Zengi
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About this ebook
ZENGI is a 'taster' extract from my novel, CRUSADER, which relates the adventures of William de Warenne and his squire on the Second Crusade. Most of the novel is written from the crusader point of view, but in this section I attempted to present things from the Muslim point of view as seen though the eyes of Zengi's (fictional) court poet, Fadel. Another taster extract is available, entitled CYRA THE BYZANTINE SIREN. This extract tells the story of how the crusader, William de Warenne, is distracted from his high religious aims by a dancing girl in Constantinople.
Bard of Burgh Conan
Bard of Burgh Conan is the pen name Christopher Webster uses for his writing about his home town, Conisbrough. He was brought up in Conisbrough, went to Station Road School, and has lived at various times on Daylands Avenue, Roberts Avenue and Castle Avenue. The town, with its rich history and magnificent castle, has been an important influence in his life and has inspired some of his best work, hence his pen-name, Bard of Burgh Conan (from a medieval form of the town’s name). He read English at St David’s, Lampeter and Leeds University, and is now a teacher and writer. His first educational publication was Poetry Through Humour and Horror (Cassell, 1987). This was followed by many more educational publications including books for KS3 and GCSE English Language and Literature published by Hodder, and the best-selling 100 Literacy Hours (Scholastic, 1997/2005). He has also published several novels and some volumes of poetry under his own name. His writing about Conisbrough includes Crusader, The Abduction of Lady Alice, Richard of Conisbrough, The Poet and the Castle, Conisbrough Tales, Coal Dust Kisses and three books of short stories.
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Zengi - Bard of Burgh Conan
ZENGI
This story, which is complete in itself,
is a taster extract from the novel CRUSADER
Bard of Burgh Conan
Copyright © 2017 Christopher Webster
aka Bard of Burgh Conan
All rights reserved.
CONTENTS
Introduction
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Glossary
Appendix
Historical Note
About the Author
INTRODUCTION
ZENGI is a 'taster' extract from my novel, CRUSADER, which relates the adventures of William de Warenne and his squire on the Second Crusade. Most of the novel is written from the crusader point of view, but in this section I attempted to present things from the Muslim point of view as seen though the eyes of Zengi's (fictional) court poet, Fadel.
CRUSADER covers the main events of the Second Crusade. It begins with that period known as The Anarchy in King Stephen's reign, and goes on to describe the Fall of Edessa, the Battle of Lisbon, and the Battle of Mount Cadmus. It is available here here and here. Another taster extract is available, entitled CYRA THE BYZANTINE SIREN. This extract tells the story of how the crusader, William de Warenne, is distracted from his high religious aims by a dancing girl in Constantinople.
CHAPTER ONE
Fadel sighed with satisfaction and took another sip of wine. It was cool on the roof terrace. The sun was well past its zenith and was sinking behind the minaret of the Great Mosque of Aleppo, a perfect setting to listen to Aaliyah, his concubine, read to him. She was wearing a long, ivory coloured abaya of finest silk, and a hijab of a delicate rose colour, pushed well back from her face to make the most of her beautiful domed forehead. She was sitting on a low diwan and leaning back on a heap of brilliantly coloured silk cushions. Her voice was low, caressing, though it was actually a battle poem that she was reading, an ancient masterpiece by A’sha Maimun, describing before the battle of Dhu Kar:
"Had all Arabia joined our ranks
there were honours for all who saw Dhu Kar.
The Persians came as if led by the night
sweeping dark across the land;
nobles, their sons, and men of rank
wearing rings of gold in their ears,
and pearls—close-sheltered once by the sea
in the oyster’s lap untouched by the clay."
Read the last two lines again, O fair one,
said Fadel musingly.
He took another sip of wine while he listened, then with a sigh, he said, more to himself that to Aaliyah, What wonderful idea!—to describe the beauty of the pearl and the oyster before going on to describe the horrors of war. Go on.
Aaliyah turned the leaf of the beautifully decorated book and continued:
"Forward we faced, no glance aside,
no flinch as we drove our lances home
again and again in relentless charge
as the hawk picks off the birds of the marsh."
Ah! The hawk; the bird of prey—what a superb image! I wish I could write like that!
And I’d rather you didn’t write at all!
said a stern voice from behind him. It was his father, a tall, spare man whose face had been tanned by relentless desert suns until it looked like a wrinkled piece of old leather.
Fadel jumped to his feet and gave a respectful bow, following which his father placed his hands on his head in blessing. Meanwhile Aaliyah had prostrated herself before him, but he only said, Leave us.
When I was your age I had five camels,
his father said, sitting down on the diwan. "I took glass, knotted rugs, cotton cloth along the Silk Road to China and brought back silk for fancy dresses, paper, furs, lacquerwork, porcelain, and jade. I faced white-hot sand dunes in the desert, forbidding mountains, brutal winds, poisonous insects, and reptiles, not to mention bandits and pirates, but