"They've sent an ultimatum, Majesty." "How long do we have?" "Two days." "Why not open the gates to the people?" "Address the people." "Denounce the leaders of Ittihat." "Everyone will be behind you." "You're so young, Izzet." "I will never let it be said that I led my people to civil war." "Midhat Aga." "What's happened?" "Tell me." "With your permission." "May I withdraw, Madame?" "I'd lost hope, Nadir." "I'm almost done." "The Sultan dismissed Izzet Pasha." "He must decide before dawn." "I have two pages to finish." "Did you hear what I said?" "This is probably the last night." "What ending does he want?" "Voiletta survives." "So why are you worried?" "The Sultan likes happy endings." "Let me just finish this." "It's time to lock the doors." "He must have it tonight." "He won't read it tonight." "You decide for His Majesty now?" "I don't feel up to it tonight." "Let someone take my place." "Gulfidan, come tell us a story." "What can I tell?" "I don't know!" "How can I, since you're here?" "I've never done this before." "I won't be able to." "Water and fire." "Shadow and light, day and night, are like youth and old age." "They seem so different, but in fact they're not." "Youth is the past of old age." "Old age is the future of youth." "A new girl arrived in the Harem." "The Agas asked her to wait, and left her alone in a room." "She was tired." "She was frightened, so looked around." "She knew nothing of this world which she had entered, perhaps forever." "She looked around, she glanced at a divan more beautiful than the others." "She decided to sit down." "But once she had, she heard an order away from there." "For the divan belonged to an old favorite, whose last day it was in the Harem." "She was waiting for the boat... that was to bring her to the Palace of Tears." "Both women were waiting, but for different voyages." "One was arriving, the other departing." "Suddenly, the door opened." "A cold wind invade the room." "Good night." "There they were, sitting, unable to ignore each other." "I don't know who spoke first." "They exchanged some polite words." "The older woman said," "I have no advice to give you, but remember this." "Within these walls, three things are essential:" "love, power, and fear." "Nervous, the younger woman asked:" "Love for His Majesty?" "The favorite said no." "What we feel for him is adoration." "The same adoration we owe Allah in this world and the next." "It's not the love you speak of, that fire which consumes the heart and banishes sleep." "One cannot love His Majesty like that." "Unawares, the woman began... to talk about her life in the Harem." "The only life she had ever known." "Fire!" "The Sultan's atelier is burning!" "Fire!" "Fire!" "Hurry, we must save the novices!" "What demon took hold of you?" "My love for you, my Lord." "Take her away." "Let no one look at her as she leaves." "Who are you?" "Her name is Safiye." "Was she your friend?" "No, Majesty." "As for today, it is forbidden to leave the Palace." "Forbidden evenings on the Boshporus." "Forbidden carriage rides." "Forbidden strolls in the gardens." "Our enemies are more numerous and closer than we think, than we think." "We can trust no one." "Have you seen Selma's jewels?" "And her dress?" "Marvelous." "A French tailor made it." "The one in the Palace?" "It's a beautiful color." "You are very pale, Safiye." "Didn't you sleep well?" "What's it to you?" "She slept fine." "Don't listen to her." "It's dangerous to call attention to yourself, Safiye." ""Dangerous to call attention to yourself, Safiye."" "You're jealous." "His Majesty never even notices you." "He won't notice you either." "I'm not from Hungary," "I was brought up for him." "Why hasn't he summoned you?" "His atelier has burned." "He has time for you." "Maybe he wants you old, like him." "Watch your tongue!" "He isn't old!" "Don't insult him!" " I'm insulting you!" " Stop!" "The fire wasn't enough?" "Shall I turn you in?" "Safiye, go to the baths." "I'm eating." "Eat later." "Welcome." "You bring us joy." "Enter." "Don't be shy." "Come." "Have a seat." "You don't want to sit?" "You're not going to eat standing!" "I'll sit when my host has arrived." "It that case, you may sit." "Do you also think I did it on purpose?" "If I wanted to be noticed, it wasn't for the Sultan." "It was done spontaneously." " She was one of us." " Do you know why she did it?" "Everyone knows." "Gulfidan, please." "I don't like your expression." "Me neither." "But my face has a will of its own." "The Sultan loves us all." "He shares his love with all." " Ayse made a mistake." " She fell in love with him." "She wanted him all to herself." "When he stopped seeing her, she burnt what was dearest to him." "Is she banished?" "The Sultan will let her marry a guard." "What cruel punishment!" "She'll never see him again." "It's stupid to disobey the rules." "Everyone here should know that." "The first rule is to master one's feelings." "If they go against the Sultan's desires." "I haven't disobeyed." "I never even spoke with Ayse." "Was I speaking of you?" "Am I here to be scolded?" "No." "I wanted to know you better." "Would you still want it... if I hadn't helped her?" "But you did." "She's Italian." "Her parents sold her when she was 8." "We don't know her birth date." "A French ship brought her to Cairo, where she was bought." "Abdul Pasha offered her to your son, the Sultan." "She can read and write three languages." "The moon." "Has the eclipse already taken place Midhat?" " I am Nadir, madam." "Time has passed... and your eyes have mellowed, Midhat." "I am not Midhat." "Tell me when the eclipse begins." "One moment." "Enter, Safiye." "From what I've heard, your tutor did not teach you well." "Specially when you eat with your fingers." "Fingers are the source of all refinement." "Next time be more careful, Nadir Aga." "Don't waste my time with well brought up girls." "Our Safiye is as perfect as the Sultan's mother can desire." "I see a long road... then a wide gate." "Beware, the evil eye." "Gulbahar, it's my turn." " Wait, Nimet." "Safiye first." " Not now." "I warn you," "I will not undergo one more test." "Don't you trust me?" "You lie too well." "You pretended you had no table manners." "We're even." "You didn't understand me." "You're perfect only when it suits you." "Careful." "Why pretend to be my friend... and then test me?" "I'm not pretending." "I must be shure." "Of what?" "That I'm worthy of your attention?" "Not of mine." "A century ago, Sultana Esma adored English furniture and comfort." "Anything old or Oriental was sent up here." "The Sultana would take this boat in search of boys to quench her desire." "Everyone knew her boat with its cargo of splendid boys." "She dominated them all, on her throne, or standing, like a bird in flight in search of prey." "When she'd chosen one... she brought him back to her palace, and after one night of love, she had his throat cut." "She was not a favorite nor an odalisque." "She was the sister of Mahmud II." "No woman of the harem ever had such power, unless she became the mother of the next Sultan, thus becoming herself the next Valide." "But that road was long, and full of danger." "You need a protector as companion, a man of trust." "But I'm not the favorite." "He has already asked about you." "Unselfish friendship doesn't exist here, Safiye." "I wanted someone with whom I'd feel myself." "With him I could have a particular relationship." "Different from others." "But I can offer you much more, Safiye." "Close your eyes." "I can offer you this." "Look." "Fear not, no one can see us." "I don't want." "Please, close that door." "Be my companion, and I'll be your true friend." "I'll make you the Sultan's favorite, the mother of his children." "The Sultan approached the closet with the lovers inside, and brusquely opened the door." "But the closet was empty." "The dagger slipped from his hands." "He fell to his knees before such a miracle." "Allah has sent three apples." "One for the teller of the tale, another for the listener, and the last one for me." "You can do whatever you like here." "To change the furniture, just say so." "No one must know I've given you this." "An opera?" "Translate it for the Sultan." "I know it's difficult, but you can." "Listen to the music." "You'll see." "We must stand fast now." "The woman told her how His Majesty fell in love with her." "He called her not only at night but also by day." "Together they listened to the music they loved." "Whenever music echoed through the Palace, everyone knew she was with the Sultan." "A shadow follows you." "A woman's shadow." "Another, still larger, follows." "It is the shadow of a mob." "But little by little," "I see the shadows give way." "In the end, you will have peace." "Very good." "Only two mistakes." "You're making progress!" "Delicious, Gulfidan." "I didn't bring them." "Did you, Karanergiz?" "You must be vigilant." "There are two of you." "Nadir!" "Nadir?" "Can you wake up?" "I'm worried about Sumbul, he disappeared." "Halit is over there." "Halit!" "Are you looking for me?" "What's wrong?" "Have you seen Sumbul?" "Why would he be here?" "People said he was." "Maybe they think he's about to join the army?" " He shouldn't go out at night." " I swear he's not here." "All right, Halit." "Forgive me." "Come back, Sumbul." "No one find out." "Why did Midhat involve you in this?" "This has nothing to do with Midhat." " This is between Halit and me." " What?" "You don't have to please him, because you're not a man." " I'm doing it only for myself." " Don't talk nonsense, Sumbul!" "We are the same." "No, we are not the same." "I'm in love." "Gulfidan found them under my bed." "The third time." "I'll have them burned." "How do they get into my suite?" "It drives me mad." "I'm afraid to be alone, even in the hammam." "You're never alone there." "Even for my mud bath, I send for Gulfidan." "It's not very wise to meet here." "All eyes are on you." "Did this belong to Sultana Esma too?" "I don't know." "If it was her wedding gown, it brought bad luck." "The eunuchs lived outside the Harem." "In fact, those who survived castration... came to the Palace to be educated." "They said that even Cairo's black markets... had forbidden the sale of emasculated African boys." "I am happy that you came." "Before you go to Egypt, stop in Istanbul, for my sake." "Think of me." "I don't know if I will." "Anyway, what do I care where I go?" "As long as I travel..." "What are you running from, Anita?" "We weren't talking about me." "Don't change the subject." "I'm jealous of certain memories." "If I put them into words, they may escape and never return." "I don't want them to abandon me too." "You have nothing to say?" "Yes, but in a language unknown to me... that is not on the dictionary." "She is also Italian." "And she also knows music." "She sings very well, and she plays three instruments." "Much time was spent in teaching her the art of love." "She was brought up in secrecy." "Perfect." "Just as planned." "We can still give up." "We mustn't run any risks." "Leave me alone with her." "We have to finish preparing her." "Withdraw." "As you wish, Madam." "Stay." "Don't be afraid." "I'm here for your own good." "You're Italian?" "What's your name?" "Aliye." "Aliye, let me spend the night with him, and they're yours." "I don't need them." "I'll have the same tomorrow." "These are not the gifts of a single night." "How long do you think it will last?" "No." "I can't, no." "Aliye, look at me." "All these jewels for just one night." "And so it was." "The girl drank up the old woman's words, just like all of you right now." "The young woman was curious to know... whether Safiye made it to His Majesty's side." "Just as you'd like to know." "She did." "When his Majesty saw her, he said:" "I didn't call for you, he told me." "I know, I said." "But this night is mine, I bought it." "He looked at me stunned, with a certain pleasure, and said, "from whom"?" "I murmured the truth:" ""From the girl you were expecting."" "Excuse me." "Miss, your train will be 20 minutes late." "Thank you." "Nice of you." "I'm tired of talking." " Tell me something about you, Anita." " No, please." "We have so little time left." "Go on, please." "With your permission." "Aliye is dead." "Poor thing!" "Poor creature!" "We've heard... she drowned in the Bosphorus." "His Majesty couldn't have ordered that." "Of course not." "It wasn't His Majesty." "Everyone thinks you had her murdered." "Help me, Gulfidan." "Give me my clothes." "Are you feeling unwell, Safiye?" "No." "I'm fine." "Thank you for your kindness." "We weren't expecting you." "They said you were tired, that you hadn't slept." "Some halva in honor of the deceased?" "Safiye." "Magnificent necklace." "I received it today." "Say he's ugly to ward off the evil eye." "Safiye, come here." "Come sit next to me." "Let me see your face." "You have beautiful hands." "You smoke?" "Young women shouldn't ruin their hands." "Why are you so silent?" "I wanted to thank you... for letting Osman stay with me." "You're sentimental." "That's why you were chosen as my son's music advisor." "You like opera?" "I hate it." "I hate theater." "What purpose does it serve?" "To dream." "Other people's lives?" "I dream my own life, and that's boring enough." "Do you like stars?" "Have you ever seen an eclipse?" "That's when the moon masks the sun." "Night takes its revenge on day." "It's our revenge, the revenge of women." " Is my son handsome, Nadir?" " Of course." "Describe him." "Can't you see him?" "When I close my eyes," "I can't remember his face." "Open them and come play with us." "You want me?" "We demand you." "There's your mama." " Going to Bursa?" " It's unbelievable, isn't it?" "It's an important mission." "Amber used to go before." "I'm happy for you." "We'll all miss you." "It's just three days." "Osman..." "Osman!" "Osman!" "I'm here, Osman." "Gulfidan, Gulfidan!" "What happened?" "Don't worry." "What happened to my baby?" "Help!" "Help!" "Help!" "Help me!" "Children... just speaking of them can bring joy, as it can bring sorrow." "Sorrow feeds on silence." "The old woman fell silence." "The young woman dared not speak." " Safiye, you know you can't see him." " They're good doctors." "He needs me!" "Safiye, he'll get better." "His heart problem isn't serious." "Stop torturing yourself." "Every sorrow has its remedy." "Every poison, its antidote." "What do you mean?" "Who poisoned him?" "Who'd poison the Sultan's son?" "No one, clam down." "I didn't mean that." "Who'd dare?" "Who poisoned him?" "How malicious..." "Stop, Madam." "Call Midhat immediately." "How dare you come in here?" "It's alright." "I was coming to see you." "Don't torture yourself." "Allah willed it." "I beg you." "Have pity on me for your own children's sake." "I can do nothing to end your suffering." "Give me the antidote." "I'll forgive you, please, get up." " Antidote?" "What do you mean?" " Make him live." "I beseech you." "Tell me what to do." "You know the truth!" "Safiye has disappeared." "You must find her." "Safiye..." "I wanted you to see him." "Forgive me, Safiye." "Don't weep, Nadir." "Death does not exist." "From then on, there was an unspoken pact between me, the Sultan and the Harem." "The very walls seemed to respect my sorrow." "I had been granted a sort of immunity, the price of my grief and my tears." "In the name of what should I spare you?" "In the name of this document." "I bring for your signature, Majesty." "Sign this constitution and all will remain as before." "By dawn, the Sultan had signed the constitution." "And for eight months, all went on as before." "But in fact, it was the beginning of the end." "Are they taking us very far?" "Not that far." "It's very beautiful!" "Don't you want to go on holiday?" "Midhat says we're going there forever." "Midhat always loves to joke around." "Why isn't he coming too?" "He's staying to watch the house." "Aren't you, Midhat?" "A word from you would suffice." "To whom, Midhat?" "If only I knew to whom." "He's taking me with him to Thessaloniki today." "It's a great honor for you, Nadir." "You deserve it." "I don't want to leave you." "Have you the choice?" "Sumbul will tend to you." "I'll be back." "I promise." "The Sultan's desire is our command, Nadir." "It outweighs even your promises." "I could feel you were suffering." "I'm sorry." "I'll never forgive myself." "You will." "You're the one who's alone." "She's staying with him." "Between them, there will always linger a trace of this suffering." "Time heals all wounds." "You'll be able to start a new life, when the pain of parting is no more than a memory." "How did you manage to be so strong?" "Who says I was strong?" "Inside, there were rare silks from India." "There were also robes embroidered with precious stones, and tables topped with a thousand and one delicacies." "Wealth abounded." "The Sultan said to the young woman:" ""All this is yours."" ""Tell me." "What else do you want?"" "Don't worry." "Stay calm." "In the name of the law, the Harem is now closed." "You may rejoin your families." "You had to break in here to tell us that?" "We bring you freedom." "Freedom?" "What freedom?" "To die of hunger and cold?" "No one takes care of us anymore." "In order to send you to your families, we need your names and those of your relatives." " If there is no family?" " We'll work it out." "You're no longer prisoners." "While we're here, no one may enter." " It's the law." " The law can wait outside." "They'll tell you what you want." "We have the right not to be offended by your eyes." "Everyone out." "Get us the necessary information." "We'll do what the law requires." "Come Gulbahar!" "We can't leave without you!" "Your relatives are coming." "They'll find a place for everyone." "They promised." "We'll all have a home." " They promised." " Promises, promises..." "Allah help us." "Do you want something, dear?" "Durisehvar!" "Durisehvar." " What do they want?" " Nothing." "Then why do they want you?" "They're offering room and board." "Only for the young." "Nevres is leaving." "Nevres!" "Nevres!" "Nevres!" "I didn't want this to happen." "I didn't want..." "We must write." "We'll meet again." "We'll meet again." "Durisehvar." "Durisehvar." "Allah help us." "Eat, Madam Munive." "This will warm you." "Karanergiz." "Bring this to Madam Guya." "Laikseza, you're very pale." "Karanergiz." "Take my place." "Eat, before it gets cold." "You couldn't have done a thing if I'd woken you." "You should have." "Fine, but now eat something... even if you're mad at me." "To each his fate." "Such was hers." "Don't torture yourself like this." "You look frozen, Nadir." "Come closer to the fire." "How is His Majesty?" "Who's taking care of him?" "How's Sama?" "Everybody leaves!" "So many men have been sacrificed..." "Who are these people?" "To you!" "You never went out while living with the countess?" "Yes, sometimes, rarely..." "in the afternoons." "But I dared not look around, because I felt all Istanbul staring at me." "Careful, Safiye." "Nadir?" "Nadir?" "Why are you here?" "Don't you know it's forbidden to be out?" "We're hunting for dogs." "It's dangerous to be out." "The lady is with me." "I was showing her home." "We got lost in the fog." "You're from the Palace?" "Hurry home." "Tonight the streets won't be safe." "This way." "It may have been the last stray dog in the city." "All the others had been captured." "They took them all to a deserted island." "Day after day, the wind brought from afar their echoing barks." "Then, suddenly, the city was enveloped in anominous silence." "When someone went out to the island... the dogs had devoured each other." "Not one had wanted to survive its race." "Following her triumphs in Paris, London and Berlin, is finally in Italy the loveliest flower of the Sultan's Palace." "Only a short time ago, she lived enclosed within forbidding walls, guarded by fearsome black eunuchs, a slave amongst the slaves!" "A master of almost godlike power." "I promised you a "Night in the Harem", isn't it?" "You'll get much more, ladies and gentleman." "She's going to dance for you!" "She'll sing for you." "She will reveal the secrets, the mysteries of her life and her forbidden loves." "Introducing the Pearl of the Orient." "The Last Favorite of the Sultan." "The sublime Safiye!" "Did you work long in music hall?" "You never found your family?" "What have you done since?" "I have just grown old." "Miss, your train is coming." "Thank you." "I have to check my baggage." "I'll be back to say goodbye." "Look what's arrived." "Maybe..." "No, it's from Karanergiz." "Dear Madam and invaluable benefactress, light of my eyes." "Unfortunately, I bring sad tidings." "With the harem, Agas who remained, we struggled against our misfortune." "For some time, our dear Nadir Aga had been growing somber." "One day he disappeared." "We sought him everywhere." "We learned he was victim of an accident at Kiziltoprak." "Our Nadir had breathed his last, crushed under a train." "Oh light of my eyes." "I tried to sort his things." "He'd left them all in order." "The amulet he wore around his neck was in a box on his bed." "My God." "I'd rather be struck blind than bear such news." "Madam, I would give my life to console you." "I kiss your beautiful hands, I kiss your eyes, my benefactress." "And Nadir?" "Nadir." "You've said no more about Nadir." "I never saw him again." "But I've heard form him." "A letter from time to time." "He's happy now." "His dream has come true." "He married a widow with two sons." "He's founded a family." "You never tried to see him again?" "You're still waiting for him, isn't it?" "You have beautiful hands, Anita." "Young women shouldn't ruin them." " Here." " No!" "Don't refuse." "It's a souvenir..." "Only a souvenir." "Two ships in the night." "They were about to part forever." "The young woman asked:" ""Instead of advice, why tell me the story of your life?"" "The old woman smiled." "Then she answered:" ""Always remember this..."" "and these were her final words." "What's important is not how you live your life, but how you tell it." "To yourself and others." "In that way alone you will make sense of errors, of suffering and death." "Allah sent three apples from on high." "One for the teller." "One for the listener, and the last for the heroes of our tale."