Selected Prose of Oscar Wilde

‘As soon as the man was dead the Emperor turned to me, and when he had wiped away the bright sweat from his brow with a little napkin of purfled and purple silk, he said to me, “Art thou a prophet, that I may not harm thee, or the son of a prophet, that I can do thee no hurt?  I pray thee leave my city to-night, for while thou art in it I am no longer its lord.”

‘And I answered him, “I will go for half of thy treasure.  Give me half of thy treasure, and I will go away.”

‘He took me by the hand, and led me out into the garden.  When the captain of the guard saw me, he wondered.  When the eunuchs saw me, their knees shook and they fell upon the ground in fear.

‘There is a chamber in the palace that has eight walls of red porphyry, and a brass-sealed ceiling hung with lamps.  The Emperor touched one of the walls and it opened, and we passed down a corridor that was lit with many torches.  In niches upon each side stood great wine-jars filled to the brim with silver pieces.  When we reached the centre of the corridor the Emperor spake the word that may not be spoken, and a granite door swung back on a secret spring, and he put his hands before his face lest his eyes should be dazzled.

‘Thou couldst not believe how marvellous a place it was.  There were huge tortoise-shells full of pearls, and hollowed moonstones of great size piled up with red rubies.  The gold was stored in coffers of elephant-hide, and the gold-dust in leather bottles.  There were opals and sapphires, the former in cups of crystal, and the latter in cups of jade.  Round green emeralds were ranged in order upon thin plates of ivory, and in one corner were silk bags filled, some with turquoise-stones, and others with beryls.  The ivory horns were heaped with purple amethysts, and the horns of brass with chalcedonies and sards.  The pillars, which were of cedar, were hung with strings of yellow lynx-stones.  In the flat oval shields there were carbuncles, both wine-coloured and coloured like grass.  And yet I have told thee but a tithe of what was there.

‘And when the Emperor had taken away his hands from before his face he said to me: “This is my house of treasure, and half that is in it is thine, even as I promised to thee.  And I will give thee camels and camel drivers, and they shall do thy bidding and take thy share of the treasure to whatever part of the world thou desirest to go.  And the thing shall be done to-night, for I would not that the Sun, who is my father, should see that there is in my city a man whom I cannot slay.”

‘But I answered him, “The gold that is here is thine, and the silver also is thine, and thine are the precious jewels and the things of price.  As for me, I have no need of these.  Nor shall I take aught from thee but that little ring that thou wearest on the finger of thy hand.”

‘And the Emperor frowned.  “It is but a ring of lead,” he cried, “nor has it any value.  Therefore take thy half of the treasure and go from my city.”

‘“Nay,” I answered, “but I will take nought but that leaden ring, for I know what is written within it, and for what purpose.”

‘And the Emperor trembled, and besought me and said, “Take all the treasure and go from my city.  The half that is mine shall be thine also.”

‘And I did a strange thing, but what I did matters not, for in a cave that is but a day’s journey from this place have, I hidden the Ring of Riches.  It is but a day’s journey from this place, and it waits for thy coming.  He who has this Ring is richer than all the kings of the world.  Come therefore and take it, and the world’s riches shall be thine.’—The Fisherman and His Soul.

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