The Tour · Chapters
Chapters explained
Chapter companions for The Tour by Louis Couperus.
Chapter 1
Translator's Note
The translator acknowledges contributions from friends John Sargeaunt and Stephen McKenna, noting the latter's translation of the 'Hymn to Aphrodite' and general assistance. The note is dated Crowborough, 10 July 1920.
Chapter 2
The Tour
A group of travelers, including Lucius and his companions, embark on a guided tour through the wonders of ancient Egypt, visiting temples, monuments, and sacred sites while reflecting on the history and mythology of the land.
Chapter 3
I
On a windless, starry night, the Roman nobleman Publius Lucius Sabinus sails on his quadrireme, surrounded by music from rowers, sailors, and a singer. He is consumed by grief over the disappearance of his beloved slave Ilia three months earlier. After a moment of respite, he summons his old tutor Thrasyllus to apologize for a past outburst. Thrasyllus forgives him, but Lucius's sorrow erupts again as he cries out for Ilia, causing the ship's music to fall silent before it resumes.
Chapter 4
II
Lucius is grief-stricken over the disappearance of Ilia, believing she was kidnapped by pirates, while his tutor Thrasyllus and uncle Catullus know she actually ran away with Carus the Cypriote. As they sail toward Alexandria, Thrasyllus tries to console Lucius, Catullus complains about his poverty and the monotony of Roman life, and Cora, a Greek slave bought for her voice, longs to be noticed by Lucius. The chapter ends with Cora examining her own beauty in a mirror before retiring to her crowded slave quarters.
Chapter 5
III
Lucius arrives in Alexandria with his uncle Catullus and tutor Thrasyllus. He is met by his steward Vettius and the Sabaean innkeeper Ghizla, who arranges luxurious lodgings. Despite the city's splendor, Lucius is consumed by grief over the disappearance of his beloved slave Ilia. The group tours the city, visiting the Museum and the Soma, guided by Ghizla's younger brother Caleb, a flamboyant and talkative young man.
Chapter 6
IV
Lucius, tormented by grief over Ilia, secretly arranges with Caleb to consult the sibyl of Rhacotis. He dismisses a display of exotic wares from traveling merchants, buying items impulsively but finding them meaningless without Ilia.
Chapter 7
V
Lucius and Caleb travel through Alexandria's diverse districts, from the aristocratic Bruchium to the seedy Rhacotis, seeking the sibyl Herophila. After a tense journey through crowded streets, Lucius consults her about Ilia's disappearance. The sibyl, using Ilia's sandal, reveals that Ilia is alive but kidnapped by pirates, though Lucius angrily dismisses the vision as his own thoughts.
Chapter 8
VI
Lucius, consumed by grief and rage, isolates himself in his chambers, refusing food, sleep, and company. His despair is mirrored by his slave Tarrar, who weeps over the death of his dancing snakes. A tender moment between master and slave leads Lucius to offer Tarrar his freedom, but Tarrar chooses to remain in service, prompting Lucius to shave and bathe, signaling a tentative return to order.
Chapter 9
VII
Lucius, emerging from his grief, decides to lead his entire household to the Festival of Serapis at Canopus, where he hopes to dream and find Ilia. The household erupts in feverish excitement as they prepare for the night journey. Cora sings a passionate song to Aphrodite, expressing her unrequited love for Lucius. Lucius appears dressed as an Egyptian god, and Caleb arranges the boat for the voyage.
Chapter 10
The Festival of Serapis at Canopus
During the summer festival, Alexandria is brilliantly lit and bustling with activity. Lucius, accompanied by his uncle Catullus and tutor Thrasyllus, embarks on a grand procession to Canopus to dream at the temple of Serapis. The journey across Lake Mareotis and the Canopus Canal is filled with music, dance, and spectacle, including a hymn to Aphrodite sung by Cora. The chapter captures the opulence and religious fervor of the festival, culminating in the anticipation of the dream orgy.
Chapter 11
The Festival of Serapis at Canopus
In the luminous summer night, Canopus is alive with pilgrims and music as they process to the temple of Serapis. Lucius, Catullus, Thrasyllus, and their retinue join the solemn march through the dromos lined with sphinxes and pylons into the vast sanctuary. The temple's holy of holies is an empty, immeasurable space, and the priests perform rituals on terraces. At midnight, the sacred silence falls, and pilgrims lie under dreaming-nets as Serapis rises from the underworld to send healing dreams. Lucius lies covered in a gold network, awaiting a dream to find a lost beloved woman.
Chapter 12
The Dream at Canopus
Lucius, after a night of dreaming at the temple of Serapis, seeks interpretation from the prophet Amphris. The prophet reveals that the many pirates in Lucius's dream are actually one, and that his soul is sick with sorrow and love. Lucius leaves in anguish, refusing the distractions of the pleasure-houses, and returns to Alexandria.
Chapter 13
XI
During the first spring rains in Alexandria, the travelers remain indoors. Lucius is locked in his room after a fit of fury following the night of dreams at Canopus. Caleb confesses his love to Cora and proposes to buy her freedom and marry her, describing the wonders of Saba. Cora admits she loves Lucius from afar without hope.
Chapter 14
Chapter XII
Tamyris, a famed hetaira, persistently pursues Lucius, offering herself as his slave and lover. Despite her dramatic declarations and threats of haunting, Lucius rejects her advances and orders her removed. That night, however, he visits her but returns disillusioned.
Chapter 15
XIII
Old Thrasyllus urges Lucius to abandon his grief for Ilia and seek wisdom in Egypt, proposing a journey up the Nile to Memphis and beyond. Caleb and Ghizla persuade the party to hire their thalamegus and services for the voyage, securing a lucrative contract.
Chapter 16
The Night of Isis
Lucius, feeling deeply melancholic and unwell, wanders alone during the Feast of Isis in Sais. He encounters three hierodules who lead him to the temple where the veiled Isis statue looms. After leaving the temple, he finds Cora waiting by his barge and asks her to stay with him. Cora dances for him in the moonlight while he falls asleep. Later, Thrasyllus returns and confides in Cora his disillusionment with the wisdom of Egypt, yet retains hope to find a cure for Lucius in Memphis or Thebes.
Chapter 17
Chapter XV
Lucius and his party arrive at Memphis, the ancient and decaying capital of Egypt. They visit the temple of Apis, where a young priest explains the cycle of the sacred bull's incarnation and death. The chapter contrasts the grandeur of Memphis's past with its present desolation, and Lucius reflects on his personal grief in the face of such vast history.
Chapter 18
XVI
Lucius, Thrasyllus, and Uncle Catullus take a simple meal outside Alexandria, then rest under palm trees while gazing at the pyramids. Thrasyllus explains the history of the pyramids and the ancient palaces of the Pharaohs, connecting them to stories of Joseph, Moses, and the plagues of Egypt. Lucius is deeply moved by the vastness of the past, and Thrasyllus comforts him, saying the beauty of the past heals the soul.
Chapter 19
The Black Pyramid
The travelers approach Memphis and the pyramids at sunset. Caleb boasts about the pyramids, including a black pyramid he claims is Cleopatra's tomb, but Thrasyllus corrects him, attributing it to the hetaira Doricha. The priest-custodian tells the legend of Rhodopis, whose sandal was carried by an eagle to a king who married her. Lucius, deeply affected, stays behind and asks the priest to use Ilia's sandal to reveal her kidnapper. The priest describes a tall, broad-shouldered man clad as a sailor, confirming Lucius's suspicion of a Cypriote sailor.
Chapter 20
XVIII
Lucius, grappling with the revelation that Ilia left him for the sailor Carus, visits the great Sphinx (Neith) and encounters a Jewish hermit who claims to have seen a radiant child in the lap of the Sphinx, interpreted as a vision of a new god. The chapter explores Lucius's internal turmoil and the contrast between human grief and divine mystery.
Chapter 21
XIX
Lucius wanders alone at dawn on the opposite bank of the Nile, grappling with doubt and grief after his disillusionment with Ilia. He observes the idyllic rural life of farmers and bakers, feeling a jealousy of their happiness. He encounters his slave Cora, who shares her memories of her birthplace Cos and her journey from the slave-school to his service. Lucius is moved by her beauty and grace but remains detached, interpreting her words as mere slave politeness.
Chapter 22
XX
Uncle Catullus remains behind on the Nile boat at Memphis, bored and complaining, while Lucius, Caleb, Thrasyllus, and Tarrar journey through the desert to the oracle of Ammon. The caravan faces exhaustion, water shortages, and fears of supernatural desert beings, but after a crisis where guards drink all the water, Lucius calms them with lemons and money. At dawn, they sight the oasis of Ammon-Râ, greeted by jubilant natives.
Chapter 23
XXI
Lucius and his companions journey to the decaying temple of Ammon-Râ in the Libyan desert, where they are greeted by aged priests. Lucius seeks the truth and, moved by compassion for the forgotten god, undergoes five days of prayer and fasting with the high-priest to receive a revelation.
Chapter 24
XXII
After five days and nights, a transformed Lucius calmly gathers his followers Thrasyllus, Caleb, and Tarrar. He bathes, eats, and sleeps, then wakes Tarrar at night to follow him. Carrying a sycamore casket containing a small woman's sandal, Lucius leads Tarrar through the temple precincts, parks, and oasis into the desert. There he commands Tarrar to dig a hole, bury the casket, and cover it. Tarrar obeys, then stamps down the sand and curses the spot in Libyan before they return.
Chapter 25
XXIII
As the barge glides up the Nile at night, Thrasyllus laments the decay of Egyptian wisdom, while Lucius reveals that he has learned from the oracles that Carus stole Ilia from him. Lucius declares that he has overcome his grief through the proud word 'Be a god unto yourself,' finding strength and a tranquil acceptance of fate.
Chapter 26
XXIV
Lucius and his party continue their journey through Egypt, encountering sacred animals, temples, and strange customs. Uncle Catullus grows weary of the endless divine beasts and exotic foods, while Caleb proposes a separate route for him via the Berenice Canal. At Thebes, they witness the haunting colossus of Memnon and the wedding ceremony of the Pallade. The chapter explores the tension between wonder and exhaustion in the face of Egypt's overwhelming religious and cultural landscape.
Chapter 27
XXV
Lucius, Thrasyllus, Caleb, Tarrar, and Cora journey from Syene into the Ethiopian wilderness, hunting elephants, ostriches, and other game, while Caleb tells terrifying tales of Typhon and a great serpent. Cora's singing soothes the camp, and Thrasyllus reflects on his knowledge that the world is a sphere. They visit Napata and Meroe, observing the small stature of the Ethiopians, the fabulous vegetation, and the strange customs, including the divine king who is never seen.
Chapter 28
XXVI
Under the starlit Ethiopian sky, Lucius and Cora share a private night walk to a height overlooking the sea. Cora dances for him, and when Lucius offers to give her to Caleb, she passionately declares her love for Lucius. He accepts her devotion, and they embrace in the fragrant solitude.
Chapter 29
Cape Dire
Lucius learns from Vettius and Rufus that Emperor Tiberius has confiscated all his possessions, leaving him penniless except for his ship. The party arrives at Cape Dire, where Caleb reveals a guesthouse he and Ghizla own. The quadrireme arrives with Uncle Catullus and the stewards, who bring the devastating news.
Chapter 30
XXVIII
Lucius, now penniless due to Tiberius's confiscation of his possessions, faces Caleb's demand for payment of the Ethiopian hunt expenses. Caleb proposes taking Cora as payment, but Lucius refuses, choosing to keep her as his only treasure. Instead, Lucius decides to sell the quadrireme and all his belongings. Caleb suggests a scheme where Lucius signs a document transferring ownership of the ship to Caleb, who will then sell it and pay Lucius honestly. Caleb swears a solemn oath to do so, and Lucius agrees.
Chapter 31
XXIX
Lucius, Thrasyllus, Cora, and Tarrar board a merchant trireme bound for Babylon, leaving behind Uncle Catullus who plans to retire in Alexandria. Lucius lies to the ship's master about being a poor relation of Catullus, who owns the quadrireme. Caleb has advanced Lucius money from the sale of his possessions and departed for Saba. The chapter ends with the travelers settling in as the ship sails.
Chapter 32
Postscript
Caleb of Mariaba writes to Publius Lucius Sabinus detailing the profitable sale of the quadrireme Aphrodite to the Persian satrap Baabab, his plan to remit the proceeds in installments, and personal news including his purchase and manumission of a Greek slave whom he has taken as his wife in Mariaba.
Chapter 33
Endnotes
This chapter provides endnotes that clarify references in the main text, including the use of cyamos-leaves in Alexandria, Nile water gauges, and the sources for Caleb's description of Saba.
