skip to main |
skip to sidebar
HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN IN ISTANBUL 1841 : THE MAWLID OF THE Clairvoyant MUHAMMAD (S)(Keep happy Authorization THIS Tell stories TO ALL MUSLIM AND NON-MUSLIM THANK YOU)The recognized Danish author and rhymester Hans Christian Andersen (1805 - 1875) is recognized for hisfairy tales like "The Minute Mermaid", "The Ordinary Duckling" and "The Princess on the Pea". HansChristian Andersen was besides a brawny traveler, and the highest of his journeys took him straddling Europe to Constantinople in 1841. The slow give an estimate reproduced display recounts a many to Istanbul (Constantinople) on the venture of the anniversary celebration, or Mawlid, for the Clairvoyant Muhammad. He besides recounts the do point of the Sultan and his entourage from the Serail (meaning Topkapi Saray or Palace). The register gives yet various gripping hermit framework on Ottoman life and beat.He mentions in his daybook, "in Constantinople I accepted eleven gripping days; and according tomy good grouping in travel, the anniversary of Mahomet itself sever precisely via my stick exhibit. I saw the extravagant sunny, which entirely in seventh heaven me in vogue the Thousand and One Nights." It was from these travel experiences that he wrote the story "Mahomet's Bicentennial. A Background in Constantinople". A brawl from "Mahomet's Bicentennial. A Background in Constantinople" on paper by Hans Christian Andersen.The jiffy department store is found in an 1889 fake entitled "Stories for the Personal "as are the two images (pp. 829 ">"MAHOMET'S Bicentennial. ""A Background IN CONSTANTINOPLE."THE fourth of April is the anniversary of the Clairvoyant. Facing on the eve of that day the celebration began; and to say the truth, the deportment on the eve was the prettiest part of the someone. I planned it important that the night happened to be moonlight, and that the Osmanli adjust policy demanded that every one who went out at the back of evening destitution take on a light in a lantern; but I was guaranteed to catalog, for the adjust constraint could not be atypical, nor could the moonlight. A in advance Russian named Aderhas and I combined ourselves together, and, in the absence of a lure, but lawfully provided with a light in a brawny paper lantern, we sallied forth to picture the sunny in honour of the Clairvoyant."We went complete a fine street of Pera, and sooner than us lay a standpoint of spectacular beauty, such as we can a moment ago see in the North in a wondrous dream. From the row of houses on the way to which we stood down towards the bay outspread a churchyard, that is to say, a cypress grove, with coarse dark grass ; and dark night rested upon it. Over vague hills, downwards among the massive grass, winds the path which the footsteps of men and the hoofs of collection influence banal, sometimes among the tombs, sometimes among fallen grave-stones. Give and exhibit a naughty lantern was seen moving to and fro, which at once used up, to rejoinder soon upon the black outlook of the picture."In the churchyard a few dreary houses lie spread, and the lights glimmered from the advanced windows, or were carried to and fro upon the balconies."Beyond the cypress-tops shone, naughty as a Damascene penknife, the Division with its patronize ships. Two of these, the leading, were in large quantities decked with intense lamps, which glittered ring-shaped the portholes, the masts, and the weaponry besides, or were hung in the chains, which shone like a brilliant net. In simple terms sooner than us lay the conurbation itself, the brawny far-spreading Constantinople, with its noble minarets all wreathed with garlands of lamps. The air was easygoing red with the shine of the set sun, but so proficient and tidy up that the mountains of Asia, and Olympus, covered with perpetual flurry, showed their acid blinking outlines like a silver-white wheeze backward the lofty metropolis. The moonlight did not freeze the splendour of the lamps, but a moment ago brought out the minarets in relief, farmhouse they looked like vast flower-stalks crowned with blossoms of burst. The less important minarets had one showy tiara, the greater two, and the leading of all three, one better the other. Not a at all central part was to be seen in our neighbourhood, all was dreary and easygoing. We wandered down among the cypresses; a nightingale was raising its flute-like utter, and turtle-doves cooed among the shadows of the grass. "We came scarce a brood sentry-house, built of planks, and decorated red; a brood fire had been kindled in front line of it, among the gravestones, and host were reclining ring-shaped it. They were demure in European garb; but their tan and confront proclaimed them of Ishmael's get a move on, children of the escape. When longing pipes in their mouths, they lay and listened to a story. This story was about Mahomet's innate."The nightingale translated it for us, or we destitution not influence invented it. Give it is:""La illah il Allah! Give to is no God but God!" In the metropolis of Mecca the merchants assembled for the sake of traffic; thither came Egyptian, and Persian, and Indian, and Syrian dealers. One and all one had his idol in the temple Kabba, and a son of Ishmael's get a move on filled the highest achievement secretarial, namely, that of obsequious the covet of the pilgrims and quenching their thirst. In his keenness he wished, like Abraham, to hand over up his son as a sacrifice; but the prophetess acknowledged that the magnificent Abdallah destitution continue, and a hundred camels were sacrificed in his stead. "La illah il Allah!""And Abdallah grew to be a man, and was so magnificent that a hundred maidens died for love of him. The imaginative burst shone on his temple, the burst which accepted suppressed from get a move on to get a move on, until the Clairvoyant was born, Mahomet, the most basic and the categorical. The prophetess Fatima saw this burst, and she to be had a hundred camels if he would be her husband; but he marital Amina, and the imaginative burst mislaid from his temple and burned in Amina's focal point. "La illah il Allah!""And the with year came round; the vegetation had never been so gorgeous as they were this year, never had the fruits on the grass swelled with, such large amount of juice; and the rocks trembled, and the merge Sava sank in vogue the earth, the idols sever down in the temple, and the demons, who required to airstream the heavens, sever from the sky like millions of shooting stars, hurled down by the convincing hand that wielded the lance; for in that night Mahomet the Clairvoyant was born. "La illah il Allah!"This was the story the nightingale translated for us, for the nightingale understands Turkish exactly as well as our own dialect. We went forth underneath the spread of Pera, out to the convent of the dancing dervishes, and a beauteous think about met our view. The whole Sea of Marmora lay sooner than us, lighted up by the brightness of the moon, and in the mid-distance Scutari ["Usk"udar] stood forth, its minarets gleaming with patronize lamps like community of Constantinople. The Mosque of St. Sophia with its four, and the Mosque of Ahmed with its six minarets, stood forth in especial splendour, each high-level meeting crowned with a backup or a triple decorations of stimulating stars. They seemed to band the garden of the Serail, which dense down towards the Bosphorus, dark as a starless night. No light shone in the palace of the sultanas on the way to the shore; but exhibit where the Fair-haired Horn ends, a sword of burst had been reared, that threw a ruddy blush better the waters. A variety of brood boats, joyfully decked out with red, green, or naughty paper lanterns, darted like fireflies with the shore of the two continents. All the brawny line-of-battle ships blazed with lamps; every ship, nay, every fix and fight, could be hardly seen, the outlines level in enthusiastic colours. Scutari and Stamboul seemed allied by the gleaming water with its rows of bright sparks. It was a fairy metropolis, a metropolis of the frailty, with a magic smoke poured forth better it; and a moment ago two points were covered by sonorous darkness: in Asia the brawny churchyard backward Scutari; in Europe, the garden of the Serail. Murky and dreams lay grouchy better each one a skin condition the dead heroes are dreaming of the maidens of Fantasy, and in the night of the Serail the dreams are community of global beauties, charming and fair as the houris of Fantasy."The streets of Pera were filled with a mound of Greeks, Jews, and Franks, each convey his lantern or his candle. It was an Oriental point of "Moccoli; but the costumes were far more revise, more encumbered and spacious, than community in the Corso of Rome on the categorical dusk of the Marketplace. In front line of the palaces of the outlandish ministers lamps were intense, erected in the form of pyramids, or in a brawny M, the put your signature on memo of the Prophet's name. At nine o'clock shooter were burning from all the ships; exhibit was a thundering din, like that of a sea-fight; all the windows shook; position at the back of position boomed forth, announcing the hour at which the Clairvoyant was born."I sever out cold among the crash of the shooter, and was awaked early by the extraordinarily considerably. Merry music of Rossini and Donizetti sounded complete the streets: the troops were marching on, to be paraded with the Serail and the Mosque of Ahmed, whither the Sultan was about to start in district."The Danish Consul, Romain, an Italian, came to procure me. A in advance Turk, with pistols in his girdle and two longing tobacco-pipes an his hand, walked sooner than us; an old Armenian, in a dark naughty fluttering caftan, and a black jar-shaped hat on his shaven to begin with, came at the back of us, convey our cloaks; and consequently we strolled complete the principal street of Pera, down towards Galata. The servants stepped in vogue a construct, we two embarked in various, and now we rowed straddling the Division, darting swiftly among hundreds of others, whose rowers shouted and howled at each other, as one or other of the boats ran the try of central part filled. At the landing-place in Constantinople the down of gondolas formed a huge swaying canal, straddling which we had to play, to unfold the calibrate land, which is encircled by moldy planks and beams. The join was brawny, but at once we came to a stuffed be opposite street. Give were patronize tribe, but exhibit was room passable. Stalwart crowds of hidden away women wended gulp down the extraordinarily way with us, and at once we had dressed in under the walls of the Serail, which are very high towards the conurbation, and hard like the walls of an old mainstay. Give and exhibit is a spread, with a brood aperture, which looks as if it had never been opened; the hinges were covered with leaves and climbing vegetation. Stalwart old grass dense their immature undergrowth straddling the old walls; one could frailty one's self on the borders of the forest in which sleeps the conjuring Princess.We chose our renovate in front line of the Mosque of St. Sophia, with the brawny source and the chops to the Serail. From this play the Mosque of St. Sophia, with its profuse cupolas and auxiliary buildings, has a out of this world similarity to a brawny flower-bulb to which numerous less important bulbs influence joined themselves. The terraces in the foreground were thronged with Turkish women and children, and the bright white veils banal by the basic gave the standpoint completely a commemorative air. The source backward us is the leading and maximum attractive in Constantinople. When the name "source" we wholly evaluate the affection of a dell with a jet of water plashing up from it; but in Droop fountains influence a very conflicting appearance; and a more revise affection of their layer chi be obtained by imagining a square identify, whose walls are completely Pompeian in their piebald fulsomeness of colour: the white sustaining is decorated with inscriptions from the Koran in red, naughty, and gilt letters; and from brood niches, to which send basins are make fast, the consecrated water ripples forth, with which the Mussulman bathes his hands and aim at indubitable hours of the day. The covering is decorated and gilt with completely a Chinese fulsomeness of colour. The dove, the sacred bird of the Turks, builds its sett here: in hundreds they flew better our heads, to and fro with the source and the Mosque of St. Sophia.All ring-shaped were a come forth of Turkish coffee-houses, all built of logs, with balconies, round like the Swiss houses in layer, but more unusual and less solid: sooner than each exhibit dense a brood plantation of trees; and all these plantations were satiated by smoking and coffee-drinking Turks, who completely lit up the area and the fronts of the houses with their bright-coloured caftans: some of them wore turbans, others fez caps. Surrounded by the source and the brawny contact leading in vogue the forecourt of the Serail, two longing scaffolds had been erected of boards placed on tubs and tables. The rush of these was top-quality than the most basic, and on the lower one hidden away Turkish women of the blame class were reclining. Old Turks, Persians, and a few Frankish strangers, whose unveiled women were ideas of collective submission, rational their accommodation on the advanced stall. Now appeared numerous regiments of Turkish host, all demure in European sculpt, in sultry trousers and unyielding jackets, white cross-belts straddling their chests, and red fez caps on their heads. The guards ready a very good layer in their new uniforms, with sultry igloo and collars; and, as I was told, they wore handbag to-day for the most basic time. At all of the other regiments seemed in maximum awful plight: not a moment ago were the men of all realistic complexions, white, depressing, and coal-black host all mingled together, but some of them were lame, and others had party feet. Their European uniforms were too sultry for them, along these lines the mountain had ripped up the pit of the sleeves at the bump, and patronize had cut their trousers at the knee, that they brawn move their legs with outstanding freedom; along these lines stripped elbows were seen protruding all gulp down the line, and via the demonstration patronize a red, depressing, or black knee protruded from the naughty trouser. Very famous was one troop, which I brawn round reckon the "barefoot warriors," for some of them had a moment ago one boot and one shoe, being others shuffled gulp down with crop-free feet gum in vogue slippers of conflicting colours. Together with a din of navy music, they all marched in vogue the courtyard of the Serail, and, at the back of defiling sooner than the Sultan, came back and drew up in line gulp down each one sides of the way: Ethiopians and Bulgarians stood be opposite by be opposite, and the Bedouin became the neighbour of the shepherd's son from the Balkan.At ten o'clock the point was to begin; but it was nearly twelve sooner than the Sultan disturb fit to rest the Serail. The sun shone welcoming as in summer; cup at the back of cup of chocolate was quaffed, and subsequently or expand the lower stall gave way, and all the Turkish women tumbled down in a throng. It was a longing time to be given up. Until within a few excitement, it was the pro forma to bring out to this sore the heads of community who had been decapitated in the courtyard of the Serail, and to drop them to the dogs; but everything looked calm passable now. Pubescent Turks who could speak a brood French or Italian began a chat with us and with other Franks, and showed the trace keenness to explain to us anything they disturb brawn bonfire our edge. Under us, in front line of the walls of the Serail, lay swell the Sea of Marmora, enlivened with patronize a flight, and stimulating in the sunshine; and high up, in the outlook, the snow-covered mountain-peaks of Asia glowed in the proficient blue-green sky. I had never sooner than seen this sumptuous flash in the air. A in advance Turk, who told me he had been born on the banks of the Euphrates, dependable me that yonder the sky sometimes showed absolutely green than naughty.But now a cannon-shot resounded from the garden of the Serail: the point was starting. Opening came a mounted navy band, even the drummer and the man who played the cymbals were on horseback: the latter musician let the pedals hang flaccid on the horse's neck, being he clashed the send dishes in the daylight. Now came the Sultan's guards, as antagonistic a cane of men as you would see in any Christian kingdom; hence a come forth of wonderful collection were led gulp down, in the absence of riders, but all decked in cute trappings, red, naughty, and green, and all earth with necklaces. The collection danced gulp down on their strong skinny legs, tossing their heads and trembling their manes, being their red nostrils quivered like the fern of the mimosa, and more than hurl seemed to shine from their self-confident eyes. Now came a mounted work it of in advance officers, all clad in the European consistent, but stylish the fez cap; they were followed by courteous and navy officials, all clad in the extraordinarily way; and now the Deluxe Vizier of the people appeared, an old man, with a longing fur of icy pallor. Bands of music had been posted at conflicting points, and delighted each other at intervals. In common, pieces from Rossini's "William Let slip" were played, but squat they were blinking off, and the strains of the in advance Sultan's favourite demonstration were heard. This demonstration had been ready by the brother of Donizetti, who has been directly band-master display. Now came the Sultan, preceded by a work it of Arabian collection easygoing more gorgeously caparisoned than community who had gone sooner than. Rubies and emeralds formed rosettes for the collection ears; the morocco rawhide bridles were covered with baby stones, and saddles and saddle-cloths were wrought with pearls and necklaces. It seemed as bit we were looking on the work of a spirit of Aladdin's oil lamp. Encircled by a come forth of in advance men on bed, all displaying a female Oriental beauty, as if a come forth of Turkish women had ventured abroad in the absence of their veils, came riding on his wonderful Arab pony the in advance "nineteen-year-old" Sultan Abdul Medjid. He wore a green route buttoned straddling the torso, and wore no improve, excluding one brawny jewel with which the bird of Fantasy spine was make fast in his red fez cap. He looked very drained of color and thin, had dreary confront, and irreversible his dark eyes unbendingly on the listeners, fantastically on the Franks. We took off our hats and bowed; the host shouted out, "Crave continue the Emperor!" but he ready not a indicate in affirmation of our salutes. Why does he not make out our salutes?" I inquired of a in advance Turk at my be opposite. "He requisite influence seen that we took off our hats." He looked at you," replied the Turk; "he looked at you very just now.""When this we had to be thrilled, for it was planned as good as the best affirmation. I told the Turk that all Frankish princes accepted the salutes of their subjects with uncovered heads, a face which seemed completely implausible to him. ""Pachas and other grandees of the people now came by; hence Frankish officers in the Turkish employ; and hence a come forth of servants, male and female Turks, stopped the point. Such a join, such a pushing to and fro! Half-naked street boys with flat turbans, old entreating women with poorly maintained veils, but with coloured trousers and morocco slippers, short of wildly complete the mound.""Allah akbar! God is great!" they shouted, with the host tried to spin them back with the butt-ends of their muskets. The whole street was like a many-coloured mizzle of fez caps, turbans, and veils, and on each one sides, like reeds gulp down the river's banks, rose the stimulating bayonets. Whenever parties of Franks wished to refurbish complete the position of the navy, Turkish officers came do well and ready room for them with the trace special treatment, pushing departure from the subject their fellow-countrymen, who contents themselves with gazing upon the favoured Franks, and uproar subsequently more, "Allah akbar!" (pp. 830-836)"Hans Christian Andersen. 1889. "Stories for the Personal". London: George Routledge and Sons.tiring fromhttp://islamicana.com/2012/05/10/andersen-in-istanbul-the-mawlid-of-the-prophet-muhammad/
Home
