, and I could perform my devotions after complete ablution and in the best possible frame of mind. I was then taken without delay to the Kislar-Aga’s reception room where I found Solomon the physician and three lo
ng-bearded and short-sighted tselebs. Solomon had seated himself at a respectful distance from these ancient scholars. In a corner of the room sat the tselebs’ scribe, with writing materials on his knee. A number of lamps suspended from the ceiling shed a clear light over the room.
Having saluted the tselebs with veneration, I was invited to sit on a low leather cushion before them, and Solomon made a long speech in my honor. Despite my youth, he told them, I had studied medicine at the foremost universities of Christendom; then, having found the true path, I had taken the turban and so been enabled to acquire valuable knowledge from ancient Arabian writings. He declared that I admired above all that school founded by Moses ben-Maimon and his pupils; but because of my imperfect knowledge of the language I needed help in displaying my talents, though I was well able to read Arabic texts. On the recommendation of the noble Kislar-Aga, an exception had been made in my favor and I was to be allowed to answer the examiners through an interpreter.
It was of course most gratifying to hear the high opinion the learned doctor had formed of my attainments after so short a conversation. The tselebs listened attentively, nodded, and regarded me with benevolence. Each in turn put questions to me, to which I replied by a jumble of Latin. Solomon appeared to pay careful attention to what I was saying, after which he repeated appropriate passages by heart from the works of Avicenna and Moses ben-Maimon.
Several times in the course of the examination the tselebs disputed animatedly among themselves and plunged into far-reaching dissertations to display their own learning and profundity of thought. And having thus passed an agreeable hour they declared with one voice that I had given satisfactory proof of my competence in medicine. The scribe had already engrossed my diploma in a fair hand, and all three tselebs now signed this and pressed their inked thumbs upon the parchment. Solomon gratefully kissed their hands and gave each of them a leather purse in reward for their trouble, while the Kislar-Aga sent them a delicious meal from his own kitchen. I was not allowed to leave the Seraglio, however, and slept that night behind bolts and bars.