The Emperor Waltz by Philip Hensher

Author:Philip Hensher [Philip Hensher]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Published: 2014-05-08T16:00:00+00:00

4.

That night, the merchant’s daughter had a dream. The dream was about her dead brother. He came to her, and they were in a hot, dry place. He was crying because he was so thirsty. There was a fountain of cool water playing, but the bowl of the fountain was far above his head. His face was black and disfigured and holed as it had been. About them were the sands of the desert. The merchant’s daughter, in her dream, drew her veil across her face against the blast of the sand. But her brother, wailing, had no cloth to protect his mouth and his poor damaged face. He plucked at the rags that hung about his body, and he pulled at his sister.

In the dream, she did not know what to do. She was not suffering. She did not even feel the heat. If she grew thirsty, she could reach out and take the golden cup that hung from a hook in the fountain, and drink from that. There was nothing to cause her suffering or irritation in the dream, except for the small, ugly, torn and swollen figure by her. It was more like a dwarf than a child, or a moving statue, destroyed in part but still a recognizable whole. She was astonished at how much suffering and irritation this figure was causing her.

But then, as if with a cool wind, an understanding came to her. The understanding was that it was her brother, and that he was suffering more than anyone could ever suffer, now, somewhere, after his death, and that nothing could halt it except her kindness. All at once, her thoughts turned away from the annoyance she felt. She understood what her brother needed, although, in his animal suffering, he did not realize it himself. She took the gold cup and dipped it in the running water. How cool it was, both cup and water. She bent and, shielding it with her veil, she lowered it to her brother’s poor mouth. She bent his head to one side, so that the water would run only into his whole cheek, and not run out at the side of the cheek with great purple-black gaps in it. She wiped his dirty face, and he looked at her, with surprise. He did not recognize her. She gave him a second drink of cool, fresh water, and this time he gave her a look of recognition and gratitude. In her dream, she stood up. Please, she said silently, not knowing to whom she was talking, please make it all right for him. He is my brother. The beautiful word is sang out to her. She could have said was.

It seemed to her that she was thirsty now, and there was an ache in her face. The light in the desert was so bright she shielded her eyes against it. There was water in her eyes. But she was looking after only herself, and she turned again to her small brother.

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