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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6833f05 --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,3 @@ +* text=auto +*.txt text +*.md text diff --git a/1250-0.txt b/1250-0.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..8da443a --- /dev/null +++ b/1250-0.txt @@ -0,0 +1,2148 @@ +*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 1250 *** + + ANTHEM + + by Ayn Rand + + + CONTENTS + + PART ONE + + PART TWO + + PART THREE + + PART FOUR + + PART FIVE + + PART SIX + + PART SEVEN + + PART EIGHT + + PART NINE + + PART TEN + + PART ELEVEN + + PART TWELVE + + + + + PART ONE + + It is a sin to write this. It is a sin to think words no others + think and to put them down upon a paper no others are to see. It + is base and evil. It is as if we were speaking alone to no ears + but our own. And we know well that there is no transgression + blacker than to do or think alone. We have broken the laws. The + laws say that men may not write unless the Council of Vocations + bid them so. May we be forgiven! + + But this is not the only sin upon us. We have committed a greater + crime, and for this crime there is no name. What punishment + awaits us if it be discovered we know not, for no such crime has + come in the memory of men and there are no laws to provide for + it. + + It is dark here. The flame of the candle stands still in the air. + Nothing moves in this tunnel save our hand on the paper. We are + alone here under the earth. It is a fearful word, alone. The laws + say that none among men may be alone, ever and at any time, for + this is the great transgression and the root of all evil. But we + have broken many laws. And now there is nothing here save our one + body, and it is strange to see only two legs stretched on the + ground, and on the wall before us the shadow of our one head. + + The walls are cracked and water runs upon them in thin threads + without sound, black and glistening as blood. We stole the candle + from the larder of the Home of the Street Sweepers. We shall be + sentenced to ten years in the Palace of Corrective Detention if + it be discovered. But this matters not. It matters only that the + light is precious and we should not waste it to write when we + need it for that work which is our crime. Nothing matters save + the work, our secret, our evil, our precious work. Still, we must + also write, for—may the Council have mercy upon us!—we wish to + speak for once to no ears but our own. + + Our name is Equality 7-2521, as it is written on the iron + bracelet which all men wear on their left wrists with their names + upon it. We are twenty-one years old. We are six feet tall, and + this is a burden, for there are not many men who are six feet + tall. Ever have the Teachers and the Leaders pointed to us and + frowned and said: + + “There is evil in your bones, Equality 7-2521, for your body has + grown beyond the bodies of your brothers.” But we cannot change + our bones nor our body. + + We were born with a curse. It has always driven us to thoughts + which are forbidden. It has always given us wishes which men may + not wish. We know that we are evil, but there is no will in us + and no power to resist it. This is our wonder and our secret + fear, that we know and do not resist. + + We strive to be like all our brother men, for all men must be + alike. Over the portals of the Palace of the World Council, there + are words cut in the marble, which we repeat to ourselves + whenever we are tempted: + + “WE ARE ONE IN ALL AND ALL IN ONE. + THERE ARE NO MEN BUT ONLY THE GREAT _WE_, + ONE, INDIVISIBLE AND FOREVER.” + + We repeat this to ourselves, but it helps us not. + + These words were cut long ago. There is green mould in the + grooves of the letters and yellow streaks on the marble, which + come from more years than men could count. And these words are + the truth, for they are written on the Palace of the World + Council, and the World Council is the body of all truth. Thus has + it been ever since the Great Rebirth, and farther back than that + no memory can reach. + + But we must never speak of the times before the Great Rebirth, + else we are sentenced to three years in the Palace of Corrective + Detention. It is only the Old Ones who whisper about it in the + evenings, in the Home of the Useless. They whisper many strange + things, of the towers which rose to the sky, in those + Unmentionable Times, and of the wagons which moved without + horses, and of the lights which burned without flame. But those + times were evil. And those times passed away, when men saw the + Great Truth which is this: that all men are one and that there is + no will save the will of all men together. + + All men are good and wise. It is only we, Equality 7-2521, we + alone who were born with a curse. For we are not like our + brothers. And as we look back upon our life, we see that it has + ever been thus and that it has brought us step by step to our + last, supreme transgression, our crime of crimes hidden here + under the ground. + + We remember the Home of the Infants where we lived till we were + five years old, together with all the children of the City who + had been born in the same year. The sleeping halls there were + white and clean and bare of all things save one hundred beds. We + were just like all our brothers then, save for the one + transgression: we fought with our brothers. There are few + offenses blacker than to fight with our brothers, at any age and + for any cause whatsoever. The Council of the Home told us so, and + of all the children of that year, we were locked in the cellar + most often. + + When we were five years old, we were sent to the Home of the + Students, where there are ten wards, for our ten years of + learning. Men must learn till they reach their fifteenth year. + Then they go to work. In the Home of the Students we arose when + the big bell rang in the tower and we went to our beds when it + rang again. Before we removed our garments, we stood in the great + sleeping hall, and we raised our right arms, and we said all + together with the three Teachers at the head: + + “We are nothing. Mankind is all. By the grace of our brothers are + we allowed our lives. We exist through, by and for our brothers + who are the State. Amen.” + + Then we slept. The sleeping halls were white and clean and bare + of all things save one hundred beds. + + We, Equality 7-2521, were not happy in those years in the Home of + the Students. It was not that the learning was too hard for us. + It was that the learning was too easy. This is a great sin, to be + born with a head which is too quick. It is not good to be + different from our brothers, but it is evil to be superior to + them. The Teachers told us so, and they frowned when they looked + upon us. + + So we fought against this curse. We tried to forget our lessons, + but we always remembered. We tried not to understand what the + Teachers taught, but we always understood it before the Teachers + had spoken. We looked upon Union 5-3992, who were a pale boy with + only half a brain, and we tried to say and do as they did, that + we might be like them, like Union 5-3992, but somehow the + Teachers knew that we were not. And we were lashed more often + than all the other children. + + The Teachers were just, for they had been appointed by the + Councils, and the Councils are the voice of all justice, for they + are the voice of all men. And if sometimes, in the secret + darkness of our heart, we regret that which befell us on our + fifteenth birthday, we know that it was through our own guilt. We + had broken a law, for we had not paid heed to the words of our + Teachers. The Teachers had said to us all: + + “Dare not choose in your minds the work you would like to do when + you leave the Home of the Students. You shall do that which the + Council of Vocations shall prescribe for you. For the Council of + Vocations knows in its great wisdom where you are needed by your + brother men, better than you can know it in your unworthy little + minds. And if you are not needed by your brother man, there is no + reason for you to burden the earth with your bodies.” + + We knew this well, in the years of our childhood, but our curse + broke our will. We were guilty and we confess it here: we were + guilty of the great Transgression of Preference. We preferred + some work and some lessons to the others. We did not listen well + to the history of all the Councils elected since the Great + Rebirth. But we loved the Science of Things. We wished to know. + We wished to know about all the things which make the earth + around us. We asked so many questions that the Teachers forbade + it. + + We think that there are mysteries in the sky and under the water + and in the plants which grow. But the Council of Scholars has + said that there are no mysteries, and the Council of Scholars + knows all things. And we learned much from our Teachers. We + learned that the earth is flat and that the sun revolves around + it, which causes the day and the night. We learned the names of + all the winds which blow over the seas and push the sails of our + great ships. We learned how to bleed men to cure them of all + ailments. + + We loved the Science of Things. And in the darkness, in the + secret hour, when we awoke in the night and there were no + brothers around us, but only their shapes in the beds and their + snores, we closed our eyes, and we held our lips shut, and we + stopped our breath, that no shudder might let our brothers see or + hear or guess, and we thought that we wished to be sent to the + Home of the Scholars when our time would come. + + All the great modern inventions come from the Home of the + Scholars, such as the newest one, which was found only a hundred + years ago, of how to make candles from wax and string; also, how + to make glass, which is put in our windows to protect us from the + rain. To find these things, the Scholars must study the earth and + learn from the rivers, from the sands, from the winds and the + rocks. And if we went to the Home of the Scholars, we could learn + from these also. We could ask questions of these, for they do not + forbid questions. + + And questions give us no rest. We know not why our curse makes us + seek we know not what, ever and ever. But we cannot resist it. It + whispers to us that there are great things on this earth of ours, + and that we can know them if we try, and that we must know them. + We ask, why must we know, but it has no answer to give us. We + must know that we may know. + + So we wished to be sent to the Home of the Scholars. We wished it + so much that our hands trembled under the blankets in the night, + and we bit our arm to stop that other pain which we could not + endure. It was evil and we dared not face our brothers in the + morning. For men may wish nothing for themselves. And we were + punished when the Council of Vocations came to give us our life + Mandates which tell those who reach their fifteenth year what + their work is to be for the rest of their days. + + The Council of Vocations came on the first day of spring, and + they sat in the great hall. And we who were fifteen and all the + Teachers came into the great hall. And the Council of Vocations + sat on a high dais, and they had but two words to speak to each + of the Students. They called the Students’ names, and when the + Students stepped before them, one after another, the Council + said: “Carpenter” or “Doctor” or “Cook” or “Leader.” Then each + Student raised their right arm and said: “The will of our + brothers be done.” + + Now if the Council has said “Carpenter” or “Cook,” the Students + so assigned go to work and they do not study any further. But if + the Council has said “Leader,” then those Students go into the + Home of the Leaders, which is the greatest house in the City, for + it has three stories. And there they study for many years, so + that they may become candidates and be elected to the City + Council and the State Council and the World Council—by a free and + general vote of all men. But we wished not to be a Leader, even + though it is a great honor. We wished to be a Scholar. + + So we awaited our turn in the great hall and then we heard the + Council of Vocations call our name: “Equality 7-2521.” We walked + to the dais, and our legs did not tremble, and we looked up at + the Council. There were five members of the Council, three of the + male gender and two of the female. Their hair was white and their + faces were cracked as the clay of a dry river bed. They were old. + They seemed older than the marble of the Temple of the World + Council. They sat before us and they did not move. And we saw no + breath to stir the folds of their white togas. But we knew that + they were alive, for a finger of the hand of the oldest rose, + pointed to us, and fell down again. This was the only thing which + moved, for the lips of the oldest did not move as they said: + “Street Sweeper.” + + We felt the cords of our neck grow tight as our head rose higher + to look upon the faces of the Council, and we were happy. We knew + we had been guilty, but now we had a way to atone for it. We + would accept our Life Mandate, and we would work for our + brothers, gladly and willingly, and we would erase our sin + against them, which they did not know, but we knew. So we were + happy, and proud of ourselves and of our victory over ourselves. + We raised our right arm and we spoke, and our voice was the + clearest, the steadiest voice in the hall that day, and we said: + + “The will of our brothers be done.” + + And we looked straight into the eyes of the Council, but their + eyes were as cold blue glass buttons. + + So we went into the Home of the Street Sweepers. It is a grey + house on a narrow street. There is a sundial in its courtyard, by + which the Council of the Home can tell the hours of the day and + when to ring the bell. When the bell rings, we all arise from our + beds. The sky is green and cold in our windows to the east. The + shadow on the sundial marks off a half-hour while we dress and + eat our breakfast in the dining hall, where there are five long + tables with twenty clay plates and twenty clay cups on each + table. Then we go to work in the streets of the City, with our + brooms and our rakes. In five hours, when the sun is high, we + return to the Home and we eat our midday meal, for which one-half + hour is allowed. Then we go to work again. In five hours, the + shadows are blue on the pavements, and the sky is blue with a + deep brightness which is not bright. We come back to have our + dinner, which lasts one hour. Then the bell rings and we walk in + a straight column to one of the City Halls, for the Social + Meeting. Other columns of men arrive from the Homes of the + different Trades. The candles are lit, and the Councils of the + different Homes stand in a pulpit, and they speak to us of our + duties and of our brother men. Then visiting Leaders mount the + pulpit and they read to us the speeches which were made in the + City Council that day, for the City Council represents all men + and all men must know. Then we sing hymns, the Hymn of + Brotherhood, and the Hymn of Equality, and the Hymn of the + Collective Spirit. The sky is a soggy purple when we return to + the Home. Then the bell rings and we walk in a straight column to + the City Theatre for three hours of Social Recreation. There a + play is shown upon the stage, with two great choruses from the + Home of the Actors, which speak and answer all together, in two + great voices. The plays are about toil and how good it is. Then + we walk back to the Home in a straight column. The sky is like a + black sieve pierced by silver drops that tremble, ready to burst + through. The moths beat against the street lanterns. We go to our + beds and we sleep, till the bell rings again. The sleeping halls + are white and clean and bare of all things save one hundred beds. + + Thus have we lived each day of four years, until two springs ago + when our crime happened. Thus must all men live until they are + forty. At forty, they are worn out. At forty, they are sent to + the Home of the Useless, where the Old Ones live. The Old Ones do + not work, for the State takes care of them. They sit in the sun + in summer and they sit by the fire in winter. They do not speak + often, for they are weary. The Old Ones know that they are soon + to die. When a miracle happens and some live to be forty-five, + they are the Ancient Ones, and the children stare at them when + passing by the Home of the Useless. Such is to be our life, as + that of all our brothers and of the brothers who came before us. + + Such would have been our life, had we not committed our crime + which changed all things for us. And it was our curse which drove + us to our crime. We had been a good Street Sweeper and like all + our brother Street Sweepers, save for our cursed wish to know. We + looked too long at the stars at night, and at the trees and the + earth. And when we cleaned the yard of the Home of the Scholars, + we gathered the glass vials, the pieces of metal, the dried bones + which they had discarded. We wished to keep these things and to + study them, but we had no place to hide them. So we carried them + to the City Cesspool. And then we made the discovery. + + It was on a day of the spring before last. We Street Sweepers + work in brigades of three, and we were with Union 5-3992, they of + the half-brain, and with International 4-8818. Now Union 5-3992 + are a sickly lad and sometimes they are stricken with + convulsions, when their mouth froths and their eyes turn white. + But International 4-8818 are different. They are a tall, strong + youth and their eyes are like fireflies, for there is laughter in + their eyes. We cannot look upon International 4-8818 and not + smile in answer. For this they were not liked in the Home of the + Students, as it is not proper to smile without reason. And also + they were not liked because they took pieces of coal and they + drew pictures upon the walls, and they were pictures which made + men laugh. But it is only our brothers in the Home of the Artists + who are permitted to draw pictures, so International 4-8818 were + sent to the Home of the Street Sweepers, like ourselves. + + International 4-8818 and we are friends. This is an evil thing to + say, for it is a transgression, the great Transgression of + Preference, to love any among men better than the others, since + we must love all men and all men are our friends. So + International 4-8818 and we have never spoken of it. But we know. + We know, when we look into each other’s eyes. And when we look + thus without words, we both know other things also, strange + things for which there are no words, and these things frighten + us. + + So on that day of the spring before last, Union 5-3992 were + stricken with convulsions on the edge of the City, near the City + Theatre. We left them to lie in the shade of the Theatre tent and + we went with International 4-8818 to finish our work. We came + together to the great ravine behind the Theatre. It is empty save + for trees and weeds. Beyond the ravine there is a plain, and + beyond the plain there lies the Uncharted Forest, about which men + must not think. + + We were gathering the papers and the rags which the wind had + blown from the Theatre, when we saw an iron bar among the weeds. + It was old and rusted by many rains. We pulled with all our + strength, but we could not move it. So we called International + 4-8818, and together we scraped the earth around the bar. Of a + sudden the earth fell in before us, and we saw an old iron grill + over a black hole. + + International 4-8818 stepped back. But we pulled at the grill and + it gave way. And then we saw iron rings as steps leading down a + shaft into a darkness without bottom. + + “We shall go down,” we said to International 4-8818. + + “It is forbidden,” they answered. + + We said: “The Council does not know of this hole, so it cannot be + forbidden.” + + And they answered: “Since the Council does not know of this hole, + there can be no law permitting to enter it. And everything which + is not permitted by law is forbidden.” + + But we said: “We shall go, none the less.” + + They were frightened, but they stood by and watched us go. + + We hung on the iron rings with our hands and our feet. We could + see nothing below us. And above us the hole open upon the sky + grew smaller and smaller, till it came to be the size of a + button. But still we went down. Then our foot touched the ground. + We rubbed our eyes, for we could not see. Then our eyes became + used to the darkness, but we could not believe what we saw. + + No men known to us could have built this place, nor the men known + to our brothers who lived before us, and yet it was built by men. + It was a great tunnel. Its walls were hard and smooth to the + touch; it felt like stone, but it was not stone. On the ground + there were long thin tracks of iron, but it was not iron; it felt + smooth and cold as glass. We knelt, and we crawled forward, our + hand groping along the iron line to see where it would lead. But + there was an unbroken night ahead. Only the iron tracks glowed + through it, straight and white, calling us to follow. But we + could not follow, for we were losing the puddle of light behind + us. So we turned and we crawled back, our hand on the iron line. + And our heart beat in our fingertips, without reason. And then we + knew. + + We knew suddenly that this place was left from the Unmentionable + Times. So it was true, and those Times had been, and all the + wonders of those Times. Hundreds upon hundreds of years ago men + knew secrets which we have lost. And we thought: “This is a foul + place. They are damned who touch the things of the Unmentionable + Times.” But our hand which followed the track, as we crawled, + clung to the iron as if it would not leave it, as if the skin of + our hand were thirsty and begging of the metal some secret fluid + beating in its coldness. + + We returned to the earth. International 4-8818 looked upon us and + stepped back. + + “Equality 7-2521,” they said, “your face is white.” + + But we could not speak and we stood looking upon them. + + They backed away, as if they dared not touch us. Then they + smiled, but it was not a gay smile; it was lost and pleading. But + still we could not speak. Then they said: + + “We shall report our find to the City Council and both of us will + be rewarded.” + + And then we spoke. Our voice was hard and there was no mercy in + our voice. We said: + + “We shall not report our find to the City Council. We shall not + report it to any men.” + + They raised their hands to their ears, for never had they heard + such words as these. + + “International 4-8818,” we asked, “will you report us to the + Council and see us lashed to death before your eyes?” + + They stood straight all of a sudden and they answered: “Rather + would we die.” + + “Then,” we said, “keep silent. This place is ours. This place + belongs to us, Equality 7-2521, and to no other men on earth. And + if ever we surrender it, we shall surrender our life with it + also.” + + Then we saw that the eyes of International 4-8818 were full to + the lids with tears they dared not drop. They whispered, and + their voice trembled, so that their words lost all shape: + + “The will of the Council is above all things, for it is the will + of our brothers, which is holy. But if you wish it so, we shall + obey you. Rather shall we be evil with you than good with all our + brothers. May the Council have mercy upon both our hearts!” + + Then we walked away together and back to the Home of the Street + Sweepers. And we walked in silence. + + Thus did it come to pass that each night, when the stars are high + and the Street Sweepers sit in the City Theatre, we, Equality + 7-2521, steal out and run through the darkness to our place. It + is easy to leave the Theatre; when the candles are blown out and + the Actors come onto the stage, no eyes can see us as we crawl + under our seat and under the cloth of the tent. Later, it is easy + to steal through the shadows and fall in line next to + International 4-8818, as the column leaves the Theatre. It is + dark in the streets and there are no men about, for no men may + walk through the City when they have no mission to walk there. + Each night, we run to the ravine, and we remove the stones which + we have piled upon the iron grill to hide it from the men. Each + night, for three hours, we are under the earth, alone. + + We have stolen candles from the Home of the Street Sweepers, we + have stolen flints and knives and paper, and we have brought them + to this place. We have stolen glass vials and powders and acids + from the Home of the Scholars. Now we sit in the tunnel for three + hours each night and we study. We melt strange metals, and we mix + acids, and we cut open the bodies of the animals which we find in + the City Cesspool. We have built an oven of the bricks we + gathered in the streets. We burn the wood we find in the ravine. + The fire flickers in the oven and blue shadows dance upon the + walls, and there is no sound of men to disturb us. + + We have stolen manuscripts. This is a great offense. Manuscripts + are precious, for our brothers in the Home of the Clerks spend + one year to copy one single script in their clear handwriting. + Manuscripts are rare and they are kept in the Home of the + Scholars. So we sit under the earth and we read the stolen + scripts. Two years have passed since we found this place. And in + these two years we have learned more than we had learned in the + ten years of the Home of the Students. + + We have learned things which are not in the scripts. We have + solved secrets of which the Scholars have no knowledge. We have + come to see how great is the unexplored, and many lifetimes will + not bring us to the end of our quest. But we wish no end to our + quest. We wish nothing, save to be alone and to learn, and to + feel as if with each day our sight were growing sharper than the + hawk’s and clearer than rock crystal. + + Strange are the ways of evil. We are false in the faces of our + brothers. We are defying the will of our Councils. We alone, of + the thousands who walk this earth, we alone in this hour are + doing a work which has no purpose save that we wish to do it. The + evil of our crime is not for the human mind to probe. The nature + of our punishment, if it be discovered, is not for the human + heart to ponder. Never, not in the memory of the Ancient Ones’ + Ancients, never have men done that which we are doing. + + And yet there is no shame in us and no regret. We say to + ourselves that we are a wretch and a traitor. But we feel no + burden upon our spirit and no fear in our heart. And it seems to + us that our spirit is clear as a lake troubled by no eyes save + those of the sun. And in our heart—strange are the ways of + evil!—in our heart there is the first peace we have known in + twenty years. + + + + PART TWO + + Liberty 5-3000... Liberty five-three thousand ... Liberty + 5-3000.... + + We wish to write this name. We wish to speak it, but we dare not + speak it above a whisper. For men are forbidden to take notice of + women, and women are forbidden to take notice of men. But we + think of one among women, they whose name is Liberty 5-3000, and + we think of no others. The women who have been assigned to work + the soil live in the Homes of the Peasants beyond the City. Where + the City ends there is a great road winding off to the north, and + we Street Sweepers must keep this road clean to the first + milepost. There is a hedge along the road, and beyond the hedge + lie the fields. The fields are black and ploughed, and they lie + like a great fan before us, with their furrows gathered in some + hand beyond the sky, spreading forth from that hand, opening wide + apart as they come toward us, like black pleats that sparkle with + thin, green spangles. Women work in the fields, and their white + tunics in the wind are like the wings of sea-gulls beating over + the black soil. + + And there it was that we saw Liberty 5-3000 walking along the + furrows. Their body was straight and thin as a blade of iron. + Their eyes were dark and hard and glowing, with no fear in them, + no kindness and no guilt. Their hair was golden as the sun; their + hair flew in the wind, shining and wild, as if it defied men to + restrain it. They threw seeds from their hand as if they deigned + to fling a scornful gift, and the earth was a beggar under their + feet. + + We stood still; for the first time did we know fear, and then + pain. And we stood still that we might not spill this pain more + precious than pleasure. + + Then we heard a voice from the others call their name: “Liberty + 5-3000,” and they turned and walked back. Thus we learned their + name, and we stood watching them go, till their white tunic was + lost in the blue mist. + + And the following day, as we came to the northern road, we kept + our eyes upon Liberty 5-3000 in the field. And each day + thereafter we knew the illness of waiting for our hour on the + northern road. And there we looked at Liberty 5-3000 each day. We + know not whether they looked at us also, but we think they did. + Then one day they came close to the hedge, and suddenly they + turned to us. They turned in a whirl and the movement of their + body stopped, as if slashed off, as suddenly as it had started. + They stood still as a stone, and they looked straight upon us, + straight into our eyes. There was no smile on their face, and no + welcome. But their face was taut, and their eyes were dark. Then + they turned as swiftly, and they walked away from us. + + But the following day, when we came to the road, they smiled. + They smiled to us and for us. And we smiled in answer. Their head + fell back, and their arms fell, as if their arms and their thin + white neck were stricken suddenly with a great lassitude. They + were not looking upon us, but upon the sky. Then they glanced at + us over their shoulder, as we felt as if a hand had touched our + body, slipping softly from our lips to our feet. + + Every morning thereafter, we greeted each other with our eyes. We + dared not speak. It is a transgression to speak to men of other + Trades, save in groups at the Social Meetings. But once, standing + at the hedge, we raised our hand to our forehead and then moved + it slowly, palm down, toward Liberty 5-3000. Had the others seen + it, they could have guessed nothing, for it looked only as if we + were shading our eyes from the sun. But Liberty 5-3000 saw it and + understood. They raised their hand to their forehead and moved it + as we had. Thus, each day, we greet Liberty 5-3000, and they + answer, and no men can suspect. + + We do not wonder at this new sin of ours. It is our second + Transgression of Preference, for we do not think of all our + brothers, as we must, but only of one, and their name is Liberty + 5-3000. We do not know why we think of them. We do not know why, + when we think of them, we feel all of a sudden that the earth is + good and that it is not a burden to live. We do not think of them + as Liberty 5-3000 any longer. We have given them a name in our + thoughts. We call them the Golden One. But it is a sin to give + men names which distinguish them from other men. Yet we call them + the Golden One, for they are not like the others. The Golden One + are not like the others. + + And we take no heed of the law which says that men may not think + of women, save at the Time of Mating. This is the time each + spring when all the men older than twenty and all the women older + than eighteen are sent for one night to the City Palace of + Mating. And each of the men have one of the women assigned to + them by the Council of Eugenics. Children are born each winter, + but women never see their children and children never know their + parents. Twice have we been sent to the Palace of Mating, but it + is an ugly and shameful matter, of which we do not like to think. + + We had broken so many laws, and today we have broken one more. + Today, we spoke to the Golden One. + + The other women were far off in the field, when we stopped at the + hedge by the side of the road. The Golden One were kneeling alone + at the moat which runs through the field. And the drops of water + falling from their hands, as they raised the water to their lips, + were like sparks of fire in the sun. Then the Golden One saw us, + and they did not move, kneeling there, looking at us, and circles + of light played upon their white tunic, from the sun on the water + of the moat, and one sparkling drop fell from a finger of their + hand held as frozen in the air. + + Then the Golden One rose and walked to the hedge, as if they had + heard a command in our eyes. The two other Street Sweepers of our + brigade were a hundred paces away down the road. And we thought + that International 4-8818 would not betray us, and Union 5-3992 + would not understand. So we looked straight upon the Golden One, + and we saw the shadows of their lashes on their white cheeks and + the sparks of sun on their lips. And we said: + + “You are beautiful, Liberty 5-3000.” + + Their face did not move and they did not avert their eyes. Only + their eyes grew wider, and there was triumph in their eyes, and + it was not triumph over us, but over things we could not guess. + + Then they asked: + + “What is your name?” + + “Equality 7-2521,” we answered. + + “You are not one of our brothers, Equality 7-2521, for we do not + wish you to be.” + + We cannot say what they meant, for there are no words for their + meaning, but we know it without words and we knew it then. + + “No,” we answered, “nor are you one of our sisters.” + + “If you see us among scores of women, will you look upon us?” + + “We shall look upon you, Liberty 5-3000, if we see you among all + the women of the earth.” + + Then they asked: + + “Are Street Sweepers sent to different parts of the City or do + they always work in the same places?” + + “They always work in the same places,” we answered, “and no one + will take this road away from us.” + + “Your eyes,” they said, “are not like the eyes of any among men.” + + And suddenly, without cause for the thought which came to us, we + felt cold, cold to our stomach. + + “How old are you?” we asked. + + They understood our thought, for they lowered their eyes for the + first time. + + “Seventeen,” they whispered. + + And we sighed, as if a burden had been taken from us, for we had + been thinking without reason of the Palace of Mating. And we + thought that we would not let the Golden One be sent to the + Palace. How to prevent it, how to bar the will of the Councils, + we knew not, but we knew suddenly that we would. Only we do not + know why such thought came to us, for these ugly matters bear no + relation to us and the Golden One. What relation can they bear? + + Still, without reason, as we stood there by the hedge, we felt + our lips drawn tight with hatred, a sudden hatred for all our + brother men. And the Golden One saw it and smiled slowly, and + there was in their smile the first sadness we had seen in them. + We think that in the wisdom of women the Golden One had + understood more than we can understand. + + Then three of the sisters in the field appeared, coming toward + the road, so the Golden One walked away from us. They took the + bag of seeds, and they threw the seeds into the furrows of earth + as they walked away. But the seeds flew wildly, for the hand of + the Golden One was trembling. + + Yet as we walked back to the Home of the Street Sweepers, we felt + that we wanted to sing, without reason. So we were reprimanded + tonight, in the dining hall, for without knowing it we had begun + to sing aloud some tune we had never heard. But it is not proper + to sing without reason, save at the Social Meetings. + + “We are singing because we are happy,” we answered the one of the + Home Council who reprimanded us. + + “Indeed you are happy,” they answered. “How else can men be when + they live for their brothers?” + + And now, sitting here in our tunnel, we wonder about these words. + It is forbidden, not to be happy. For, as it has been explained + to us, men are free and the earth belongs to them; and all things + on earth belong to all men; and the will of all men together is + good for all; and so all men must be happy. + + Yet as we stand at night in the great hall, removing our garments + for sleep, we look upon our brothers and we wonder. The heads of + our brothers are bowed. The eyes of our brothers are dull, and + never do they look one another in the eyes. The shoulders of our + brothers are hunched, and their muscles are drawn, as if their + bodies were shrinking and wished to shrink out of sight. And a + word steals into our mind, as we look upon our brothers, and that + word is fear. + + There is fear hanging in the air of the sleeping halls, and in + the air of the streets. Fear walks through the City, fear without + name, without shape. All men feel it and none dare to speak. + + We feel it also, when we are in the Home of the Street Sweepers. + But here, in our tunnel, we feel it no longer. The air is pure + under the ground. There is no odor of men. And these three hours + give us strength for our hours above the ground. + + Our body is betraying us, for the Council of the Home looks with + suspicion upon us. It is not good to feel too much joy nor to be + glad that our body lives. For we matter not and it must not + matter to us whether we live or die, which is to be as our + brothers will it. But we, Equality 7-2521, are glad to be living. + If this is a vice, then we wish no virtue. + + Yet our brothers are not like us. All is not well with our + brothers. There are Fraternity 2-5503, a quiet boy with wise, + kind eyes, who cry suddenly, without reason, in the midst of day + or night, and their body shakes with sobs they cannot explain. + There are Solidarity 9-6347, who are a bright youth, without fear + in the day; but they scream in their sleep, and they scream: + “Help us! Help us! Help us!” into the night, in a voice which + chills our bones, but the Doctors cannot cure Solidarity 9-6347. + + And as we all undress at night, in the dim light of the candles, + our brothers are silent, for they dare not speak the thoughts of + their minds. For all must agree with all, and they cannot know if + their thoughts are the thoughts of all, and so they fear to + speak. And they are glad when the candles are blown for the + night. But we, Equality 7-2521, look through the window upon the + sky, and there is peace in the sky, and cleanliness, and dignity. + And beyond the City there lies the plain, and beyond the plain, + black upon the black sky, there lies the Uncharted Forest. + + We do not wish to look upon the Uncharted Forest. We do not wish + to think of it. But ever do our eyes return to that black patch + upon the sky. Men never enter the Uncharted Forest, for there is + no power to explore it and no path to lead among its ancient + trees which stand as guards of fearful secrets. It is whispered + that once or twice in a hundred years, one among the men of the + City escape alone and run to the Uncharted Forest, without call + or reason. These men do not return. They perish from hunger and + from the claws of the wild beasts which roam the Forest. But our + Councils say that this is only a legend. We have heard that there + are many Uncharted Forests over the land, among the Cities. And + it is whispered that they have grown over the ruins of many + cities of the Unmentionable Times. The trees have swallowed the + ruins, and the bones under the ruins, and all the things which + perished. And as we look upon the Uncharted Forest far in the + night, we think of the secrets of the Unmentionable Times. And we + wonder how it came to pass that these secrets were lost to the + world. We have heard the legends of the great fighting, in which + many men fought on one side and only a few on the other. These + few were the Evil Ones and they were conquered. Then great fires + raged over the land. And in these fires the Evil Ones and all the + things made by the Evil Ones were burned. And the fire which is + called the Dawn of the Great Rebirth, was the Script Fire where + all the scripts of the Evil Ones were burned, and with them all + the words of the Evil Ones. Great mountains of flame stood in the + squares of the Cities for three months. Then came the Great + Rebirth. + + The words of the Evil Ones... The words of the Unmentionable + Times... What are the words which we have lost? + + May the Council have mercy upon us! We had no wish to write such + a question, and we knew not what we were doing till we had + written it. We shall not ask this question and we shall not think + it. We shall not call death upon our head. + + And yet... And yet... There is some word, one single word which + is not in the language of men, but which had been. And this is + the Unspeakable Word, which no men may speak nor hear. But + sometimes, and it is rare, sometimes, somewhere, one among men + find that word. They find it upon scraps of old manuscripts or + cut into the fragments of ancient stones. But when they speak it + they are put to death. There is no crime punished by death in + this world, save this one crime of speaking the Unspeakable Word. + + We have seen one of such men burned alive in the square of the + City. And it was a sight which has stayed with us through the + years, and it haunts us, and follows us, and it gives us no rest. + We were a child then, ten years old. And we stood in the great + square with all the children and all the men of the City, sent to + behold the burning. They brought the Transgressor out into the + square and they led them to the pyre. They had torn out the + tongue of the Transgressor, so that they could speak no longer. + The Transgressor were young and tall. They had hair of gold and + eyes blue as morning. They walked to the pyre, and their step did + not falter. And of all the faces on that square, of all the faces + which shrieked and screamed and spat curses upon them, theirs was + the calmest and the happiest face. + + As the chains were wound over their body at the stake, and a + flame set to the pyre, the Transgressor looked upon the City. + There was a thin thread of blood running from the corner of their + mouth, but their lips were smiling. And a monstrous thought came + to us then, which has never left us. We had heard of Saints. + There are the Saints of Labor, and the Saints of the Councils, + and the Saints of the Great Rebirth. But we had never seen a + Saint nor what the likeness of a Saint should be. And we thought + then, standing in the square, that the likeness of a Saint was + the face we saw before us in the flames, the face of the + Transgressor of the Unspeakable Word. + + As the flames rose, a thing happened which no eyes saw but ours, + else we would not be living today. Perhaps it had only seemed to + us. But it seemed to us that the eyes of the Transgressor had + chosen us from the crowd and were looking straight upon us. There + was no pain in their eyes and no knowledge of the agony of their + body. There was only joy in them, and pride, a pride holier than + is fit for human pride to be. And it seemed as if these eyes were + trying to tell us something through the flames, to send into our + eyes some word without sound. And it seemed as if these eyes were + begging us to gather that word and not to let it go from us and + from the earth. But the flames rose and we could not guess the + word.... + + What—even if we have to burn for it like the Saint of the + Pyre—what is the Unspeakable Word? + + + + PART THREE + + We, Equality 7-2521, have discovered a new power of nature. And + we have discovered it alone, and we alone are to know it. + + It is said. Now let us be lashed for it, if we must. The Council + of Scholars has said that we all know the things which exist and + therefore the things which are not known by all do not exist. But + we think that the Council of Scholars is blind. The secrets of + this earth are not for all men to see, but only for those who + will seek them. We know, for we have found a secret unknown to + all our brothers. + + We know not what this power is nor whence it comes. But we know + its nature, we have watched it and worked with it. We saw it + first two years ago. One night, we were cutting open the body of + a dead frog when we saw its leg jerking. It was dead, yet it + moved. Some power unknown to men was making it move. We could not + understand it. Then, after many tests, we found the answer. The + frog had been hanging on a wire of copper; and it had been the + metal of our knife which had sent the strange power to the copper + through the brine of the frog’s body. We put a piece of copper + and a piece of zinc into a jar of brine, we touched a wire to + them, and there, under our fingers, was a miracle which had never + occurred before, a new miracle and a new power. + + This discovery haunted us. We followed it in preference to all + our studies. We worked with it, we tested it in more ways than we + can describe, and each step was as another miracle unveiling + before us. We came to know that we had found the greatest power + on earth. For it defies all the laws known to men. It makes the + needle move and turn on the compass which we stole from the Home + of the Scholars; but we had been taught, when still a child, that + the loadstone points to the north and that this is a law which + nothing can change; yet our new power defies all laws. We found + that it causes lightning, and never have men known what causes + lightning. In thunderstorms, we raised a tall rod of iron by the + side of our hole, and we watched it from below. We have seen the + lightning strike it again and again. And now we know that metal + draws the power of the sky, and that metal can be made to give it + forth. + + We have built strange things with this discovery of ours. We used + for it the copper wires which we found here under the ground. We + have walked the length of our tunnel, with a candle lighting the + way. We could go no farther than half a mile, for earth and rock + had fallen at both ends. But we gathered all the things we found + and we brought them to our work place. We found strange boxes + with bars of metal inside, with many cords and strands and coils + of metal. We found wires that led to strange little globes of + glass on the walls; they contained threads of metal thinner than + a spider’s web. + + These things help us in our work. We do not understand them, but + we think that the men of the Unmentionable Times had known our + power of the sky, and these things had some relation to it. We do + not know, but we shall learn. We cannot stop now, even though it + frightens us that we are alone in our knowledge. + + No single one can possess greater wisdom than the many Scholars + who are elected by all men for their wisdom. Yet we can. We do. + We have fought against saying it, but now it is said. We do not + care. We forget all men, all laws and all things save our metals + and our wires. So much is still to be learned! So long a road + lies before us, and what care we if we must travel it alone! + + + + PART FOUR + + Many days passed before we could speak to the Golden One again. + But then came the day when the sky turned white, as if the sun + had burst and spread its flame in the air, and the fields lay + still without breath, and the dust of the road was white in the + glow. So the women of the field were weary, and they tarried over + their work, and they were far from the road when we came. But the + Golden One stood alone at the hedge, waiting. We stopped and we + saw that their eyes, so hard and scornful to the world, were + looking at us as if they would obey any word we might speak. + + And we said: + + “We have given you a name in our thoughts, Liberty 5-3000.” + + “What is our name?” they asked. + + “The Golden One.” + + “Nor do we call you Equality 7-2521 when we think of you.” + + “What name have you given us?” They looked straight into our eyes + and they held their head high and they answered: + + “The Unconquered.” + + For a long time we could not speak. Then we said: + + “Such thoughts as these are forbidden, Golden One.” + + “But you think such thoughts as these and you wish us to think + them.” + + We looked into their eyes and we could not lie. + + “Yes,” we whispered, and they smiled, and then we said: “Our + dearest one, do not obey us.” + + They stepped back, and their eyes were wide and still. + + “Speak these words again,” they whispered. + + “Which words?” we asked. But they did not answer, and we knew it. + + “Our dearest one,” we whispered. + + Never have men said this to women. + + The head of the Golden One bowed slowly, and they stood still + before us, their arms at their sides, the palms of their hands + turned to us, as if their body were delivered in submission to + our eyes. And we could not speak. + + Then they raised their head, and they spoke simply and gently, as + if they wished us to forget some anxiety of their own. + + “The day is hot,” they said, “and you have worked for many hours + and you must be weary.” + + “No,” we answered. + + “It is cooler in the fields,” they said, “and there is water to + drink. Are you thirsty?” + + “Yes,” we answered, “but we cannot cross the hedge.” + + “We shall bring the water to you,” they said. + + Then they knelt by the moat, they gathered water in their two + hands, they rose and they held the water out to our lips. + + We do not know if we drank that water. We only knew suddenly that + their hands were empty, but we were still holding our lips to + their hands, and that they knew it, but did not move. + + We raised our head and stepped back. For we did not understand + what had made us do this, and we were afraid to understand it. + + And the Golden One stepped back, and stood looking upon their + hands in wonder. Then the Golden One moved away, even though no + others were coming, and they moved, stepping back, as if they + could not turn from us, their arms bent before them, as if they + could not lower their hands. + + + + PART FIVE + + We made it. We created it. We brought it forth from the night of + the ages. We alone. Our hands. Our mind. Ours alone and only. + + We know not what we are saying. Our head is reeling. We look upon + the light which we have made. We shall be forgiven for anything + we say tonight.... + + Tonight, after more days and trials than we can count, we + finished building a strange thing, from the remains of the + Unmentionable Times, a box of glass, devised to give forth the + power of the sky of greater strength than we had ever achieved + before. And when we put our wires to this box, when we closed the + current—the wire glowed! It came to life, it turned red, and a + circle of light lay on the stone before us. + + We stood, and we held our head in our hands. We could not + conceive of that which we had created. We had touched no flint, + made no fire. Yet here was light, light that came from nowhere, + light from the heart of metal. + + We blew out the candle. Darkness swallowed us. There was nothing + left around us, nothing save night and a thin thread of flame in + it, as a crack in the wall of a prison. We stretched our hands to + the wire, and we saw our fingers in the red glow. We could not + see our body nor feel it, and in that moment nothing existed save + our two hands over a wire glowing in a black abyss. + + Then we thought of the meaning of that which lay before us. We + can light our tunnel, and the City, and all the Cities of the + world with nothing save metal and wires. We can give our brothers + a new light, cleaner and brighter than any they have ever known. + The power of the sky can be made to do men’s bidding. There are + no limits to its secrets and its might, and it can be made to + grant us anything if we but choose to ask. + + Then we knew what we must do. Our discovery is too great for us + to waste our time in sweeping the streets. We must not keep our + secret to ourselves, nor buried under the ground. We must bring + it into the sight of all men. We need all our time, we need the + work rooms of the Home of the Scholars, we want the help of our + brother Scholars and their wisdom joined to ours. There is so + much work ahead for all of us, for all the Scholars of the world. + + In a month, the World Council of Scholars is to meet in our City. + It is a great Council, to which the wisest of all lands are + elected, and it meets once a year in the different Cities of the + earth. We shall go to this Council and we shall lay before them, + as our gift, this glass box with the power of the sky. We shall + confess everything to them. They will see, understand and + forgive. For our gift is greater than our transgression. They + will explain it to the Council of Vocations, and we shall be + assigned to the Home of the Scholars. This has never been done + before, but neither has a gift such as ours ever been offered to + men. + + We must wait. We must guard our tunnel as we had never guarded it + before. For should any men save the Scholars learn of our secret, + they would not understand it, nor would they believe us. They + would see nothing, save our crime of working alone, and they + would destroy us and our light. We care not about our body, but + our light is... + + Yes, we do care. For the first time do we care about our body. + For this wire is as a part of our body, as a vein torn from us, + glowing with our blood. Are we proud of this thread of metal, or + of our hands which made it, or is there a line to divide these + two? + + We stretch out our arms. For the first time do we know how strong + our arms are. And a strange thought comes to us: we wonder, for + the first time in our life, what we look like. Men never see + their own faces and never ask their brothers about it, for it is + evil to have concern for their own faces or bodies. But tonight, + for a reason we cannot fathom, we wish it were possible to us to + know the likeness of our own person. + + + + PART SIX + + We have not written for thirty days. For thirty days we have not + been here, in our tunnel. We had been caught. It happened on that + night when we wrote last. We forgot, that night, to watch the + sand in the glass which tells us when three hours have passed and + it is time to return to the City Theatre. When we remembered it, + the sand had run out. + + We hastened to the Theatre. But the big tent stood grey and + silent against the sky. The streets of the City lay before us, + dark and empty. If we went back to hide in our tunnel, we would + be found and our light found with us. So we walked to the Home of + the Street Sweepers. + + When the Council of the Home questioned us, we looked upon the + faces of the Council, but there was no curiosity in those faces, + and no anger, and no mercy. So when the oldest of them asked us: + “Where have you been?” we thought of our glass box and of our + light, and we forgot all else. And we answered: + + “We will not tell you.” + + The oldest did not question us further. They turned to the two + youngest, and said, and their voice was bored: + + “Take our brother Equality 7-2521 to the Palace of Corrective + Detention. Lash them until they tell.” + + So we were taken to the Stone Room under the Palace of Corrective + Detention. This room has no windows and it is empty save for an + iron post. Two men stood by the post, naked but for leather + aprons and leather hoods over their faces. Those who had brought + us departed, leaving us to the two Judges who stood in a corner + of the room. The Judges were small, thin men, grey and bent. They + gave the signal to the two strong hooded ones. + + They tore the clothes from our body, they threw us down upon our + knees and they tied our hands to the iron post. The first blow of + the lash felt as if our spine had been cut in two. The second + blow stopped the first, and for a second we felt nothing, then + the pain struck us in our throat and fire ran in our lungs + without air. But we did not cry out. + + The lash whistled like a singing wind. We tried to count the + blows, but we lost count. We knew that the blows were falling + upon our back. Only we felt nothing upon our back any longer. A + flaming grill kept dancing before our eyes, and we thought of + nothing save that grill, a grill, a grill of red squares, and + then we knew that we were looking at the squares of the iron + grill in the door, and there were also the squares of stone on + the walls, and the squares which the lash was cutting upon our + back, crossing and re-crossing itself in our flesh. + + Then we saw a fist before us. It knocked our chin up, and we saw + the red froth of our mouth on the withered fingers, and the Judge + asked: + + “Where have you been?” + + But we jerked our head away, hid our face upon our tied hands, + and bit our lips. + + The lash whistled again. We wondered who was sprinkling burning + coal dust upon the floor, for we saw drops of red twinkling on + the stones around us. + + Then we knew nothing, save two voices snarling steadily, one + after the other, even though we knew they were speaking many + minutes apart: + + “Where have you been where have you been where have you been + where have you been?...” + + And our lips moved, but the sound trickled back into our throat, + and the sound was only: + + “The light... The light... The light....” + + Then we knew nothing. + + We opened our eyes, lying on our stomach on the brick floor of a + cell. We looked upon two hands lying far before us on the bricks, + and we moved them, and we knew that they were our hands. But we + could not move our body. Then we smiled, for we thought of the + light and that we had not betrayed it. + + We lay in our cell for many days. The door opened twice each day, + once for the men who brought us bread and water, and once for the + Judges. Many Judges came to our cell, first the humblest and then + the most honored Judges of the City. They stood before us in + their white togas, and they asked: + + “Are you ready to speak?” + + But we shook our head, lying before them on the floor. And they + departed. + + We counted each day and each night as it passed. Then, tonight, + we knew that we must escape. For tomorrow the World Council of + Scholars is to meet in our City. + + It was easy to escape from the Palace of Corrective Detention. + The locks are old on the doors and there are no guards about. + There is no reason to have guards, for men have never defied the + Councils so far as to escape from whatever place they were + ordered to be. Our body is healthy and strength returns to it + speedily. We lunged against the door and it gave way. We stole + through the dark passages, and through the dark streets, and down + into our tunnel. + + We lit the candle and we saw that our place had not been found + and nothing had been touched. And our glass box stood before us + on the cold oven, as we had left it. What matter they now, the + scars upon our back! + + Tomorrow, in the full light of day, we shall take our box, and + leave our tunnel open, and walk through the streets to the Home + of the Scholars. We shall put before them the greatest gift ever + offered to men. We shall tell them the truth. We shall hand to + them, as our confession, these pages we have written. We shall + join our hands to theirs, and we shall work together, with the + power of the sky, for the glory of mankind. Our blessing upon + you, our brothers! Tomorrow, you will take us back into your fold + and we shall be an outcast no longer. Tomorrow we shall be one of + you again. Tomorrow... + + + + PART SEVEN + + It is dark here in the forest. The leaves rustle over our head, + black against the last gold of the sky. The moss is soft and + warm. We shall sleep on this moss for many nights, till the + beasts of the forest come to tear our body. We have no bed now, + save the moss, and no future, save the beasts. + + We are old now, yet we were young this morning, when we carried + our glass box through the streets of the City to the Home of the + Scholars. No men stopped us, for there were none about from the + Palace of Corrective Detention, and the others knew nothing. No + men stopped us at the gate. We walked through empty passages and + into the great hall where the World Council of Scholars sat in + solemn meeting. + + We saw nothing as we entered, save the sky in the great windows, + blue and glowing. Then we saw the Scholars who sat around a long + table; they were as shapeless clouds huddled at the rise of the + great sky. There were men whose famous names we knew, and others + from distant lands whose names we had not heard. We saw a great + painting on the wall over their heads, of the twenty illustrious + men who had invented the candle. + + All the heads of the Council turned to us as we entered. These + great and wise of the earth did not know what to think of us, and + they looked upon us with wonder and curiosity, as if we were a + miracle. It is true that our tunic was torn and stained with + brown stains which had been blood. We raised our right arm and we + said: + + “Our greeting to you, our honored brothers of the World Council + of Scholars!” + + Then Collective 0-0009, the oldest and wisest of the Council, + spoke and asked: + + “Who are you, our brother? For you do not look like a Scholar.” + + “Our name is Equality 7-2521,” we answered, “and we are a Street + Sweeper of this City.” + + Then it was as if a great wind had stricken the hall, for all the + Scholars spoke at once, and they were angry and frightened. + + “A Street Sweeper! A Street Sweeper walking in upon the World + Council of Scholars! It is not to be believed! It is against all + the rules and all the laws!” + + But we knew how to stop them. + + “Our brothers!” we said. “We matter not, nor our transgression. + It is only our brother men who matter. Give no thought to us, for + we are nothing, but listen to our words, for we bring you a gift + such as had never been brought to men. Listen to us, for we hold + the future of mankind in our hands.” + + Then they listened. + + We placed our glass box upon the table before them. We spoke of + it, and of our long quest, and of our tunnel, and of our escape + from the Palace of Corrective Detention. Not a hand moved in that + hall, as we spoke, nor an eye. Then we put the wires to the box, + and they all bent forward and sat still, watching. And we stood + still, our eyes upon the wire. And slowly, slowly as a flush of + blood, a red flame trembled in the wire. Then the wire glowed. + + But terror struck the men of the Council. They leapt to their + feet, they ran from the table, and they stood pressed against the + wall, huddled together, seeking the warmth of one another’s + bodies to give them courage. + + We looked upon them and we laughed and said: + + “Fear nothing, our brothers. There is a great power in these + wires, but this power is tamed. It is yours. We give it to you.” + + Still they would not move. + + “We give you the power of the sky!” we cried. “We give you the + key to the earth! Take it, and let us be one of you, the humblest + among you. Let us all work together, and harness this power, and + make it ease the toil of men. Let us throw away our candles and + our torches. Let us flood our cities with light. Let us bring a + new light to men!” + + But they looked upon us, and suddenly we were afraid. For their + eyes were still, and small, and evil. + + “Our brothers!” we cried. “Have you nothing to say to us?” + + Then Collective 0-0009 moved forward. They moved to the table and + the others followed. + + “Yes,” spoke Collective 0-0009, “we have much to say to you.” + + The sound of their voices brought silence to the hall and to beat + of our heart. + + “Yes,” said Collective 0-0009, “we have much to say to a wretch + who have broken all the laws and who boast of their infamy! + + “How dared you think that your mind held greater wisdom than the + minds of your brothers? And if the Councils had decreed that you + should be a Street Sweeper, how dared you think that you could be + of greater use to men than in sweeping the streets?” + + “How dared you, gutter cleaner,” spoke Fraternity 9-3452, “to + hold yourself as one alone and with the thoughts of the one and + not of the many?” + + “You shall be burned at the stake,” said Democracy 4-6998. + + “No, they shall be lashed,” said Unanimity 7-3304, “till there is + nothing left under the lashes.” + + “No,” said Collective 0-0009, “we cannot decide upon this, our + brothers. No such crime has ever been committed, and it is not + for us to judge. Nor for any small Council. We shall deliver this + creature to the World Council itself and let their will be done.” + + We looked upon them and we pleaded: + + “Our brothers! You are right. Let the will of the Council be done + upon our body. We do not care. But the light? What will you do + with the light?” + + Collective 0-0009 looked upon us, and they smiled. + + “So you think that you have found a new power,” said Collective + 0-0009. “Do all your brothers think that?” + + “No,” we answered. + + “What is not thought by all men cannot be true,” said Collective + 0-0009. + + “You have worked on this alone?” asked International 1-5537. + + “Many men in the Homes of the Scholars have had strange new ideas + in the past,” said Solidarity 8-1164, “but when the majority of + their brother Scholars voted against them, they abandoned their + ideas, as all men must.” + + “This box is useless,” said Alliance 6-7349. + + “Should it be what they claim of it,” said Harmony 9-2642, “then + it would bring ruin to the Department of Candles. The Candle is a + great boon to mankind, as approved by all men. Therefore it + cannot be destroyed by the whim of one.” + + “This would wreck the Plans of the World Council,” said Unanimity + 2-9913, “and without the Plans of the World Council the sun + cannot rise. It took fifty years to secure the approval of all + the Councils for the Candle, and to decide upon the number + needed, and to re-fit the Plans so as to make candles instead of + torches. This touched upon thousands and thousands of men working + in scores of States. We cannot alter the Plans again so soon.” + + “And if this should lighten the toil of men,” said Similarity + 5-0306, “then it is a great evil, for men have no cause to exist + save in toiling for other men.” + + Then Collective 0-0009 rose and pointed at our box. + + “This thing,” they said, “must be destroyed.” + + And all the others cried as one: + + “It must be destroyed!” + + Then we leapt to the table. + + We seized our box, we shoved them aside, and we ran to the + window. We turned and we looked at them for the last time, and a + rage, such as it is not fit for humans to know, choked our voice + in our throat. + + “You fools!” we cried. “You fools! You thrice-damned fools!” + + We swung our fist through the windowpane, and we leapt out in a + ringing rain of glass. + + We fell, but we never let the box fall from our hands. Then we + ran. We ran blindly, and men and houses streaked past us in a + torrent without shape. And the road seemed not to be flat before + us, but as if it were leaping up to meet us, and we waited for + the earth to rise and strike us in the face. But we ran. We knew + not where we were going. We knew only that we must run, run to + the end of the world, to the end of our days. + + Then we knew suddenly that we were lying on a soft earth and that + we had stopped. Trees taller than we had ever seen before stood + over us in great silence. Then we knew. We were in the Uncharted + Forest. We had not thought of coming here, but our legs had + carried our wisdom, and our legs had brought us to the Uncharted + Forest against our will. + + Our glass box lay beside us. We crawled to it, we fell upon it, + our face in our arms, and we lay still. + + We lay thus for a long time. Then we rose, we took our box and + walked on into the forest. + + It mattered not where we went. We knew that men would not follow + us, for they never enter the Uncharted Forest. We had nothing to + fear from them. The forest disposes of its own victims. This gave + us no fear either. Only we wished to be away, away from the City + and from the air that touches upon the air of the City. So we + walked on, our box in our arms, our heart empty. + + We are doomed. Whatever days are left to us, we shall spend them + alone. And we have heard of the corruption to be found in + solitude. We have torn ourselves from the truth which is our + brother men, and there is no road back for us, and no redemption. + + We know these things, but we do not care. We care for nothing on + earth. We are tired. + + Only the glass box in our arms is like a living heart that gives + us strength. We have lied to ourselves. We have not built this + box for the good of our brothers. We built it for its own sake. + It is above all our brothers to us, and its truth above their + truth. Why wonder about this? We have not many days to live. We + are walking to the fangs awaiting us somewhere among the great, + silent trees. There is not a thing behind us to regret. + + Then a blow of pain struck us, our first and our only. We thought + of the Golden One. We thought of the Golden One whom we shall + never see again. Then the pain passed. It is best. We are one of + the Damned. It is best if the Golden One forget our name and the + body which bore that name. + + + + PART EIGHT + + It has been a day of wonder, this, our first day in the forest. + + We awoke when a ray of sunlight fell across our face. We wanted + to leap to our feet, as we have had to leap every morning of our + life, but we remembered suddenly that no bell had rung and that + there was no bell to ring anywhere. We lay on our back, we threw + our arms out, and we looked up at the sky. The leaves had edges + of silver that trembled and rippled like a river of green and + fire flowing high above us. + + We did not wish to move. We thought suddenly that we could lie + thus as long as we wished, and we laughed aloud at the thought. + We could also rise, or run, or leap, or fall down again. We were + thinking that these were thoughts without sense, but before we + knew it our body had risen in one leap. Our arms stretched out of + their own will, and our body whirled and whirled, till it raised + a wind to rustle through the leaves of the bushes. Then our hands + seized a branch and swung us high into a tree, with no aim save + the wonder of learning the strength of our body. The branch + snapped under us and we fell upon the moss that was soft as a + cushion. Then our body, losing all sense, rolled over and over on + the moss, dry leaves in our tunic, in our hair, in our face. And + we heard suddenly that we were laughing, laughing aloud, laughing + as if there were no power left in us save laughter. + + Then we took our glass box, and we went on into the forest. We + went on, cutting through the branches, and it was as if we were + swimming through a sea of leaves, with the bushes as waves rising + and falling and rising around us, and flinging their green sprays + high to the treetops. The trees parted before us, calling us + forward. The forest seemed to welcome us. We went on, without + thought, without care, with nothing to feel save the song of our + body. + + We stopped when we felt hunger. We saw birds in the tree + branches, and flying from under our footsteps. We picked a stone + and we sent it as an arrow at a bird. It fell before us. We made + a fire, we cooked the bird, and we ate it, and no meal had ever + tasted better to us. And we thought suddenly that there was a + great satisfaction to be found in the food which we need and + obtain by our own hand. And we wished to be hungry again and + soon, that we might know again this strange new pride in eating. + + Then we walked on. And we came to a stream which lay as a streak + of glass among the trees. It lay so still that we saw no water + but only a cut in the earth, in which the trees grew down, + upturned, and the sky lay at the bottom. We knelt by the stream + and we bent down to drink. And then we stopped. For, upon the + blue of the sky below us, we saw our own face for the first time. + + We sat still and we held our breath. For our face and our body + were beautiful. Our face was not like the faces of our brothers, + for we felt not pity when looking upon it. Our body was not like + the bodies of our brothers, for our limbs were straight and thin + and hard and strong. And we thought that we could trust this + being who looked upon us from the stream, and that we had nothing + to fear with this being. + + We walked on till the sun had set. When the shadows gathered + among the trees, we stopped in a hollow between the roots, where + we shall sleep tonight. And suddenly, for the first time this + day, we remembered that we are the Damned. We remembered it, and + we laughed. + + We are writing this on the paper we had hidden in our tunic + together with the written pages we had brought for the World + Council of Scholars, but never given to them. We have much to + speak of to ourselves, and we hope we shall find the words for it + in the days to come. Now, we cannot speak, for we cannot + understand. + + + + PART NINE + + We have not written for many days. We did not wish to speak. For + we needed no words to remember that which has happened to us. + + It was on our second day in the forest that we heard steps behind + us. We hid in the bushes, and we waited. The steps came closer. + And then we saw the fold of a white tunic among the trees, and a + gleam of gold. + + We leapt forward, we ran to them, and we stood looking upon the + Golden One. + + They saw us, and their hands closed into fists, and the fists + pulled their arms down, as if they wished their arms to hold + them, while their body swayed. And they could not speak. + + We dared not come too close to them. We asked, and our voice + trembled: + + “How did you come to be here, Golden One?” + + But they whispered only: + + “We have found you....” + + “How did you come to be in the forest?” we asked. + + They raised their head, and there was a great pride in their + voice; they answered: + + “We have followed you.” + + Then we could not speak, and they said: + + “We heard that you had gone to the Uncharted Forest, for the + whole City is speaking of it. So on the night of the day when we + heard it, we ran away from the Home of the Peasants. We found the + marks of your feet across the plain where no men walk. So we + followed them, and we went into the forest, and we followed the + path where the branches were broken by your body.” + + Their white tunic was torn, and the branches had cut the skin of + their arms, but they spoke as if they had never taken notice of + it, nor of weariness, nor of fear. + + “We have followed you,” they said, “and we shall follow you + wherever you go. If danger threatens you, we shall face it also. + If it be death, we shall die with you. You are damned, and we + wish to share your damnation.” + + They looked upon us, and their voice was low, but there was + bitterness and triumph in their voice. + + “Your eyes are as a flame, but our brothers have neither hope nor + fire. Your mouth is cut of granite, but our brothers are soft and + humble. Your head is high, but our brothers cringe. You walk, but + our brothers crawl. We wish to be damned with you, rather than + blessed with all our brothers. Do as you please with us, but do + not send us away from you.” + + Then they knelt, and bowed their golden head before us. + + We had never thought of that which we did. We bent to raise the + Golden One to their feet, but when we touched them, it was as if + madness had stricken us. We seized their body and we pressed our + lips to theirs. The Golden One breathed once, and their breath + was a moan, and then their arms closed around us. + + We stood together for a long time. And we were frightened that we + had lived for twenty-one years and had never known what joy is + possible to men. + + Then we said: + + “Our dearest one. Fear nothing of the forest. There is no danger + in solitude. We have no need of our brothers. Let us forget their + good and our evil, let us forget all things save that we are + together and that there is joy as a bond between us. Give us your + hand. Look ahead. It is our own world, Golden One, a strange, + unknown world, but our own.” + + Then we walked on into the forest, their hand in ours. + + And that night we knew that to hold the body of women in our arms + is neither ugly nor shameful, but the one ecstasy granted to the + race of men. + + We have walked for many days. The forest has no end, and we seek + no end. But each day added to the chain of days between us and + the City is like an added blessing. + + We have made a bow and many arrows. We can kill more birds than + we need for our food; we find water and fruit in the forest. At + night, we choose a clearing, and we build a ring of fires around + it. We sleep in the midst of that ring, and the beasts dare not + attack us. We can see their eyes, green and yellow as coals, + watching us from the tree branches beyond. The fires smoulder as + a crown of jewels around us, and smoke stands still in the air, + in columns made blue by the moonlight. We sleep together in the + midst of the ring, the arms of the Golden One around us, their + head upon our breast. + + Some day, we shall stop and build a house, when we shall have + gone far enough. But we do not have to hasten. The days before us + are without end, like the forest. + + We cannot understand this new life which we have found, yet it + seems so clear and so simple. When questions come to puzzle us, + we walk faster, then turn and forget all things as we watch the + Golden One following. The shadows of leaves fall upon their arms, + as they spread the branches apart, but their shoulders are in the + sun. The skin of their arms is like a blue mist, but their + shoulders are white and glowing, as if the light fell not from + above, but rose from under their skin. We watch the leaf which + has fallen upon their shoulder, and it lies at the curve of their + neck, and a drop of dew glistens upon it like a jewel. They + approach us, and they stop, laughing, knowing what we think, and + they wait obediently, without questions, till it pleases us to + turn and go on. + + We go on and we bless the earth under our feet. But questions + come to us again, as we walk in silence. If that which we have + found is the corruption of solitude, then what can men wish for + save corruption? If this is the great evil of being alone, then + what is good and what is evil? + + Everything which comes from the many is good. Everything which + comes from one is evil. This have we been taught with our first + breath. We have broken the law, but we have never doubted it. Yet + now, as we walk through the forest, we are learning to doubt. + + There is no life for men, save in useful toil for the good of all + their brothers. But we lived not, when we toiled for our + brothers, we were only weary. There is no joy for men, save the + joy shared with all their brothers. But the only things which + taught us joy were the power we created in our wires, and the + Golden One. And both these joys belong to us alone, they come + from us alone, they bear no relation to all our brothers, and + they do not concern our brothers in any way. Thus do we wonder. + + There is some error, one frightful error, in the thinking of men. + What is that error? We do not know, but the knowledge struggles + within us, struggles to be born. Today, the Golden One stopped + suddenly and said: + + “We love you.” + + But they frowned and shook their head and looked at us + helplessly. + + “No,” they whispered, “that is not what we wished to say.” + + They were silent, then they spoke slowly, and their words were + halting, like the words of a child learning to speak for the + first time: + + “We are one... alone... and only... and we love you who are + one... alone... and only.” + + We looked into each other’s eyes and we knew that the breath of a + miracle had touched us, and fled, and left us groping vainly. + + And we felt torn, torn for some word we could not find. + + + + PART TEN + + We are sitting at a table and we are writing this upon paper made + thousands of years ago. The light is dim, and we cannot see the + Golden One, only one lock of gold on the pillow of an ancient + bed. This is our home. + + We came upon it today, at sunrise. For many days we had been + crossing a chain of mountains. The forest rose among cliffs, and + whenever we walked out upon a barren stretch of rock we saw great + peaks before us in the west, and to the north of us, and to the + south, as far as our eyes could see. The peaks were red and + brown, with the green streaks of forests as veins upon them, with + blue mists as veils over their heads. We had never heard of these + mountains, nor seen them marked on any map. The Uncharted Forest + has protected them from the Cities and from the men of the + Cities. + + We climbed paths where the wild goat dared not follow. Stones + rolled from under our feet, and we heard them striking the rocks + below, farther and farther down, and the mountains rang with each + stroke, and long after the strokes had died. But we went on, for + we knew that no men would ever follow our track nor reach us + here. + + Then today, at sunrise, we saw a white flame among the trees, + high on a sheer peak before us. We thought that it was a fire and + stopped. But the flame was unmoving, yet blinding as liquid + metal. So we climbed toward it through the rocks. And there, + before us, on a broad summit, with the mountains rising behind + it, stood a house such as we had never seen, and the white fire + came from the sun on the glass of its windows. + + The house had two stories and a strange roof flat as a floor. + There was more window than wall upon its walls, and the windows + went on straight around the corners, though how this kept the + house standing we could not guess. The walls were hard and + smooth, of that stone unlike stone which we had seen in our + tunnel. + + We both knew it without words: this house was left from the + Unmentionable Times. The trees had protected it from time and + weather, and from men who have less pity than time and weather. + We turned to the Golden One and we asked: + + “Are you afraid?” + + But they shook their head. So we walked to the door, and we threw + it open, and we stepped together into the house of the + Unmentionable Times. + + We shall need the days and the years ahead, to look, to learn, + and to understand the things of this house. Today, we could only + look and try to believe the sight of our eyes. We pulled the + heavy curtains from the windows and we saw that the rooms were + small, and we thought that not more than twelve men could have + lived here. We thought it strange that men had been permitted to + build a house for only twelve. + + Never had we seen rooms so full of light. The sunrays danced upon + colors, colors, more colors than we thought possible, we who had + seen no houses save the white ones, the brown ones and the grey. + There were great pieces of glass on the walls, but it was not + glass, for when we looked upon it we saw our own bodies and all + the things behind us, as on the face of a lake. There were + strange things which we had never seen and the use of which we do + not know. And there were globes of glass everywhere, in each + room, the globes with the metal cobwebs inside, such as we had + seen in our tunnel. + + We found the sleeping hall and we stood in awe upon its + threshold. For it was a small room and there were only two beds + in it. We found no other beds in the house, and then we knew that + only two had lived here, and this passes understanding. What kind + of world did they have, the men of the Unmentionable Times? + + We found garments, and the Golden One gasped at the sight of + them. For they were not white tunics, nor white togas; they were + of all colors, no two of them alike. Some crumbled to dust as we + touched them. But others were of heavier cloth, and they felt + soft and new in our fingers. + + We found a room with walls made of shelves, which held rows of + manuscripts, from the floor to the ceiling. Never had we seen + such a number of them, nor of such strange shape. They were not + soft and rolled, they had hard shells of cloth and leather; and + the letters on their pages were so small and so even that we + wondered at the men who had such handwriting. We glanced through + the pages, and we saw that they were written in our language, but + we found many words which we could not understand. Tomorrow, we + shall begin to read these scripts. + + When we had seen all the rooms of the house, we looked at the + Golden One and we both knew the thought in our minds. + + “We shall never leave this house,” we said, “nor let it be taken + from us. This is our home and the end of our journey. This is + your house, Golden One, and ours, and it belongs to no other men + whatever as far as the earth may stretch. We shall not share it + with others, as we share not our joy with them, nor our love, nor + our hunger. So be it to the end of our days.” + + “Your will be done,” they said. + + Then we went out to gather wood for the great hearth of our home. + We brought water from the stream which runs among the trees under + our windows. We killed a mountain goat, and we brought its flesh + to be cooked in a strange copper pot we found in a place of + wonders, which must have been the cooking room of the house. + + We did this work alone, for no words of ours could take the + Golden One away from the big glass which is not glass. They stood + before it and they looked and looked upon their own body. + + When the sun sank beyond the mountains, the Golden One fell + asleep on the floor, amidst jewels, and bottles of crystal, and + flowers of silk. We lifted the Golden One in our arms and we + carried them to a bed, their head falling softly upon our + shoulder. Then we lit a candle, and we brought paper from the + room of the manuscripts, and we sat by the window, for we knew + that we could not sleep tonight. + + And now we look upon the earth and sky. This spread of naked rock + and peaks and moonlight is like a world ready to be born, a world + that waits. It seems to us it asks a sign from us, a spark, a + first commandment. We cannot know what word we are to give, nor + what great deed this earth expects to witness. We know it waits. + It seems to say it has great gifts to lay before us, but it + wishes a greater gift for us. We are to speak. We are to give its + goal, its highest meaning to all this glowing space of rock and + sky. + + We look ahead, we beg our heart for guidance in answering this + call no voice has spoken, yet we have heard. We look upon our + hands. We see the dust of centuries, the dust which hid the great + secrets and perhaps great evils. And yet it stirs no fear within + our heart, but only silent reverence and pity. + + May knowledge come to us! What is the secret our heart has + understood and yet will not reveal to us, although it seems to + beat as if it were endeavoring to tell it? + + + + PART ELEVEN + + I am. I think. I will. + + My hands... My spirit... My sky... My forest... This earth of + mine.... What must I say besides? These are the words. This is + the answer. + + I stand here on the summit of the mountain. I lift my head and I + spread my arms. This, my body and spirit, this is the end of the + quest. I wished to know the meaning of things. I am the meaning. + I wished to find a warrant for being. I need no warrant for + being, and no word of sanction upon my being. I am the warrant + and the sanction. + + It is my eyes which see, and the sight of my eyes grants beauty + to the earth. It is my ears which hear, and the hearing of my + ears gives its song to the world. It is my mind which thinks, and + the judgement of my mind is the only searchlight that can find + the truth. It is my will which chooses, and the choice of my will + is the only edict I must respect. + + Many words have been granted me, and some are wise, and some are + false, but only three are holy: “I will it!” + + Whatever road I take, the guiding star is within me; the guiding + star and the loadstone which point the way. They point in but one + direction. They point to me. + + I know not if this earth on which I stand is the core of the + universe or if it is but a speck of dust lost in eternity. I know + not and I care not. For I know what happiness is possible to me + on earth. And my happiness needs no higher aim to vindicate it. + My happiness is not the means to any end. It is the end. It is + its own goal. It is its own purpose. + + Neither am I the means to any end others may wish to accomplish. + I am not a tool for their use. I am not a servant of their needs. + I am not a bandage for their wounds. I am not a sacrifice on + their altars. + + I am a man. This miracle of me is mine to own and keep, and mine + to guard, and mine to use, and mine to kneel before! + + I do not surrender my treasures, nor do I share them. The fortune + of my spirit is not to be blown into coins of brass and flung to + the winds as alms for the poor of the spirit. I guard my + treasures: my thought, my will, my freedom. And the greatest of + these is freedom. + + I owe nothing to my brothers, nor do I gather debts from them. I + ask none to live for me, nor do I live for any others. I covet no + man’s soul, nor is my soul theirs to covet. + + I am neither foe nor friend to my brothers, but such as each of + them shall deserve of me. And to earn my love, my brothers must + do more than to have been born. I do not grant my love without + reason, nor to any chance passer-by who may wish to claim it. I + honor men with my love. But honor is a thing to be earned. + + I shall choose friends among men, but neither slaves nor masters. + And I shall choose only such as please me, and them I shall love + and respect, but neither command nor obey. And we shall join our + hands when we wish, or walk alone when we so desire. For in the + temple of his spirit, each man is alone. Let each man keep his + temple untouched and undefiled. Then let him join hands with + others if he wishes, but only beyond his holy threshold. + + For the word “We” must never be spoken, save by one’s choice and + as a second thought. This word must never be placed first within + man’s soul, else it becomes a monster, the root of all the evils + on earth, the root of man’s torture by men, and of an unspeakable + lie. + + The word “We” is as lime poured over men, which sets and hardens + to stone, and crushes all beneath it, and that which is white and + that which is black are lost equally in the grey of it. It is the + word by which the depraved steal the virtue of the good, by which + the weak steal the might of the strong, by which the fools steal + the wisdom of the sages. + + What is my joy if all hands, even the unclean, can reach into it? + What is my wisdom, if even the fools can dictate to me? What is + my freedom, if all creatures, even the botched and the impotent, + are my masters? What is my life, if I am but to bow, to agree and + to obey? + + But I am done with this creed of corruption. + + I am done with the monster of “We,” the word of serfdom, of + plunder, of misery, falsehood and shame. + + And now I see the face of god, and I raise this god over the + earth, this god whom men have sought since men came into being, + this god who will grant them joy and peace and pride. + + This god, this one word: + + “I.” + + + PART TWELVE + + It was when I read the first of the books I found in my house + that I saw the word “I.” And when I understood this word, the + book fell from my hands, and I wept, I who had never known tears. + I wept in deliverance and in pity for all mankind. + + I understood the blessed thing which I had called my curse. I + understood why the best in me had been my sins and my + transgressions; and why I had never felt guilt in my sins. I + understood that centuries of chains and lashes will not kill the + spirit of man nor the sense of truth within him. + + I read many books for many days. Then I called the Golden One, + and I told her what I had read and what I had learned. She looked + at me and the first words she spoke were: + + “I love you.” + + Then I said: + + “My dearest one, it is not proper for men to be without names. + There was a time when each man had a name of his own to + distinguish him from all other men. So let us choose our names. I + have read of a man who lived many thousands of years ago, and of + all the names in these books, his is the one I wish to bear. He + took the light of the gods and he brought it to men, and he + taught men to be gods. And he suffered for his deed as all + bearers of light must suffer. His name was Prometheus.” + + “It shall be your name,” said the Golden One. + + “And I have read of a goddess,” I said, “who was the mother of + the earth and of all the gods. Her name was Gaea. Let this be + your name, my Golden One, for you are to be the mother of a new + kind of gods.” + + “It shall be my name,” said the Golden One. + + Now I look ahead. My future is clear before me. The Saint of the + pyre had seen the future when he chose me as his heir, as the + heir of all the saints and all the martyrs who came before him + and who died for the same cause, for the same word, no matter + what name they gave to their cause and their truth. + + I shall live here, in my own house. I shall take my food from the + earth by the toil of my own hands. I shall learn many secrets + from my books. Through the years ahead, I shall rebuild the + achievements of the past, and open the way to carry them further, + the achievements which are open to me, but closed forever to my + brothers, for their minds are shackled to the weakest and dullest + ones among them. + + I have learned that my power of the sky was known to men long + ago; they called it Electricity. It was the power that moved + their greatest inventions. It lit this house with light which + came from those globes of glass on the walls. I have found the + engine which produced this light. I shall learn how to repair it + and how to make it work again. I shall learn how to use the wires + which carry this power. Then I shall build a barrier of wires + around my home, and across the paths which lead to my home; a + barrier light as a cobweb, more impassable than a wall of + granite; a barrier my brothers will never be able to cross. For + they have nothing to fight me with, save the brute force of their + numbers. I have my mind. + + Then here, on this mountaintop, with the world below me and + nothing above me but the sun, I shall live my own truth. Gaea is + pregnant with my child. Our son will be raised as a man. He will + be taught to say “I” and to bear the pride of it. He will be + taught to walk straight and on his own feet. He will be taught + reverence for his own spirit. + + When I shall have read all the books and learned my new way, when + my home will be ready and my earth tilled, I shall steal one day, + for the last time, into the cursed City of my birth. I shall call + to me my friend who has no name save International 4-8818, and + all those like him, Fraternity 2-5503, who cries without reason, + and Solidarity 9-6347 who calls for help in the night, and a few + others. I shall call to me all the men and the women whose spirit + has not been killed within them and who suffer under the yoke of + their brothers. They will follow me and I shall lead them to my + fortress. And here, in this uncharted wilderness, I and they, my + chosen friends, my fellow-builders, shall write the first chapter + in the new history of man. + + These are the things before me. And as I stand here at the door + of glory, I look behind me for the last time. I look upon the + history of men, which I have learned from the books, and I + wonder. It was a long story, and the spirit which moved it was + the spirit of man’s freedom. But what is freedom? Freedom from + what? There is nothing to take a man’s freedom away from him, + save other men. To be free, a man must be free of his brothers. + That is freedom. That and nothing else. + + At first, man was enslaved by the gods. But he broke their + chains. Then he was enslaved by the kings. But he broke their + chains. He was enslaved by his birth, by his kin, by his race. + But he broke their chains. He declared to all his brothers that a + man has rights which neither god nor king nor other men can take + away from him, no matter what their number, for his is the right + of man, and there is no right on earth above this right. And he + stood on the threshold of the freedom for which the blood of the + centuries behind him had been spilled. + + But then he gave up all he had won, and fell lower than his + savage beginning. + + What brought it to pass? What disaster took their reason away + from men? What whip lashed them to their knees in shame and + submission? The worship of the word “We.” + + When men accepted that worship, the structure of centuries + collapsed about them, the structure whose every beam had come + from the thought of some one man, each in his day down the ages, + from the depth of some one spirit, such spirit as existed but for + its own sake. Those men who survived those eager to obey, eager + to live for one another, since they had nothing else to vindicate + them—those men could neither carry on, nor preserve what they had + received. Thus did all thought, all science, all wisdom perish on + earth. Thus did men—men with nothing to offer save their great + number—lost the steel towers, the flying ships, the power wires, + all the things they had not created and could never keep. + Perhaps, later, some men had been born with the mind and the + courage to recover these things which were lost; perhaps these + men came before the Councils of Scholars. They were answered as I + have been answered—and for the same reasons. + + But I still wonder how it was possible, in those graceless years + of transition, long ago, that men did not see whither they were + going, and went on, in blindness and cowardice, to their fate. I + wonder, for it is hard for me to conceive how men who knew the + word “I” could give it up and not know what they lost. But such + has been the story, for I have lived in the City of the damned, + and I know what horror men permitted to be brought upon them. + + Perhaps, in those days, there were a few among men, a few of + clear sight and clean soul, who refused to surrender that word. + What agony must have been theirs before that which they saw + coming and could not stop! Perhaps they cried out in protest and + in warning. But men paid no heed to their warning. And they, + these few, fought a hopeless battle, and they perished with their + banners smeared by their own blood. And they chose to perish, for + they knew. To them, I send my salute across the centuries, and my + pity. + + Theirs is the banner in my hand. And I wish I had the power to + tell them that the despair of their hearts was not to be final, + and their night was not without hope. For the battle they lost + can never be lost. For that which they died to save can never + perish. Through all the darkness, through all the shame of which + men are capable, the spirit of man will remain alive on this + earth. It may sleep, but it will awaken. It may wear chains, but + it will break through. And man will go on. Man, not men. + + Here on this mountain, I and my sons and my chosen friends shall + build our new land and our fort. And it will become as the heart + of the earth, lost and hidden at first, but beating, beating + louder each day. And word of it will reach every corner of the + earth. And the roads of the world will become as veins which will + carry the best of the world’s blood to my threshold. And all my + brothers, and the Councils of my brothers, will hear of it, but + they will be impotent against me. And the day will come when I + shall break all the chains of the earth, and raze the cities of + the enslaved, and my home will become the capital of a world + where each man will be free to exist for his own sake. + + For the coming of that day shall I fight, I and my sons and my + chosen friends. For the freedom of Man. For his rights. For his + life. For his honor. + + And here, over the portals of my fort, I shall cut in the stone + the word which is to be my beacon and my banner. The word which + will not die, should we all perish in battle. The word which can + never die on this earth, for it is the heart of it and the + meaning and the glory. + + The sacred word: + + EGO + +*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 1250 *** diff --git a/1250-h/1250-h.htm b/1250-h/1250-h.htm new file mode 100644 index 0000000..64a3a14 --- /dev/null +++ b/1250-h/1250-h.htm @@ -0,0 +1,2481 @@ +<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" +"http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd"> +<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en"> +<head> +<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=UTF-8" /> +<meta http-equiv="Content-Style-Type" content="text/css" /> +<title>The Project Gutenberg eBook of Anthem, by Ayn Rand</title> + +<style type="text/css" xml:space="preserve"> + +body { margin-left: 20%; + margin-right: 20%; + text-align: justify; } + +h1, h2, h3, h4, h5 {text-align: center; font-style: normal; font-weight: +normal; line-height: 1.5; margin-top: .5em; margin-bottom: .5em;} + +h1 {font-size: 300%; + margin-top: 0.6em; + margin-bottom: 0.6em; + letter-spacing: 0.12em; + word-spacing: 0.2em; + text-indent: 0em;} +h2 {font-size: 150%; margin-top: 2em; margin-bottom: 1em;} +h3 {font-size: 130%; margin-top: 1em;} +h4 {font-size: 120%;} +h5 {font-size: 110%;} + +.no-break {page-break-before: avoid;} /* for epubs */ + +div.chapter {page-break-before: always; margin-top: 4em;} + +hr {width: 80%; margin-top: 2em; margin-bottom: 2em;} + +p {text-indent: 1em; + margin-top: 0.25em; + margin-bottom: 0.25em; } + +p.letter {text-indent: 0%; + margin-left: 10%; + margin-right: 10%; + margin-top: 1em; + margin-bottom: 1em; } + +a:link {color:blue; text-decoration:none} +a:visited {color:blue; text-decoration:none} +a:hover {color:red} + +</style> + </head> + <body> +<div>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 1250 ***</div> + + <h1> + ANTHEM + </h1> + + <h2 class="no-break"> + by Ayn Rand + </h2> + + <hr /> + +<h2>Contents</h2> + +<table summary="" style=""> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#link2H_PART1"> PART ONE </a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#link2H_PART2"> PART TWO </a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#link2H_PART3"> PART THREE </a>></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#link2H_PART4"> PART FOUR </a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#link2H_PART5"> PART FIVE </a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#link2H_PART6"> PART SIX </a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#link2H_PART7"> PART SEVEN </a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#link2H_PART8"> PART EIGHT </a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#link2H_PART9"> PART NINE </a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#link2H_PART10"> PART TEN </a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#link2H_PART11"> PART ELEVEN </a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#link2H_PART12"> PART TWELVE </a></td> +</tr> + +</table> + + <hr /> + + <div class="chapter"> + + <h2><a name="link2H_PART1" id="link2H_PART1"></a> + PART ONE + </h2> + <p> + It is a sin to write this. It is a sin to think words no others think and + to put them down upon a paper no others are to see. It is base and evil. + It is as if we were speaking alone to no ears but our own. And we know + well that there is no transgression blacker than to do or think alone. We + have broken the laws. The laws say that men may not write unless the + Council of Vocations bid them so. May we be forgiven! + </p> + <p> + But this is not the only sin upon us. We have committed a greater crime, + and for this crime there is no name. What punishment awaits us if it be + discovered we know not, for no such crime has come in the memory of men + and there are no laws to provide for it. + </p> + <p> + It is dark here. The flame of the candle stands still in the air. Nothing + moves in this tunnel save our hand on the paper. We are alone here under + the earth. It is a fearful word, alone. The laws say that none among men + may be alone, ever and at any time, for this is the great transgression + and the root of all evil. But we have broken many laws. And now there is + nothing here save our one body, and it is strange to see only two legs + stretched on the ground, and on the wall before us the shadow of our one + head. + </p> + <p> + The walls are cracked and water runs upon them in thin threads without + sound, black and glistening as blood. We stole the candle from the larder + of the Home of the Street Sweepers. We shall be sentenced to ten years in + the Palace of Corrective Detention if it be discovered. But this matters + not. It matters only that the light is precious and we should not waste it + to write when we need it for that work which is our crime. Nothing matters + save the work, our secret, our evil, our precious work. Still, we must + also write, for—may the Council have mercy upon us!—we wish to + speak for once to no ears but our own. + </p> + <p> + Our name is Equality 7-2521, as it is written on the iron bracelet which + all men wear on their left wrists with their names upon it. We are + twenty-one years old. We are six feet tall, and this is a burden, for + there are not many men who are six feet tall. Ever have the Teachers and + the Leaders pointed to us and frowned and said: + </p> + <p> + “There is evil in your bones, Equality 7-2521, for your body has grown + beyond the bodies of your brothers.” But we cannot change our bones nor + our body. + </p> + <p> + We were born with a curse. It has always driven us to thoughts which are + forbidden. It has always given us wishes which men may not wish. We know + that we are evil, but there is no will in us and no power to resist it. + This is our wonder and our secret fear, that we know and do not resist. + </p> + <p> + We strive to be like all our brother men, for all men must be alike. Over + the portals of the Palace of the World Council, there are words cut in the + marble, which we repeat to ourselves whenever we are tempted: + </p> + +<p class="letter"> + “WE ARE ONE IN ALL AND ALL IN ONE.<br /> + THERE ARE NO MEN BUT ONLY THE GREAT <i>WE</i>,<br /> + ONE, INDIVISIBLE AND FOREVER.” +</p> + <p> + We repeat this to ourselves, but it helps us not. + </p> + <p> + These words were cut long ago. There is green mould in the grooves of the + letters and yellow streaks on the marble, which come from more years than + men could count. And these words are the truth, for they are written on + the Palace of the World Council, and the World Council is the body of all + truth. Thus has it been ever since the Great Rebirth, and farther back + than that no memory can reach. + </p> + <p> + But we must never speak of the times before the Great Rebirth, else we are + sentenced to three years in the Palace of Corrective Detention. It is only + the Old Ones who whisper about it in the evenings, in the Home of the + Useless. They whisper many strange things, of the towers which rose to the + sky, in those Unmentionable Times, and of the wagons which moved without + horses, and of the lights which burned without flame. But those times were + evil. And those times passed away, when men saw the Great Truth which is + this: that all men are one and that there is no will save the will of all + men together. + </p> + <p> + All men are good and wise. It is only we, Equality 7-2521, we alone who + were born with a curse. For we are not like our brothers. And as we look + back upon our life, we see that it has ever been thus and that it has + brought us step by step to our last, supreme transgression, our crime of + crimes hidden here under the ground. + </p> + <p> + We remember the Home of the Infants where we lived till we were five years + old, together with all the children of the City who had been born in the + same year. The sleeping halls there were white and clean and bare of all + things save one hundred beds. We were just like all our brothers then, + save for the one transgression: we fought with our brothers. There are few + offenses blacker than to fight with our brothers, at any age and for any + cause whatsoever. The Council of the Home told us so, and of all the + children of that year, we were locked in the cellar most often. + </p> + <p> + When we were five years old, we were sent to the Home of the Students, + where there are ten wards, for our ten years of learning. Men must learn + till they reach their fifteenth year. Then they go to work. In the Home of + the Students we arose when the big bell rang in the tower and we went to + our beds when it rang again. Before we removed our garments, we stood in + the great sleeping hall, and we raised our right arms, and we said all + together with the three Teachers at the head: + </p> + <p> + “We are nothing. Mankind is all. By the grace of our brothers are we + allowed our lives. We exist through, by and for our brothers who are the + State. Amen.” + </p> + <p> + Then we slept. The sleeping halls were white and clean and bare of all + things save one hundred beds. + </p> + <p> + We, Equality 7-2521, were not happy in those years in the Home of the + Students. It was not that the learning was too hard for us. It was that + the learning was too easy. This is a great sin, to be born with a head + which is too quick. It is not good to be different from our brothers, but + it is evil to be superior to them. The Teachers told us so, and they + frowned when they looked upon us. + </p> + <p> + So we fought against this curse. We tried to forget our lessons, but we + always remembered. We tried not to understand what the Teachers taught, + but we always understood it before the Teachers had spoken. We looked upon + Union 5-3992, who were a pale boy with only half a brain, and we tried to + say and do as they did, that we might be like them, like Union 5-3992, but + somehow the Teachers knew that we were not. And we were lashed more often + than all the other children. + </p> + <p> + The Teachers were just, for they had been appointed by the Councils, and + the Councils are the voice of all justice, for they are the voice of all + men. And if sometimes, in the secret darkness of our heart, we regret that + which befell us on our fifteenth birthday, we know that it was through our + own guilt. We had broken a law, for we had not paid heed to the words of + our Teachers. The Teachers had said to us all: + </p> + <p> + “Dare not choose in your minds the work you would like to do when you + leave the Home of the Students. You shall do that which the Council of + Vocations shall prescribe for you. For the Council of Vocations knows in + its great wisdom where you are needed by your brother men, better than you + can know it in your unworthy little minds. And if you are not needed by + your brother man, there is no reason for you to burden the earth with your + bodies.” + </p> + <p> + We knew this well, in the years of our childhood, but our curse broke our + will. We were guilty and we confess it here: we were guilty of the great + Transgression of Preference. We preferred some work and some lessons to + the others. We did not listen well to the history of all the Councils + elected since the Great Rebirth. But we loved the Science of Things. We + wished to know. We wished to know about all the things which make the + earth around us. We asked so many questions that the Teachers forbade it. + </p> + <p> + We think that there are mysteries in the sky and under the water and in + the plants which grow. But the Council of Scholars has said that there are + no mysteries, and the Council of Scholars knows all things. And we learned + much from our Teachers. We learned that the earth is flat and that the sun + revolves around it, which causes the day and the night. We learned the + names of all the winds which blow over the seas and push the sails of our + great ships. We learned how to bleed men to cure them of all ailments. + </p> + <p> + We loved the Science of Things. And in the darkness, in the secret hour, + when we awoke in the night and there were no brothers around us, but only + their shapes in the beds and their snores, we closed our eyes, and we held + our lips shut, and we stopped our breath, that no shudder might let our + brothers see or hear or guess, and we thought that we wished to be sent to + the Home of the Scholars when our time would come. + </p> + <p> + All the great modern inventions come from the Home of the Scholars, such + as the newest one, which was found only a hundred years ago, of how to + make candles from wax and string; also, how to make glass, which is put in + our windows to protect us from the rain. To find these things, the + Scholars must study the earth and learn from the rivers, from the sands, + from the winds and the rocks. And if we went to the Home of the Scholars, + we could learn from these also. We could ask questions of these, for they + do not forbid questions. + </p> + <p> + And questions give us no rest. We know not why our curse makes us seek we + know not what, ever and ever. But we cannot resist it. It whispers to us + that there are great things on this earth of ours, and that we can know + them if we try, and that we must know them. We ask, why must we know, but + it has no answer to give us. We must know that we may know. + </p> + <p> + So we wished to be sent to the Home of the Scholars. We wished it so much + that our hands trembled under the blankets in the night, and we bit our + arm to stop that other pain which we could not endure. It was evil and we + dared not face our brothers in the morning. For men may wish nothing for + themselves. And we were punished when the Council of Vocations came to + give us our life Mandates which tell those who reach their fifteenth year + what their work is to be for the rest of their days. + </p> + <p> + The Council of Vocations came on the first day of spring, and they sat in + the great hall. And we who were fifteen and all the Teachers came into the + great hall. And the Council of Vocations sat on a high dais, and they had + but two words to speak to each of the Students. They called the Students’ + names, and when the Students stepped before them, one after another, the + Council said: “Carpenter” or “Doctor” or “Cook” or “Leader.” Then each + Student raised their right arm and said: “The will of our brothers be + done.” + </p> + <p> + Now if the Council has said “Carpenter” or “Cook,” the Students so + assigned go to work and they do not study any further. But if the Council + has said “Leader,” then those Students go into the Home of the Leaders, + which is the greatest house in the City, for it has three stories. And + there they study for many years, so that they may become candidates and be + elected to the City Council and the State Council and the World Council—by + a free and general vote of all men. But we wished not to be a Leader, even + though it is a great honor. We wished to be a Scholar. + </p> + <p> + So we awaited our turn in the great hall and then we heard the Council of + Vocations call our name: “Equality 7-2521.” We walked to the dais, and our + legs did not tremble, and we looked up at the Council. There were five + members of the Council, three of the male gender and two of the female. + Their hair was white and their faces were cracked as the clay of a dry + river bed. They were old. They seemed older than the marble of the Temple + of the World Council. They sat before us and they did not move. And we saw + no breath to stir the folds of their white togas. But we knew that they + were alive, for a finger of the hand of the oldest rose, pointed to us, + and fell down again. This was the only thing which moved, for the lips of + the oldest did not move as they said: “Street Sweeper.” + </p> + <p> + We felt the cords of our neck grow tight as our head rose higher to look + upon the faces of the Council, and we were happy. We knew we had been + guilty, but now we had a way to atone for it. We would accept our Life + Mandate, and we would work for our brothers, gladly and willingly, and we + would erase our sin against them, which they did not know, but we knew. So + we were happy, and proud of ourselves and of our victory over ourselves. + We raised our right arm and we spoke, and our voice was the clearest, the + steadiest voice in the hall that day, and we said: + </p> + <p> + “The will of our brothers be done.” + </p> + <p> + And we looked straight into the eyes of the Council, but their eyes were + as cold blue glass buttons. + </p> + <p> + So we went into the Home of the Street Sweepers. It is a grey house on a + narrow street. There is a sundial in its courtyard, by which the Council + of the Home can tell the hours of the day and when to ring the bell. When + the bell rings, we all arise from our beds. The sky is green and cold in + our windows to the east. The shadow on the sundial marks off a half-hour + while we dress and eat our breakfast in the dining hall, where there are + five long tables with twenty clay plates and twenty clay cups on each + table. Then we go to work in the streets of the City, with our brooms and + our rakes. In five hours, when the sun is high, we return to the Home and + we eat our midday meal, for which one-half hour is allowed. Then we go to + work again. In five hours, the shadows are blue on the pavements, and the + sky is blue with a deep brightness which is not bright. We come back to + have our dinner, which lasts one hour. Then the bell rings and we walk in + a straight column to one of the City Halls, for the Social Meeting. Other + columns of men arrive from the Homes of the different Trades. The candles + are lit, and the Councils of the different Homes stand in a pulpit, and + they speak to us of our duties and of our brother men. Then visiting + Leaders mount the pulpit and they read to us the speeches which were made + in the City Council that day, for the City Council represents all men and + all men must know. Then we sing hymns, the Hymn of Brotherhood, and the + Hymn of Equality, and the Hymn of the Collective Spirit. The sky is a + soggy purple when we return to the Home. Then the bell rings and we walk + in a straight column to the City Theatre for three hours of Social + Recreation. There a play is shown upon the stage, with two great choruses + from the Home of the Actors, which speak and answer all together, in two + great voices. The plays are about toil and how good it is. Then we walk + back to the Home in a straight column. The sky is like a black sieve + pierced by silver drops that tremble, ready to burst through. The moths + beat against the street lanterns. We go to our beds and we sleep, till the + bell rings again. The sleeping halls are white and clean and bare of all + things save one hundred beds. + </p> + <p> + Thus have we lived each day of four years, until two springs ago when our + crime happened. Thus must all men live until they are forty. At forty, + they are worn out. At forty, they are sent to the Home of the Useless, + where the Old Ones live. The Old Ones do not work, for the State takes + care of them. They sit in the sun in summer and they sit by the fire in + winter. They do not speak often, for they are weary. The Old Ones know + that they are soon to die. When a miracle happens and some live to be + forty-five, they are the Ancient Ones, and the children stare at them when + passing by the Home of the Useless. Such is to be our life, as that of all + our brothers and of the brothers who came before us. + </p> + <p> + Such would have been our life, had we not committed our crime which + changed all things for us. And it was our curse which drove us to our + crime. We had been a good Street Sweeper and like all our brother Street + Sweepers, save for our cursed wish to know. We looked too long at the + stars at night, and at the trees and the earth. And when we cleaned the + yard of the Home of the Scholars, we gathered the glass vials, the pieces + of metal, the dried bones which they had discarded. We wished to keep + these things and to study them, but we had no place to hide them. So we + carried them to the City Cesspool. And then we made the discovery. + </p> + <p> + It was on a day of the spring before last. We Street Sweepers work in + brigades of three, and we were with Union 5-3992, they of the half-brain, + and with International 4-8818. Now Union 5-3992 are a sickly lad and + sometimes they are stricken with convulsions, when their mouth froths and + their eyes turn white. But International 4-8818 are different. They are a + tall, strong youth and their eyes are like fireflies, for there is + laughter in their eyes. We cannot look upon International 4-8818 and not + smile in answer. For this they were not liked in the Home of the Students, + as it is not proper to smile without reason. And also they were not liked + because they took pieces of coal and they drew pictures upon the walls, + and they were pictures which made men laugh. But it is only our brothers + in the Home of the Artists who are permitted to draw pictures, so + International 4-8818 were sent to the Home of the Street Sweepers, like + ourselves. + </p> + <p> + International 4-8818 and we are friends. This is an evil thing to say, for + it is a transgression, the great Transgression of Preference, to love any + among men better than the others, since we must love all men and all men + are our friends. So International 4-8818 and we have never spoken of it. + But we know. We know, when we look into each other’s eyes. And when we + look thus without words, we both know other things also, strange things + for which there are no words, and these things frighten us. + </p> + <p> + So on that day of the spring before last, Union 5-3992 were stricken with + convulsions on the edge of the City, near the City Theatre. We left them + to lie in the shade of the Theatre tent and we went with International + 4-8818 to finish our work. We came together to the great ravine behind the + Theatre. It is empty save for trees and weeds. Beyond the ravine there is + a plain, and beyond the plain there lies the Uncharted Forest, about which + men must not think. + </p> + <p> + We were gathering the papers and the rags which the wind had blown from + the Theatre, when we saw an iron bar among the weeds. It was old and + rusted by many rains. We pulled with all our strength, but we could not + move it. So we called International 4-8818, and together we scraped the + earth around the bar. Of a sudden the earth fell in before us, and we saw + an old iron grill over a black hole. + </p> + <p> + International 4-8818 stepped back. But we pulled at the grill and it gave + way. And then we saw iron rings as steps leading down a shaft into a + darkness without bottom. + </p> + <p> + “We shall go down,” we said to International 4-8818. + </p> + <p> + “It is forbidden,” they answered. + </p> + <p> + We said: “The Council does not know of this hole, so it cannot be + forbidden.” + </p> + <p> + And they answered: “Since the Council does not know of this hole, there + can be no law permitting to enter it. And everything which is not + permitted by law is forbidden.” + </p> + <p> + But we said: “We shall go, none the less.” + </p> + <p> + They were frightened, but they stood by and watched us go. + </p> + <p> + We hung on the iron rings with our hands and our feet. We could see + nothing below us. And above us the hole open upon the sky grew smaller and + smaller, till it came to be the size of a button. But still we went down. + Then our foot touched the ground. We rubbed our eyes, for we could not + see. Then our eyes became used to the darkness, but we could not believe + what we saw. + </p> + <p> + No men known to us could have built this place, nor the men known to our + brothers who lived before us, and yet it was built by men. It was a great + tunnel. Its walls were hard and smooth to the touch; it felt like stone, + but it was not stone. On the ground there were long thin tracks of iron, + but it was not iron; it felt smooth and cold as glass. We knelt, and we + crawled forward, our hand groping along the iron line to see where it + would lead. But there was an unbroken night ahead. Only the iron tracks + glowed through it, straight and white, calling us to follow. But we could + not follow, for we were losing the puddle of light behind us. So we turned + and we crawled back, our hand on the iron line. And our heart beat in our + fingertips, without reason. And then we knew. + </p> + <p> + We knew suddenly that this place was left from the Unmentionable Times. So + it was true, and those Times had been, and all the wonders of those Times. + Hundreds upon hundreds of years ago men knew secrets which we have lost. + And we thought: “This is a foul place. They are damned who touch the + things of the Unmentionable Times.” But our hand which followed the track, + as we crawled, clung to the iron as if it would not leave it, as if the + skin of our hand were thirsty and begging of the metal some secret fluid + beating in its coldness. + </p> + <p> + We returned to the earth. International 4-8818 looked upon us and stepped + back. + </p> + <p> + “Equality 7-2521,” they said, “your face is white.” + </p> + <p> + But we could not speak and we stood looking upon them. + </p> + <p> + They backed away, as if they dared not touch us. Then they smiled, but it + was not a gay smile; it was lost and pleading. But still we could not + speak. Then they said: + </p> + <p> + “We shall report our find to the City Council and both of us will be + rewarded.” + </p> + <p> + And then we spoke. Our voice was hard and there was no mercy in our voice. + We said: + </p> + <p> + “We shall not report our find to the City Council. We shall not report it + to any men.” + </p> + <p> + They raised their hands to their ears, for never had they heard such words + as these. + </p> + <p> + “International 4-8818,” we asked, “will you report us to the Council and + see us lashed to death before your eyes?” + </p> + <p> + They stood straight all of a sudden and they answered: “Rather would we + die.” + </p> + <p> + “Then,” we said, “keep silent. This place is ours. This place belongs to + us, Equality 7-2521, and to no other men on earth. And if ever we + surrender it, we shall surrender our life with it also.” + </p> + <p> + Then we saw that the eyes of International 4-8818 were full to the lids + with tears they dared not drop. They whispered, and their voice trembled, + so that their words lost all shape: + </p> + <p> + “The will of the Council is above all things, for it is the will of our + brothers, which is holy. But if you wish it so, we shall obey you. Rather + shall we be evil with you than good with all our brothers. May the Council + have mercy upon both our hearts!” + </p> + <p> + Then we walked away together and back to the Home of the Street Sweepers. + And we walked in silence. + </p> + <p> + Thus did it come to pass that each night, when the stars are high and the + Street Sweepers sit in the City Theatre, we, Equality 7-2521, steal out + and run through the darkness to our place. It is easy to leave the + Theatre; when the candles are blown out and the Actors come onto the + stage, no eyes can see us as we crawl under our seat and under the cloth + of the tent. Later, it is easy to steal through the shadows and fall in + line next to International 4-8818, as the column leaves the Theatre. It is + dark in the streets and there are no men about, for no men may walk + through the City when they have no mission to walk there. Each night, we + run to the ravine, and we remove the stones which we have piled upon the + iron grill to hide it from the men. Each night, for three hours, we are + under the earth, alone. + </p> + <p> + We have stolen candles from the Home of the Street Sweepers, we have + stolen flints and knives and paper, and we have brought them to this + place. We have stolen glass vials and powders and acids from the Home of + the Scholars. Now we sit in the tunnel for three hours each night and we + study. We melt strange metals, and we mix acids, and we cut open the + bodies of the animals which we find in the City Cesspool. We have built an + oven of the bricks we gathered in the streets. We burn the wood we find in + the ravine. The fire flickers in the oven and blue shadows dance upon the + walls, and there is no sound of men to disturb us. + </p> + <p> + We have stolen manuscripts. This is a great offense. Manuscripts are + precious, for our brothers in the Home of the Clerks spend one year to + copy one single script in their clear handwriting. Manuscripts are rare + and they are kept in the Home of the Scholars. So we sit under the earth + and we read the stolen scripts. Two years have passed since we found this + place. And in these two years we have learned more than we had learned in + the ten years of the Home of the Students. + </p> + <p> + We have learned things which are not in the scripts. We have solved + secrets of which the Scholars have no knowledge. We have come to see how + great is the unexplored, and many lifetimes will not bring us to the end + of our quest. But we wish no end to our quest. We wish nothing, save to be + alone and to learn, and to feel as if with each day our sight were growing + sharper than the hawk’s and clearer than rock crystal. + </p> + <p> + Strange are the ways of evil. We are false in the faces of our brothers. + We are defying the will of our Councils. We alone, of the thousands who + walk this earth, we alone in this hour are doing a work which has no + purpose save that we wish to do it. The evil of our crime is not for the + human mind to probe. The nature of our punishment, if it be discovered, is + not for the human heart to ponder. Never, not in the memory of the Ancient + Ones’ Ancients, never have men done that which we are doing. + </p> + <p> + And yet there is no shame in us and no regret. We say to ourselves that we + are a wretch and a traitor. But we feel no burden upon our spirit and no + fear in our heart. And it seems to us that our spirit is clear as a lake + troubled by no eyes save those of the sun. And in our heart—strange + are the ways of evil!—in our heart there is the first peace we have + known in twenty years. + </p> + + </div><!--end chapter--> + + <div class="chapter"> + + <h2><a name="link2H_PART2" id="link2H_PART2"></a> + PART TWO + </h2> + <p> + Liberty 5-3000... Liberty five-three thousand ... Liberty 5-3000.... + </p> + <p> + We wish to write this name. We wish to speak it, but we dare not speak it + above a whisper. For men are forbidden to take notice of women, and women + are forbidden to take notice of men. But we think of one among women, they + whose name is Liberty 5-3000, and we think of no others. The women who + have been assigned to work the soil live in the Homes of the Peasants + beyond the City. Where the City ends there is a great road winding off to + the north, and we Street Sweepers must keep this road clean to the first + milepost. There is a hedge along the road, and beyond the hedge lie the + fields. The fields are black and ploughed, and they lie like a great fan + before us, with their furrows gathered in some hand beyond the sky, + spreading forth from that hand, opening wide apart as they come toward us, + like black pleats that sparkle with thin, green spangles. Women work in + the fields, and their white tunics in the wind are like the wings of + sea-gulls beating over the black soil. + </p> + <p> + And there it was that we saw Liberty 5-3000 walking along the furrows. + Their body was straight and thin as a blade of iron. Their eyes were dark + and hard and glowing, with no fear in them, no kindness and no guilt. + Their hair was golden as the sun; their hair flew in the wind, shining and + wild, as if it defied men to restrain it. They threw seeds from their hand + as if they deigned to fling a scornful gift, and the earth was a beggar + under their feet. + </p> + <p> + We stood still; for the first time did we know fear, and then pain. And we + stood still that we might not spill this pain more precious than pleasure. + </p> + <p> + Then we heard a voice from the others call their name: “Liberty 5-3000,” + and they turned and walked back. Thus we learned their name, and we stood + watching them go, till their white tunic was lost in the blue mist. + </p> + <p> + And the following day, as we came to the northern road, we kept our eyes + upon Liberty 5-3000 in the field. And each day thereafter we knew the + illness of waiting for our hour on the northern road. And there we looked + at Liberty 5-3000 each day. We know not whether they looked at us also, + but we think they did. Then one day they came close to the hedge, and + suddenly they turned to us. They turned in a whirl and the movement of + their body stopped, as if slashed off, as suddenly as it had started. They + stood still as a stone, and they looked straight upon us, straight into + our eyes. There was no smile on their face, and no welcome. But their face + was taut, and their eyes were dark. Then they turned as swiftly, and they + walked away from us. + </p> + <p> + But the following day, when we came to the road, they smiled. They smiled + to us and for us. And we smiled in answer. Their head fell back, and their + arms fell, as if their arms and their thin white neck were stricken + suddenly with a great lassitude. They were not looking upon us, but upon + the sky. Then they glanced at us over their shoulder, as we felt as if a + hand had touched our body, slipping softly from our lips to our feet. + </p> + <p> + Every morning thereafter, we greeted each other with our eyes. We dared + not speak. It is a transgression to speak to men of other Trades, save in + groups at the Social Meetings. But once, standing at the hedge, we raised + our hand to our forehead and then moved it slowly, palm down, toward + Liberty 5-3000. Had the others seen it, they could have guessed nothing, + for it looked only as if we were shading our eyes from the sun. But + Liberty 5-3000 saw it and understood. They raised their hand to their + forehead and moved it as we had. Thus, each day, we greet Liberty 5-3000, + and they answer, and no men can suspect. + </p> + <p> + We do not wonder at this new sin of ours. It is our second Transgression + of Preference, for we do not think of all our brothers, as we must, but + only of one, and their name is Liberty 5-3000. We do not know why we think + of them. We do not know why, when we think of them, we feel all of a + sudden that the earth is good and that it is not a burden to live. We do + not think of them as Liberty 5-3000 any longer. We have given them a name + in our thoughts. We call them the Golden One. But it is a sin to give men + names which distinguish them from other men. Yet we call them the Golden + One, for they are not like the others. The Golden One are not like the + others. + </p> + <p> + And we take no heed of the law which says that men may not think of women, + save at the Time of Mating. This is the time each spring when all the men + older than twenty and all the women older than eighteen are sent for one + night to the City Palace of Mating. And each of the men have one of the + women assigned to them by the Council of Eugenics. Children are born each + winter, but women never see their children and children never know their + parents. Twice have we been sent to the Palace of Mating, but it is an + ugly and shameful matter, of which we do not like to think. + </p> + <p> + We had broken so many laws, and today we have broken one more. Today, we + spoke to the Golden One. + </p> + <p> + The other women were far off in the field, when we stopped at the hedge by + the side of the road. The Golden One were kneeling alone at the moat which + runs through the field. And the drops of water falling from their hands, + as they raised the water to their lips, were like sparks of fire in the + sun. Then the Golden One saw us, and they did not move, kneeling there, + looking at us, and circles of light played upon their white tunic, from + the sun on the water of the moat, and one sparkling drop fell from a + finger of their hand held as frozen in the air. + </p> + <p> + Then the Golden One rose and walked to the hedge, as if they had heard a + command in our eyes. The two other Street Sweepers of our brigade were a + hundred paces away down the road. And we thought that International 4-8818 + would not betray us, and Union 5-3992 would not understand. So we looked + straight upon the Golden One, and we saw the shadows of their lashes on + their white cheeks and the sparks of sun on their lips. And we said: + </p> + <p> + “You are beautiful, Liberty 5-3000.” + </p> + <p> + Their face did not move and they did not avert their eyes. Only their eyes + grew wider, and there was triumph in their eyes, and it was not triumph + over us, but over things we could not guess. + </p> + <p> + Then they asked: + </p> + <p> + “What is your name?” + </p> + <p> + “Equality 7-2521,” we answered. + </p> + <p> + “You are not one of our brothers, Equality 7-2521, for we do not wish you + to be.” + </p> + <p> + We cannot say what they meant, for there are no words for their meaning, + but we know it without words and we knew it then. + </p> + <p> + “No,” we answered, “nor are you one of our sisters.” + </p> + <p> + “If you see us among scores of women, will you look upon us?” + </p> + <p> + “We shall look upon you, Liberty 5-3000, if we see you among all the women + of the earth.” + </p> + <p> + Then they asked: + </p> + <p> + “Are Street Sweepers sent to different parts of the City or do they always + work in the same places?” + </p> + <p> + “They always work in the same places,” we answered, “and no one will take + this road away from us.” + </p> + <p> + “Your eyes,” they said, “are not like the eyes of any among men.” + </p> + <p> + And suddenly, without cause for the thought which came to us, we felt + cold, cold to our stomach. + </p> + <p> + “How old are you?” we asked. + </p> + <p> + They understood our thought, for they lowered their eyes for the first + time. + </p> + <p> + “Seventeen,” they whispered. + </p> + <p> + And we sighed, as if a burden had been taken from us, for we had been + thinking without reason of the Palace of Mating. And we thought that we + would not let the Golden One be sent to the Palace. How to prevent it, how + to bar the will of the Councils, we knew not, but we knew suddenly that we + would. Only we do not know why such thought came to us, for these ugly + matters bear no relation to us and the Golden One. What relation can they + bear? + </p> + <p> + Still, without reason, as we stood there by the hedge, we felt our lips + drawn tight with hatred, a sudden hatred for all our brother men. And the + Golden One saw it and smiled slowly, and there was in their smile the + first sadness we had seen in them. We think that in the wisdom of women + the Golden One had understood more than we can understand. + </p> + <p> + Then three of the sisters in the field appeared, coming toward the road, + so the Golden One walked away from us. They took the bag of seeds, and + they threw the seeds into the furrows of earth as they walked away. But + the seeds flew wildly, for the hand of the Golden One was trembling. + </p> + <p> + Yet as we walked back to the Home of the Street Sweepers, we felt that we + wanted to sing, without reason. So we were reprimanded tonight, in the + dining hall, for without knowing it we had begun to sing aloud some tune + we had never heard. But it is not proper to sing without reason, save at + the Social Meetings. + </p> + <p> + “We are singing because we are happy,” we answered the one of the Home + Council who reprimanded us. + </p> + <p> + “Indeed you are happy,” they answered. “How else can men be when they live + for their brothers?” + </p> + <p> + And now, sitting here in our tunnel, we wonder about these words. It is + forbidden, not to be happy. For, as it has been explained to us, men are + free and the earth belongs to them; and all things on earth belong to all + men; and the will of all men together is good for all; and so all men must + be happy. + </p> + <p> + Yet as we stand at night in the great hall, removing our garments for + sleep, we look upon our brothers and we wonder. The heads of our brothers + are bowed. The eyes of our brothers are dull, and never do they look one + another in the eyes. The shoulders of our brothers are hunched, and their + muscles are drawn, as if their bodies were shrinking and wished to shrink + out of sight. And a word steals into our mind, as we look upon our + brothers, and that word is fear. + </p> + <p> + There is fear hanging in the air of the sleeping halls, and in the air of + the streets. Fear walks through the City, fear without name, without + shape. All men feel it and none dare to speak. + </p> + <p> + We feel it also, when we are in the Home of the Street Sweepers. But here, + in our tunnel, we feel it no longer. The air is pure under the ground. + There is no odor of men. And these three hours give us strength for our + hours above the ground. + </p> + <p> + Our body is betraying us, for the Council of the Home looks with suspicion + upon us. It is not good to feel too much joy nor to be glad that our body + lives. For we matter not and it must not matter to us whether we live or + die, which is to be as our brothers will it. But we, Equality 7-2521, are + glad to be living. If this is a vice, then we wish no virtue. + </p> + <p> + Yet our brothers are not like us. All is not well with our brothers. There + are Fraternity 2-5503, a quiet boy with wise, kind eyes, who cry suddenly, + without reason, in the midst of day or night, and their body shakes with + sobs they cannot explain. There are Solidarity 9-6347, who are a bright + youth, without fear in the day; but they scream in their sleep, and they + scream: “Help us! Help us! Help us!” into the night, in a voice which + chills our bones, but the Doctors cannot cure Solidarity 9-6347. + </p> + <p> + And as we all undress at night, in the dim light of the candles, our + brothers are silent, for they dare not speak the thoughts of their minds. + For all must agree with all, and they cannot know if their thoughts are + the thoughts of all, and so they fear to speak. And they are glad when the + candles are blown for the night. But we, Equality 7-2521, look through the + window upon the sky, and there is peace in the sky, and cleanliness, and + dignity. And beyond the City there lies the plain, and beyond the plain, + black upon the black sky, there lies the Uncharted Forest. + </p> + <p> + We do not wish to look upon the Uncharted Forest. We do not wish to think + of it. But ever do our eyes return to that black patch upon the sky. Men + never enter the Uncharted Forest, for there is no power to explore it and + no path to lead among its ancient trees which stand as guards of fearful + secrets. It is whispered that once or twice in a hundred years, one among + the men of the City escape alone and run to the Uncharted Forest, without + call or reason. These men do not return. They perish from hunger and from + the claws of the wild beasts which roam the Forest. But our Councils say + that this is only a legend. We have heard that there are many Uncharted + Forests over the land, among the Cities. And it is whispered that they + have grown over the ruins of many cities of the Unmentionable Times. The + trees have swallowed the ruins, and the bones under the ruins, and all the + things which perished. And as we look upon the Uncharted Forest far in the + night, we think of the secrets of the Unmentionable Times. And we wonder + how it came to pass that these secrets were lost to the world. We have + heard the legends of the great fighting, in which many men fought on one + side and only a few on the other. These few were the Evil Ones and they + were conquered. Then great fires raged over the land. And in these fires + the Evil Ones and all the things made by the Evil Ones were burned. And + the fire which is called the Dawn of the Great Rebirth, was the Script + Fire where all the scripts of the Evil Ones were burned, and with them all + the words of the Evil Ones. Great mountains of flame stood in the squares + of the Cities for three months. Then came the Great Rebirth. + </p> + <p> + The words of the Evil Ones... The words of the Unmentionable Times... What + are the words which we have lost? + </p> + <p> + May the Council have mercy upon us! We had no wish to write such a + question, and we knew not what we were doing till we had written it. We + shall not ask this question and we shall not think it. We shall not call + death upon our head. + </p> + <p> + And yet... And yet... There is some word, one single word which is not in + the language of men, but which had been. And this is the Unspeakable Word, + which no men may speak nor hear. But sometimes, and it is rare, sometimes, + somewhere, one among men find that word. They find it upon scraps of old + manuscripts or cut into the fragments of ancient stones. But when they + speak it they are put to death. There is no crime punished by death in + this world, save this one crime of speaking the Unspeakable Word. + </p> + <p> + We have seen one of such men burned alive in the square of the City. And + it was a sight which has stayed with us through the years, and it haunts + us, and follows us, and it gives us no rest. We were a child then, ten + years old. And we stood in the great square with all the children and all + the men of the City, sent to behold the burning. They brought the + Transgressor out into the square and they led them to the pyre. They had + torn out the tongue of the Transgressor, so that they could speak no + longer. The Transgressor were young and tall. They had hair of gold and + eyes blue as morning. They walked to the pyre, and their step did not + falter. And of all the faces on that square, of all the faces which + shrieked and screamed and spat curses upon them, theirs was the calmest + and the happiest face. + </p> + <p> + As the chains were wound over their body at the stake, and a flame set to + the pyre, the Transgressor looked upon the City. There was a thin thread + of blood running from the corner of their mouth, but their lips were + smiling. And a monstrous thought came to us then, which has never left us. + We had heard of Saints. There are the Saints of Labor, and the Saints of + the Councils, and the Saints of the Great Rebirth. But we had never seen a + Saint nor what the likeness of a Saint should be. And we thought then, + standing in the square, that the likeness of a Saint was the face we saw + before us in the flames, the face of the Transgressor of the Unspeakable + Word. + </p> + <p> + As the flames rose, a thing happened which no eyes saw but ours, else we + would not be living today. Perhaps it had only seemed to us. But it seemed + to us that the eyes of the Transgressor had chosen us from the crowd and + were looking straight upon us. There was no pain in their eyes and no + knowledge of the agony of their body. There was only joy in them, and + pride, a pride holier than is fit for human pride to be. And it seemed as + if these eyes were trying to tell us something through the flames, to send + into our eyes some word without sound. And it seemed as if these eyes were + begging us to gather that word and not to let it go from us and from the + earth. But the flames rose and we could not guess the word.... + </p> + <p> + What—even if we have to burn for it like the Saint of the Pyre—what + is the Unspeakable Word? + </p> + + </div><!--end chapter--> + + <div class="chapter"> + + <h2><a name="link2H_PART3" id="link2H_PART3"></a> + PART THREE + </h2> + <p> + We, Equality 7-2521, have discovered a new power of nature. And we have + discovered it alone, and we alone are to know it. + </p> + <p> + It is said. Now let us be lashed for it, if we must. The Council of + Scholars has said that we all know the things which exist and therefore + the things which are not known by all do not exist. But we think that the + Council of Scholars is blind. The secrets of this earth are not for all + men to see, but only for those who will seek them. We know, for we have + found a secret unknown to all our brothers. + </p> + <p> + We know not what this power is nor whence it comes. But we know its + nature, we have watched it and worked with it. We saw it first two years + ago. One night, we were cutting open the body of a dead frog when we saw + its leg jerking. It was dead, yet it moved. Some power unknown to men was + making it move. We could not understand it. Then, after many tests, we + found the answer. The frog had been hanging on a wire of copper; and it + had been the metal of our knife which had sent the strange power to the + copper through the brine of the frog’s body. We put a piece of copper and + a piece of zinc into a jar of brine, we touched a wire to them, and there, + under our fingers, was a miracle which had never occurred before, a new + miracle and a new power. + </p> + <p> + This discovery haunted us. We followed it in preference to all our + studies. We worked with it, we tested it in more ways than we can + describe, and each step was as another miracle unveiling before us. We + came to know that we had found the greatest power on earth. For it defies + all the laws known to men. It makes the needle move and turn on the + compass which we stole from the Home of the Scholars; but we had been + taught, when still a child, that the loadstone points to the north and + that this is a law which nothing can change; yet our new power defies all + laws. We found that it causes lightning, and never have men known what + causes lightning. In thunderstorms, we raised a tall rod of iron by the + side of our hole, and we watched it from below. We have seen the lightning + strike it again and again. And now we know that metal draws the power of + the sky, and that metal can be made to give it forth. + </p> + <p> + We have built strange things with this discovery of ours. We used for it + the copper wires which we found here under the ground. We have walked the + length of our tunnel, with a candle lighting the way. We could go no + farther than half a mile, for earth and rock had fallen at both ends. But + we gathered all the things we found and we brought them to our work place. + We found strange boxes with bars of metal inside, with many cords and + strands and coils of metal. We found wires that led to strange little + globes of glass on the walls; they contained threads of metal thinner than + a spider’s web. + </p> + <p> + These things help us in our work. We do not understand them, but we think + that the men of the Unmentionable Times had known our power of the sky, + and these things had some relation to it. We do not know, but we shall + learn. We cannot stop now, even though it frightens us that we are alone + in our knowledge. + </p> + <p> + No single one can possess greater wisdom than the many Scholars who are + elected by all men for their wisdom. Yet we can. We do. We have fought + against saying it, but now it is said. We do not care. We forget all men, + all laws and all things save our metals and our wires. So much is still to + be learned! So long a road lies before us, and what care we if we must + travel it alone! + </p> + + </div><!--end chapter--> + + <div class="chapter"> + + <h2><a name="link2H_PART4" id="link2H_PART4"></a> + PART FOUR + </h2> + <p> + Many days passed before we could speak to the Golden One again. But then + came the day when the sky turned white, as if the sun had burst and spread + its flame in the air, and the fields lay still without breath, and the + dust of the road was white in the glow. So the women of the field were + weary, and they tarried over their work, and they were far from the road + when we came. But the Golden One stood alone at the hedge, waiting. We + stopped and we saw that their eyes, so hard and scornful to the world, + were looking at us as if they would obey any word we might speak. + </p> + <p> + And we said: + </p> + <p> + “We have given you a name in our thoughts, Liberty 5-3000.” + </p> + <p> + “What is our name?” they asked. + </p> + <p> + “The Golden One.” + </p> + <p> + “Nor do we call you Equality 7-2521 when we think of you.” + </p> + <p> + “What name have you given us?” They looked straight into our eyes and they + held their head high and they answered: + </p> + <p> + “The Unconquered.” + </p> + <p> + For a long time we could not speak. Then we said: + </p> + <p> + “Such thoughts as these are forbidden, Golden One.” + </p> + <p> + “But you think such thoughts as these and you wish us to think them.” + </p> + <p> + We looked into their eyes and we could not lie. + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” we whispered, and they smiled, and then we said: “Our dearest one, + do not obey us.” + </p> + <p> + They stepped back, and their eyes were wide and still. + </p> + <p> + “Speak these words again,” they whispered. + </p> + <p> + “Which words?” we asked. But they did not answer, and we knew it. + </p> + <p> + “Our dearest one,” we whispered. + </p> + <p> + Never have men said this to women. + </p> + <p> + The head of the Golden One bowed slowly, and they stood still before us, + their arms at their sides, the palms of their hands turned to us, as if + their body were delivered in submission to our eyes. And we could not + speak. + </p> + <p> + Then they raised their head, and they spoke simply and gently, as if they + wished us to forget some anxiety of their own. + </p> + <p> + “The day is hot,” they said, “and you have worked for many hours and you + must be weary.” + </p> + <p> + “No,” we answered. + </p> + <p> + “It is cooler in the fields,” they said, “and there is water to drink. Are + you thirsty?” + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” we answered, “but we cannot cross the hedge.” + </p> + <p> + “We shall bring the water to you,” they said. + </p> + <p> + Then they knelt by the moat, they gathered water in their two hands, they + rose and they held the water out to our lips. + </p> + <p> + We do not know if we drank that water. We only knew suddenly that their + hands were empty, but we were still holding our lips to their hands, and + that they knew it, but did not move. + </p> + <p> + We raised our head and stepped back. For we did not understand what had + made us do this, and we were afraid to understand it. + </p> + <p> + And the Golden One stepped back, and stood looking upon their hands in + wonder. Then the Golden One moved away, even though no others were coming, + and they moved, stepping back, as if they could not turn from us, their + arms bent before them, as if they could not lower their hands. + </p> + + </div><!--end chapter--> + + <div class="chapter"> + + <h2><a name="link2H_PART5" id="link2H_PART5"></a> + PART FIVE + </h2> + <p> + We made it. We created it. We brought it forth from the night of the ages. + We alone. Our hands. Our mind. Ours alone and only. + </p> + <p> + We know not what we are saying. Our head is reeling. We look upon the + light which we have made. We shall be forgiven for anything we say + tonight.... + </p> + <p> + Tonight, after more days and trials than we can count, we finished + building a strange thing, from the remains of the Unmentionable Times, a + box of glass, devised to give forth the power of the sky of greater + strength than we had ever achieved before. And when we put our wires to + this box, when we closed the current—the wire glowed! It came to + life, it turned red, and a circle of light lay on the stone before us. + </p> + <p> + We stood, and we held our head in our hands. We could not conceive of that + which we had created. We had touched no flint, made no fire. Yet here was + light, light that came from nowhere, light from the heart of metal. + </p> + <p> + We blew out the candle. Darkness swallowed us. There was nothing left + around us, nothing save night and a thin thread of flame in it, as a crack + in the wall of a prison. We stretched our hands to the wire, and we saw + our fingers in the red glow. We could not see our body nor feel it, and in + that moment nothing existed save our two hands over a wire glowing in a + black abyss. + </p> + <p> + Then we thought of the meaning of that which lay before us. We can light + our tunnel, and the City, and all the Cities of the world with nothing + save metal and wires. We can give our brothers a new light, cleaner and + brighter than any they have ever known. The power of the sky can be made + to do men’s bidding. There are no limits to its secrets and its might, and + it can be made to grant us anything if we but choose to ask. + </p> + <p> + Then we knew what we must do. Our discovery is too great for us to waste + our time in sweeping the streets. We must not keep our secret to + ourselves, nor buried under the ground. We must bring it into the sight of + all men. We need all our time, we need the work rooms of the Home of the + Scholars, we want the help of our brother Scholars and their wisdom joined + to ours. There is so much work ahead for all of us, for all the Scholars + of the world. + </p> + <p> + In a month, the World Council of Scholars is to meet in our City. It is a + great Council, to which the wisest of all lands are elected, and it meets + once a year in the different Cities of the earth. We shall go to this + Council and we shall lay before them, as our gift, this glass box with the + power of the sky. We shall confess everything to them. They will see, + understand and forgive. For our gift is greater than our transgression. + They will explain it to the Council of Vocations, and we shall be assigned + to the Home of the Scholars. This has never been done before, but neither + has a gift such as ours ever been offered to men. + </p> + <p> + We must wait. We must guard our tunnel as we had never guarded it before. + For should any men save the Scholars learn of our secret, they would not + understand it, nor would they believe us. They would see nothing, save our + crime of working alone, and they would destroy us and our light. We care + not about our body, but our light is... + </p> + <p> + Yes, we do care. For the first time do we care about our body. For this + wire is as a part of our body, as a vein torn from us, glowing with our + blood. Are we proud of this thread of metal, or of our hands which made + it, or is there a line to divide these two? + </p> + <p> + We stretch out our arms. For the first time do we know how strong our arms + are. And a strange thought comes to us: we wonder, for the first time in + our life, what we look like. Men never see their own faces and never ask + their brothers about it, for it is evil to have concern for their own + faces or bodies. But tonight, for a reason we cannot fathom, we wish it + were possible to us to know the likeness of our own person. + </p> + + </div><!--end chapter--> + + <div class="chapter"> + + <h2><a name="link2H_PART6" id="link2H_PART6"></a> + PART SIX + </h2> + <p> + We have not written for thirty days. For thirty days we have not been + here, in our tunnel. We had been caught. It happened on that night when we + wrote last. We forgot, that night, to watch the sand in the glass which + tells us when three hours have passed and it is time to return to the City + Theatre. When we remembered it, the sand had run out. + </p> + <p> + We hastened to the Theatre. But the big tent stood grey and silent against + the sky. The streets of the City lay before us, dark and empty. If we went + back to hide in our tunnel, we would be found and our light found with us. + So we walked to the Home of the Street Sweepers. + </p> + <p> + When the Council of the Home questioned us, we looked upon the faces of + the Council, but there was no curiosity in those faces, and no anger, and + no mercy. So when the oldest of them asked us: “Where have you been?” we + thought of our glass box and of our light, and we forgot all else. And we + answered: + </p> + <p> + “We will not tell you.” + </p> + <p> + The oldest did not question us further. They turned to the two youngest, + and said, and their voice was bored: + </p> + <p> + “Take our brother Equality 7-2521 to the Palace of Corrective Detention. + Lash them until they tell.” + </p> + <p> + So we were taken to the Stone Room under the Palace of Corrective + Detention. This room has no windows and it is empty save for an iron post. + Two men stood by the post, naked but for leather aprons and leather hoods + over their faces. Those who had brought us departed, leaving us to the two + Judges who stood in a corner of the room. The Judges were small, thin men, + grey and bent. They gave the signal to the two strong hooded ones. + </p> + <p> + They tore the clothes from our body, they threw us down upon our knees and + they tied our hands to the iron post. The first blow of the lash felt as + if our spine had been cut in two. The second blow stopped the first, and + for a second we felt nothing, then the pain struck us in our throat and + fire ran in our lungs without air. But we did not cry out. + </p> + <p> + The lash whistled like a singing wind. We tried to count the blows, but we + lost count. We knew that the blows were falling upon our back. Only we + felt nothing upon our back any longer. A flaming grill kept dancing before + our eyes, and we thought of nothing save that grill, a grill, a grill of + red squares, and then we knew that we were looking at the squares of the + iron grill in the door, and there were also the squares of stone on the + walls, and the squares which the lash was cutting upon our back, crossing + and re-crossing itself in our flesh. + </p> + <p> + Then we saw a fist before us. It knocked our chin up, and we saw the red + froth of our mouth on the withered fingers, and the Judge asked: + </p> + <p> + “Where have you been?” + </p> + <p> + But we jerked our head away, hid our face upon our tied hands, and bit our + lips. + </p> + <p> + The lash whistled again. We wondered who was sprinkling burning coal dust + upon the floor, for we saw drops of red twinkling on the stones around us. + </p> + <p> + Then we knew nothing, save two voices snarling steadily, one after the + other, even though we knew they were speaking many minutes apart: + </p> + <p> + “Where have you been where have you been where have you been where have + you been?...” + </p> + <p> + And our lips moved, but the sound trickled back into our throat, and the + sound was only: + </p> + <p> + “The light... The light... The light....” + </p> + <p> + Then we knew nothing. + </p> + <p> + We opened our eyes, lying on our stomach on the brick floor of a cell. We + looked upon two hands lying far before us on the bricks, and we moved + them, and we knew that they were our hands. But we could not move our + body. Then we smiled, for we thought of the light and that we had not + betrayed it. + </p> + <p> + We lay in our cell for many days. The door opened twice each day, once for + the men who brought us bread and water, and once for the Judges. Many + Judges came to our cell, first the humblest and then the most honored + Judges of the City. They stood before us in their white togas, and they + asked: + </p> + <p> + “Are you ready to speak?” + </p> + <p> + But we shook our head, lying before them on the floor. And they departed. + </p> + <p> + We counted each day and each night as it passed. Then, tonight, we knew + that we must escape. For tomorrow the World Council of Scholars is to meet + in our City. + </p> + <p> + It was easy to escape from the Palace of Corrective Detention. The locks + are old on the doors and there are no guards about. There is no reason to + have guards, for men have never defied the Councils so far as to escape + from whatever place they were ordered to be. Our body is healthy and + strength returns to it speedily. We lunged against the door and it gave + way. We stole through the dark passages, and through the dark streets, and + down into our tunnel. + </p> + <p> + We lit the candle and we saw that our place had not been found and nothing + had been touched. And our glass box stood before us on the cold oven, as + we had left it. What matter they now, the scars upon our back! + </p> + <p> + Tomorrow, in the full light of day, we shall take our box, and leave our + tunnel open, and walk through the streets to the Home of the Scholars. We + shall put before them the greatest gift ever offered to men. We shall tell + them the truth. We shall hand to them, as our confession, these pages we + have written. We shall join our hands to theirs, and we shall work + together, with the power of the sky, for the glory of mankind. Our + blessing upon you, our brothers! Tomorrow, you will take us back into your + fold and we shall be an outcast no longer. Tomorrow we shall be one of you + again. Tomorrow... + </p> + + </div><!--end chapter--> + + <div class="chapter"> + + <h2><a name="link2H_PART7" id="link2H_PART7"></a> + PART SEVEN + </h2> + <p> + It is dark here in the forest. The leaves rustle over our head, black + against the last gold of the sky. The moss is soft and warm. We shall + sleep on this moss for many nights, till the beasts of the forest come to + tear our body. We have no bed now, save the moss, and no future, save the + beasts. + </p> + <p> + We are old now, yet we were young this morning, when we carried our glass + box through the streets of the City to the Home of the Scholars. No men + stopped us, for there were none about from the Palace of Corrective + Detention, and the others knew nothing. No men stopped us at the gate. We + walked through empty passages and into the great hall where the World + Council of Scholars sat in solemn meeting. + </p> + <p> + We saw nothing as we entered, save the sky in the great windows, blue and + glowing. Then we saw the Scholars who sat around a long table; they were + as shapeless clouds huddled at the rise of the great sky. There were men + whose famous names we knew, and others from distant lands whose names we + had not heard. We saw a great painting on the wall over their heads, of + the twenty illustrious men who had invented the candle. + </p> + <p> + All the heads of the Council turned to us as we entered. These great and + wise of the earth did not know what to think of us, and they looked upon + us with wonder and curiosity, as if we were a miracle. It is true that our + tunic was torn and stained with brown stains which had been blood. We + raised our right arm and we said: + </p> + <p> + “Our greeting to you, our honored brothers of the World Council of + Scholars!” + </p> + <p> + Then Collective 0-0009, the oldest and wisest of the Council, spoke and + asked: + </p> + <p> + “Who are you, our brother? For you do not look like a Scholar.” + </p> + <p> + “Our name is Equality 7-2521,” we answered, “and we are a Street Sweeper + of this City.” + </p> + <p> + Then it was as if a great wind had stricken the hall, for all the Scholars + spoke at once, and they were angry and frightened. + </p> + <p> + “A Street Sweeper! A Street Sweeper walking in upon the World Council of + Scholars! It is not to be believed! It is against all the rules and all + the laws!” + </p> + <p> + But we knew how to stop them. + </p> + <p> + “Our brothers!” we said. “We matter not, nor our transgression. It is only + our brother men who matter. Give no thought to us, for we are nothing, but + listen to our words, for we bring you a gift such as had never been + brought to men. Listen to us, for we hold the future of mankind in our + hands.” + </p> + <p> + Then they listened. + </p> + <p> + We placed our glass box upon the table before them. We spoke of it, and of + our long quest, and of our tunnel, and of our escape from the Palace of + Corrective Detention. Not a hand moved in that hall, as we spoke, nor an + eye. Then we put the wires to the box, and they all bent forward and sat + still, watching. And we stood still, our eyes upon the wire. And slowly, + slowly as a flush of blood, a red flame trembled in the wire. Then the + wire glowed. + </p> + <p> + But terror struck the men of the Council. They leapt to their feet, they + ran from the table, and they stood pressed against the wall, huddled + together, seeking the warmth of one another’s bodies to give them courage. + </p> + <p> + We looked upon them and we laughed and said: + </p> + <p> + “Fear nothing, our brothers. There is a great power in these wires, but + this power is tamed. It is yours. We give it to you.” + </p> + <p> + Still they would not move. + </p> + <p> + “We give you the power of the sky!” we cried. “We give you the key to the + earth! Take it, and let us be one of you, the humblest among you. Let us + all work together, and harness this power, and make it ease the toil of + men. Let us throw away our candles and our torches. Let us flood our + cities with light. Let us bring a new light to men!” + </p> + <p> + But they looked upon us, and suddenly we were afraid. For their eyes were + still, and small, and evil. + </p> + <p> + “Our brothers!” we cried. “Have you nothing to say to us?” + </p> + <p> + Then Collective 0-0009 moved forward. They moved to the table and the + others followed. + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” spoke Collective 0-0009, “we have much to say to you.” + </p> + <p> + The sound of their voices brought silence to the hall and to beat of our + heart. + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” said Collective 0-0009, “we have much to say to a wretch who have + broken all the laws and who boast of their infamy! + </p> + <p> + “How dared you think that your mind held greater wisdom than the minds of + your brothers? And if the Councils had decreed that you should be a Street + Sweeper, how dared you think that you could be of greater use to men than + in sweeping the streets?” + </p> + <p> + “How dared you, gutter cleaner,” spoke Fraternity 9-3452, “to hold + yourself as one alone and with the thoughts of the one and not of the + many?” + </p> + <p> + “You shall be burned at the stake,” said Democracy 4-6998. + </p> + <p> + “No, they shall be lashed,” said Unanimity 7-3304, “till there is nothing + left under the lashes.” + </p> + <p> + “No,” said Collective 0-0009, “we cannot decide upon this, our brothers. + No such crime has ever been committed, and it is not for us to judge. Nor + for any small Council. We shall deliver this creature to the World Council + itself and let their will be done.” + </p> + <p> + We looked upon them and we pleaded: + </p> + <p> + “Our brothers! You are right. Let the will of the Council be done upon our + body. We do not care. But the light? What will you do with the light?” + </p> + <p> + Collective 0-0009 looked upon us, and they smiled. + </p> + <p> + “So you think that you have found a new power,” said Collective 0-0009. + “Do all your brothers think that?” + </p> + <p> + “No,” we answered. + </p> + <p> + “What is not thought by all men cannot be true,” said Collective 0-0009. + </p> + <p> + “You have worked on this alone?” asked International 1-5537. + </p> + <p> + “Many men in the Homes of the Scholars have had strange new ideas in the + past,” said Solidarity 8-1164, “but when the majority of their brother + Scholars voted against them, they abandoned their ideas, as all men must.” + </p> + <p> + “This box is useless,” said Alliance 6-7349. + </p> + <p> + “Should it be what they claim of it,” said Harmony 9-2642, “then it would + bring ruin to the Department of Candles. The Candle is a great boon to + mankind, as approved by all men. Therefore it cannot be destroyed by the + whim of one.” + </p> + <p> + “This would wreck the Plans of the World Council,” said Unanimity 2-9913, + “and without the Plans of the World Council the sun cannot rise. It took + fifty years to secure the approval of all the Councils for the Candle, and + to decide upon the number needed, and to re-fit the Plans so as to make + candles instead of torches. This touched upon thousands and thousands of + men working in scores of States. We cannot alter the Plans again so soon.” + </p> + <p> + “And if this should lighten the toil of men,” said Similarity 5-0306, + “then it is a great evil, for men have no cause to exist save in toiling + for other men.” + </p> + <p> + Then Collective 0-0009 rose and pointed at our box. + </p> + <p> + “This thing,” they said, “must be destroyed.” + </p> + <p> + And all the others cried as one: + </p> + <p> + “It must be destroyed!” + </p> + <p> + Then we leapt to the table. + </p> + <p> + We seized our box, we shoved them aside, and we ran to the window. We + turned and we looked at them for the last time, and a rage, such as it is + not fit for humans to know, choked our voice in our throat. + </p> + <p> + “You fools!” we cried. “You fools! You thrice-damned fools!” + </p> + <p> + We swung our fist through the windowpane, and we leapt out in a ringing + rain of glass. + </p> + <p> + We fell, but we never let the box fall from our hands. Then we ran. We ran + blindly, and men and houses streaked past us in a torrent without shape. + And the road seemed not to be flat before us, but as if it were leaping up + to meet us, and we waited for the earth to rise and strike us in the face. + But we ran. We knew not where we were going. We knew only that we must + run, run to the end of the world, to the end of our days. + </p> + <p> + Then we knew suddenly that we were lying on a soft earth and that we had + stopped. Trees taller than we had ever seen before stood over us in great + silence. Then we knew. We were in the Uncharted Forest. We had not thought + of coming here, but our legs had carried our wisdom, and our legs had + brought us to the Uncharted Forest against our will. + </p> + <p> + Our glass box lay beside us. We crawled to it, we fell upon it, our face + in our arms, and we lay still. + </p> + <p> + We lay thus for a long time. Then we rose, we took our box and walked on + into the forest. + </p> + <p> + It mattered not where we went. We knew that men would not follow us, for + they never enter the Uncharted Forest. We had nothing to fear from them. + The forest disposes of its own victims. This gave us no fear either. Only + we wished to be away, away from the City and from the air that touches + upon the air of the City. So we walked on, our box in our arms, our heart + empty. + </p> + <p> + We are doomed. Whatever days are left to us, we shall spend them alone. + And we have heard of the corruption to be found in solitude. We have torn + ourselves from the truth which is our brother men, and there is no road + back for us, and no redemption. + </p> + <p> + We know these things, but we do not care. We care for nothing on earth. We + are tired. + </p> + <p> + Only the glass box in our arms is like a living heart that gives us + strength. We have lied to ourselves. We have not built this box for the + good of our brothers. We built it for its own sake. It is above all our + brothers to us, and its truth above their truth. Why wonder about this? We + have not many days to live. We are walking to the fangs awaiting us + somewhere among the great, silent trees. There is not a thing behind us to + regret. + </p> + <p> + Then a blow of pain struck us, our first and our only. We thought of the + Golden One. We thought of the Golden One whom we shall never see again. + Then the pain passed. It is best. We are one of the Damned. It is best if + the Golden One forget our name and the body which bore that name. + </p> + + </div><!--end chapter--> + + <div class="chapter"> + + <h2><a name="link2H_PART8" id="link2H_PART8"></a> + PART EIGHT + </h2> + <p> + It has been a day of wonder, this, our first day in the forest. + </p> + <p> + We awoke when a ray of sunlight fell across our face. We wanted to leap to + our feet, as we have had to leap every morning of our life, but we + remembered suddenly that no bell had rung and that there was no bell to + ring anywhere. We lay on our back, we threw our arms out, and we looked up + at the sky. The leaves had edges of silver that trembled and rippled like + a river of green and fire flowing high above us. + </p> + <p> + We did not wish to move. We thought suddenly that we could lie thus as + long as we wished, and we laughed aloud at the thought. We could also + rise, or run, or leap, or fall down again. We were thinking that these + were thoughts without sense, but before we knew it our body had risen in + one leap. Our arms stretched out of their own will, and our body whirled + and whirled, till it raised a wind to rustle through the leaves of the + bushes. Then our hands seized a branch and swung us high into a tree, with + no aim save the wonder of learning the strength of our body. The branch + snapped under us and we fell upon the moss that was soft as a cushion. + Then our body, losing all sense, rolled over and over on the moss, dry + leaves in our tunic, in our hair, in our face. And we heard suddenly that + we were laughing, laughing aloud, laughing as if there were no power left + in us save laughter. + </p> + <p> + Then we took our glass box, and we went on into the forest. We went on, + cutting through the branches, and it was as if we were swimming through a + sea of leaves, with the bushes as waves rising and falling and rising + around us, and flinging their green sprays high to the treetops. The trees + parted before us, calling us forward. The forest seemed to welcome us. We + went on, without thought, without care, with nothing to feel save the song + of our body. + </p> + <p> + We stopped when we felt hunger. We saw birds in the tree branches, and + flying from under our footsteps. We picked a stone and we sent it as an + arrow at a bird. It fell before us. We made a fire, we cooked the bird, + and we ate it, and no meal had ever tasted better to us. And we thought + suddenly that there was a great satisfaction to be found in the food which + we need and obtain by our own hand. And we wished to be hungry again and + soon, that we might know again this strange new pride in eating. + </p> + <p> + Then we walked on. And we came to a stream which lay as a streak of glass + among the trees. It lay so still that we saw no water but only a cut in + the earth, in which the trees grew down, upturned, and the sky lay at the + bottom. We knelt by the stream and we bent down to drink. And then we + stopped. For, upon the blue of the sky below us, we saw our own face for + the first time. + </p> + <p> + We sat still and we held our breath. For our face and our body were + beautiful. Our face was not like the faces of our brothers, for we felt + not pity when looking upon it. Our body was not like the bodies of our + brothers, for our limbs were straight and thin and hard and strong. And we + thought that we could trust this being who looked upon us from the stream, + and that we had nothing to fear with this being. + </p> + <p> + We walked on till the sun had set. When the shadows gathered among the + trees, we stopped in a hollow between the roots, where we shall sleep + tonight. And suddenly, for the first time this day, we remembered that we + are the Damned. We remembered it, and we laughed. + </p> + <p> + We are writing this on the paper we had hidden in our tunic together with + the written pages we had brought for the World Council of Scholars, but + never given to them. We have much to speak of to ourselves, and we hope we + shall find the words for it in the days to come. Now, we cannot speak, for + we cannot understand. + </p> + + </div><!--end chapter--> + + <div class="chapter"> + + <h2><a name="link2H_PART9" id="link2H_PART9"></a> + PART NINE + </h2> + <p> + We have not written for many days. We did not wish to speak. For we needed + no words to remember that which has happened to us. + </p> + <p> + It was on our second day in the forest that we heard steps behind us. We + hid in the bushes, and we waited. The steps came closer. And then we saw + the fold of a white tunic among the trees, and a gleam of gold. + </p> + <p> + We leapt forward, we ran to them, and we stood looking upon the Golden + One. + </p> + <p> + They saw us, and their hands closed into fists, and the fists pulled their + arms down, as if they wished their arms to hold them, while their body + swayed. And they could not speak. + </p> + <p> + We dared not come too close to them. We asked, and our voice trembled: + </p> + <p> + “How did you come to be here, Golden One?” + </p> + <p> + But they whispered only: + </p> + <p> + “We have found you....” + </p> + <p> + “How did you come to be in the forest?” we asked. + </p> + <p> + They raised their head, and there was a great pride in their voice; they + answered: + </p> + <p> + “We have followed you.” + </p> + <p> + Then we could not speak, and they said: + </p> + <p> + “We heard that you had gone to the Uncharted Forest, for the whole City is + speaking of it. So on the night of the day when we heard it, we ran away + from the Home of the Peasants. We found the marks of your feet across the + plain where no men walk. So we followed them, and we went into the forest, + and we followed the path where the branches were broken by your body.” + </p> + <p> + Their white tunic was torn, and the branches had cut the skin of their + arms, but they spoke as if they had never taken notice of it, nor of + weariness, nor of fear. + </p> + <p> + “We have followed you,” they said, “and we shall follow you wherever you + go. If danger threatens you, we shall face it also. If it be death, we + shall die with you. You are damned, and we wish to share your damnation.” + </p> + <p> + They looked upon us, and their voice was low, but there was bitterness and + triumph in their voice. + </p> + <p> + “Your eyes are as a flame, but our brothers have neither hope nor fire. + Your mouth is cut of granite, but our brothers are soft and humble. Your + head is high, but our brothers cringe. You walk, but our brothers crawl. + We wish to be damned with you, rather than blessed with all our brothers. + Do as you please with us, but do not send us away from you.” + </p> + <p> + Then they knelt, and bowed their golden head before us. + </p> + <p> + We had never thought of that which we did. We bent to raise the Golden One + to their feet, but when we touched them, it was as if madness had stricken + us. We seized their body and we pressed our lips to theirs. The Golden One + breathed once, and their breath was a moan, and then their arms closed + around us. + </p> + <p> + We stood together for a long time. And we were frightened that we had + lived for twenty-one years and had never known what joy is possible to + men. + </p> + <p> + Then we said: + </p> + <p> + “Our dearest one. Fear nothing of the forest. There is no danger in + solitude. We have no need of our brothers. Let us forget their good and + our evil, let us forget all things save that we are together and that + there is joy as a bond between us. Give us your hand. Look ahead. It is + our own world, Golden One, a strange, unknown world, but our own.” + </p> + <p> + Then we walked on into the forest, their hand in ours. + </p> + <p> + And that night we knew that to hold the body of women in our arms is + neither ugly nor shameful, but the one ecstasy granted to the race of men. + </p> + <p> + We have walked for many days. The forest has no end, and we seek no end. + But each day added to the chain of days between us and the City is like an + added blessing. + </p> + <p> + We have made a bow and many arrows. We can kill more birds than we need + for our food; we find water and fruit in the forest. At night, we choose a + clearing, and we build a ring of fires around it. We sleep in the midst of + that ring, and the beasts dare not attack us. We can see their eyes, green + and yellow as coals, watching us from the tree branches beyond. The fires + smoulder as a crown of jewels around us, and smoke stands still in the + air, in columns made blue by the moonlight. We sleep together in the midst + of the ring, the arms of the Golden One around us, their head upon our + breast. + </p> + <p> + Some day, we shall stop and build a house, when we shall have gone far + enough. But we do not have to hasten. The days before us are without end, + like the forest. + </p> + <p> + We cannot understand this new life which we have found, yet it seems so + clear and so simple. When questions come to puzzle us, we walk faster, + then turn and forget all things as we watch the Golden One following. The + shadows of leaves fall upon their arms, as they spread the branches apart, + but their shoulders are in the sun. The skin of their arms is like a blue + mist, but their shoulders are white and glowing, as if the light fell not + from above, but rose from under their skin. We watch the leaf which has + fallen upon their shoulder, and it lies at the curve of their neck, and a + drop of dew glistens upon it like a jewel. They approach us, and they + stop, laughing, knowing what we think, and they wait obediently, without + questions, till it pleases us to turn and go on. + </p> + <p> + We go on and we bless the earth under our feet. But questions come to us + again, as we walk in silence. If that which we have found is the + corruption of solitude, then what can men wish for save corruption? If + this is the great evil of being alone, then what is good and what is evil? + </p> + <p> + Everything which comes from the many is good. Everything which comes from + one is evil. This have we been taught with our first breath. We have + broken the law, but we have never doubted it. Yet now, as we walk through + the forest, we are learning to doubt. + </p> + <p> + There is no life for men, save in useful toil for the good of all their + brothers. But we lived not, when we toiled for our brothers, we were only + weary. There is no joy for men, save the joy shared with all their + brothers. But the only things which taught us joy were the power we + created in our wires, and the Golden One. And both these joys belong to us + alone, they come from us alone, they bear no relation to all our brothers, + and they do not concern our brothers in any way. Thus do we wonder. + </p> + <p> + There is some error, one frightful error, in the thinking of men. What is + that error? We do not know, but the knowledge struggles within us, + struggles to be born. Today, the Golden One stopped suddenly and said: + </p> + <p> + “We love you.” + </p> + <p> + But they frowned and shook their head and looked at us helplessly. + </p> + <p> + “No,” they whispered, “that is not what we wished to say.” + </p> + <p> + They were silent, then they spoke slowly, and their words were halting, + like the words of a child learning to speak for the first time: + </p> + <p> + “We are one... alone... and only... and we love you who are one... + alone... and only.” + </p> + <p> + We looked into each other’s eyes and we knew that the breath of a miracle + had touched us, and fled, and left us groping vainly. + </p> + <p> + And we felt torn, torn for some word we could not find. + </p> + + </div><!--end chapter--> + + <div class="chapter"> + + <h2><a name="link2H_PART10" id="link2H_PART10"></a> + PART TEN + </h2> + <p> + We are sitting at a table and we are writing this upon paper made + thousands of years ago. The light is dim, and we cannot see the Golden + One, only one lock of gold on the pillow of an ancient bed. This is our + home. + </p> + <p> + We came upon it today, at sunrise. For many days we had been crossing a + chain of mountains. The forest rose among cliffs, and whenever we walked + out upon a barren stretch of rock we saw great peaks before us in the + west, and to the north of us, and to the south, as far as our eyes could + see. The peaks were red and brown, with the green streaks of forests as + veins upon them, with blue mists as veils over their heads. We had never + heard of these mountains, nor seen them marked on any map. The Uncharted + Forest has protected them from the Cities and from the men of the Cities. + </p> + <p> + We climbed paths where the wild goat dared not follow. Stones rolled from + under our feet, and we heard them striking the rocks below, farther and + farther down, and the mountains rang with each stroke, and long after the + strokes had died. But we went on, for we knew that no men would ever + follow our track nor reach us here. + </p> + <p> + Then today, at sunrise, we saw a white flame among the trees, high on a + sheer peak before us. We thought that it was a fire and stopped. But the + flame was unmoving, yet blinding as liquid metal. So we climbed toward it + through the rocks. And there, before us, on a broad summit, with the + mountains rising behind it, stood a house such as we had never seen, and + the white fire came from the sun on the glass of its windows. + </p> + <p> + The house had two stories and a strange roof flat as a floor. There was + more window than wall upon its walls, and the windows went on straight + around the corners, though how this kept the house standing we could not + guess. The walls were hard and smooth, of that stone unlike stone which we + had seen in our tunnel. + </p> + <p> + We both knew it without words: this house was left from the Unmentionable + Times. The trees had protected it from time and weather, and from men who + have less pity than time and weather. We turned to the Golden One and we + asked: + </p> + <p> + “Are you afraid?” + </p> + <p> + But they shook their head. So we walked to the door, and we threw it open, + and we stepped together into the house of the Unmentionable Times. + </p> + <p> + We shall need the days and the years ahead, to look, to learn, and to + understand the things of this house. Today, we could only look and try to + believe the sight of our eyes. We pulled the heavy curtains from the + windows and we saw that the rooms were small, and we thought that not more + than twelve men could have lived here. We thought it strange that men had + been permitted to build a house for only twelve. + </p> + <p> + Never had we seen rooms so full of light. The sunrays danced upon colors, + colors, more colors than we thought possible, we who had seen no houses + save the white ones, the brown ones and the grey. There were great pieces + of glass on the walls, but it was not glass, for when we looked upon it we + saw our own bodies and all the things behind us, as on the face of a lake. + There were strange things which we had never seen and the use of which we + do not know. And there were globes of glass everywhere, in each room, the + globes with the metal cobwebs inside, such as we had seen in our tunnel. + </p> + <p> + We found the sleeping hall and we stood in awe upon its threshold. For it + was a small room and there were only two beds in it. We found no other + beds in the house, and then we knew that only two had lived here, and this + passes understanding. What kind of world did they have, the men of the + Unmentionable Times? + </p> + <p> + We found garments, and the Golden One gasped at the sight of them. For + they were not white tunics, nor white togas; they were of all colors, no + two of them alike. Some crumbled to dust as we touched them. But others + were of heavier cloth, and they felt soft and new in our fingers. + </p> + <p> + We found a room with walls made of shelves, which held rows of + manuscripts, from the floor to the ceiling. Never had we seen such a + number of them, nor of such strange shape. They were not soft and rolled, + they had hard shells of cloth and leather; and the letters on their pages + were so small and so even that we wondered at the men who had such + handwriting. We glanced through the pages, and we saw that they were + written in our language, but we found many words which we could not + understand. Tomorrow, we shall begin to read these scripts. + </p> + <p> + When we had seen all the rooms of the house, we looked at the Golden One + and we both knew the thought in our minds. + </p> + <p> + “We shall never leave this house,” we said, “nor let it be taken from us. + This is our home and the end of our journey. This is your house, Golden + One, and ours, and it belongs to no other men whatever as far as the earth + may stretch. We shall not share it with others, as we share not our joy + with them, nor our love, nor our hunger. So be it to the end of our days.” + </p> + <p> + “Your will be done,” they said. + </p> + <p> + Then we went out to gather wood for the great hearth of our home. We + brought water from the stream which runs among the trees under our + windows. We killed a mountain goat, and we brought its flesh to be cooked + in a strange copper pot we found in a place of wonders, which must have + been the cooking room of the house. + </p> + <p> + We did this work alone, for no words of ours could take the Golden One + away from the big glass which is not glass. They stood before it and they + looked and looked upon their own body. + </p> + <p> + When the sun sank beyond the mountains, the Golden One fell asleep on the + floor, amidst jewels, and bottles of crystal, and flowers of silk. We + lifted the Golden One in our arms and we carried them to a bed, their head + falling softly upon our shoulder. Then we lit a candle, and we brought + paper from the room of the manuscripts, and we sat by the window, for we + knew that we could not sleep tonight. + </p> + <p> + And now we look upon the earth and sky. This spread of naked rock and + peaks and moonlight is like a world ready to be born, a world that waits. + It seems to us it asks a sign from us, a spark, a first commandment. We + cannot know what word we are to give, nor what great deed this earth + expects to witness. We know it waits. It seems to say it has great gifts + to lay before us, but it wishes a greater gift for us. We are to speak. We + are to give its goal, its highest meaning to all this glowing space of + rock and sky. + </p> + <p> + We look ahead, we beg our heart for guidance in answering this call no + voice has spoken, yet we have heard. We look upon our hands. We see the + dust of centuries, the dust which hid the great secrets and perhaps great + evils. And yet it stirs no fear within our heart, but only silent + reverence and pity. + </p> + <p> + May knowledge come to us! What is the secret our heart has understood and + yet will not reveal to us, although it seems to beat as if it were + endeavoring to tell it? + </p> + + </div><!--end chapter--> + + <div class="chapter"> + + <h2><a name="link2H_PART11" id="link2H_PART11"></a> + PART ELEVEN + </h2> + <p> + I am. I think. I will. + </p> + <p> + My hands... My spirit... My sky... My forest... This earth of mine.... + What must I say besides? These are the words. This is the answer. + </p> + <p> + I stand here on the summit of the mountain. I lift my head and I spread my + arms. This, my body and spirit, this is the end of the quest. I wished to + know the meaning of things. I am the meaning. I wished to find a warrant + for being. I need no warrant for being, and no word of sanction upon my + being. I am the warrant and the sanction. + </p> + <p> + It is my eyes which see, and the sight of my eyes grants beauty to the + earth. It is my ears which hear, and the hearing of my ears gives its song + to the world. It is my mind which thinks, and the judgement of my mind is + the only searchlight that can find the truth. It is my will which chooses, + and the choice of my will is the only edict I must respect. + </p> + <p> + Many words have been granted me, and some are wise, and some are false, + but only three are holy: “I will it!” + </p> + <p> + Whatever road I take, the guiding star is within me; the guiding star and + the loadstone which point the way. They point in but one direction. They + point to me. + </p> + <p> + I know not if this earth on which I stand is the core of the universe or + if it is but a speck of dust lost in eternity. I know not and I care not. + For I know what happiness is possible to me on earth. And my happiness + needs no higher aim to vindicate it. My happiness is not the means to any + end. It is the end. It is its own goal. It is its own purpose. + </p> + <p> + Neither am I the means to any end others may wish to accomplish. I am not + a tool for their use. I am not a servant of their needs. I am not a + bandage for their wounds. I am not a sacrifice on their altars. + </p> + <p> + I am a man. This miracle of me is mine to own and keep, and mine to guard, + and mine to use, and mine to kneel before! + </p> + <p> + I do not surrender my treasures, nor do I share them. The fortune of my + spirit is not to be blown into coins of brass and flung to the winds as + alms for the poor of the spirit. I guard my treasures: my thought, my + will, my freedom. And the greatest of these is freedom. + </p> + <p> + I owe nothing to my brothers, nor do I gather debts from them. I ask none + to live for me, nor do I live for any others. I covet no man’s soul, nor + is my soul theirs to covet. + </p> + <p> + I am neither foe nor friend to my brothers, but such as each of them shall + deserve of me. And to earn my love, my brothers must do more than to have + been born. I do not grant my love without reason, nor to any chance + passer-by who may wish to claim it. I honor men with my love. But honor is + a thing to be earned. + </p> + <p> + I shall choose friends among men, but neither slaves nor masters. And I + shall choose only such as please me, and them I shall love and respect, + but neither command nor obey. And we shall join our hands when we wish, or + walk alone when we so desire. For in the temple of his spirit, each man is + alone. Let each man keep his temple untouched and undefiled. Then let him + join hands with others if he wishes, but only beyond his holy threshold. + </p> + <p> + For the word “We” must never be spoken, save by one’s choice and as a + second thought. This word must never be placed first within man’s soul, + else it becomes a monster, the root of all the evils on earth, the root of + man’s torture by men, and of an unspeakable lie. + </p> + <p> + The word “We” is as lime poured over men, which sets and hardens to stone, + and crushes all beneath it, and that which is white and that which is + black are lost equally in the grey of it. It is the word by which the + depraved steal the virtue of the good, by which the weak steal the might + of the strong, by which the fools steal the wisdom of the sages. + </p> + <p> + What is my joy if all hands, even the unclean, can reach into it? What is + my wisdom, if even the fools can dictate to me? What is my freedom, if all + creatures, even the botched and the impotent, are my masters? What is my + life, if I am but to bow, to agree and to obey? + </p> + <p> + But I am done with this creed of corruption. + </p> + <p> + I am done with the monster of “We,” the word of serfdom, of plunder, of + misery, falsehood and shame. + </p> + <p> + And now I see the face of god, and I raise this god over the earth, this + god whom men have sought since men came into being, this god who will + grant them joy and peace and pride. + </p> + <p> + This god, this one word: + </p> + <p> + “I.” + </p> + + </div><!--end chapter--> + + <div class="chapter"> + + <h2><a name="link2H_PART12" id="link2H_PART12"></a> + PART TWELVE + </h2> + <p> + It was when I read the first of the books I found in my house that I saw + the word “I.” And when I understood this word, the book fell from my + hands, and I wept, I who had never known tears. I wept in deliverance and + in pity for all mankind. + </p> + <p> + I understood the blessed thing which I had called my curse. I understood + why the best in me had been my sins and my transgressions; and why I had + never felt guilt in my sins. I understood that centuries of chains and + lashes will not kill the spirit of man nor the sense of truth within him. + </p> + <p> + I read many books for many days. Then I called the Golden One, and I told + her what I had read and what I had learned. She looked at me and the first + words she spoke were: + </p> + <p> + “I love you.” + </p> + <p> + Then I said: + </p> + <p> + “My dearest one, it is not proper for men to be without names. There was a + time when each man had a name of his own to distinguish him from all other + men. So let us choose our names. I have read of a man who lived many + thousands of years ago, and of all the names in these books, his is the + one I wish to bear. He took the light of the gods and he brought it to + men, and he taught men to be gods. And he suffered for his deed as all + bearers of light must suffer. His name was Prometheus.” + </p> + <p> + “It shall be your name,” said the Golden One. + </p> + <p> + “And I have read of a goddess,” I said, “who was the mother of the earth + and of all the gods. Her name was Gaea. Let this be your name, my Golden + One, for you are to be the mother of a new kind of gods.” + </p> + <p> + “It shall be my name,” said the Golden One. + </p> + <p> + Now I look ahead. My future is clear before me. The Saint of the pyre had + seen the future when he chose me as his heir, as the heir of all the + saints and all the martyrs who came before him and who died for the same + cause, for the same word, no matter what name they gave to their cause and + their truth. + </p> + <p> + I shall live here, in my own house. I shall take my food from the earth by + the toil of my own hands. I shall learn many secrets from my books. + Through the years ahead, I shall rebuild the achievements of the past, and + open the way to carry them further, the achievements which are open to me, + but closed forever to my brothers, for their minds are shackled to the + weakest and dullest ones among them. + </p> + <p> + I have learned that my power of the sky was known to men long ago; they + called it Electricity. It was the power that moved their greatest + inventions. It lit this house with light which came from those globes of + glass on the walls. I have found the engine which produced this light. I + shall learn how to repair it and how to make it work again. I shall learn + how to use the wires which carry this power. Then I shall build a barrier + of wires around my home, and across the paths which lead to my home; a + barrier light as a cobweb, more impassable than a wall of granite; a + barrier my brothers will never be able to cross. For they have nothing to + fight me with, save the brute force of their numbers. I have my mind. + </p> + <p> + Then here, on this mountaintop, with the world below me and nothing above + me but the sun, I shall live my own truth. Gaea is pregnant with my child. + Our son will be raised as a man. He will be taught to say “I” and to bear + the pride of it. He will be taught to walk straight and on his own feet. + He will be taught reverence for his own spirit. + </p> + <p> + When I shall have read all the books and learned my new way, when my home + will be ready and my earth tilled, I shall steal one day, for the last + time, into the cursed City of my birth. I shall call to me my friend who + has no name save International 4-8818, and all those like him, Fraternity + 2-5503, who cries without reason, and Solidarity 9-6347 who calls for help + in the night, and a few others. I shall call to me all the men and the + women whose spirit has not been killed within them and who suffer under + the yoke of their brothers. They will follow me and I shall lead them to + my fortress. And here, in this uncharted wilderness, I and they, my chosen + friends, my fellow-builders, shall write the first chapter in the new + history of man. + </p> + <p> + These are the things before me. And as I stand here at the door of glory, + I look behind me for the last time. I look upon the history of men, which + I have learned from the books, and I wonder. It was a long story, and the + spirit which moved it was the spirit of man’s freedom. But what is + freedom? Freedom from what? There is nothing to take a man’s freedom away + from him, save other men. To be free, a man must be free of his brothers. + That is freedom. That and nothing else. + </p> + <p> + At first, man was enslaved by the gods. But he broke their chains. Then he + was enslaved by the kings. But he broke their chains. He was enslaved by + his birth, by his kin, by his race. But he broke their chains. He declared + to all his brothers that a man has rights which neither god nor king nor + other men can take away from him, no matter what their number, for his is + the right of man, and there is no right on earth above this right. And he + stood on the threshold of the freedom for which the blood of the centuries + behind him had been spilled. + </p> + <p> + But then he gave up all he had won, and fell lower than his savage + beginning. + </p> + <p> + What brought it to pass? What disaster took their reason away from men? + What whip lashed them to their knees in shame and submission? The worship + of the word “We.” + </p> + <p> + When men accepted that worship, the structure of centuries collapsed about + them, the structure whose every beam had come from the thought of some one + man, each in his day down the ages, from the depth of some one spirit, + such spirit as existed but for its own sake. Those men who survived those + eager to obey, eager to live for one another, since they had nothing else + to vindicate them—those men could neither carry on, nor preserve + what they had received. Thus did all thought, all science, all wisdom + perish on earth. Thus did men—men with nothing to offer save their + great number—lost the steel towers, the flying ships, the power + wires, all the things they had not created and could never keep. Perhaps, + later, some men had been born with the mind and the courage to recover + these things which were lost; perhaps these men came before the Councils + of Scholars. They were answered as I have been answered—and for the + same reasons. + </p> + <p> + But I still wonder how it was possible, in those graceless years of + transition, long ago, that men did not see whither they were going, and + went on, in blindness and cowardice, to their fate. I wonder, for it is + hard for me to conceive how men who knew the word “I” could give it up and + not know what they lost. But such has been the story, for I have lived in + the City of the damned, and I know what horror men permitted to be brought + upon them. + </p> + <p> + Perhaps, in those days, there were a few among men, a few of clear sight + and clean soul, who refused to surrender that word. What agony must have + been theirs before that which they saw coming and could not stop! Perhaps + they cried out in protest and in warning. But men paid no heed to their + warning. And they, these few, fought a hopeless battle, and they perished + with their banners smeared by their own blood. And they chose to perish, + for they knew. To them, I send my salute across the centuries, and my + pity. + </p> + <p> + Theirs is the banner in my hand. And I wish I had the power to tell them + that the despair of their hearts was not to be final, and their night was + not without hope. For the battle they lost can never be lost. For that + which they died to save can never perish. Through all the darkness, + through all the shame of which men are capable, the spirit of man will + remain alive on this earth. It may sleep, but it will awaken. It may wear + chains, but it will break through. And man will go on. Man, not men. + </p> + <p> + Here on this mountain, I and my sons and my chosen friends shall build our + new land and our fort. And it will become as the heart of the earth, lost + and hidden at first, but beating, beating louder each day. And word of it + will reach every corner of the earth. And the roads of the world will + become as veins which will carry the best of the world’s blood to my + threshold. And all my brothers, and the Councils of my brothers, will hear + of it, but they will be impotent against me. And the day will come when I + shall break all the chains of the earth, and raze the cities of the + enslaved, and my home will become the capital of a world where each man + will be free to exist for his own sake. + </p> + <p> + For the coming of that day shall I fight, I and my sons and my chosen + friends. For the freedom of Man. For his rights. For his life. For his + honor. + </p> + <p> + And here, over the portals of my fort, I shall cut in the stone the word + which is to be my beacon and my banner. The word which will not die, + should we all perish in battle. The word which can never die on this + earth, for it is the heart of it and the meaning and the glory. + </p> + <p> + The sacred word: + </p> + <p> + EGO + </p> + + </div><!--end chapter--> + +<div>*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 1250 ***</div> +</body> + +</html> + + diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..1461d52 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #1250 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1250) diff --git a/old/1250-0.txt b/old/1250-0.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..c395b51 --- /dev/null +++ b/old/1250-0.txt @@ -0,0 +1,2535 @@ +The Project Gutenberg eBook of Anthem, by Ayn Rand + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and +most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions +whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms +of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at +www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you +will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before +using this eBook. + +Title: Anthem + +Author: Ayn Rand + +Release Date: March, 1998 [eBook #1250] +[Most recently updated: January 21, 2021] + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: UTF-8 + +Produced by: An anonymous group of volunteers, and David Widger + +*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ANTHEM *** + + + + + ANTHEM + + by Ayn Rand + + + CONTENTS + + PART ONE + + PART TWO + + PART THREE + + PART FOUR + + PART FIVE + + PART SIX + + PART SEVEN + + PART EIGHT + + PART NINE + + PART TEN + + PART ELEVEN + + PART TWELVE + + + + + PART ONE + + It is a sin to write this. It is a sin to think words no others + think and to put them down upon a paper no others are to see. It + is base and evil. It is as if we were speaking alone to no ears + but our own. And we know well that there is no transgression + blacker than to do or think alone. We have broken the laws. The + laws say that men may not write unless the Council of Vocations + bid them so. May we be forgiven! + + But this is not the only sin upon us. We have committed a greater + crime, and for this crime there is no name. What punishment + awaits us if it be discovered we know not, for no such crime has + come in the memory of men and there are no laws to provide for + it. + + It is dark here. The flame of the candle stands still in the air. + Nothing moves in this tunnel save our hand on the paper. We are + alone here under the earth. It is a fearful word, alone. The laws + say that none among men may be alone, ever and at any time, for + this is the great transgression and the root of all evil. But we + have broken many laws. And now there is nothing here save our one + body, and it is strange to see only two legs stretched on the + ground, and on the wall before us the shadow of our one head. + + The walls are cracked and water runs upon them in thin threads + without sound, black and glistening as blood. We stole the candle + from the larder of the Home of the Street Sweepers. We shall be + sentenced to ten years in the Palace of Corrective Detention if + it be discovered. But this matters not. It matters only that the + light is precious and we should not waste it to write when we + need it for that work which is our crime. Nothing matters save + the work, our secret, our evil, our precious work. Still, we must + also write, for—may the Council have mercy upon us!—we wish to + speak for once to no ears but our own. + + Our name is Equality 7-2521, as it is written on the iron + bracelet which all men wear on their left wrists with their names + upon it. We are twenty-one years old. We are six feet tall, and + this is a burden, for there are not many men who are six feet + tall. Ever have the Teachers and the Leaders pointed to us and + frowned and said: + + “There is evil in your bones, Equality 7-2521, for your body has + grown beyond the bodies of your brothers.” But we cannot change + our bones nor our body. + + We were born with a curse. It has always driven us to thoughts + which are forbidden. It has always given us wishes which men may + not wish. We know that we are evil, but there is no will in us + and no power to resist it. This is our wonder and our secret + fear, that we know and do not resist. + + We strive to be like all our brother men, for all men must be + alike. Over the portals of the Palace of the World Council, there + are words cut in the marble, which we repeat to ourselves + whenever we are tempted: + + “WE ARE ONE IN ALL AND ALL IN ONE. + THERE ARE NO MEN BUT ONLY THE GREAT _WE_, + ONE, INDIVISIBLE AND FOREVER.” + + We repeat this to ourselves, but it helps us not. + + These words were cut long ago. There is green mould in the + grooves of the letters and yellow streaks on the marble, which + come from more years than men could count. And these words are + the truth, for they are written on the Palace of the World + Council, and the World Council is the body of all truth. Thus has + it been ever since the Great Rebirth, and farther back than that + no memory can reach. + + But we must never speak of the times before the Great Rebirth, + else we are sentenced to three years in the Palace of Corrective + Detention. It is only the Old Ones who whisper about it in the + evenings, in the Home of the Useless. They whisper many strange + things, of the towers which rose to the sky, in those + Unmentionable Times, and of the wagons which moved without + horses, and of the lights which burned without flame. But those + times were evil. And those times passed away, when men saw the + Great Truth which is this: that all men are one and that there is + no will save the will of all men together. + + All men are good and wise. It is only we, Equality 7-2521, we + alone who were born with a curse. For we are not like our + brothers. And as we look back upon our life, we see that it has + ever been thus and that it has brought us step by step to our + last, supreme transgression, our crime of crimes hidden here + under the ground. + + We remember the Home of the Infants where we lived till we were + five years old, together with all the children of the City who + had been born in the same year. The sleeping halls there were + white and clean and bare of all things save one hundred beds. We + were just like all our brothers then, save for the one + transgression: we fought with our brothers. There are few + offenses blacker than to fight with our brothers, at any age and + for any cause whatsoever. The Council of the Home told us so, and + of all the children of that year, we were locked in the cellar + most often. + + When we were five years old, we were sent to the Home of the + Students, where there are ten wards, for our ten years of + learning. Men must learn till they reach their fifteenth year. + Then they go to work. In the Home of the Students we arose when + the big bell rang in the tower and we went to our beds when it + rang again. Before we removed our garments, we stood in the great + sleeping hall, and we raised our right arms, and we said all + together with the three Teachers at the head: + + “We are nothing. Mankind is all. By the grace of our brothers are + we allowed our lives. We exist through, by and for our brothers + who are the State. Amen.” + + Then we slept. The sleeping halls were white and clean and bare + of all things save one hundred beds. + + We, Equality 7-2521, were not happy in those years in the Home of + the Students. It was not that the learning was too hard for us. + It was that the learning was too easy. This is a great sin, to be + born with a head which is too quick. It is not good to be + different from our brothers, but it is evil to be superior to + them. The Teachers told us so, and they frowned when they looked + upon us. + + So we fought against this curse. We tried to forget our lessons, + but we always remembered. We tried not to understand what the + Teachers taught, but we always understood it before the Teachers + had spoken. We looked upon Union 5-3992, who were a pale boy with + only half a brain, and we tried to say and do as they did, that + we might be like them, like Union 5-3992, but somehow the + Teachers knew that we were not. And we were lashed more often + than all the other children. + + The Teachers were just, for they had been appointed by the + Councils, and the Councils are the voice of all justice, for they + are the voice of all men. And if sometimes, in the secret + darkness of our heart, we regret that which befell us on our + fifteenth birthday, we know that it was through our own guilt. We + had broken a law, for we had not paid heed to the words of our + Teachers. The Teachers had said to us all: + + “Dare not choose in your minds the work you would like to do when + you leave the Home of the Students. You shall do that which the + Council of Vocations shall prescribe for you. For the Council of + Vocations knows in its great wisdom where you are needed by your + brother men, better than you can know it in your unworthy little + minds. And if you are not needed by your brother man, there is no + reason for you to burden the earth with your bodies.” + + We knew this well, in the years of our childhood, but our curse + broke our will. We were guilty and we confess it here: we were + guilty of the great Transgression of Preference. We preferred + some work and some lessons to the others. We did not listen well + to the history of all the Councils elected since the Great + Rebirth. But we loved the Science of Things. We wished to know. + We wished to know about all the things which make the earth + around us. We asked so many questions that the Teachers forbade + it. + + We think that there are mysteries in the sky and under the water + and in the plants which grow. But the Council of Scholars has + said that there are no mysteries, and the Council of Scholars + knows all things. And we learned much from our Teachers. We + learned that the earth is flat and that the sun revolves around + it, which causes the day and the night. We learned the names of + all the winds which blow over the seas and push the sails of our + great ships. We learned how to bleed men to cure them of all + ailments. + + We loved the Science of Things. And in the darkness, in the + secret hour, when we awoke in the night and there were no + brothers around us, but only their shapes in the beds and their + snores, we closed our eyes, and we held our lips shut, and we + stopped our breath, that no shudder might let our brothers see or + hear or guess, and we thought that we wished to be sent to the + Home of the Scholars when our time would come. + + All the great modern inventions come from the Home of the + Scholars, such as the newest one, which was found only a hundred + years ago, of how to make candles from wax and string; also, how + to make glass, which is put in our windows to protect us from the + rain. To find these things, the Scholars must study the earth and + learn from the rivers, from the sands, from the winds and the + rocks. And if we went to the Home of the Scholars, we could learn + from these also. We could ask questions of these, for they do not + forbid questions. + + And questions give us no rest. We know not why our curse makes us + seek we know not what, ever and ever. But we cannot resist it. It + whispers to us that there are great things on this earth of ours, + and that we can know them if we try, and that we must know them. + We ask, why must we know, but it has no answer to give us. We + must know that we may know. + + So we wished to be sent to the Home of the Scholars. We wished it + so much that our hands trembled under the blankets in the night, + and we bit our arm to stop that other pain which we could not + endure. It was evil and we dared not face our brothers in the + morning. For men may wish nothing for themselves. And we were + punished when the Council of Vocations came to give us our life + Mandates which tell those who reach their fifteenth year what + their work is to be for the rest of their days. + + The Council of Vocations came on the first day of spring, and + they sat in the great hall. And we who were fifteen and all the + Teachers came into the great hall. And the Council of Vocations + sat on a high dais, and they had but two words to speak to each + of the Students. They called the Students’ names, and when the + Students stepped before them, one after another, the Council + said: “Carpenter” or “Doctor” or “Cook” or “Leader.” Then each + Student raised their right arm and said: “The will of our + brothers be done.” + + Now if the Council has said “Carpenter” or “Cook,” the Students + so assigned go to work and they do not study any further. But if + the Council has said “Leader,” then those Students go into the + Home of the Leaders, which is the greatest house in the City, for + it has three stories. And there they study for many years, so + that they may become candidates and be elected to the City + Council and the State Council and the World Council—by a free and + general vote of all men. But we wished not to be a Leader, even + though it is a great honor. We wished to be a Scholar. + + So we awaited our turn in the great hall and then we heard the + Council of Vocations call our name: “Equality 7-2521.” We walked + to the dais, and our legs did not tremble, and we looked up at + the Council. There were five members of the Council, three of the + male gender and two of the female. Their hair was white and their + faces were cracked as the clay of a dry river bed. They were old. + They seemed older than the marble of the Temple of the World + Council. They sat before us and they did not move. And we saw no + breath to stir the folds of their white togas. But we knew that + they were alive, for a finger of the hand of the oldest rose, + pointed to us, and fell down again. This was the only thing which + moved, for the lips of the oldest did not move as they said: + “Street Sweeper.” + + We felt the cords of our neck grow tight as our head rose higher + to look upon the faces of the Council, and we were happy. We knew + we had been guilty, but now we had a way to atone for it. We + would accept our Life Mandate, and we would work for our + brothers, gladly and willingly, and we would erase our sin + against them, which they did not know, but we knew. So we were + happy, and proud of ourselves and of our victory over ourselves. + We raised our right arm and we spoke, and our voice was the + clearest, the steadiest voice in the hall that day, and we said: + + “The will of our brothers be done.” + + And we looked straight into the eyes of the Council, but their + eyes were as cold blue glass buttons. + + So we went into the Home of the Street Sweepers. It is a grey + house on a narrow street. There is a sundial in its courtyard, by + which the Council of the Home can tell the hours of the day and + when to ring the bell. When the bell rings, we all arise from our + beds. The sky is green and cold in our windows to the east. The + shadow on the sundial marks off a half-hour while we dress and + eat our breakfast in the dining hall, where there are five long + tables with twenty clay plates and twenty clay cups on each + table. Then we go to work in the streets of the City, with our + brooms and our rakes. In five hours, when the sun is high, we + return to the Home and we eat our midday meal, for which one-half + hour is allowed. Then we go to work again. In five hours, the + shadows are blue on the pavements, and the sky is blue with a + deep brightness which is not bright. We come back to have our + dinner, which lasts one hour. Then the bell rings and we walk in + a straight column to one of the City Halls, for the Social + Meeting. Other columns of men arrive from the Homes of the + different Trades. The candles are lit, and the Councils of the + different Homes stand in a pulpit, and they speak to us of our + duties and of our brother men. Then visiting Leaders mount the + pulpit and they read to us the speeches which were made in the + City Council that day, for the City Council represents all men + and all men must know. Then we sing hymns, the Hymn of + Brotherhood, and the Hymn of Equality, and the Hymn of the + Collective Spirit. The sky is a soggy purple when we return to + the Home. Then the bell rings and we walk in a straight column to + the City Theatre for three hours of Social Recreation. There a + play is shown upon the stage, with two great choruses from the + Home of the Actors, which speak and answer all together, in two + great voices. The plays are about toil and how good it is. Then + we walk back to the Home in a straight column. The sky is like a + black sieve pierced by silver drops that tremble, ready to burst + through. The moths beat against the street lanterns. We go to our + beds and we sleep, till the bell rings again. The sleeping halls + are white and clean and bare of all things save one hundred beds. + + Thus have we lived each day of four years, until two springs ago + when our crime happened. Thus must all men live until they are + forty. At forty, they are worn out. At forty, they are sent to + the Home of the Useless, where the Old Ones live. The Old Ones do + not work, for the State takes care of them. They sit in the sun + in summer and they sit by the fire in winter. They do not speak + often, for they are weary. The Old Ones know that they are soon + to die. When a miracle happens and some live to be forty-five, + they are the Ancient Ones, and the children stare at them when + passing by the Home of the Useless. Such is to be our life, as + that of all our brothers and of the brothers who came before us. + + Such would have been our life, had we not committed our crime + which changed all things for us. And it was our curse which drove + us to our crime. We had been a good Street Sweeper and like all + our brother Street Sweepers, save for our cursed wish to know. We + looked too long at the stars at night, and at the trees and the + earth. And when we cleaned the yard of the Home of the Scholars, + we gathered the glass vials, the pieces of metal, the dried bones + which they had discarded. We wished to keep these things and to + study them, but we had no place to hide them. So we carried them + to the City Cesspool. And then we made the discovery. + + It was on a day of the spring before last. We Street Sweepers + work in brigades of three, and we were with Union 5-3992, they of + the half-brain, and with International 4-8818. Now Union 5-3992 + are a sickly lad and sometimes they are stricken with + convulsions, when their mouth froths and their eyes turn white. + But International 4-8818 are different. They are a tall, strong + youth and their eyes are like fireflies, for there is laughter in + their eyes. We cannot look upon International 4-8818 and not + smile in answer. For this they were not liked in the Home of the + Students, as it is not proper to smile without reason. And also + they were not liked because they took pieces of coal and they + drew pictures upon the walls, and they were pictures which made + men laugh. But it is only our brothers in the Home of the Artists + who are permitted to draw pictures, so International 4-8818 were + sent to the Home of the Street Sweepers, like ourselves. + + International 4-8818 and we are friends. This is an evil thing to + say, for it is a transgression, the great Transgression of + Preference, to love any among men better than the others, since + we must love all men and all men are our friends. So + International 4-8818 and we have never spoken of it. But we know. + We know, when we look into each other’s eyes. And when we look + thus without words, we both know other things also, strange + things for which there are no words, and these things frighten + us. + + So on that day of the spring before last, Union 5-3992 were + stricken with convulsions on the edge of the City, near the City + Theatre. We left them to lie in the shade of the Theatre tent and + we went with International 4-8818 to finish our work. We came + together to the great ravine behind the Theatre. It is empty save + for trees and weeds. Beyond the ravine there is a plain, and + beyond the plain there lies the Uncharted Forest, about which men + must not think. + + We were gathering the papers and the rags which the wind had + blown from the Theatre, when we saw an iron bar among the weeds. + It was old and rusted by many rains. We pulled with all our + strength, but we could not move it. So we called International + 4-8818, and together we scraped the earth around the bar. Of a + sudden the earth fell in before us, and we saw an old iron grill + over a black hole. + + International 4-8818 stepped back. But we pulled at the grill and + it gave way. And then we saw iron rings as steps leading down a + shaft into a darkness without bottom. + + “We shall go down,” we said to International 4-8818. + + “It is forbidden,” they answered. + + We said: “The Council does not know of this hole, so it cannot be + forbidden.” + + And they answered: “Since the Council does not know of this hole, + there can be no law permitting to enter it. And everything which + is not permitted by law is forbidden.” + + But we said: “We shall go, none the less.” + + They were frightened, but they stood by and watched us go. + + We hung on the iron rings with our hands and our feet. We could + see nothing below us. And above us the hole open upon the sky + grew smaller and smaller, till it came to be the size of a + button. But still we went down. Then our foot touched the ground. + We rubbed our eyes, for we could not see. Then our eyes became + used to the darkness, but we could not believe what we saw. + + No men known to us could have built this place, nor the men known + to our brothers who lived before us, and yet it was built by men. + It was a great tunnel. Its walls were hard and smooth to the + touch; it felt like stone, but it was not stone. On the ground + there were long thin tracks of iron, but it was not iron; it felt + smooth and cold as glass. We knelt, and we crawled forward, our + hand groping along the iron line to see where it would lead. But + there was an unbroken night ahead. Only the iron tracks glowed + through it, straight and white, calling us to follow. But we + could not follow, for we were losing the puddle of light behind + us. So we turned and we crawled back, our hand on the iron line. + And our heart beat in our fingertips, without reason. And then we + knew. + + We knew suddenly that this place was left from the Unmentionable + Times. So it was true, and those Times had been, and all the + wonders of those Times. Hundreds upon hundreds of years ago men + knew secrets which we have lost. And we thought: “This is a foul + place. They are damned who touch the things of the Unmentionable + Times.” But our hand which followed the track, as we crawled, + clung to the iron as if it would not leave it, as if the skin of + our hand were thirsty and begging of the metal some secret fluid + beating in its coldness. + + We returned to the earth. International 4-8818 looked upon us and + stepped back. + + “Equality 7-2521,” they said, “your face is white.” + + But we could not speak and we stood looking upon them. + + They backed away, as if they dared not touch us. Then they + smiled, but it was not a gay smile; it was lost and pleading. But + still we could not speak. Then they said: + + “We shall report our find to the City Council and both of us will + be rewarded.” + + And then we spoke. Our voice was hard and there was no mercy in + our voice. We said: + + “We shall not report our find to the City Council. We shall not + report it to any men.” + + They raised their hands to their ears, for never had they heard + such words as these. + + “International 4-8818,” we asked, “will you report us to the + Council and see us lashed to death before your eyes?” + + They stood straight all of a sudden and they answered: “Rather + would we die.” + + “Then,” we said, “keep silent. This place is ours. This place + belongs to us, Equality 7-2521, and to no other men on earth. And + if ever we surrender it, we shall surrender our life with it + also.” + + Then we saw that the eyes of International 4-8818 were full to + the lids with tears they dared not drop. They whispered, and + their voice trembled, so that their words lost all shape: + + “The will of the Council is above all things, for it is the will + of our brothers, which is holy. But if you wish it so, we shall + obey you. Rather shall we be evil with you than good with all our + brothers. May the Council have mercy upon both our hearts!” + + Then we walked away together and back to the Home of the Street + Sweepers. And we walked in silence. + + Thus did it come to pass that each night, when the stars are high + and the Street Sweepers sit in the City Theatre, we, Equality + 7-2521, steal out and run through the darkness to our place. It + is easy to leave the Theatre; when the candles are blown out and + the Actors come onto the stage, no eyes can see us as we crawl + under our seat and under the cloth of the tent. Later, it is easy + to steal through the shadows and fall in line next to + International 4-8818, as the column leaves the Theatre. It is + dark in the streets and there are no men about, for no men may + walk through the City when they have no mission to walk there. + Each night, we run to the ravine, and we remove the stones which + we have piled upon the iron grill to hide it from the men. Each + night, for three hours, we are under the earth, alone. + + We have stolen candles from the Home of the Street Sweepers, we + have stolen flints and knives and paper, and we have brought them + to this place. We have stolen glass vials and powders and acids + from the Home of the Scholars. Now we sit in the tunnel for three + hours each night and we study. We melt strange metals, and we mix + acids, and we cut open the bodies of the animals which we find in + the City Cesspool. We have built an oven of the bricks we + gathered in the streets. We burn the wood we find in the ravine. + The fire flickers in the oven and blue shadows dance upon the + walls, and there is no sound of men to disturb us. + + We have stolen manuscripts. This is a great offense. Manuscripts + are precious, for our brothers in the Home of the Clerks spend + one year to copy one single script in their clear handwriting. + Manuscripts are rare and they are kept in the Home of the + Scholars. So we sit under the earth and we read the stolen + scripts. Two years have passed since we found this place. And in + these two years we have learned more than we had learned in the + ten years of the Home of the Students. + + We have learned things which are not in the scripts. We have + solved secrets of which the Scholars have no knowledge. We have + come to see how great is the unexplored, and many lifetimes will + not bring us to the end of our quest. But we wish no end to our + quest. We wish nothing, save to be alone and to learn, and to + feel as if with each day our sight were growing sharper than the + hawk’s and clearer than rock crystal. + + Strange are the ways of evil. We are false in the faces of our + brothers. We are defying the will of our Councils. We alone, of + the thousands who walk this earth, we alone in this hour are + doing a work which has no purpose save that we wish to do it. The + evil of our crime is not for the human mind to probe. The nature + of our punishment, if it be discovered, is not for the human + heart to ponder. Never, not in the memory of the Ancient Ones’ + Ancients, never have men done that which we are doing. + + And yet there is no shame in us and no regret. We say to + ourselves that we are a wretch and a traitor. But we feel no + burden upon our spirit and no fear in our heart. And it seems to + us that our spirit is clear as a lake troubled by no eyes save + those of the sun. And in our heart—strange are the ways of + evil!—in our heart there is the first peace we have known in + twenty years. + + + + PART TWO + + Liberty 5-3000... Liberty five-three thousand ... Liberty + 5-3000.... + + We wish to write this name. We wish to speak it, but we dare not + speak it above a whisper. For men are forbidden to take notice of + women, and women are forbidden to take notice of men. But we + think of one among women, they whose name is Liberty 5-3000, and + we think of no others. The women who have been assigned to work + the soil live in the Homes of the Peasants beyond the City. Where + the City ends there is a great road winding off to the north, and + we Street Sweepers must keep this road clean to the first + milepost. There is a hedge along the road, and beyond the hedge + lie the fields. The fields are black and ploughed, and they lie + like a great fan before us, with their furrows gathered in some + hand beyond the sky, spreading forth from that hand, opening wide + apart as they come toward us, like black pleats that sparkle with + thin, green spangles. Women work in the fields, and their white + tunics in the wind are like the wings of sea-gulls beating over + the black soil. + + And there it was that we saw Liberty 5-3000 walking along the + furrows. Their body was straight and thin as a blade of iron. + Their eyes were dark and hard and glowing, with no fear in them, + no kindness and no guilt. Their hair was golden as the sun; their + hair flew in the wind, shining and wild, as if it defied men to + restrain it. They threw seeds from their hand as if they deigned + to fling a scornful gift, and the earth was a beggar under their + feet. + + We stood still; for the first time did we know fear, and then + pain. And we stood still that we might not spill this pain more + precious than pleasure. + + Then we heard a voice from the others call their name: “Liberty + 5-3000,” and they turned and walked back. Thus we learned their + name, and we stood watching them go, till their white tunic was + lost in the blue mist. + + And the following day, as we came to the northern road, we kept + our eyes upon Liberty 5-3000 in the field. And each day + thereafter we knew the illness of waiting for our hour on the + northern road. And there we looked at Liberty 5-3000 each day. We + know not whether they looked at us also, but we think they did. + Then one day they came close to the hedge, and suddenly they + turned to us. They turned in a whirl and the movement of their + body stopped, as if slashed off, as suddenly as it had started. + They stood still as a stone, and they looked straight upon us, + straight into our eyes. There was no smile on their face, and no + welcome. But their face was taut, and their eyes were dark. Then + they turned as swiftly, and they walked away from us. + + But the following day, when we came to the road, they smiled. + They smiled to us and for us. And we smiled in answer. Their head + fell back, and their arms fell, as if their arms and their thin + white neck were stricken suddenly with a great lassitude. They + were not looking upon us, but upon the sky. Then they glanced at + us over their shoulder, as we felt as if a hand had touched our + body, slipping softly from our lips to our feet. + + Every morning thereafter, we greeted each other with our eyes. We + dared not speak. It is a transgression to speak to men of other + Trades, save in groups at the Social Meetings. But once, standing + at the hedge, we raised our hand to our forehead and then moved + it slowly, palm down, toward Liberty 5-3000. Had the others seen + it, they could have guessed nothing, for it looked only as if we + were shading our eyes from the sun. But Liberty 5-3000 saw it and + understood. They raised their hand to their forehead and moved it + as we had. Thus, each day, we greet Liberty 5-3000, and they + answer, and no men can suspect. + + We do not wonder at this new sin of ours. It is our second + Transgression of Preference, for we do not think of all our + brothers, as we must, but only of one, and their name is Liberty + 5-3000. We do not know why we think of them. We do not know why, + when we think of them, we feel all of a sudden that the earth is + good and that it is not a burden to live. We do not think of them + as Liberty 5-3000 any longer. We have given them a name in our + thoughts. We call them the Golden One. But it is a sin to give + men names which distinguish them from other men. Yet we call them + the Golden One, for they are not like the others. The Golden One + are not like the others. + + And we take no heed of the law which says that men may not think + of women, save at the Time of Mating. This is the time each + spring when all the men older than twenty and all the women older + than eighteen are sent for one night to the City Palace of + Mating. And each of the men have one of the women assigned to + them by the Council of Eugenics. Children are born each winter, + but women never see their children and children never know their + parents. Twice have we been sent to the Palace of Mating, but it + is an ugly and shameful matter, of which we do not like to think. + + We had broken so many laws, and today we have broken one more. + Today, we spoke to the Golden One. + + The other women were far off in the field, when we stopped at the + hedge by the side of the road. The Golden One were kneeling alone + at the moat which runs through the field. And the drops of water + falling from their hands, as they raised the water to their lips, + were like sparks of fire in the sun. Then the Golden One saw us, + and they did not move, kneeling there, looking at us, and circles + of light played upon their white tunic, from the sun on the water + of the moat, and one sparkling drop fell from a finger of their + hand held as frozen in the air. + + Then the Golden One rose and walked to the hedge, as if they had + heard a command in our eyes. The two other Street Sweepers of our + brigade were a hundred paces away down the road. And we thought + that International 4-8818 would not betray us, and Union 5-3992 + would not understand. So we looked straight upon the Golden One, + and we saw the shadows of their lashes on their white cheeks and + the sparks of sun on their lips. And we said: + + “You are beautiful, Liberty 5-3000.” + + Their face did not move and they did not avert their eyes. Only + their eyes grew wider, and there was triumph in their eyes, and + it was not triumph over us, but over things we could not guess. + + Then they asked: + + “What is your name?” + + “Equality 7-2521,” we answered. + + “You are not one of our brothers, Equality 7-2521, for we do not + wish you to be.” + + We cannot say what they meant, for there are no words for their + meaning, but we know it without words and we knew it then. + + “No,” we answered, “nor are you one of our sisters.” + + “If you see us among scores of women, will you look upon us?” + + “We shall look upon you, Liberty 5-3000, if we see you among all + the women of the earth.” + + Then they asked: + + “Are Street Sweepers sent to different parts of the City or do + they always work in the same places?” + + “They always work in the same places,” we answered, “and no one + will take this road away from us.” + + “Your eyes,” they said, “are not like the eyes of any among men.” + + And suddenly, without cause for the thought which came to us, we + felt cold, cold to our stomach. + + “How old are you?” we asked. + + They understood our thought, for they lowered their eyes for the + first time. + + “Seventeen,” they whispered. + + And we sighed, as if a burden had been taken from us, for we had + been thinking without reason of the Palace of Mating. And we + thought that we would not let the Golden One be sent to the + Palace. How to prevent it, how to bar the will of the Councils, + we knew not, but we knew suddenly that we would. Only we do not + know why such thought came to us, for these ugly matters bear no + relation to us and the Golden One. What relation can they bear? + + Still, without reason, as we stood there by the hedge, we felt + our lips drawn tight with hatred, a sudden hatred for all our + brother men. And the Golden One saw it and smiled slowly, and + there was in their smile the first sadness we had seen in them. + We think that in the wisdom of women the Golden One had + understood more than we can understand. + + Then three of the sisters in the field appeared, coming toward + the road, so the Golden One walked away from us. They took the + bag of seeds, and they threw the seeds into the furrows of earth + as they walked away. But the seeds flew wildly, for the hand of + the Golden One was trembling. + + Yet as we walked back to the Home of the Street Sweepers, we felt + that we wanted to sing, without reason. So we were reprimanded + tonight, in the dining hall, for without knowing it we had begun + to sing aloud some tune we had never heard. But it is not proper + to sing without reason, save at the Social Meetings. + + “We are singing because we are happy,” we answered the one of the + Home Council who reprimanded us. + + “Indeed you are happy,” they answered. “How else can men be when + they live for their brothers?” + + And now, sitting here in our tunnel, we wonder about these words. + It is forbidden, not to be happy. For, as it has been explained + to us, men are free and the earth belongs to them; and all things + on earth belong to all men; and the will of all men together is + good for all; and so all men must be happy. + + Yet as we stand at night in the great hall, removing our garments + for sleep, we look upon our brothers and we wonder. The heads of + our brothers are bowed. The eyes of our brothers are dull, and + never do they look one another in the eyes. The shoulders of our + brothers are hunched, and their muscles are drawn, as if their + bodies were shrinking and wished to shrink out of sight. And a + word steals into our mind, as we look upon our brothers, and that + word is fear. + + There is fear hanging in the air of the sleeping halls, and in + the air of the streets. Fear walks through the City, fear without + name, without shape. All men feel it and none dare to speak. + + We feel it also, when we are in the Home of the Street Sweepers. + But here, in our tunnel, we feel it no longer. The air is pure + under the ground. There is no odor of men. And these three hours + give us strength for our hours above the ground. + + Our body is betraying us, for the Council of the Home looks with + suspicion upon us. It is not good to feel too much joy nor to be + glad that our body lives. For we matter not and it must not + matter to us whether we live or die, which is to be as our + brothers will it. But we, Equality 7-2521, are glad to be living. + If this is a vice, then we wish no virtue. + + Yet our brothers are not like us. All is not well with our + brothers. There are Fraternity 2-5503, a quiet boy with wise, + kind eyes, who cry suddenly, without reason, in the midst of day + or night, and their body shakes with sobs they cannot explain. + There are Solidarity 9-6347, who are a bright youth, without fear + in the day; but they scream in their sleep, and they scream: + “Help us! Help us! Help us!” into the night, in a voice which + chills our bones, but the Doctors cannot cure Solidarity 9-6347. + + And as we all undress at night, in the dim light of the candles, + our brothers are silent, for they dare not speak the thoughts of + their minds. For all must agree with all, and they cannot know if + their thoughts are the thoughts of all, and so they fear to + speak. And they are glad when the candles are blown for the + night. But we, Equality 7-2521, look through the window upon the + sky, and there is peace in the sky, and cleanliness, and dignity. + And beyond the City there lies the plain, and beyond the plain, + black upon the black sky, there lies the Uncharted Forest. + + We do not wish to look upon the Uncharted Forest. We do not wish + to think of it. But ever do our eyes return to that black patch + upon the sky. Men never enter the Uncharted Forest, for there is + no power to explore it and no path to lead among its ancient + trees which stand as guards of fearful secrets. It is whispered + that once or twice in a hundred years, one among the men of the + City escape alone and run to the Uncharted Forest, without call + or reason. These men do not return. They perish from hunger and + from the claws of the wild beasts which roam the Forest. But our + Councils say that this is only a legend. We have heard that there + are many Uncharted Forests over the land, among the Cities. And + it is whispered that they have grown over the ruins of many + cities of the Unmentionable Times. The trees have swallowed the + ruins, and the bones under the ruins, and all the things which + perished. And as we look upon the Uncharted Forest far in the + night, we think of the secrets of the Unmentionable Times. And we + wonder how it came to pass that these secrets were lost to the + world. We have heard the legends of the great fighting, in which + many men fought on one side and only a few on the other. These + few were the Evil Ones and they were conquered. Then great fires + raged over the land. And in these fires the Evil Ones and all the + things made by the Evil Ones were burned. And the fire which is + called the Dawn of the Great Rebirth, was the Script Fire where + all the scripts of the Evil Ones were burned, and with them all + the words of the Evil Ones. Great mountains of flame stood in the + squares of the Cities for three months. Then came the Great + Rebirth. + + The words of the Evil Ones... The words of the Unmentionable + Times... What are the words which we have lost? + + May the Council have mercy upon us! We had no wish to write such + a question, and we knew not what we were doing till we had + written it. We shall not ask this question and we shall not think + it. We shall not call death upon our head. + + And yet... And yet... There is some word, one single word which + is not in the language of men, but which had been. And this is + the Unspeakable Word, which no men may speak nor hear. But + sometimes, and it is rare, sometimes, somewhere, one among men + find that word. They find it upon scraps of old manuscripts or + cut into the fragments of ancient stones. But when they speak it + they are put to death. There is no crime punished by death in + this world, save this one crime of speaking the Unspeakable Word. + + We have seen one of such men burned alive in the square of the + City. And it was a sight which has stayed with us through the + years, and it haunts us, and follows us, and it gives us no rest. + We were a child then, ten years old. And we stood in the great + square with all the children and all the men of the City, sent to + behold the burning. They brought the Transgressor out into the + square and they led them to the pyre. They had torn out the + tongue of the Transgressor, so that they could speak no longer. + The Transgressor were young and tall. They had hair of gold and + eyes blue as morning. They walked to the pyre, and their step did + not falter. And of all the faces on that square, of all the faces + which shrieked and screamed and spat curses upon them, theirs was + the calmest and the happiest face. + + As the chains were wound over their body at the stake, and a + flame set to the pyre, the Transgressor looked upon the City. + There was a thin thread of blood running from the corner of their + mouth, but their lips were smiling. And a monstrous thought came + to us then, which has never left us. We had heard of Saints. + There are the Saints of Labor, and the Saints of the Councils, + and the Saints of the Great Rebirth. But we had never seen a + Saint nor what the likeness of a Saint should be. And we thought + then, standing in the square, that the likeness of a Saint was + the face we saw before us in the flames, the face of the + Transgressor of the Unspeakable Word. + + As the flames rose, a thing happened which no eyes saw but ours, + else we would not be living today. Perhaps it had only seemed to + us. But it seemed to us that the eyes of the Transgressor had + chosen us from the crowd and were looking straight upon us. There + was no pain in their eyes and no knowledge of the agony of their + body. There was only joy in them, and pride, a pride holier than + is fit for human pride to be. And it seemed as if these eyes were + trying to tell us something through the flames, to send into our + eyes some word without sound. And it seemed as if these eyes were + begging us to gather that word and not to let it go from us and + from the earth. But the flames rose and we could not guess the + word.... + + What—even if we have to burn for it like the Saint of the + Pyre—what is the Unspeakable Word? + + + + PART THREE + + We, Equality 7-2521, have discovered a new power of nature. And + we have discovered it alone, and we alone are to know it. + + It is said. Now let us be lashed for it, if we must. The Council + of Scholars has said that we all know the things which exist and + therefore the things which are not known by all do not exist. But + we think that the Council of Scholars is blind. The secrets of + this earth are not for all men to see, but only for those who + will seek them. We know, for we have found a secret unknown to + all our brothers. + + We know not what this power is nor whence it comes. But we know + its nature, we have watched it and worked with it. We saw it + first two years ago. One night, we were cutting open the body of + a dead frog when we saw its leg jerking. It was dead, yet it + moved. Some power unknown to men was making it move. We could not + understand it. Then, after many tests, we found the answer. The + frog had been hanging on a wire of copper; and it had been the + metal of our knife which had sent the strange power to the copper + through the brine of the frog’s body. We put a piece of copper + and a piece of zinc into a jar of brine, we touched a wire to + them, and there, under our fingers, was a miracle which had never + occurred before, a new miracle and a new power. + + This discovery haunted us. We followed it in preference to all + our studies. We worked with it, we tested it in more ways than we + can describe, and each step was as another miracle unveiling + before us. We came to know that we had found the greatest power + on earth. For it defies all the laws known to men. It makes the + needle move and turn on the compass which we stole from the Home + of the Scholars; but we had been taught, when still a child, that + the loadstone points to the north and that this is a law which + nothing can change; yet our new power defies all laws. We found + that it causes lightning, and never have men known what causes + lightning. In thunderstorms, we raised a tall rod of iron by the + side of our hole, and we watched it from below. We have seen the + lightning strike it again and again. And now we know that metal + draws the power of the sky, and that metal can be made to give it + forth. + + We have built strange things with this discovery of ours. We used + for it the copper wires which we found here under the ground. We + have walked the length of our tunnel, with a candle lighting the + way. We could go no farther than half a mile, for earth and rock + had fallen at both ends. But we gathered all the things we found + and we brought them to our work place. We found strange boxes + with bars of metal inside, with many cords and strands and coils + of metal. We found wires that led to strange little globes of + glass on the walls; they contained threads of metal thinner than + a spider’s web. + + These things help us in our work. We do not understand them, but + we think that the men of the Unmentionable Times had known our + power of the sky, and these things had some relation to it. We do + not know, but we shall learn. We cannot stop now, even though it + frightens us that we are alone in our knowledge. + + No single one can possess greater wisdom than the many Scholars + who are elected by all men for their wisdom. Yet we can. We do. + We have fought against saying it, but now it is said. We do not + care. We forget all men, all laws and all things save our metals + and our wires. So much is still to be learned! So long a road + lies before us, and what care we if we must travel it alone! + + + + PART FOUR + + Many days passed before we could speak to the Golden One again. + But then came the day when the sky turned white, as if the sun + had burst and spread its flame in the air, and the fields lay + still without breath, and the dust of the road was white in the + glow. So the women of the field were weary, and they tarried over + their work, and they were far from the road when we came. But the + Golden One stood alone at the hedge, waiting. We stopped and we + saw that their eyes, so hard and scornful to the world, were + looking at us as if they would obey any word we might speak. + + And we said: + + “We have given you a name in our thoughts, Liberty 5-3000.” + + “What is our name?” they asked. + + “The Golden One.” + + “Nor do we call you Equality 7-2521 when we think of you.” + + “What name have you given us?” They looked straight into our eyes + and they held their head high and they answered: + + “The Unconquered.” + + For a long time we could not speak. Then we said: + + “Such thoughts as these are forbidden, Golden One.” + + “But you think such thoughts as these and you wish us to think + them.” + + We looked into their eyes and we could not lie. + + “Yes,” we whispered, and they smiled, and then we said: “Our + dearest one, do not obey us.” + + They stepped back, and their eyes were wide and still. + + “Speak these words again,” they whispered. + + “Which words?” we asked. But they did not answer, and we knew it. + + “Our dearest one,” we whispered. + + Never have men said this to women. + + The head of the Golden One bowed slowly, and they stood still + before us, their arms at their sides, the palms of their hands + turned to us, as if their body were delivered in submission to + our eyes. And we could not speak. + + Then they raised their head, and they spoke simply and gently, as + if they wished us to forget some anxiety of their own. + + “The day is hot,” they said, “and you have worked for many hours + and you must be weary.” + + “No,” we answered. + + “It is cooler in the fields,” they said, “and there is water to + drink. Are you thirsty?” + + “Yes,” we answered, “but we cannot cross the hedge.” + + “We shall bring the water to you,” they said. + + Then they knelt by the moat, they gathered water in their two + hands, they rose and they held the water out to our lips. + + We do not know if we drank that water. We only knew suddenly that + their hands were empty, but we were still holding our lips to + their hands, and that they knew it, but did not move. + + We raised our head and stepped back. For we did not understand + what had made us do this, and we were afraid to understand it. + + And the Golden One stepped back, and stood looking upon their + hands in wonder. Then the Golden One moved away, even though no + others were coming, and they moved, stepping back, as if they + could not turn from us, their arms bent before them, as if they + could not lower their hands. + + + + PART FIVE + + We made it. We created it. We brought it forth from the night of + the ages. We alone. Our hands. Our mind. Ours alone and only. + + We know not what we are saying. Our head is reeling. We look upon + the light which we have made. We shall be forgiven for anything + we say tonight.... + + Tonight, after more days and trials than we can count, we + finished building a strange thing, from the remains of the + Unmentionable Times, a box of glass, devised to give forth the + power of the sky of greater strength than we had ever achieved + before. And when we put our wires to this box, when we closed the + current—the wire glowed! It came to life, it turned red, and a + circle of light lay on the stone before us. + + We stood, and we held our head in our hands. We could not + conceive of that which we had created. We had touched no flint, + made no fire. Yet here was light, light that came from nowhere, + light from the heart of metal. + + We blew out the candle. Darkness swallowed us. There was nothing + left around us, nothing save night and a thin thread of flame in + it, as a crack in the wall of a prison. We stretched our hands to + the wire, and we saw our fingers in the red glow. We could not + see our body nor feel it, and in that moment nothing existed save + our two hands over a wire glowing in a black abyss. + + Then we thought of the meaning of that which lay before us. We + can light our tunnel, and the City, and all the Cities of the + world with nothing save metal and wires. We can give our brothers + a new light, cleaner and brighter than any they have ever known. + The power of the sky can be made to do men’s bidding. There are + no limits to its secrets and its might, and it can be made to + grant us anything if we but choose to ask. + + Then we knew what we must do. Our discovery is too great for us + to waste our time in sweeping the streets. We must not keep our + secret to ourselves, nor buried under the ground. We must bring + it into the sight of all men. We need all our time, we need the + work rooms of the Home of the Scholars, we want the help of our + brother Scholars and their wisdom joined to ours. There is so + much work ahead for all of us, for all the Scholars of the world. + + In a month, the World Council of Scholars is to meet in our City. + It is a great Council, to which the wisest of all lands are + elected, and it meets once a year in the different Cities of the + earth. We shall go to this Council and we shall lay before them, + as our gift, this glass box with the power of the sky. We shall + confess everything to them. They will see, understand and + forgive. For our gift is greater than our transgression. They + will explain it to the Council of Vocations, and we shall be + assigned to the Home of the Scholars. This has never been done + before, but neither has a gift such as ours ever been offered to + men. + + We must wait. We must guard our tunnel as we had never guarded it + before. For should any men save the Scholars learn of our secret, + they would not understand it, nor would they believe us. They + would see nothing, save our crime of working alone, and they + would destroy us and our light. We care not about our body, but + our light is... + + Yes, we do care. For the first time do we care about our body. + For this wire is as a part of our body, as a vein torn from us, + glowing with our blood. Are we proud of this thread of metal, or + of our hands which made it, or is there a line to divide these + two? + + We stretch out our arms. For the first time do we know how strong + our arms are. And a strange thought comes to us: we wonder, for + the first time in our life, what we look like. Men never see + their own faces and never ask their brothers about it, for it is + evil to have concern for their own faces or bodies. But tonight, + for a reason we cannot fathom, we wish it were possible to us to + know the likeness of our own person. + + + + PART SIX + + We have not written for thirty days. For thirty days we have not + been here, in our tunnel. We had been caught. It happened on that + night when we wrote last. We forgot, that night, to watch the + sand in the glass which tells us when three hours have passed and + it is time to return to the City Theatre. When we remembered it, + the sand had run out. + + We hastened to the Theatre. But the big tent stood grey and + silent against the sky. The streets of the City lay before us, + dark and empty. If we went back to hide in our tunnel, we would + be found and our light found with us. So we walked to the Home of + the Street Sweepers. + + When the Council of the Home questioned us, we looked upon the + faces of the Council, but there was no curiosity in those faces, + and no anger, and no mercy. So when the oldest of them asked us: + “Where have you been?” we thought of our glass box and of our + light, and we forgot all else. And we answered: + + “We will not tell you.” + + The oldest did not question us further. They turned to the two + youngest, and said, and their voice was bored: + + “Take our brother Equality 7-2521 to the Palace of Corrective + Detention. Lash them until they tell.” + + So we were taken to the Stone Room under the Palace of Corrective + Detention. This room has no windows and it is empty save for an + iron post. Two men stood by the post, naked but for leather + aprons and leather hoods over their faces. Those who had brought + us departed, leaving us to the two Judges who stood in a corner + of the room. The Judges were small, thin men, grey and bent. They + gave the signal to the two strong hooded ones. + + They tore the clothes from our body, they threw us down upon our + knees and they tied our hands to the iron post. The first blow of + the lash felt as if our spine had been cut in two. The second + blow stopped the first, and for a second we felt nothing, then + the pain struck us in our throat and fire ran in our lungs + without air. But we did not cry out. + + The lash whistled like a singing wind. We tried to count the + blows, but we lost count. We knew that the blows were falling + upon our back. Only we felt nothing upon our back any longer. A + flaming grill kept dancing before our eyes, and we thought of + nothing save that grill, a grill, a grill of red squares, and + then we knew that we were looking at the squares of the iron + grill in the door, and there were also the squares of stone on + the walls, and the squares which the lash was cutting upon our + back, crossing and re-crossing itself in our flesh. + + Then we saw a fist before us. It knocked our chin up, and we saw + the red froth of our mouth on the withered fingers, and the Judge + asked: + + “Where have you been?” + + But we jerked our head away, hid our face upon our tied hands, + and bit our lips. + + The lash whistled again. We wondered who was sprinkling burning + coal dust upon the floor, for we saw drops of red twinkling on + the stones around us. + + Then we knew nothing, save two voices snarling steadily, one + after the other, even though we knew they were speaking many + minutes apart: + + “Where have you been where have you been where have you been + where have you been?...” + + And our lips moved, but the sound trickled back into our throat, + and the sound was only: + + “The light... The light... The light....” + + Then we knew nothing. + + We opened our eyes, lying on our stomach on the brick floor of a + cell. We looked upon two hands lying far before us on the bricks, + and we moved them, and we knew that they were our hands. But we + could not move our body. Then we smiled, for we thought of the + light and that we had not betrayed it. + + We lay in our cell for many days. The door opened twice each day, + once for the men who brought us bread and water, and once for the + Judges. Many Judges came to our cell, first the humblest and then + the most honored Judges of the City. They stood before us in + their white togas, and they asked: + + “Are you ready to speak?” + + But we shook our head, lying before them on the floor. And they + departed. + + We counted each day and each night as it passed. Then, tonight, + we knew that we must escape. For tomorrow the World Council of + Scholars is to meet in our City. + + It was easy to escape from the Palace of Corrective Detention. + The locks are old on the doors and there are no guards about. + There is no reason to have guards, for men have never defied the + Councils so far as to escape from whatever place they were + ordered to be. Our body is healthy and strength returns to it + speedily. We lunged against the door and it gave way. We stole + through the dark passages, and through the dark streets, and down + into our tunnel. + + We lit the candle and we saw that our place had not been found + and nothing had been touched. And our glass box stood before us + on the cold oven, as we had left it. What matter they now, the + scars upon our back! + + Tomorrow, in the full light of day, we shall take our box, and + leave our tunnel open, and walk through the streets to the Home + of the Scholars. We shall put before them the greatest gift ever + offered to men. We shall tell them the truth. We shall hand to + them, as our confession, these pages we have written. We shall + join our hands to theirs, and we shall work together, with the + power of the sky, for the glory of mankind. Our blessing upon + you, our brothers! Tomorrow, you will take us back into your fold + and we shall be an outcast no longer. Tomorrow we shall be one of + you again. Tomorrow... + + + + PART SEVEN + + It is dark here in the forest. The leaves rustle over our head, + black against the last gold of the sky. The moss is soft and + warm. We shall sleep on this moss for many nights, till the + beasts of the forest come to tear our body. We have no bed now, + save the moss, and no future, save the beasts. + + We are old now, yet we were young this morning, when we carried + our glass box through the streets of the City to the Home of the + Scholars. No men stopped us, for there were none about from the + Palace of Corrective Detention, and the others knew nothing. No + men stopped us at the gate. We walked through empty passages and + into the great hall where the World Council of Scholars sat in + solemn meeting. + + We saw nothing as we entered, save the sky in the great windows, + blue and glowing. Then we saw the Scholars who sat around a long + table; they were as shapeless clouds huddled at the rise of the + great sky. There were men whose famous names we knew, and others + from distant lands whose names we had not heard. We saw a great + painting on the wall over their heads, of the twenty illustrious + men who had invented the candle. + + All the heads of the Council turned to us as we entered. These + great and wise of the earth did not know what to think of us, and + they looked upon us with wonder and curiosity, as if we were a + miracle. It is true that our tunic was torn and stained with + brown stains which had been blood. We raised our right arm and we + said: + + “Our greeting to you, our honored brothers of the World Council + of Scholars!” + + Then Collective 0-0009, the oldest and wisest of the Council, + spoke and asked: + + “Who are you, our brother? For you do not look like a Scholar.” + + “Our name is Equality 7-2521,” we answered, “and we are a Street + Sweeper of this City.” + + Then it was as if a great wind had stricken the hall, for all the + Scholars spoke at once, and they were angry and frightened. + + “A Street Sweeper! A Street Sweeper walking in upon the World + Council of Scholars! It is not to be believed! It is against all + the rules and all the laws!” + + But we knew how to stop them. + + “Our brothers!” we said. “We matter not, nor our transgression. + It is only our brother men who matter. Give no thought to us, for + we are nothing, but listen to our words, for we bring you a gift + such as had never been brought to men. Listen to us, for we hold + the future of mankind in our hands.” + + Then they listened. + + We placed our glass box upon the table before them. We spoke of + it, and of our long quest, and of our tunnel, and of our escape + from the Palace of Corrective Detention. Not a hand moved in that + hall, as we spoke, nor an eye. Then we put the wires to the box, + and they all bent forward and sat still, watching. And we stood + still, our eyes upon the wire. And slowly, slowly as a flush of + blood, a red flame trembled in the wire. Then the wire glowed. + + But terror struck the men of the Council. They leapt to their + feet, they ran from the table, and they stood pressed against the + wall, huddled together, seeking the warmth of one another’s + bodies to give them courage. + + We looked upon them and we laughed and said: + + “Fear nothing, our brothers. There is a great power in these + wires, but this power is tamed. It is yours. We give it to you.” + + Still they would not move. + + “We give you the power of the sky!” we cried. “We give you the + key to the earth! Take it, and let us be one of you, the humblest + among you. Let us all work together, and harness this power, and + make it ease the toil of men. Let us throw away our candles and + our torches. Let us flood our cities with light. Let us bring a + new light to men!” + + But they looked upon us, and suddenly we were afraid. For their + eyes were still, and small, and evil. + + “Our brothers!” we cried. “Have you nothing to say to us?” + + Then Collective 0-0009 moved forward. They moved to the table and + the others followed. + + “Yes,” spoke Collective 0-0009, “we have much to say to you.” + + The sound of their voices brought silence to the hall and to beat + of our heart. + + “Yes,” said Collective 0-0009, “we have much to say to a wretch + who have broken all the laws and who boast of their infamy! + + “How dared you think that your mind held greater wisdom than the + minds of your brothers? And if the Councils had decreed that you + should be a Street Sweeper, how dared you think that you could be + of greater use to men than in sweeping the streets?” + + “How dared you, gutter cleaner,” spoke Fraternity 9-3452, “to + hold yourself as one alone and with the thoughts of the one and + not of the many?” + + “You shall be burned at the stake,” said Democracy 4-6998. + + “No, they shall be lashed,” said Unanimity 7-3304, “till there is + nothing left under the lashes.” + + “No,” said Collective 0-0009, “we cannot decide upon this, our + brothers. No such crime has ever been committed, and it is not + for us to judge. Nor for any small Council. We shall deliver this + creature to the World Council itself and let their will be done.” + + We looked upon them and we pleaded: + + “Our brothers! You are right. Let the will of the Council be done + upon our body. We do not care. But the light? What will you do + with the light?” + + Collective 0-0009 looked upon us, and they smiled. + + “So you think that you have found a new power,” said Collective + 0-0009. “Do all your brothers think that?” + + “No,” we answered. + + “What is not thought by all men cannot be true,” said Collective + 0-0009. + + “You have worked on this alone?” asked International 1-5537. + + “Many men in the Homes of the Scholars have had strange new ideas + in the past,” said Solidarity 8-1164, “but when the majority of + their brother Scholars voted against them, they abandoned their + ideas, as all men must.” + + “This box is useless,” said Alliance 6-7349. + + “Should it be what they claim of it,” said Harmony 9-2642, “then + it would bring ruin to the Department of Candles. The Candle is a + great boon to mankind, as approved by all men. Therefore it + cannot be destroyed by the whim of one.” + + “This would wreck the Plans of the World Council,” said Unanimity + 2-9913, “and without the Plans of the World Council the sun + cannot rise. It took fifty years to secure the approval of all + the Councils for the Candle, and to decide upon the number + needed, and to re-fit the Plans so as to make candles instead of + torches. This touched upon thousands and thousands of men working + in scores of States. We cannot alter the Plans again so soon.” + + “And if this should lighten the toil of men,” said Similarity + 5-0306, “then it is a great evil, for men have no cause to exist + save in toiling for other men.” + + Then Collective 0-0009 rose and pointed at our box. + + “This thing,” they said, “must be destroyed.” + + And all the others cried as one: + + “It must be destroyed!” + + Then we leapt to the table. + + We seized our box, we shoved them aside, and we ran to the + window. We turned and we looked at them for the last time, and a + rage, such as it is not fit for humans to know, choked our voice + in our throat. + + “You fools!” we cried. “You fools! You thrice-damned fools!” + + We swung our fist through the windowpane, and we leapt out in a + ringing rain of glass. + + We fell, but we never let the box fall from our hands. Then we + ran. We ran blindly, and men and houses streaked past us in a + torrent without shape. And the road seemed not to be flat before + us, but as if it were leaping up to meet us, and we waited for + the earth to rise and strike us in the face. But we ran. We knew + not where we were going. We knew only that we must run, run to + the end of the world, to the end of our days. + + Then we knew suddenly that we were lying on a soft earth and that + we had stopped. Trees taller than we had ever seen before stood + over us in great silence. Then we knew. We were in the Uncharted + Forest. We had not thought of coming here, but our legs had + carried our wisdom, and our legs had brought us to the Uncharted + Forest against our will. + + Our glass box lay beside us. We crawled to it, we fell upon it, + our face in our arms, and we lay still. + + We lay thus for a long time. Then we rose, we took our box and + walked on into the forest. + + It mattered not where we went. We knew that men would not follow + us, for they never enter the Uncharted Forest. We had nothing to + fear from them. The forest disposes of its own victims. This gave + us no fear either. Only we wished to be away, away from the City + and from the air that touches upon the air of the City. So we + walked on, our box in our arms, our heart empty. + + We are doomed. Whatever days are left to us, we shall spend them + alone. And we have heard of the corruption to be found in + solitude. We have torn ourselves from the truth which is our + brother men, and there is no road back for us, and no redemption. + + We know these things, but we do not care. We care for nothing on + earth. We are tired. + + Only the glass box in our arms is like a living heart that gives + us strength. We have lied to ourselves. We have not built this + box for the good of our brothers. We built it for its own sake. + It is above all our brothers to us, and its truth above their + truth. Why wonder about this? We have not many days to live. We + are walking to the fangs awaiting us somewhere among the great, + silent trees. There is not a thing behind us to regret. + + Then a blow of pain struck us, our first and our only. We thought + of the Golden One. We thought of the Golden One whom we shall + never see again. Then the pain passed. It is best. We are one of + the Damned. It is best if the Golden One forget our name and the + body which bore that name. + + + + PART EIGHT + + It has been a day of wonder, this, our first day in the forest. + + We awoke when a ray of sunlight fell across our face. We wanted + to leap to our feet, as we have had to leap every morning of our + life, but we remembered suddenly that no bell had rung and that + there was no bell to ring anywhere. We lay on our back, we threw + our arms out, and we looked up at the sky. The leaves had edges + of silver that trembled and rippled like a river of green and + fire flowing high above us. + + We did not wish to move. We thought suddenly that we could lie + thus as long as we wished, and we laughed aloud at the thought. + We could also rise, or run, or leap, or fall down again. We were + thinking that these were thoughts without sense, but before we + knew it our body had risen in one leap. Our arms stretched out of + their own will, and our body whirled and whirled, till it raised + a wind to rustle through the leaves of the bushes. Then our hands + seized a branch and swung us high into a tree, with no aim save + the wonder of learning the strength of our body. The branch + snapped under us and we fell upon the moss that was soft as a + cushion. Then our body, losing all sense, rolled over and over on + the moss, dry leaves in our tunic, in our hair, in our face. And + we heard suddenly that we were laughing, laughing aloud, laughing + as if there were no power left in us save laughter. + + Then we took our glass box, and we went on into the forest. We + went on, cutting through the branches, and it was as if we were + swimming through a sea of leaves, with the bushes as waves rising + and falling and rising around us, and flinging their green sprays + high to the treetops. The trees parted before us, calling us + forward. The forest seemed to welcome us. We went on, without + thought, without care, with nothing to feel save the song of our + body. + + We stopped when we felt hunger. We saw birds in the tree + branches, and flying from under our footsteps. We picked a stone + and we sent it as an arrow at a bird. It fell before us. We made + a fire, we cooked the bird, and we ate it, and no meal had ever + tasted better to us. And we thought suddenly that there was a + great satisfaction to be found in the food which we need and + obtain by our own hand. And we wished to be hungry again and + soon, that we might know again this strange new pride in eating. + + Then we walked on. And we came to a stream which lay as a streak + of glass among the trees. It lay so still that we saw no water + but only a cut in the earth, in which the trees grew down, + upturned, and the sky lay at the bottom. We knelt by the stream + and we bent down to drink. And then we stopped. For, upon the + blue of the sky below us, we saw our own face for the first time. + + We sat still and we held our breath. For our face and our body + were beautiful. Our face was not like the faces of our brothers, + for we felt not pity when looking upon it. Our body was not like + the bodies of our brothers, for our limbs were straight and thin + and hard and strong. And we thought that we could trust this + being who looked upon us from the stream, and that we had nothing + to fear with this being. + + We walked on till the sun had set. When the shadows gathered + among the trees, we stopped in a hollow between the roots, where + we shall sleep tonight. And suddenly, for the first time this + day, we remembered that we are the Damned. We remembered it, and + we laughed. + + We are writing this on the paper we had hidden in our tunic + together with the written pages we had brought for the World + Council of Scholars, but never given to them. We have much to + speak of to ourselves, and we hope we shall find the words for it + in the days to come. Now, we cannot speak, for we cannot + understand. + + + + PART NINE + + We have not written for many days. We did not wish to speak. For + we needed no words to remember that which has happened to us. + + It was on our second day in the forest that we heard steps behind + us. We hid in the bushes, and we waited. The steps came closer. + And then we saw the fold of a white tunic among the trees, and a + gleam of gold. + + We leapt forward, we ran to them, and we stood looking upon the + Golden One. + + They saw us, and their hands closed into fists, and the fists + pulled their arms down, as if they wished their arms to hold + them, while their body swayed. And they could not speak. + + We dared not come too close to them. We asked, and our voice + trembled: + + “How did you come to be here, Golden One?” + + But they whispered only: + + “We have found you....” + + “How did you come to be in the forest?” we asked. + + They raised their head, and there was a great pride in their + voice; they answered: + + “We have followed you.” + + Then we could not speak, and they said: + + “We heard that you had gone to the Uncharted Forest, for the + whole City is speaking of it. So on the night of the day when we + heard it, we ran away from the Home of the Peasants. We found the + marks of your feet across the plain where no men walk. So we + followed them, and we went into the forest, and we followed the + path where the branches were broken by your body.” + + Their white tunic was torn, and the branches had cut the skin of + their arms, but they spoke as if they had never taken notice of + it, nor of weariness, nor of fear. + + “We have followed you,” they said, “and we shall follow you + wherever you go. If danger threatens you, we shall face it also. + If it be death, we shall die with you. You are damned, and we + wish to share your damnation.” + + They looked upon us, and their voice was low, but there was + bitterness and triumph in their voice. + + “Your eyes are as a flame, but our brothers have neither hope nor + fire. Your mouth is cut of granite, but our brothers are soft and + humble. Your head is high, but our brothers cringe. You walk, but + our brothers crawl. We wish to be damned with you, rather than + blessed with all our brothers. Do as you please with us, but do + not send us away from you.” + + Then they knelt, and bowed their golden head before us. + + We had never thought of that which we did. We bent to raise the + Golden One to their feet, but when we touched them, it was as if + madness had stricken us. We seized their body and we pressed our + lips to theirs. The Golden One breathed once, and their breath + was a moan, and then their arms closed around us. + + We stood together for a long time. And we were frightened that we + had lived for twenty-one years and had never known what joy is + possible to men. + + Then we said: + + “Our dearest one. Fear nothing of the forest. There is no danger + in solitude. We have no need of our brothers. Let us forget their + good and our evil, let us forget all things save that we are + together and that there is joy as a bond between us. Give us your + hand. Look ahead. It is our own world, Golden One, a strange, + unknown world, but our own.” + + Then we walked on into the forest, their hand in ours. + + And that night we knew that to hold the body of women in our arms + is neither ugly nor shameful, but the one ecstasy granted to the + race of men. + + We have walked for many days. The forest has no end, and we seek + no end. But each day added to the chain of days between us and + the City is like an added blessing. + + We have made a bow and many arrows. We can kill more birds than + we need for our food; we find water and fruit in the forest. At + night, we choose a clearing, and we build a ring of fires around + it. We sleep in the midst of that ring, and the beasts dare not + attack us. We can see their eyes, green and yellow as coals, + watching us from the tree branches beyond. The fires smoulder as + a crown of jewels around us, and smoke stands still in the air, + in columns made blue by the moonlight. We sleep together in the + midst of the ring, the arms of the Golden One around us, their + head upon our breast. + + Some day, we shall stop and build a house, when we shall have + gone far enough. But we do not have to hasten. The days before us + are without end, like the forest. + + We cannot understand this new life which we have found, yet it + seems so clear and so simple. When questions come to puzzle us, + we walk faster, then turn and forget all things as we watch the + Golden One following. The shadows of leaves fall upon their arms, + as they spread the branches apart, but their shoulders are in the + sun. The skin of their arms is like a blue mist, but their + shoulders are white and glowing, as if the light fell not from + above, but rose from under their skin. We watch the leaf which + has fallen upon their shoulder, and it lies at the curve of their + neck, and a drop of dew glistens upon it like a jewel. They + approach us, and they stop, laughing, knowing what we think, and + they wait obediently, without questions, till it pleases us to + turn and go on. + + We go on and we bless the earth under our feet. But questions + come to us again, as we walk in silence. If that which we have + found is the corruption of solitude, then what can men wish for + save corruption? If this is the great evil of being alone, then + what is good and what is evil? + + Everything which comes from the many is good. Everything which + comes from one is evil. This have we been taught with our first + breath. We have broken the law, but we have never doubted it. Yet + now, as we walk through the forest, we are learning to doubt. + + There is no life for men, save in useful toil for the good of all + their brothers. But we lived not, when we toiled for our + brothers, we were only weary. There is no joy for men, save the + joy shared with all their brothers. But the only things which + taught us joy were the power we created in our wires, and the + Golden One. And both these joys belong to us alone, they come + from us alone, they bear no relation to all our brothers, and + they do not concern our brothers in any way. Thus do we wonder. + + There is some error, one frightful error, in the thinking of men. + What is that error? We do not know, but the knowledge struggles + within us, struggles to be born. Today, the Golden One stopped + suddenly and said: + + “We love you.” + + But they frowned and shook their head and looked at us + helplessly. + + “No,” they whispered, “that is not what we wished to say.” + + They were silent, then they spoke slowly, and their words were + halting, like the words of a child learning to speak for the + first time: + + “We are one... alone... and only... and we love you who are + one... alone... and only.” + + We looked into each other’s eyes and we knew that the breath of a + miracle had touched us, and fled, and left us groping vainly. + + And we felt torn, torn for some word we could not find. + + + + PART TEN + + We are sitting at a table and we are writing this upon paper made + thousands of years ago. The light is dim, and we cannot see the + Golden One, only one lock of gold on the pillow of an ancient + bed. This is our home. + + We came upon it today, at sunrise. For many days we had been + crossing a chain of mountains. The forest rose among cliffs, and + whenever we walked out upon a barren stretch of rock we saw great + peaks before us in the west, and to the north of us, and to the + south, as far as our eyes could see. The peaks were red and + brown, with the green streaks of forests as veins upon them, with + blue mists as veils over their heads. We had never heard of these + mountains, nor seen them marked on any map. The Uncharted Forest + has protected them from the Cities and from the men of the + Cities. + + We climbed paths where the wild goat dared not follow. Stones + rolled from under our feet, and we heard them striking the rocks + below, farther and farther down, and the mountains rang with each + stroke, and long after the strokes had died. But we went on, for + we knew that no men would ever follow our track nor reach us + here. + + Then today, at sunrise, we saw a white flame among the trees, + high on a sheer peak before us. We thought that it was a fire and + stopped. But the flame was unmoving, yet blinding as liquid + metal. So we climbed toward it through the rocks. And there, + before us, on a broad summit, with the mountains rising behind + it, stood a house such as we had never seen, and the white fire + came from the sun on the glass of its windows. + + The house had two stories and a strange roof flat as a floor. + There was more window than wall upon its walls, and the windows + went on straight around the corners, though how this kept the + house standing we could not guess. The walls were hard and + smooth, of that stone unlike stone which we had seen in our + tunnel. + + We both knew it without words: this house was left from the + Unmentionable Times. The trees had protected it from time and + weather, and from men who have less pity than time and weather. + We turned to the Golden One and we asked: + + “Are you afraid?” + + But they shook their head. So we walked to the door, and we threw + it open, and we stepped together into the house of the + Unmentionable Times. + + We shall need the days and the years ahead, to look, to learn, + and to understand the things of this house. Today, we could only + look and try to believe the sight of our eyes. We pulled the + heavy curtains from the windows and we saw that the rooms were + small, and we thought that not more than twelve men could have + lived here. We thought it strange that men had been permitted to + build a house for only twelve. + + Never had we seen rooms so full of light. The sunrays danced upon + colors, colors, more colors than we thought possible, we who had + seen no houses save the white ones, the brown ones and the grey. + There were great pieces of glass on the walls, but it was not + glass, for when we looked upon it we saw our own bodies and all + the things behind us, as on the face of a lake. There were + strange things which we had never seen and the use of which we do + not know. And there were globes of glass everywhere, in each + room, the globes with the metal cobwebs inside, such as we had + seen in our tunnel. + + We found the sleeping hall and we stood in awe upon its + threshold. For it was a small room and there were only two beds + in it. We found no other beds in the house, and then we knew that + only two had lived here, and this passes understanding. What kind + of world did they have, the men of the Unmentionable Times? + + We found garments, and the Golden One gasped at the sight of + them. For they were not white tunics, nor white togas; they were + of all colors, no two of them alike. Some crumbled to dust as we + touched them. But others were of heavier cloth, and they felt + soft and new in our fingers. + + We found a room with walls made of shelves, which held rows of + manuscripts, from the floor to the ceiling. Never had we seen + such a number of them, nor of such strange shape. They were not + soft and rolled, they had hard shells of cloth and leather; and + the letters on their pages were so small and so even that we + wondered at the men who had such handwriting. We glanced through + the pages, and we saw that they were written in our language, but + we found many words which we could not understand. Tomorrow, we + shall begin to read these scripts. + + When we had seen all the rooms of the house, we looked at the + Golden One and we both knew the thought in our minds. + + “We shall never leave this house,” we said, “nor let it be taken + from us. This is our home and the end of our journey. This is + your house, Golden One, and ours, and it belongs to no other men + whatever as far as the earth may stretch. We shall not share it + with others, as we share not our joy with them, nor our love, nor + our hunger. So be it to the end of our days.” + + “Your will be done,” they said. + + Then we went out to gather wood for the great hearth of our home. + We brought water from the stream which runs among the trees under + our windows. We killed a mountain goat, and we brought its flesh + to be cooked in a strange copper pot we found in a place of + wonders, which must have been the cooking room of the house. + + We did this work alone, for no words of ours could take the + Golden One away from the big glass which is not glass. They stood + before it and they looked and looked upon their own body. + + When the sun sank beyond the mountains, the Golden One fell + asleep on the floor, amidst jewels, and bottles of crystal, and + flowers of silk. We lifted the Golden One in our arms and we + carried them to a bed, their head falling softly upon our + shoulder. Then we lit a candle, and we brought paper from the + room of the manuscripts, and we sat by the window, for we knew + that we could not sleep tonight. + + And now we look upon the earth and sky. This spread of naked rock + and peaks and moonlight is like a world ready to be born, a world + that waits. It seems to us it asks a sign from us, a spark, a + first commandment. We cannot know what word we are to give, nor + what great deed this earth expects to witness. We know it waits. + It seems to say it has great gifts to lay before us, but it + wishes a greater gift for us. We are to speak. We are to give its + goal, its highest meaning to all this glowing space of rock and + sky. + + We look ahead, we beg our heart for guidance in answering this + call no voice has spoken, yet we have heard. We look upon our + hands. We see the dust of centuries, the dust which hid the great + secrets and perhaps great evils. And yet it stirs no fear within + our heart, but only silent reverence and pity. + + May knowledge come to us! What is the secret our heart has + understood and yet will not reveal to us, although it seems to + beat as if it were endeavoring to tell it? + + + + PART ELEVEN + + I am. I think. I will. + + My hands... My spirit... My sky... My forest... This earth of + mine.... What must I say besides? These are the words. This is + the answer. + + I stand here on the summit of the mountain. I lift my head and I + spread my arms. This, my body and spirit, this is the end of the + quest. I wished to know the meaning of things. I am the meaning. + I wished to find a warrant for being. I need no warrant for + being, and no word of sanction upon my being. I am the warrant + and the sanction. + + It is my eyes which see, and the sight of my eyes grants beauty + to the earth. It is my ears which hear, and the hearing of my + ears gives its song to the world. It is my mind which thinks, and + the judgement of my mind is the only searchlight that can find + the truth. It is my will which chooses, and the choice of my will + is the only edict I must respect. + + Many words have been granted me, and some are wise, and some are + false, but only three are holy: “I will it!” + + Whatever road I take, the guiding star is within me; the guiding + star and the loadstone which point the way. They point in but one + direction. They point to me. + + I know not if this earth on which I stand is the core of the + universe or if it is but a speck of dust lost in eternity. I know + not and I care not. For I know what happiness is possible to me + on earth. And my happiness needs no higher aim to vindicate it. + My happiness is not the means to any end. It is the end. It is + its own goal. It is its own purpose. + + Neither am I the means to any end others may wish to accomplish. + I am not a tool for their use. I am not a servant of their needs. + I am not a bandage for their wounds. I am not a sacrifice on + their altars. + + I am a man. This miracle of me is mine to own and keep, and mine + to guard, and mine to use, and mine to kneel before! + + I do not surrender my treasures, nor do I share them. The fortune + of my spirit is not to be blown into coins of brass and flung to + the winds as alms for the poor of the spirit. I guard my + treasures: my thought, my will, my freedom. And the greatest of + these is freedom. + + I owe nothing to my brothers, nor do I gather debts from them. I + ask none to live for me, nor do I live for any others. I covet no + man’s soul, nor is my soul theirs to covet. + + I am neither foe nor friend to my brothers, but such as each of + them shall deserve of me. And to earn my love, my brothers must + do more than to have been born. I do not grant my love without + reason, nor to any chance passer-by who may wish to claim it. I + honor men with my love. But honor is a thing to be earned. + + I shall choose friends among men, but neither slaves nor masters. + And I shall choose only such as please me, and them I shall love + and respect, but neither command nor obey. And we shall join our + hands when we wish, or walk alone when we so desire. For in the + temple of his spirit, each man is alone. Let each man keep his + temple untouched and undefiled. Then let him join hands with + others if he wishes, but only beyond his holy threshold. + + For the word “We” must never be spoken, save by one’s choice and + as a second thought. This word must never be placed first within + man’s soul, else it becomes a monster, the root of all the evils + on earth, the root of man’s torture by men, and of an unspeakable + lie. + + The word “We” is as lime poured over men, which sets and hardens + to stone, and crushes all beneath it, and that which is white and + that which is black are lost equally in the grey of it. It is the + word by which the depraved steal the virtue of the good, by which + the weak steal the might of the strong, by which the fools steal + the wisdom of the sages. + + What is my joy if all hands, even the unclean, can reach into it? + What is my wisdom, if even the fools can dictate to me? What is + my freedom, if all creatures, even the botched and the impotent, + are my masters? What is my life, if I am but to bow, to agree and + to obey? + + But I am done with this creed of corruption. + + I am done with the monster of “We,” the word of serfdom, of + plunder, of misery, falsehood and shame. + + And now I see the face of god, and I raise this god over the + earth, this god whom men have sought since men came into being, + this god who will grant them joy and peace and pride. + + This god, this one word: + + “I.” + + + PART TWELVE + + It was when I read the first of the books I found in my house + that I saw the word “I.” And when I understood this word, the + book fell from my hands, and I wept, I who had never known tears. + I wept in deliverance and in pity for all mankind. + + I understood the blessed thing which I had called my curse. I + understood why the best in me had been my sins and my + transgressions; and why I had never felt guilt in my sins. I + understood that centuries of chains and lashes will not kill the + spirit of man nor the sense of truth within him. + + I read many books for many days. Then I called the Golden One, + and I told her what I had read and what I had learned. She looked + at me and the first words she spoke were: + + “I love you.” + + Then I said: + + “My dearest one, it is not proper for men to be without names. + There was a time when each man had a name of his own to + distinguish him from all other men. So let us choose our names. I + have read of a man who lived many thousands of years ago, and of + all the names in these books, his is the one I wish to bear. He + took the light of the gods and he brought it to men, and he + taught men to be gods. And he suffered for his deed as all + bearers of light must suffer. His name was Prometheus.” + + “It shall be your name,” said the Golden One. + + “And I have read of a goddess,” I said, “who was the mother of + the earth and of all the gods. Her name was Gaea. Let this be + your name, my Golden One, for you are to be the mother of a new + kind of gods.” + + “It shall be my name,” said the Golden One. + + Now I look ahead. My future is clear before me. The Saint of the + pyre had seen the future when he chose me as his heir, as the + heir of all the saints and all the martyrs who came before him + and who died for the same cause, for the same word, no matter + what name they gave to their cause and their truth. + + I shall live here, in my own house. I shall take my food from the + earth by the toil of my own hands. I shall learn many secrets + from my books. Through the years ahead, I shall rebuild the + achievements of the past, and open the way to carry them further, + the achievements which are open to me, but closed forever to my + brothers, for their minds are shackled to the weakest and dullest + ones among them. + + I have learned that my power of the sky was known to men long + ago; they called it Electricity. It was the power that moved + their greatest inventions. It lit this house with light which + came from those globes of glass on the walls. I have found the + engine which produced this light. I shall learn how to repair it + and how to make it work again. I shall learn how to use the wires + which carry this power. Then I shall build a barrier of wires + around my home, and across the paths which lead to my home; a + barrier light as a cobweb, more impassable than a wall of + granite; a barrier my brothers will never be able to cross. For + they have nothing to fight me with, save the brute force of their + numbers. I have my mind. + + Then here, on this mountaintop, with the world below me and + nothing above me but the sun, I shall live my own truth. Gaea is + pregnant with my child. Our son will be raised as a man. He will + be taught to say “I” and to bear the pride of it. He will be + taught to walk straight and on his own feet. He will be taught + reverence for his own spirit. + + When I shall have read all the books and learned my new way, when + my home will be ready and my earth tilled, I shall steal one day, + for the last time, into the cursed City of my birth. I shall call + to me my friend who has no name save International 4-8818, and + all those like him, Fraternity 2-5503, who cries without reason, + and Solidarity 9-6347 who calls for help in the night, and a few + others. I shall call to me all the men and the women whose spirit + has not been killed within them and who suffer under the yoke of + their brothers. They will follow me and I shall lead them to my + fortress. And here, in this uncharted wilderness, I and they, my + chosen friends, my fellow-builders, shall write the first chapter + in the new history of man. + + These are the things before me. And as I stand here at the door + of glory, I look behind me for the last time. I look upon the + history of men, which I have learned from the books, and I + wonder. It was a long story, and the spirit which moved it was + the spirit of man’s freedom. But what is freedom? Freedom from + what? There is nothing to take a man’s freedom away from him, + save other men. To be free, a man must be free of his brothers. + That is freedom. That and nothing else. + + At first, man was enslaved by the gods. But he broke their + chains. Then he was enslaved by the kings. But he broke their + chains. He was enslaved by his birth, by his kin, by his race. + But he broke their chains. He declared to all his brothers that a + man has rights which neither god nor king nor other men can take + away from him, no matter what their number, for his is the right + of man, and there is no right on earth above this right. And he + stood on the threshold of the freedom for which the blood of the + centuries behind him had been spilled. + + But then he gave up all he had won, and fell lower than his + savage beginning. + + What brought it to pass? What disaster took their reason away + from men? What whip lashed them to their knees in shame and + submission? The worship of the word “We.” + + When men accepted that worship, the structure of centuries + collapsed about them, the structure whose every beam had come + from the thought of some one man, each in his day down the ages, + from the depth of some one spirit, such spirit as existed but for + its own sake. Those men who survived those eager to obey, eager + to live for one another, since they had nothing else to vindicate + them—those men could neither carry on, nor preserve what they had + received. Thus did all thought, all science, all wisdom perish on + earth. Thus did men—men with nothing to offer save their great + number—lost the steel towers, the flying ships, the power wires, + all the things they had not created and could never keep. + Perhaps, later, some men had been born with the mind and the + courage to recover these things which were lost; perhaps these + men came before the Councils of Scholars. They were answered as I + have been answered—and for the same reasons. + + But I still wonder how it was possible, in those graceless years + of transition, long ago, that men did not see whither they were + going, and went on, in blindness and cowardice, to their fate. I + wonder, for it is hard for me to conceive how men who knew the + word “I” could give it up and not know what they lost. But such + has been the story, for I have lived in the City of the damned, + and I know what horror men permitted to be brought upon them. + + Perhaps, in those days, there were a few among men, a few of + clear sight and clean soul, who refused to surrender that word. + What agony must have been theirs before that which they saw + coming and could not stop! Perhaps they cried out in protest and + in warning. But men paid no heed to their warning. And they, + these few, fought a hopeless battle, and they perished with their + banners smeared by their own blood. And they chose to perish, for + they knew. To them, I send my salute across the centuries, and my + pity. + + Theirs is the banner in my hand. And I wish I had the power to + tell them that the despair of their hearts was not to be final, + and their night was not without hope. For the battle they lost + can never be lost. For that which they died to save can never + perish. Through all the darkness, through all the shame of which + men are capable, the spirit of man will remain alive on this + earth. It may sleep, but it will awaken. It may wear chains, but + it will break through. And man will go on. Man, not men. + + Here on this mountain, I and my sons and my chosen friends shall + build our new land and our fort. And it will become as the heart + of the earth, lost and hidden at first, but beating, beating + louder each day. And word of it will reach every corner of the + earth. And the roads of the world will become as veins which will + carry the best of the world’s blood to my threshold. And all my + brothers, and the Councils of my brothers, will hear of it, but + they will be impotent against me. And the day will come when I + shall break all the chains of the earth, and raze the cities of + the enslaved, and my home will become the capital of a world + where each man will be free to exist for his own sake. + + For the coming of that day shall I fight, I and my sons and my + chosen friends. For the freedom of Man. For his rights. For his + life. For his honor. + + And here, over the portals of my fort, I shall cut in the stone + the word which is to be my beacon and my banner. The word which + will not die, should we all perish in battle. The word which can + never die on this earth, for it is the heart of it and the + meaning and the glory. + + The sacred word: + + EGO + + + + +*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ANTHEM *** + +***** This file should be named 1250-0.txt or 1250-0.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + https://www.gutenberg.org/1/2/5/1250/ + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will +be renamed. + +Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright +law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, +so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United +States without permission and without paying copyright +royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part +of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project +Gutenberg-tm electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm +concept and trademark. 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You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms +of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online +at <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a>. If you +are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the +country where you are located before using this eBook. +</div> +<div style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:1em; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Title: Anthem</div> +<div style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:1em; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Author: Ayn Rand</div> +<div style='display:block;margin:1em 0'>Release Date: March, 1998 [eBook #1250]<br /> +[Most recently updated: January 21, 2021]</div> +<div style='display:block;margin:1em 0'>Language: English</div> +<div style='display:block;margin:1em 0'>Character set encoding: UTF-8</div> +<div style='display:block; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Produced by: An anonymous group of volunteers, and David Widger</div> +<div style='margin-top:2em;margin-bottom:4em'>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ANTHEM ***</div> + + <h1> + ANTHEM + </h1> + + <h2 class="no-break"> + by Ayn Rand + </h2> + + <hr /> + +<h2>Contents</h2> + +<table summary="" style=""> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#link2H_PART1"> PART ONE </a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#link2H_PART2"> PART TWO </a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#link2H_PART3"> PART THREE </a>></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#link2H_PART4"> PART FOUR </a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#link2H_PART5"> PART FIVE </a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#link2H_PART6"> PART SIX </a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#link2H_PART7"> PART SEVEN </a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#link2H_PART8"> PART EIGHT </a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#link2H_PART9"> PART NINE </a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#link2H_PART10"> PART TEN </a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#link2H_PART11"> PART ELEVEN </a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#link2H_PART12"> PART TWELVE </a></td> +</tr> + +</table> + + <hr /> + + <div class="chapter"> + + <h2><a name="link2H_PART1" id="link2H_PART1"></a> + PART ONE + </h2> + <p> + It is a sin to write this. It is a sin to think words no others think and + to put them down upon a paper no others are to see. It is base and evil. + It is as if we were speaking alone to no ears but our own. And we know + well that there is no transgression blacker than to do or think alone. We + have broken the laws. The laws say that men may not write unless the + Council of Vocations bid them so. May we be forgiven! + </p> + <p> + But this is not the only sin upon us. We have committed a greater crime, + and for this crime there is no name. What punishment awaits us if it be + discovered we know not, for no such crime has come in the memory of men + and there are no laws to provide for it. + </p> + <p> + It is dark here. The flame of the candle stands still in the air. Nothing + moves in this tunnel save our hand on the paper. We are alone here under + the earth. It is a fearful word, alone. The laws say that none among men + may be alone, ever and at any time, for this is the great transgression + and the root of all evil. But we have broken many laws. And now there is + nothing here save our one body, and it is strange to see only two legs + stretched on the ground, and on the wall before us the shadow of our one + head. + </p> + <p> + The walls are cracked and water runs upon them in thin threads without + sound, black and glistening as blood. We stole the candle from the larder + of the Home of the Street Sweepers. We shall be sentenced to ten years in + the Palace of Corrective Detention if it be discovered. But this matters + not. It matters only that the light is precious and we should not waste it + to write when we need it for that work which is our crime. Nothing matters + save the work, our secret, our evil, our precious work. Still, we must + also write, for—may the Council have mercy upon us!—we wish to + speak for once to no ears but our own. + </p> + <p> + Our name is Equality 7-2521, as it is written on the iron bracelet which + all men wear on their left wrists with their names upon it. We are + twenty-one years old. We are six feet tall, and this is a burden, for + there are not many men who are six feet tall. Ever have the Teachers and + the Leaders pointed to us and frowned and said: + </p> + <p> + “There is evil in your bones, Equality 7-2521, for your body has grown + beyond the bodies of your brothers.” But we cannot change our bones nor + our body. + </p> + <p> + We were born with a curse. It has always driven us to thoughts which are + forbidden. It has always given us wishes which men may not wish. We know + that we are evil, but there is no will in us and no power to resist it. + This is our wonder and our secret fear, that we know and do not resist. + </p> + <p> + We strive to be like all our brother men, for all men must be alike. Over + the portals of the Palace of the World Council, there are words cut in the + marble, which we repeat to ourselves whenever we are tempted: + </p> + +<p class="letter"> + “WE ARE ONE IN ALL AND ALL IN ONE.<br /> + THERE ARE NO MEN BUT ONLY THE GREAT <i>WE</i>,<br /> + ONE, INDIVISIBLE AND FOREVER.” +</p> + <p> + We repeat this to ourselves, but it helps us not. + </p> + <p> + These words were cut long ago. There is green mould in the grooves of the + letters and yellow streaks on the marble, which come from more years than + men could count. And these words are the truth, for they are written on + the Palace of the World Council, and the World Council is the body of all + truth. Thus has it been ever since the Great Rebirth, and farther back + than that no memory can reach. + </p> + <p> + But we must never speak of the times before the Great Rebirth, else we are + sentenced to three years in the Palace of Corrective Detention. It is only + the Old Ones who whisper about it in the evenings, in the Home of the + Useless. They whisper many strange things, of the towers which rose to the + sky, in those Unmentionable Times, and of the wagons which moved without + horses, and of the lights which burned without flame. But those times were + evil. And those times passed away, when men saw the Great Truth which is + this: that all men are one and that there is no will save the will of all + men together. + </p> + <p> + All men are good and wise. It is only we, Equality 7-2521, we alone who + were born with a curse. For we are not like our brothers. And as we look + back upon our life, we see that it has ever been thus and that it has + brought us step by step to our last, supreme transgression, our crime of + crimes hidden here under the ground. + </p> + <p> + We remember the Home of the Infants where we lived till we were five years + old, together with all the children of the City who had been born in the + same year. The sleeping halls there were white and clean and bare of all + things save one hundred beds. We were just like all our brothers then, + save for the one transgression: we fought with our brothers. There are few + offenses blacker than to fight with our brothers, at any age and for any + cause whatsoever. The Council of the Home told us so, and of all the + children of that year, we were locked in the cellar most often. + </p> + <p> + When we were five years old, we were sent to the Home of the Students, + where there are ten wards, for our ten years of learning. Men must learn + till they reach their fifteenth year. Then they go to work. In the Home of + the Students we arose when the big bell rang in the tower and we went to + our beds when it rang again. Before we removed our garments, we stood in + the great sleeping hall, and we raised our right arms, and we said all + together with the three Teachers at the head: + </p> + <p> + “We are nothing. Mankind is all. By the grace of our brothers are we + allowed our lives. We exist through, by and for our brothers who are the + State. Amen.” + </p> + <p> + Then we slept. The sleeping halls were white and clean and bare of all + things save one hundred beds. + </p> + <p> + We, Equality 7-2521, were not happy in those years in the Home of the + Students. It was not that the learning was too hard for us. It was that + the learning was too easy. This is a great sin, to be born with a head + which is too quick. It is not good to be different from our brothers, but + it is evil to be superior to them. The Teachers told us so, and they + frowned when they looked upon us. + </p> + <p> + So we fought against this curse. We tried to forget our lessons, but we + always remembered. We tried not to understand what the Teachers taught, + but we always understood it before the Teachers had spoken. We looked upon + Union 5-3992, who were a pale boy with only half a brain, and we tried to + say and do as they did, that we might be like them, like Union 5-3992, but + somehow the Teachers knew that we were not. And we were lashed more often + than all the other children. + </p> + <p> + The Teachers were just, for they had been appointed by the Councils, and + the Councils are the voice of all justice, for they are the voice of all + men. And if sometimes, in the secret darkness of our heart, we regret that + which befell us on our fifteenth birthday, we know that it was through our + own guilt. We had broken a law, for we had not paid heed to the words of + our Teachers. The Teachers had said to us all: + </p> + <p> + “Dare not choose in your minds the work you would like to do when you + leave the Home of the Students. You shall do that which the Council of + Vocations shall prescribe for you. For the Council of Vocations knows in + its great wisdom where you are needed by your brother men, better than you + can know it in your unworthy little minds. And if you are not needed by + your brother man, there is no reason for you to burden the earth with your + bodies.” + </p> + <p> + We knew this well, in the years of our childhood, but our curse broke our + will. We were guilty and we confess it here: we were guilty of the great + Transgression of Preference. We preferred some work and some lessons to + the others. We did not listen well to the history of all the Councils + elected since the Great Rebirth. But we loved the Science of Things. We + wished to know. We wished to know about all the things which make the + earth around us. We asked so many questions that the Teachers forbade it. + </p> + <p> + We think that there are mysteries in the sky and under the water and in + the plants which grow. But the Council of Scholars has said that there are + no mysteries, and the Council of Scholars knows all things. And we learned + much from our Teachers. We learned that the earth is flat and that the sun + revolves around it, which causes the day and the night. We learned the + names of all the winds which blow over the seas and push the sails of our + great ships. We learned how to bleed men to cure them of all ailments. + </p> + <p> + We loved the Science of Things. And in the darkness, in the secret hour, + when we awoke in the night and there were no brothers around us, but only + their shapes in the beds and their snores, we closed our eyes, and we held + our lips shut, and we stopped our breath, that no shudder might let our + brothers see or hear or guess, and we thought that we wished to be sent to + the Home of the Scholars when our time would come. + </p> + <p> + All the great modern inventions come from the Home of the Scholars, such + as the newest one, which was found only a hundred years ago, of how to + make candles from wax and string; also, how to make glass, which is put in + our windows to protect us from the rain. To find these things, the + Scholars must study the earth and learn from the rivers, from the sands, + from the winds and the rocks. And if we went to the Home of the Scholars, + we could learn from these also. We could ask questions of these, for they + do not forbid questions. + </p> + <p> + And questions give us no rest. We know not why our curse makes us seek we + know not what, ever and ever. But we cannot resist it. It whispers to us + that there are great things on this earth of ours, and that we can know + them if we try, and that we must know them. We ask, why must we know, but + it has no answer to give us. We must know that we may know. + </p> + <p> + So we wished to be sent to the Home of the Scholars. We wished it so much + that our hands trembled under the blankets in the night, and we bit our + arm to stop that other pain which we could not endure. It was evil and we + dared not face our brothers in the morning. For men may wish nothing for + themselves. And we were punished when the Council of Vocations came to + give us our life Mandates which tell those who reach their fifteenth year + what their work is to be for the rest of their days. + </p> + <p> + The Council of Vocations came on the first day of spring, and they sat in + the great hall. And we who were fifteen and all the Teachers came into the + great hall. And the Council of Vocations sat on a high dais, and they had + but two words to speak to each of the Students. They called the Students’ + names, and when the Students stepped before them, one after another, the + Council said: “Carpenter” or “Doctor” or “Cook” or “Leader.” Then each + Student raised their right arm and said: “The will of our brothers be + done.” + </p> + <p> + Now if the Council has said “Carpenter” or “Cook,” the Students so + assigned go to work and they do not study any further. But if the Council + has said “Leader,” then those Students go into the Home of the Leaders, + which is the greatest house in the City, for it has three stories. And + there they study for many years, so that they may become candidates and be + elected to the City Council and the State Council and the World Council—by + a free and general vote of all men. But we wished not to be a Leader, even + though it is a great honor. We wished to be a Scholar. + </p> + <p> + So we awaited our turn in the great hall and then we heard the Council of + Vocations call our name: “Equality 7-2521.” We walked to the dais, and our + legs did not tremble, and we looked up at the Council. There were five + members of the Council, three of the male gender and two of the female. + Their hair was white and their faces were cracked as the clay of a dry + river bed. They were old. They seemed older than the marble of the Temple + of the World Council. They sat before us and they did not move. And we saw + no breath to stir the folds of their white togas. But we knew that they + were alive, for a finger of the hand of the oldest rose, pointed to us, + and fell down again. This was the only thing which moved, for the lips of + the oldest did not move as they said: “Street Sweeper.” + </p> + <p> + We felt the cords of our neck grow tight as our head rose higher to look + upon the faces of the Council, and we were happy. We knew we had been + guilty, but now we had a way to atone for it. We would accept our Life + Mandate, and we would work for our brothers, gladly and willingly, and we + would erase our sin against them, which they did not know, but we knew. So + we were happy, and proud of ourselves and of our victory over ourselves. + We raised our right arm and we spoke, and our voice was the clearest, the + steadiest voice in the hall that day, and we said: + </p> + <p> + “The will of our brothers be done.” + </p> + <p> + And we looked straight into the eyes of the Council, but their eyes were + as cold blue glass buttons. + </p> + <p> + So we went into the Home of the Street Sweepers. It is a grey house on a + narrow street. There is a sundial in its courtyard, by which the Council + of the Home can tell the hours of the day and when to ring the bell. When + the bell rings, we all arise from our beds. The sky is green and cold in + our windows to the east. The shadow on the sundial marks off a half-hour + while we dress and eat our breakfast in the dining hall, where there are + five long tables with twenty clay plates and twenty clay cups on each + table. Then we go to work in the streets of the City, with our brooms and + our rakes. In five hours, when the sun is high, we return to the Home and + we eat our midday meal, for which one-half hour is allowed. Then we go to + work again. In five hours, the shadows are blue on the pavements, and the + sky is blue with a deep brightness which is not bright. We come back to + have our dinner, which lasts one hour. Then the bell rings and we walk in + a straight column to one of the City Halls, for the Social Meeting. Other + columns of men arrive from the Homes of the different Trades. The candles + are lit, and the Councils of the different Homes stand in a pulpit, and + they speak to us of our duties and of our brother men. Then visiting + Leaders mount the pulpit and they read to us the speeches which were made + in the City Council that day, for the City Council represents all men and + all men must know. Then we sing hymns, the Hymn of Brotherhood, and the + Hymn of Equality, and the Hymn of the Collective Spirit. The sky is a + soggy purple when we return to the Home. Then the bell rings and we walk + in a straight column to the City Theatre for three hours of Social + Recreation. There a play is shown upon the stage, with two great choruses + from the Home of the Actors, which speak and answer all together, in two + great voices. The plays are about toil and how good it is. Then we walk + back to the Home in a straight column. The sky is like a black sieve + pierced by silver drops that tremble, ready to burst through. The moths + beat against the street lanterns. We go to our beds and we sleep, till the + bell rings again. The sleeping halls are white and clean and bare of all + things save one hundred beds. + </p> + <p> + Thus have we lived each day of four years, until two springs ago when our + crime happened. Thus must all men live until they are forty. At forty, + they are worn out. At forty, they are sent to the Home of the Useless, + where the Old Ones live. The Old Ones do not work, for the State takes + care of them. They sit in the sun in summer and they sit by the fire in + winter. They do not speak often, for they are weary. The Old Ones know + that they are soon to die. When a miracle happens and some live to be + forty-five, they are the Ancient Ones, and the children stare at them when + passing by the Home of the Useless. Such is to be our life, as that of all + our brothers and of the brothers who came before us. + </p> + <p> + Such would have been our life, had we not committed our crime which + changed all things for us. And it was our curse which drove us to our + crime. We had been a good Street Sweeper and like all our brother Street + Sweepers, save for our cursed wish to know. We looked too long at the + stars at night, and at the trees and the earth. And when we cleaned the + yard of the Home of the Scholars, we gathered the glass vials, the pieces + of metal, the dried bones which they had discarded. We wished to keep + these things and to study them, but we had no place to hide them. So we + carried them to the City Cesspool. And then we made the discovery. + </p> + <p> + It was on a day of the spring before last. We Street Sweepers work in + brigades of three, and we were with Union 5-3992, they of the half-brain, + and with International 4-8818. Now Union 5-3992 are a sickly lad and + sometimes they are stricken with convulsions, when their mouth froths and + their eyes turn white. But International 4-8818 are different. They are a + tall, strong youth and their eyes are like fireflies, for there is + laughter in their eyes. We cannot look upon International 4-8818 and not + smile in answer. For this they were not liked in the Home of the Students, + as it is not proper to smile without reason. And also they were not liked + because they took pieces of coal and they drew pictures upon the walls, + and they were pictures which made men laugh. But it is only our brothers + in the Home of the Artists who are permitted to draw pictures, so + International 4-8818 were sent to the Home of the Street Sweepers, like + ourselves. + </p> + <p> + International 4-8818 and we are friends. This is an evil thing to say, for + it is a transgression, the great Transgression of Preference, to love any + among men better than the others, since we must love all men and all men + are our friends. So International 4-8818 and we have never spoken of it. + But we know. We know, when we look into each other’s eyes. And when we + look thus without words, we both know other things also, strange things + for which there are no words, and these things frighten us. + </p> + <p> + So on that day of the spring before last, Union 5-3992 were stricken with + convulsions on the edge of the City, near the City Theatre. We left them + to lie in the shade of the Theatre tent and we went with International + 4-8818 to finish our work. We came together to the great ravine behind the + Theatre. It is empty save for trees and weeds. Beyond the ravine there is + a plain, and beyond the plain there lies the Uncharted Forest, about which + men must not think. + </p> + <p> + We were gathering the papers and the rags which the wind had blown from + the Theatre, when we saw an iron bar among the weeds. It was old and + rusted by many rains. We pulled with all our strength, but we could not + move it. So we called International 4-8818, and together we scraped the + earth around the bar. Of a sudden the earth fell in before us, and we saw + an old iron grill over a black hole. + </p> + <p> + International 4-8818 stepped back. But we pulled at the grill and it gave + way. And then we saw iron rings as steps leading down a shaft into a + darkness without bottom. + </p> + <p> + “We shall go down,” we said to International 4-8818. + </p> + <p> + “It is forbidden,” they answered. + </p> + <p> + We said: “The Council does not know of this hole, so it cannot be + forbidden.” + </p> + <p> + And they answered: “Since the Council does not know of this hole, there + can be no law permitting to enter it. And everything which is not + permitted by law is forbidden.” + </p> + <p> + But we said: “We shall go, none the less.” + </p> + <p> + They were frightened, but they stood by and watched us go. + </p> + <p> + We hung on the iron rings with our hands and our feet. We could see + nothing below us. And above us the hole open upon the sky grew smaller and + smaller, till it came to be the size of a button. But still we went down. + Then our foot touched the ground. We rubbed our eyes, for we could not + see. Then our eyes became used to the darkness, but we could not believe + what we saw. + </p> + <p> + No men known to us could have built this place, nor the men known to our + brothers who lived before us, and yet it was built by men. It was a great + tunnel. Its walls were hard and smooth to the touch; it felt like stone, + but it was not stone. On the ground there were long thin tracks of iron, + but it was not iron; it felt smooth and cold as glass. We knelt, and we + crawled forward, our hand groping along the iron line to see where it + would lead. But there was an unbroken night ahead. Only the iron tracks + glowed through it, straight and white, calling us to follow. But we could + not follow, for we were losing the puddle of light behind us. So we turned + and we crawled back, our hand on the iron line. And our heart beat in our + fingertips, without reason. And then we knew. + </p> + <p> + We knew suddenly that this place was left from the Unmentionable Times. So + it was true, and those Times had been, and all the wonders of those Times. + Hundreds upon hundreds of years ago men knew secrets which we have lost. + And we thought: “This is a foul place. They are damned who touch the + things of the Unmentionable Times.” But our hand which followed the track, + as we crawled, clung to the iron as if it would not leave it, as if the + skin of our hand were thirsty and begging of the metal some secret fluid + beating in its coldness. + </p> + <p> + We returned to the earth. International 4-8818 looked upon us and stepped + back. + </p> + <p> + “Equality 7-2521,” they said, “your face is white.” + </p> + <p> + But we could not speak and we stood looking upon them. + </p> + <p> + They backed away, as if they dared not touch us. Then they smiled, but it + was not a gay smile; it was lost and pleading. But still we could not + speak. Then they said: + </p> + <p> + “We shall report our find to the City Council and both of us will be + rewarded.” + </p> + <p> + And then we spoke. Our voice was hard and there was no mercy in our voice. + We said: + </p> + <p> + “We shall not report our find to the City Council. We shall not report it + to any men.” + </p> + <p> + They raised their hands to their ears, for never had they heard such words + as these. + </p> + <p> + “International 4-8818,” we asked, “will you report us to the Council and + see us lashed to death before your eyes?” + </p> + <p> + They stood straight all of a sudden and they answered: “Rather would we + die.” + </p> + <p> + “Then,” we said, “keep silent. This place is ours. This place belongs to + us, Equality 7-2521, and to no other men on earth. And if ever we + surrender it, we shall surrender our life with it also.” + </p> + <p> + Then we saw that the eyes of International 4-8818 were full to the lids + with tears they dared not drop. They whispered, and their voice trembled, + so that their words lost all shape: + </p> + <p> + “The will of the Council is above all things, for it is the will of our + brothers, which is holy. But if you wish it so, we shall obey you. Rather + shall we be evil with you than good with all our brothers. May the Council + have mercy upon both our hearts!” + </p> + <p> + Then we walked away together and back to the Home of the Street Sweepers. + And we walked in silence. + </p> + <p> + Thus did it come to pass that each night, when the stars are high and the + Street Sweepers sit in the City Theatre, we, Equality 7-2521, steal out + and run through the darkness to our place. It is easy to leave the + Theatre; when the candles are blown out and the Actors come onto the + stage, no eyes can see us as we crawl under our seat and under the cloth + of the tent. Later, it is easy to steal through the shadows and fall in + line next to International 4-8818, as the column leaves the Theatre. It is + dark in the streets and there are no men about, for no men may walk + through the City when they have no mission to walk there. Each night, we + run to the ravine, and we remove the stones which we have piled upon the + iron grill to hide it from the men. Each night, for three hours, we are + under the earth, alone. + </p> + <p> + We have stolen candles from the Home of the Street Sweepers, we have + stolen flints and knives and paper, and we have brought them to this + place. We have stolen glass vials and powders and acids from the Home of + the Scholars. Now we sit in the tunnel for three hours each night and we + study. We melt strange metals, and we mix acids, and we cut open the + bodies of the animals which we find in the City Cesspool. We have built an + oven of the bricks we gathered in the streets. We burn the wood we find in + the ravine. The fire flickers in the oven and blue shadows dance upon the + walls, and there is no sound of men to disturb us. + </p> + <p> + We have stolen manuscripts. This is a great offense. Manuscripts are + precious, for our brothers in the Home of the Clerks spend one year to + copy one single script in their clear handwriting. Manuscripts are rare + and they are kept in the Home of the Scholars. So we sit under the earth + and we read the stolen scripts. Two years have passed since we found this + place. And in these two years we have learned more than we had learned in + the ten years of the Home of the Students. + </p> + <p> + We have learned things which are not in the scripts. We have solved + secrets of which the Scholars have no knowledge. We have come to see how + great is the unexplored, and many lifetimes will not bring us to the end + of our quest. But we wish no end to our quest. We wish nothing, save to be + alone and to learn, and to feel as if with each day our sight were growing + sharper than the hawk’s and clearer than rock crystal. + </p> + <p> + Strange are the ways of evil. We are false in the faces of our brothers. + We are defying the will of our Councils. We alone, of the thousands who + walk this earth, we alone in this hour are doing a work which has no + purpose save that we wish to do it. The evil of our crime is not for the + human mind to probe. The nature of our punishment, if it be discovered, is + not for the human heart to ponder. Never, not in the memory of the Ancient + Ones’ Ancients, never have men done that which we are doing. + </p> + <p> + And yet there is no shame in us and no regret. We say to ourselves that we + are a wretch and a traitor. But we feel no burden upon our spirit and no + fear in our heart. And it seems to us that our spirit is clear as a lake + troubled by no eyes save those of the sun. And in our heart—strange + are the ways of evil!—in our heart there is the first peace we have + known in twenty years. + </p> + + </div><!--end chapter--> + + <div class="chapter"> + + <h2><a name="link2H_PART2" id="link2H_PART2"></a> + PART TWO + </h2> + <p> + Liberty 5-3000... Liberty five-three thousand ... Liberty 5-3000.... + </p> + <p> + We wish to write this name. We wish to speak it, but we dare not speak it + above a whisper. For men are forbidden to take notice of women, and women + are forbidden to take notice of men. But we think of one among women, they + whose name is Liberty 5-3000, and we think of no others. The women who + have been assigned to work the soil live in the Homes of the Peasants + beyond the City. Where the City ends there is a great road winding off to + the north, and we Street Sweepers must keep this road clean to the first + milepost. There is a hedge along the road, and beyond the hedge lie the + fields. The fields are black and ploughed, and they lie like a great fan + before us, with their furrows gathered in some hand beyond the sky, + spreading forth from that hand, opening wide apart as they come toward us, + like black pleats that sparkle with thin, green spangles. Women work in + the fields, and their white tunics in the wind are like the wings of + sea-gulls beating over the black soil. + </p> + <p> + And there it was that we saw Liberty 5-3000 walking along the furrows. + Their body was straight and thin as a blade of iron. Their eyes were dark + and hard and glowing, with no fear in them, no kindness and no guilt. + Their hair was golden as the sun; their hair flew in the wind, shining and + wild, as if it defied men to restrain it. They threw seeds from their hand + as if they deigned to fling a scornful gift, and the earth was a beggar + under their feet. + </p> + <p> + We stood still; for the first time did we know fear, and then pain. And we + stood still that we might not spill this pain more precious than pleasure. + </p> + <p> + Then we heard a voice from the others call their name: “Liberty 5-3000,” + and they turned and walked back. Thus we learned their name, and we stood + watching them go, till their white tunic was lost in the blue mist. + </p> + <p> + And the following day, as we came to the northern road, we kept our eyes + upon Liberty 5-3000 in the field. And each day thereafter we knew the + illness of waiting for our hour on the northern road. And there we looked + at Liberty 5-3000 each day. We know not whether they looked at us also, + but we think they did. Then one day they came close to the hedge, and + suddenly they turned to us. They turned in a whirl and the movement of + their body stopped, as if slashed off, as suddenly as it had started. They + stood still as a stone, and they looked straight upon us, straight into + our eyes. There was no smile on their face, and no welcome. But their face + was taut, and their eyes were dark. Then they turned as swiftly, and they + walked away from us. + </p> + <p> + But the following day, when we came to the road, they smiled. They smiled + to us and for us. And we smiled in answer. Their head fell back, and their + arms fell, as if their arms and their thin white neck were stricken + suddenly with a great lassitude. They were not looking upon us, but upon + the sky. Then they glanced at us over their shoulder, as we felt as if a + hand had touched our body, slipping softly from our lips to our feet. + </p> + <p> + Every morning thereafter, we greeted each other with our eyes. We dared + not speak. It is a transgression to speak to men of other Trades, save in + groups at the Social Meetings. But once, standing at the hedge, we raised + our hand to our forehead and then moved it slowly, palm down, toward + Liberty 5-3000. Had the others seen it, they could have guessed nothing, + for it looked only as if we were shading our eyes from the sun. But + Liberty 5-3000 saw it and understood. They raised their hand to their + forehead and moved it as we had. Thus, each day, we greet Liberty 5-3000, + and they answer, and no men can suspect. + </p> + <p> + We do not wonder at this new sin of ours. It is our second Transgression + of Preference, for we do not think of all our brothers, as we must, but + only of one, and their name is Liberty 5-3000. We do not know why we think + of them. We do not know why, when we think of them, we feel all of a + sudden that the earth is good and that it is not a burden to live. We do + not think of them as Liberty 5-3000 any longer. We have given them a name + in our thoughts. We call them the Golden One. But it is a sin to give men + names which distinguish them from other men. Yet we call them the Golden + One, for they are not like the others. The Golden One are not like the + others. + </p> + <p> + And we take no heed of the law which says that men may not think of women, + save at the Time of Mating. This is the time each spring when all the men + older than twenty and all the women older than eighteen are sent for one + night to the City Palace of Mating. And each of the men have one of the + women assigned to them by the Council of Eugenics. Children are born each + winter, but women never see their children and children never know their + parents. Twice have we been sent to the Palace of Mating, but it is an + ugly and shameful matter, of which we do not like to think. + </p> + <p> + We had broken so many laws, and today we have broken one more. Today, we + spoke to the Golden One. + </p> + <p> + The other women were far off in the field, when we stopped at the hedge by + the side of the road. The Golden One were kneeling alone at the moat which + runs through the field. And the drops of water falling from their hands, + as they raised the water to their lips, were like sparks of fire in the + sun. Then the Golden One saw us, and they did not move, kneeling there, + looking at us, and circles of light played upon their white tunic, from + the sun on the water of the moat, and one sparkling drop fell from a + finger of their hand held as frozen in the air. + </p> + <p> + Then the Golden One rose and walked to the hedge, as if they had heard a + command in our eyes. The two other Street Sweepers of our brigade were a + hundred paces away down the road. And we thought that International 4-8818 + would not betray us, and Union 5-3992 would not understand. So we looked + straight upon the Golden One, and we saw the shadows of their lashes on + their white cheeks and the sparks of sun on their lips. And we said: + </p> + <p> + “You are beautiful, Liberty 5-3000.” + </p> + <p> + Their face did not move and they did not avert their eyes. Only their eyes + grew wider, and there was triumph in their eyes, and it was not triumph + over us, but over things we could not guess. + </p> + <p> + Then they asked: + </p> + <p> + “What is your name?” + </p> + <p> + “Equality 7-2521,” we answered. + </p> + <p> + “You are not one of our brothers, Equality 7-2521, for we do not wish you + to be.” + </p> + <p> + We cannot say what they meant, for there are no words for their meaning, + but we know it without words and we knew it then. + </p> + <p> + “No,” we answered, “nor are you one of our sisters.” + </p> + <p> + “If you see us among scores of women, will you look upon us?” + </p> + <p> + “We shall look upon you, Liberty 5-3000, if we see you among all the women + of the earth.” + </p> + <p> + Then they asked: + </p> + <p> + “Are Street Sweepers sent to different parts of the City or do they always + work in the same places?” + </p> + <p> + “They always work in the same places,” we answered, “and no one will take + this road away from us.” + </p> + <p> + “Your eyes,” they said, “are not like the eyes of any among men.” + </p> + <p> + And suddenly, without cause for the thought which came to us, we felt + cold, cold to our stomach. + </p> + <p> + “How old are you?” we asked. + </p> + <p> + They understood our thought, for they lowered their eyes for the first + time. + </p> + <p> + “Seventeen,” they whispered. + </p> + <p> + And we sighed, as if a burden had been taken from us, for we had been + thinking without reason of the Palace of Mating. And we thought that we + would not let the Golden One be sent to the Palace. How to prevent it, how + to bar the will of the Councils, we knew not, but we knew suddenly that we + would. Only we do not know why such thought came to us, for these ugly + matters bear no relation to us and the Golden One. What relation can they + bear? + </p> + <p> + Still, without reason, as we stood there by the hedge, we felt our lips + drawn tight with hatred, a sudden hatred for all our brother men. And the + Golden One saw it and smiled slowly, and there was in their smile the + first sadness we had seen in them. We think that in the wisdom of women + the Golden One had understood more than we can understand. + </p> + <p> + Then three of the sisters in the field appeared, coming toward the road, + so the Golden One walked away from us. They took the bag of seeds, and + they threw the seeds into the furrows of earth as they walked away. But + the seeds flew wildly, for the hand of the Golden One was trembling. + </p> + <p> + Yet as we walked back to the Home of the Street Sweepers, we felt that we + wanted to sing, without reason. So we were reprimanded tonight, in the + dining hall, for without knowing it we had begun to sing aloud some tune + we had never heard. But it is not proper to sing without reason, save at + the Social Meetings. + </p> + <p> + “We are singing because we are happy,” we answered the one of the Home + Council who reprimanded us. + </p> + <p> + “Indeed you are happy,” they answered. “How else can men be when they live + for their brothers?” + </p> + <p> + And now, sitting here in our tunnel, we wonder about these words. It is + forbidden, not to be happy. For, as it has been explained to us, men are + free and the earth belongs to them; and all things on earth belong to all + men; and the will of all men together is good for all; and so all men must + be happy. + </p> + <p> + Yet as we stand at night in the great hall, removing our garments for + sleep, we look upon our brothers and we wonder. The heads of our brothers + are bowed. The eyes of our brothers are dull, and never do they look one + another in the eyes. The shoulders of our brothers are hunched, and their + muscles are drawn, as if their bodies were shrinking and wished to shrink + out of sight. And a word steals into our mind, as we look upon our + brothers, and that word is fear. + </p> + <p> + There is fear hanging in the air of the sleeping halls, and in the air of + the streets. Fear walks through the City, fear without name, without + shape. All men feel it and none dare to speak. + </p> + <p> + We feel it also, when we are in the Home of the Street Sweepers. But here, + in our tunnel, we feel it no longer. The air is pure under the ground. + There is no odor of men. And these three hours give us strength for our + hours above the ground. + </p> + <p> + Our body is betraying us, for the Council of the Home looks with suspicion + upon us. It is not good to feel too much joy nor to be glad that our body + lives. For we matter not and it must not matter to us whether we live or + die, which is to be as our brothers will it. But we, Equality 7-2521, are + glad to be living. If this is a vice, then we wish no virtue. + </p> + <p> + Yet our brothers are not like us. All is not well with our brothers. There + are Fraternity 2-5503, a quiet boy with wise, kind eyes, who cry suddenly, + without reason, in the midst of day or night, and their body shakes with + sobs they cannot explain. There are Solidarity 9-6347, who are a bright + youth, without fear in the day; but they scream in their sleep, and they + scream: “Help us! Help us! Help us!” into the night, in a voice which + chills our bones, but the Doctors cannot cure Solidarity 9-6347. + </p> + <p> + And as we all undress at night, in the dim light of the candles, our + brothers are silent, for they dare not speak the thoughts of their minds. + For all must agree with all, and they cannot know if their thoughts are + the thoughts of all, and so they fear to speak. And they are glad when the + candles are blown for the night. But we, Equality 7-2521, look through the + window upon the sky, and there is peace in the sky, and cleanliness, and + dignity. And beyond the City there lies the plain, and beyond the plain, + black upon the black sky, there lies the Uncharted Forest. + </p> + <p> + We do not wish to look upon the Uncharted Forest. We do not wish to think + of it. But ever do our eyes return to that black patch upon the sky. Men + never enter the Uncharted Forest, for there is no power to explore it and + no path to lead among its ancient trees which stand as guards of fearful + secrets. It is whispered that once or twice in a hundred years, one among + the men of the City escape alone and run to the Uncharted Forest, without + call or reason. These men do not return. They perish from hunger and from + the claws of the wild beasts which roam the Forest. But our Councils say + that this is only a legend. We have heard that there are many Uncharted + Forests over the land, among the Cities. And it is whispered that they + have grown over the ruins of many cities of the Unmentionable Times. The + trees have swallowed the ruins, and the bones under the ruins, and all the + things which perished. And as we look upon the Uncharted Forest far in the + night, we think of the secrets of the Unmentionable Times. And we wonder + how it came to pass that these secrets were lost to the world. We have + heard the legends of the great fighting, in which many men fought on one + side and only a few on the other. These few were the Evil Ones and they + were conquered. Then great fires raged over the land. And in these fires + the Evil Ones and all the things made by the Evil Ones were burned. And + the fire which is called the Dawn of the Great Rebirth, was the Script + Fire where all the scripts of the Evil Ones were burned, and with them all + the words of the Evil Ones. Great mountains of flame stood in the squares + of the Cities for three months. Then came the Great Rebirth. + </p> + <p> + The words of the Evil Ones... The words of the Unmentionable Times... What + are the words which we have lost? + </p> + <p> + May the Council have mercy upon us! We had no wish to write such a + question, and we knew not what we were doing till we had written it. We + shall not ask this question and we shall not think it. We shall not call + death upon our head. + </p> + <p> + And yet... And yet... There is some word, one single word which is not in + the language of men, but which had been. And this is the Unspeakable Word, + which no men may speak nor hear. But sometimes, and it is rare, sometimes, + somewhere, one among men find that word. They find it upon scraps of old + manuscripts or cut into the fragments of ancient stones. But when they + speak it they are put to death. There is no crime punished by death in + this world, save this one crime of speaking the Unspeakable Word. + </p> + <p> + We have seen one of such men burned alive in the square of the City. And + it was a sight which has stayed with us through the years, and it haunts + us, and follows us, and it gives us no rest. We were a child then, ten + years old. And we stood in the great square with all the children and all + the men of the City, sent to behold the burning. They brought the + Transgressor out into the square and they led them to the pyre. They had + torn out the tongue of the Transgressor, so that they could speak no + longer. The Transgressor were young and tall. They had hair of gold and + eyes blue as morning. They walked to the pyre, and their step did not + falter. And of all the faces on that square, of all the faces which + shrieked and screamed and spat curses upon them, theirs was the calmest + and the happiest face. + </p> + <p> + As the chains were wound over their body at the stake, and a flame set to + the pyre, the Transgressor looked upon the City. There was a thin thread + of blood running from the corner of their mouth, but their lips were + smiling. And a monstrous thought came to us then, which has never left us. + We had heard of Saints. There are the Saints of Labor, and the Saints of + the Councils, and the Saints of the Great Rebirth. But we had never seen a + Saint nor what the likeness of a Saint should be. And we thought then, + standing in the square, that the likeness of a Saint was the face we saw + before us in the flames, the face of the Transgressor of the Unspeakable + Word. + </p> + <p> + As the flames rose, a thing happened which no eyes saw but ours, else we + would not be living today. Perhaps it had only seemed to us. But it seemed + to us that the eyes of the Transgressor had chosen us from the crowd and + were looking straight upon us. There was no pain in their eyes and no + knowledge of the agony of their body. There was only joy in them, and + pride, a pride holier than is fit for human pride to be. And it seemed as + if these eyes were trying to tell us something through the flames, to send + into our eyes some word without sound. And it seemed as if these eyes were + begging us to gather that word and not to let it go from us and from the + earth. But the flames rose and we could not guess the word.... + </p> + <p> + What—even if we have to burn for it like the Saint of the Pyre—what + is the Unspeakable Word? + </p> + + </div><!--end chapter--> + + <div class="chapter"> + + <h2><a name="link2H_PART3" id="link2H_PART3"></a> + PART THREE + </h2> + <p> + We, Equality 7-2521, have discovered a new power of nature. And we have + discovered it alone, and we alone are to know it. + </p> + <p> + It is said. Now let us be lashed for it, if we must. The Council of + Scholars has said that we all know the things which exist and therefore + the things which are not known by all do not exist. But we think that the + Council of Scholars is blind. The secrets of this earth are not for all + men to see, but only for those who will seek them. We know, for we have + found a secret unknown to all our brothers. + </p> + <p> + We know not what this power is nor whence it comes. But we know its + nature, we have watched it and worked with it. We saw it first two years + ago. One night, we were cutting open the body of a dead frog when we saw + its leg jerking. It was dead, yet it moved. Some power unknown to men was + making it move. We could not understand it. Then, after many tests, we + found the answer. The frog had been hanging on a wire of copper; and it + had been the metal of our knife which had sent the strange power to the + copper through the brine of the frog’s body. We put a piece of copper and + a piece of zinc into a jar of brine, we touched a wire to them, and there, + under our fingers, was a miracle which had never occurred before, a new + miracle and a new power. + </p> + <p> + This discovery haunted us. We followed it in preference to all our + studies. We worked with it, we tested it in more ways than we can + describe, and each step was as another miracle unveiling before us. We + came to know that we had found the greatest power on earth. For it defies + all the laws known to men. It makes the needle move and turn on the + compass which we stole from the Home of the Scholars; but we had been + taught, when still a child, that the loadstone points to the north and + that this is a law which nothing can change; yet our new power defies all + laws. We found that it causes lightning, and never have men known what + causes lightning. In thunderstorms, we raised a tall rod of iron by the + side of our hole, and we watched it from below. We have seen the lightning + strike it again and again. And now we know that metal draws the power of + the sky, and that metal can be made to give it forth. + </p> + <p> + We have built strange things with this discovery of ours. We used for it + the copper wires which we found here under the ground. We have walked the + length of our tunnel, with a candle lighting the way. We could go no + farther than half a mile, for earth and rock had fallen at both ends. But + we gathered all the things we found and we brought them to our work place. + We found strange boxes with bars of metal inside, with many cords and + strands and coils of metal. We found wires that led to strange little + globes of glass on the walls; they contained threads of metal thinner than + a spider’s web. + </p> + <p> + These things help us in our work. We do not understand them, but we think + that the men of the Unmentionable Times had known our power of the sky, + and these things had some relation to it. We do not know, but we shall + learn. We cannot stop now, even though it frightens us that we are alone + in our knowledge. + </p> + <p> + No single one can possess greater wisdom than the many Scholars who are + elected by all men for their wisdom. Yet we can. We do. We have fought + against saying it, but now it is said. We do not care. We forget all men, + all laws and all things save our metals and our wires. So much is still to + be learned! So long a road lies before us, and what care we if we must + travel it alone! + </p> + + </div><!--end chapter--> + + <div class="chapter"> + + <h2><a name="link2H_PART4" id="link2H_PART4"></a> + PART FOUR + </h2> + <p> + Many days passed before we could speak to the Golden One again. But then + came the day when the sky turned white, as if the sun had burst and spread + its flame in the air, and the fields lay still without breath, and the + dust of the road was white in the glow. So the women of the field were + weary, and they tarried over their work, and they were far from the road + when we came. But the Golden One stood alone at the hedge, waiting. We + stopped and we saw that their eyes, so hard and scornful to the world, + were looking at us as if they would obey any word we might speak. + </p> + <p> + And we said: + </p> + <p> + “We have given you a name in our thoughts, Liberty 5-3000.” + </p> + <p> + “What is our name?” they asked. + </p> + <p> + “The Golden One.” + </p> + <p> + “Nor do we call you Equality 7-2521 when we think of you.” + </p> + <p> + “What name have you given us?” They looked straight into our eyes and they + held their head high and they answered: + </p> + <p> + “The Unconquered.” + </p> + <p> + For a long time we could not speak. Then we said: + </p> + <p> + “Such thoughts as these are forbidden, Golden One.” + </p> + <p> + “But you think such thoughts as these and you wish us to think them.” + </p> + <p> + We looked into their eyes and we could not lie. + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” we whispered, and they smiled, and then we said: “Our dearest one, + do not obey us.” + </p> + <p> + They stepped back, and their eyes were wide and still. + </p> + <p> + “Speak these words again,” they whispered. + </p> + <p> + “Which words?” we asked. But they did not answer, and we knew it. + </p> + <p> + “Our dearest one,” we whispered. + </p> + <p> + Never have men said this to women. + </p> + <p> + The head of the Golden One bowed slowly, and they stood still before us, + their arms at their sides, the palms of their hands turned to us, as if + their body were delivered in submission to our eyes. And we could not + speak. + </p> + <p> + Then they raised their head, and they spoke simply and gently, as if they + wished us to forget some anxiety of their own. + </p> + <p> + “The day is hot,” they said, “and you have worked for many hours and you + must be weary.” + </p> + <p> + “No,” we answered. + </p> + <p> + “It is cooler in the fields,” they said, “and there is water to drink. Are + you thirsty?” + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” we answered, “but we cannot cross the hedge.” + </p> + <p> + “We shall bring the water to you,” they said. + </p> + <p> + Then they knelt by the moat, they gathered water in their two hands, they + rose and they held the water out to our lips. + </p> + <p> + We do not know if we drank that water. We only knew suddenly that their + hands were empty, but we were still holding our lips to their hands, and + that they knew it, but did not move. + </p> + <p> + We raised our head and stepped back. For we did not understand what had + made us do this, and we were afraid to understand it. + </p> + <p> + And the Golden One stepped back, and stood looking upon their hands in + wonder. Then the Golden One moved away, even though no others were coming, + and they moved, stepping back, as if they could not turn from us, their + arms bent before them, as if they could not lower their hands. + </p> + + </div><!--end chapter--> + + <div class="chapter"> + + <h2><a name="link2H_PART5" id="link2H_PART5"></a> + PART FIVE + </h2> + <p> + We made it. We created it. We brought it forth from the night of the ages. + We alone. Our hands. Our mind. Ours alone and only. + </p> + <p> + We know not what we are saying. Our head is reeling. We look upon the + light which we have made. We shall be forgiven for anything we say + tonight.... + </p> + <p> + Tonight, after more days and trials than we can count, we finished + building a strange thing, from the remains of the Unmentionable Times, a + box of glass, devised to give forth the power of the sky of greater + strength than we had ever achieved before. And when we put our wires to + this box, when we closed the current—the wire glowed! It came to + life, it turned red, and a circle of light lay on the stone before us. + </p> + <p> + We stood, and we held our head in our hands. We could not conceive of that + which we had created. We had touched no flint, made no fire. Yet here was + light, light that came from nowhere, light from the heart of metal. + </p> + <p> + We blew out the candle. Darkness swallowed us. There was nothing left + around us, nothing save night and a thin thread of flame in it, as a crack + in the wall of a prison. We stretched our hands to the wire, and we saw + our fingers in the red glow. We could not see our body nor feel it, and in + that moment nothing existed save our two hands over a wire glowing in a + black abyss. + </p> + <p> + Then we thought of the meaning of that which lay before us. We can light + our tunnel, and the City, and all the Cities of the world with nothing + save metal and wires. We can give our brothers a new light, cleaner and + brighter than any they have ever known. The power of the sky can be made + to do men’s bidding. There are no limits to its secrets and its might, and + it can be made to grant us anything if we but choose to ask. + </p> + <p> + Then we knew what we must do. Our discovery is too great for us to waste + our time in sweeping the streets. We must not keep our secret to + ourselves, nor buried under the ground. We must bring it into the sight of + all men. We need all our time, we need the work rooms of the Home of the + Scholars, we want the help of our brother Scholars and their wisdom joined + to ours. There is so much work ahead for all of us, for all the Scholars + of the world. + </p> + <p> + In a month, the World Council of Scholars is to meet in our City. It is a + great Council, to which the wisest of all lands are elected, and it meets + once a year in the different Cities of the earth. We shall go to this + Council and we shall lay before them, as our gift, this glass box with the + power of the sky. We shall confess everything to them. They will see, + understand and forgive. For our gift is greater than our transgression. + They will explain it to the Council of Vocations, and we shall be assigned + to the Home of the Scholars. This has never been done before, but neither + has a gift such as ours ever been offered to men. + </p> + <p> + We must wait. We must guard our tunnel as we had never guarded it before. + For should any men save the Scholars learn of our secret, they would not + understand it, nor would they believe us. They would see nothing, save our + crime of working alone, and they would destroy us and our light. We care + not about our body, but our light is... + </p> + <p> + Yes, we do care. For the first time do we care about our body. For this + wire is as a part of our body, as a vein torn from us, glowing with our + blood. Are we proud of this thread of metal, or of our hands which made + it, or is there a line to divide these two? + </p> + <p> + We stretch out our arms. For the first time do we know how strong our arms + are. And a strange thought comes to us: we wonder, for the first time in + our life, what we look like. Men never see their own faces and never ask + their brothers about it, for it is evil to have concern for their own + faces or bodies. But tonight, for a reason we cannot fathom, we wish it + were possible to us to know the likeness of our own person. + </p> + + </div><!--end chapter--> + + <div class="chapter"> + + <h2><a name="link2H_PART6" id="link2H_PART6"></a> + PART SIX + </h2> + <p> + We have not written for thirty days. For thirty days we have not been + here, in our tunnel. We had been caught. It happened on that night when we + wrote last. We forgot, that night, to watch the sand in the glass which + tells us when three hours have passed and it is time to return to the City + Theatre. When we remembered it, the sand had run out. + </p> + <p> + We hastened to the Theatre. But the big tent stood grey and silent against + the sky. The streets of the City lay before us, dark and empty. If we went + back to hide in our tunnel, we would be found and our light found with us. + So we walked to the Home of the Street Sweepers. + </p> + <p> + When the Council of the Home questioned us, we looked upon the faces of + the Council, but there was no curiosity in those faces, and no anger, and + no mercy. So when the oldest of them asked us: “Where have you been?” we + thought of our glass box and of our light, and we forgot all else. And we + answered: + </p> + <p> + “We will not tell you.” + </p> + <p> + The oldest did not question us further. They turned to the two youngest, + and said, and their voice was bored: + </p> + <p> + “Take our brother Equality 7-2521 to the Palace of Corrective Detention. + Lash them until they tell.” + </p> + <p> + So we were taken to the Stone Room under the Palace of Corrective + Detention. This room has no windows and it is empty save for an iron post. + Two men stood by the post, naked but for leather aprons and leather hoods + over their faces. Those who had brought us departed, leaving us to the two + Judges who stood in a corner of the room. The Judges were small, thin men, + grey and bent. They gave the signal to the two strong hooded ones. + </p> + <p> + They tore the clothes from our body, they threw us down upon our knees and + they tied our hands to the iron post. The first blow of the lash felt as + if our spine had been cut in two. The second blow stopped the first, and + for a second we felt nothing, then the pain struck us in our throat and + fire ran in our lungs without air. But we did not cry out. + </p> + <p> + The lash whistled like a singing wind. We tried to count the blows, but we + lost count. We knew that the blows were falling upon our back. Only we + felt nothing upon our back any longer. A flaming grill kept dancing before + our eyes, and we thought of nothing save that grill, a grill, a grill of + red squares, and then we knew that we were looking at the squares of the + iron grill in the door, and there were also the squares of stone on the + walls, and the squares which the lash was cutting upon our back, crossing + and re-crossing itself in our flesh. + </p> + <p> + Then we saw a fist before us. It knocked our chin up, and we saw the red + froth of our mouth on the withered fingers, and the Judge asked: + </p> + <p> + “Where have you been?” + </p> + <p> + But we jerked our head away, hid our face upon our tied hands, and bit our + lips. + </p> + <p> + The lash whistled again. We wondered who was sprinkling burning coal dust + upon the floor, for we saw drops of red twinkling on the stones around us. + </p> + <p> + Then we knew nothing, save two voices snarling steadily, one after the + other, even though we knew they were speaking many minutes apart: + </p> + <p> + “Where have you been where have you been where have you been where have + you been?...” + </p> + <p> + And our lips moved, but the sound trickled back into our throat, and the + sound was only: + </p> + <p> + “The light... The light... The light....” + </p> + <p> + Then we knew nothing. + </p> + <p> + We opened our eyes, lying on our stomach on the brick floor of a cell. We + looked upon two hands lying far before us on the bricks, and we moved + them, and we knew that they were our hands. But we could not move our + body. Then we smiled, for we thought of the light and that we had not + betrayed it. + </p> + <p> + We lay in our cell for many days. The door opened twice each day, once for + the men who brought us bread and water, and once for the Judges. Many + Judges came to our cell, first the humblest and then the most honored + Judges of the City. They stood before us in their white togas, and they + asked: + </p> + <p> + “Are you ready to speak?” + </p> + <p> + But we shook our head, lying before them on the floor. And they departed. + </p> + <p> + We counted each day and each night as it passed. Then, tonight, we knew + that we must escape. For tomorrow the World Council of Scholars is to meet + in our City. + </p> + <p> + It was easy to escape from the Palace of Corrective Detention. The locks + are old on the doors and there are no guards about. There is no reason to + have guards, for men have never defied the Councils so far as to escape + from whatever place they were ordered to be. Our body is healthy and + strength returns to it speedily. We lunged against the door and it gave + way. We stole through the dark passages, and through the dark streets, and + down into our tunnel. + </p> + <p> + We lit the candle and we saw that our place had not been found and nothing + had been touched. And our glass box stood before us on the cold oven, as + we had left it. What matter they now, the scars upon our back! + </p> + <p> + Tomorrow, in the full light of day, we shall take our box, and leave our + tunnel open, and walk through the streets to the Home of the Scholars. We + shall put before them the greatest gift ever offered to men. We shall tell + them the truth. We shall hand to them, as our confession, these pages we + have written. We shall join our hands to theirs, and we shall work + together, with the power of the sky, for the glory of mankind. Our + blessing upon you, our brothers! Tomorrow, you will take us back into your + fold and we shall be an outcast no longer. Tomorrow we shall be one of you + again. Tomorrow... + </p> + + </div><!--end chapter--> + + <div class="chapter"> + + <h2><a name="link2H_PART7" id="link2H_PART7"></a> + PART SEVEN + </h2> + <p> + It is dark here in the forest. The leaves rustle over our head, black + against the last gold of the sky. The moss is soft and warm. We shall + sleep on this moss for many nights, till the beasts of the forest come to + tear our body. We have no bed now, save the moss, and no future, save the + beasts. + </p> + <p> + We are old now, yet we were young this morning, when we carried our glass + box through the streets of the City to the Home of the Scholars. No men + stopped us, for there were none about from the Palace of Corrective + Detention, and the others knew nothing. No men stopped us at the gate. We + walked through empty passages and into the great hall where the World + Council of Scholars sat in solemn meeting. + </p> + <p> + We saw nothing as we entered, save the sky in the great windows, blue and + glowing. Then we saw the Scholars who sat around a long table; they were + as shapeless clouds huddled at the rise of the great sky. There were men + whose famous names we knew, and others from distant lands whose names we + had not heard. We saw a great painting on the wall over their heads, of + the twenty illustrious men who had invented the candle. + </p> + <p> + All the heads of the Council turned to us as we entered. These great and + wise of the earth did not know what to think of us, and they looked upon + us with wonder and curiosity, as if we were a miracle. It is true that our + tunic was torn and stained with brown stains which had been blood. We + raised our right arm and we said: + </p> + <p> + “Our greeting to you, our honored brothers of the World Council of + Scholars!” + </p> + <p> + Then Collective 0-0009, the oldest and wisest of the Council, spoke and + asked: + </p> + <p> + “Who are you, our brother? For you do not look like a Scholar.” + </p> + <p> + “Our name is Equality 7-2521,” we answered, “and we are a Street Sweeper + of this City.” + </p> + <p> + Then it was as if a great wind had stricken the hall, for all the Scholars + spoke at once, and they were angry and frightened. + </p> + <p> + “A Street Sweeper! A Street Sweeper walking in upon the World Council of + Scholars! It is not to be believed! It is against all the rules and all + the laws!” + </p> + <p> + But we knew how to stop them. + </p> + <p> + “Our brothers!” we said. “We matter not, nor our transgression. It is only + our brother men who matter. Give no thought to us, for we are nothing, but + listen to our words, for we bring you a gift such as had never been + brought to men. Listen to us, for we hold the future of mankind in our + hands.” + </p> + <p> + Then they listened. + </p> + <p> + We placed our glass box upon the table before them. We spoke of it, and of + our long quest, and of our tunnel, and of our escape from the Palace of + Corrective Detention. Not a hand moved in that hall, as we spoke, nor an + eye. Then we put the wires to the box, and they all bent forward and sat + still, watching. And we stood still, our eyes upon the wire. And slowly, + slowly as a flush of blood, a red flame trembled in the wire. Then the + wire glowed. + </p> + <p> + But terror struck the men of the Council. They leapt to their feet, they + ran from the table, and they stood pressed against the wall, huddled + together, seeking the warmth of one another’s bodies to give them courage. + </p> + <p> + We looked upon them and we laughed and said: + </p> + <p> + “Fear nothing, our brothers. There is a great power in these wires, but + this power is tamed. It is yours. We give it to you.” + </p> + <p> + Still they would not move. + </p> + <p> + “We give you the power of the sky!” we cried. “We give you the key to the + earth! Take it, and let us be one of you, the humblest among you. Let us + all work together, and harness this power, and make it ease the toil of + men. Let us throw away our candles and our torches. Let us flood our + cities with light. Let us bring a new light to men!” + </p> + <p> + But they looked upon us, and suddenly we were afraid. For their eyes were + still, and small, and evil. + </p> + <p> + “Our brothers!” we cried. “Have you nothing to say to us?” + </p> + <p> + Then Collective 0-0009 moved forward. They moved to the table and the + others followed. + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” spoke Collective 0-0009, “we have much to say to you.” + </p> + <p> + The sound of their voices brought silence to the hall and to beat of our + heart. + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” said Collective 0-0009, “we have much to say to a wretch who have + broken all the laws and who boast of their infamy! + </p> + <p> + “How dared you think that your mind held greater wisdom than the minds of + your brothers? And if the Councils had decreed that you should be a Street + Sweeper, how dared you think that you could be of greater use to men than + in sweeping the streets?” + </p> + <p> + “How dared you, gutter cleaner,” spoke Fraternity 9-3452, “to hold + yourself as one alone and with the thoughts of the one and not of the + many?” + </p> + <p> + “You shall be burned at the stake,” said Democracy 4-6998. + </p> + <p> + “No, they shall be lashed,” said Unanimity 7-3304, “till there is nothing + left under the lashes.” + </p> + <p> + “No,” said Collective 0-0009, “we cannot decide upon this, our brothers. + No such crime has ever been committed, and it is not for us to judge. Nor + for any small Council. We shall deliver this creature to the World Council + itself and let their will be done.” + </p> + <p> + We looked upon them and we pleaded: + </p> + <p> + “Our brothers! You are right. Let the will of the Council be done upon our + body. We do not care. But the light? What will you do with the light?” + </p> + <p> + Collective 0-0009 looked upon us, and they smiled. + </p> + <p> + “So you think that you have found a new power,” said Collective 0-0009. + “Do all your brothers think that?” + </p> + <p> + “No,” we answered. + </p> + <p> + “What is not thought by all men cannot be true,” said Collective 0-0009. + </p> + <p> + “You have worked on this alone?” asked International 1-5537. + </p> + <p> + “Many men in the Homes of the Scholars have had strange new ideas in the + past,” said Solidarity 8-1164, “but when the majority of their brother + Scholars voted against them, they abandoned their ideas, as all men must.” + </p> + <p> + “This box is useless,” said Alliance 6-7349. + </p> + <p> + “Should it be what they claim of it,” said Harmony 9-2642, “then it would + bring ruin to the Department of Candles. The Candle is a great boon to + mankind, as approved by all men. Therefore it cannot be destroyed by the + whim of one.” + </p> + <p> + “This would wreck the Plans of the World Council,” said Unanimity 2-9913, + “and without the Plans of the World Council the sun cannot rise. It took + fifty years to secure the approval of all the Councils for the Candle, and + to decide upon the number needed, and to re-fit the Plans so as to make + candles instead of torches. This touched upon thousands and thousands of + men working in scores of States. We cannot alter the Plans again so soon.” + </p> + <p> + “And if this should lighten the toil of men,” said Similarity 5-0306, + “then it is a great evil, for men have no cause to exist save in toiling + for other men.” + </p> + <p> + Then Collective 0-0009 rose and pointed at our box. + </p> + <p> + “This thing,” they said, “must be destroyed.” + </p> + <p> + And all the others cried as one: + </p> + <p> + “It must be destroyed!” + </p> + <p> + Then we leapt to the table. + </p> + <p> + We seized our box, we shoved them aside, and we ran to the window. We + turned and we looked at them for the last time, and a rage, such as it is + not fit for humans to know, choked our voice in our throat. + </p> + <p> + “You fools!” we cried. “You fools! You thrice-damned fools!” + </p> + <p> + We swung our fist through the windowpane, and we leapt out in a ringing + rain of glass. + </p> + <p> + We fell, but we never let the box fall from our hands. Then we ran. We ran + blindly, and men and houses streaked past us in a torrent without shape. + And the road seemed not to be flat before us, but as if it were leaping up + to meet us, and we waited for the earth to rise and strike us in the face. + But we ran. We knew not where we were going. We knew only that we must + run, run to the end of the world, to the end of our days. + </p> + <p> + Then we knew suddenly that we were lying on a soft earth and that we had + stopped. Trees taller than we had ever seen before stood over us in great + silence. Then we knew. We were in the Uncharted Forest. We had not thought + of coming here, but our legs had carried our wisdom, and our legs had + brought us to the Uncharted Forest against our will. + </p> + <p> + Our glass box lay beside us. We crawled to it, we fell upon it, our face + in our arms, and we lay still. + </p> + <p> + We lay thus for a long time. Then we rose, we took our box and walked on + into the forest. + </p> + <p> + It mattered not where we went. We knew that men would not follow us, for + they never enter the Uncharted Forest. We had nothing to fear from them. + The forest disposes of its own victims. This gave us no fear either. Only + we wished to be away, away from the City and from the air that touches + upon the air of the City. So we walked on, our box in our arms, our heart + empty. + </p> + <p> + We are doomed. Whatever days are left to us, we shall spend them alone. + And we have heard of the corruption to be found in solitude. We have torn + ourselves from the truth which is our brother men, and there is no road + back for us, and no redemption. + </p> + <p> + We know these things, but we do not care. We care for nothing on earth. We + are tired. + </p> + <p> + Only the glass box in our arms is like a living heart that gives us + strength. We have lied to ourselves. We have not built this box for the + good of our brothers. We built it for its own sake. It is above all our + brothers to us, and its truth above their truth. Why wonder about this? We + have not many days to live. We are walking to the fangs awaiting us + somewhere among the great, silent trees. There is not a thing behind us to + regret. + </p> + <p> + Then a blow of pain struck us, our first and our only. We thought of the + Golden One. We thought of the Golden One whom we shall never see again. + Then the pain passed. It is best. We are one of the Damned. It is best if + the Golden One forget our name and the body which bore that name. + </p> + + </div><!--end chapter--> + + <div class="chapter"> + + <h2><a name="link2H_PART8" id="link2H_PART8"></a> + PART EIGHT + </h2> + <p> + It has been a day of wonder, this, our first day in the forest. + </p> + <p> + We awoke when a ray of sunlight fell across our face. We wanted to leap to + our feet, as we have had to leap every morning of our life, but we + remembered suddenly that no bell had rung and that there was no bell to + ring anywhere. We lay on our back, we threw our arms out, and we looked up + at the sky. The leaves had edges of silver that trembled and rippled like + a river of green and fire flowing high above us. + </p> + <p> + We did not wish to move. We thought suddenly that we could lie thus as + long as we wished, and we laughed aloud at the thought. We could also + rise, or run, or leap, or fall down again. We were thinking that these + were thoughts without sense, but before we knew it our body had risen in + one leap. Our arms stretched out of their own will, and our body whirled + and whirled, till it raised a wind to rustle through the leaves of the + bushes. Then our hands seized a branch and swung us high into a tree, with + no aim save the wonder of learning the strength of our body. The branch + snapped under us and we fell upon the moss that was soft as a cushion. + Then our body, losing all sense, rolled over and over on the moss, dry + leaves in our tunic, in our hair, in our face. And we heard suddenly that + we were laughing, laughing aloud, laughing as if there were no power left + in us save laughter. + </p> + <p> + Then we took our glass box, and we went on into the forest. We went on, + cutting through the branches, and it was as if we were swimming through a + sea of leaves, with the bushes as waves rising and falling and rising + around us, and flinging their green sprays high to the treetops. The trees + parted before us, calling us forward. The forest seemed to welcome us. We + went on, without thought, without care, with nothing to feel save the song + of our body. + </p> + <p> + We stopped when we felt hunger. We saw birds in the tree branches, and + flying from under our footsteps. We picked a stone and we sent it as an + arrow at a bird. It fell before us. We made a fire, we cooked the bird, + and we ate it, and no meal had ever tasted better to us. And we thought + suddenly that there was a great satisfaction to be found in the food which + we need and obtain by our own hand. And we wished to be hungry again and + soon, that we might know again this strange new pride in eating. + </p> + <p> + Then we walked on. And we came to a stream which lay as a streak of glass + among the trees. It lay so still that we saw no water but only a cut in + the earth, in which the trees grew down, upturned, and the sky lay at the + bottom. We knelt by the stream and we bent down to drink. And then we + stopped. For, upon the blue of the sky below us, we saw our own face for + the first time. + </p> + <p> + We sat still and we held our breath. For our face and our body were + beautiful. Our face was not like the faces of our brothers, for we felt + not pity when looking upon it. Our body was not like the bodies of our + brothers, for our limbs were straight and thin and hard and strong. And we + thought that we could trust this being who looked upon us from the stream, + and that we had nothing to fear with this being. + </p> + <p> + We walked on till the sun had set. When the shadows gathered among the + trees, we stopped in a hollow between the roots, where we shall sleep + tonight. And suddenly, for the first time this day, we remembered that we + are the Damned. We remembered it, and we laughed. + </p> + <p> + We are writing this on the paper we had hidden in our tunic together with + the written pages we had brought for the World Council of Scholars, but + never given to them. We have much to speak of to ourselves, and we hope we + shall find the words for it in the days to come. Now, we cannot speak, for + we cannot understand. + </p> + + </div><!--end chapter--> + + <div class="chapter"> + + <h2><a name="link2H_PART9" id="link2H_PART9"></a> + PART NINE + </h2> + <p> + We have not written for many days. We did not wish to speak. For we needed + no words to remember that which has happened to us. + </p> + <p> + It was on our second day in the forest that we heard steps behind us. We + hid in the bushes, and we waited. The steps came closer. And then we saw + the fold of a white tunic among the trees, and a gleam of gold. + </p> + <p> + We leapt forward, we ran to them, and we stood looking upon the Golden + One. + </p> + <p> + They saw us, and their hands closed into fists, and the fists pulled their + arms down, as if they wished their arms to hold them, while their body + swayed. And they could not speak. + </p> + <p> + We dared not come too close to them. We asked, and our voice trembled: + </p> + <p> + “How did you come to be here, Golden One?” + </p> + <p> + But they whispered only: + </p> + <p> + “We have found you....” + </p> + <p> + “How did you come to be in the forest?” we asked. + </p> + <p> + They raised their head, and there was a great pride in their voice; they + answered: + </p> + <p> + “We have followed you.” + </p> + <p> + Then we could not speak, and they said: + </p> + <p> + “We heard that you had gone to the Uncharted Forest, for the whole City is + speaking of it. So on the night of the day when we heard it, we ran away + from the Home of the Peasants. We found the marks of your feet across the + plain where no men walk. So we followed them, and we went into the forest, + and we followed the path where the branches were broken by your body.” + </p> + <p> + Their white tunic was torn, and the branches had cut the skin of their + arms, but they spoke as if they had never taken notice of it, nor of + weariness, nor of fear. + </p> + <p> + “We have followed you,” they said, “and we shall follow you wherever you + go. If danger threatens you, we shall face it also. If it be death, we + shall die with you. You are damned, and we wish to share your damnation.” + </p> + <p> + They looked upon us, and their voice was low, but there was bitterness and + triumph in their voice. + </p> + <p> + “Your eyes are as a flame, but our brothers have neither hope nor fire. + Your mouth is cut of granite, but our brothers are soft and humble. Your + head is high, but our brothers cringe. You walk, but our brothers crawl. + We wish to be damned with you, rather than blessed with all our brothers. + Do as you please with us, but do not send us away from you.” + </p> + <p> + Then they knelt, and bowed their golden head before us. + </p> + <p> + We had never thought of that which we did. We bent to raise the Golden One + to their feet, but when we touched them, it was as if madness had stricken + us. We seized their body and we pressed our lips to theirs. The Golden One + breathed once, and their breath was a moan, and then their arms closed + around us. + </p> + <p> + We stood together for a long time. And we were frightened that we had + lived for twenty-one years and had never known what joy is possible to + men. + </p> + <p> + Then we said: + </p> + <p> + “Our dearest one. Fear nothing of the forest. There is no danger in + solitude. We have no need of our brothers. Let us forget their good and + our evil, let us forget all things save that we are together and that + there is joy as a bond between us. Give us your hand. Look ahead. It is + our own world, Golden One, a strange, unknown world, but our own.” + </p> + <p> + Then we walked on into the forest, their hand in ours. + </p> + <p> + And that night we knew that to hold the body of women in our arms is + neither ugly nor shameful, but the one ecstasy granted to the race of men. + </p> + <p> + We have walked for many days. The forest has no end, and we seek no end. + But each day added to the chain of days between us and the City is like an + added blessing. + </p> + <p> + We have made a bow and many arrows. We can kill more birds than we need + for our food; we find water and fruit in the forest. At night, we choose a + clearing, and we build a ring of fires around it. We sleep in the midst of + that ring, and the beasts dare not attack us. We can see their eyes, green + and yellow as coals, watching us from the tree branches beyond. The fires + smoulder as a crown of jewels around us, and smoke stands still in the + air, in columns made blue by the moonlight. We sleep together in the midst + of the ring, the arms of the Golden One around us, their head upon our + breast. + </p> + <p> + Some day, we shall stop and build a house, when we shall have gone far + enough. But we do not have to hasten. The days before us are without end, + like the forest. + </p> + <p> + We cannot understand this new life which we have found, yet it seems so + clear and so simple. When questions come to puzzle us, we walk faster, + then turn and forget all things as we watch the Golden One following. The + shadows of leaves fall upon their arms, as they spread the branches apart, + but their shoulders are in the sun. The skin of their arms is like a blue + mist, but their shoulders are white and glowing, as if the light fell not + from above, but rose from under their skin. We watch the leaf which has + fallen upon their shoulder, and it lies at the curve of their neck, and a + drop of dew glistens upon it like a jewel. They approach us, and they + stop, laughing, knowing what we think, and they wait obediently, without + questions, till it pleases us to turn and go on. + </p> + <p> + We go on and we bless the earth under our feet. But questions come to us + again, as we walk in silence. If that which we have found is the + corruption of solitude, then what can men wish for save corruption? If + this is the great evil of being alone, then what is good and what is evil? + </p> + <p> + Everything which comes from the many is good. Everything which comes from + one is evil. This have we been taught with our first breath. We have + broken the law, but we have never doubted it. Yet now, as we walk through + the forest, we are learning to doubt. + </p> + <p> + There is no life for men, save in useful toil for the good of all their + brothers. But we lived not, when we toiled for our brothers, we were only + weary. There is no joy for men, save the joy shared with all their + brothers. But the only things which taught us joy were the power we + created in our wires, and the Golden One. And both these joys belong to us + alone, they come from us alone, they bear no relation to all our brothers, + and they do not concern our brothers in any way. Thus do we wonder. + </p> + <p> + There is some error, one frightful error, in the thinking of men. What is + that error? We do not know, but the knowledge struggles within us, + struggles to be born. Today, the Golden One stopped suddenly and said: + </p> + <p> + “We love you.” + </p> + <p> + But they frowned and shook their head and looked at us helplessly. + </p> + <p> + “No,” they whispered, “that is not what we wished to say.” + </p> + <p> + They were silent, then they spoke slowly, and their words were halting, + like the words of a child learning to speak for the first time: + </p> + <p> + “We are one... alone... and only... and we love you who are one... + alone... and only.” + </p> + <p> + We looked into each other’s eyes and we knew that the breath of a miracle + had touched us, and fled, and left us groping vainly. + </p> + <p> + And we felt torn, torn for some word we could not find. + </p> + + </div><!--end chapter--> + + <div class="chapter"> + + <h2><a name="link2H_PART10" id="link2H_PART10"></a> + PART TEN + </h2> + <p> + We are sitting at a table and we are writing this upon paper made + thousands of years ago. The light is dim, and we cannot see the Golden + One, only one lock of gold on the pillow of an ancient bed. This is our + home. + </p> + <p> + We came upon it today, at sunrise. For many days we had been crossing a + chain of mountains. The forest rose among cliffs, and whenever we walked + out upon a barren stretch of rock we saw great peaks before us in the + west, and to the north of us, and to the south, as far as our eyes could + see. The peaks were red and brown, with the green streaks of forests as + veins upon them, with blue mists as veils over their heads. We had never + heard of these mountains, nor seen them marked on any map. The Uncharted + Forest has protected them from the Cities and from the men of the Cities. + </p> + <p> + We climbed paths where the wild goat dared not follow. Stones rolled from + under our feet, and we heard them striking the rocks below, farther and + farther down, and the mountains rang with each stroke, and long after the + strokes had died. But we went on, for we knew that no men would ever + follow our track nor reach us here. + </p> + <p> + Then today, at sunrise, we saw a white flame among the trees, high on a + sheer peak before us. We thought that it was a fire and stopped. But the + flame was unmoving, yet blinding as liquid metal. So we climbed toward it + through the rocks. And there, before us, on a broad summit, with the + mountains rising behind it, stood a house such as we had never seen, and + the white fire came from the sun on the glass of its windows. + </p> + <p> + The house had two stories and a strange roof flat as a floor. There was + more window than wall upon its walls, and the windows went on straight + around the corners, though how this kept the house standing we could not + guess. The walls were hard and smooth, of that stone unlike stone which we + had seen in our tunnel. + </p> + <p> + We both knew it without words: this house was left from the Unmentionable + Times. The trees had protected it from time and weather, and from men who + have less pity than time and weather. We turned to the Golden One and we + asked: + </p> + <p> + “Are you afraid?” + </p> + <p> + But they shook their head. So we walked to the door, and we threw it open, + and we stepped together into the house of the Unmentionable Times. + </p> + <p> + We shall need the days and the years ahead, to look, to learn, and to + understand the things of this house. Today, we could only look and try to + believe the sight of our eyes. We pulled the heavy curtains from the + windows and we saw that the rooms were small, and we thought that not more + than twelve men could have lived here. We thought it strange that men had + been permitted to build a house for only twelve. + </p> + <p> + Never had we seen rooms so full of light. The sunrays danced upon colors, + colors, more colors than we thought possible, we who had seen no houses + save the white ones, the brown ones and the grey. There were great pieces + of glass on the walls, but it was not glass, for when we looked upon it we + saw our own bodies and all the things behind us, as on the face of a lake. + There were strange things which we had never seen and the use of which we + do not know. And there were globes of glass everywhere, in each room, the + globes with the metal cobwebs inside, such as we had seen in our tunnel. + </p> + <p> + We found the sleeping hall and we stood in awe upon its threshold. For it + was a small room and there were only two beds in it. We found no other + beds in the house, and then we knew that only two had lived here, and this + passes understanding. What kind of world did they have, the men of the + Unmentionable Times? + </p> + <p> + We found garments, and the Golden One gasped at the sight of them. For + they were not white tunics, nor white togas; they were of all colors, no + two of them alike. Some crumbled to dust as we touched them. But others + were of heavier cloth, and they felt soft and new in our fingers. + </p> + <p> + We found a room with walls made of shelves, which held rows of + manuscripts, from the floor to the ceiling. Never had we seen such a + number of them, nor of such strange shape. They were not soft and rolled, + they had hard shells of cloth and leather; and the letters on their pages + were so small and so even that we wondered at the men who had such + handwriting. We glanced through the pages, and we saw that they were + written in our language, but we found many words which we could not + understand. Tomorrow, we shall begin to read these scripts. + </p> + <p> + When we had seen all the rooms of the house, we looked at the Golden One + and we both knew the thought in our minds. + </p> + <p> + “We shall never leave this house,” we said, “nor let it be taken from us. + This is our home and the end of our journey. This is your house, Golden + One, and ours, and it belongs to no other men whatever as far as the earth + may stretch. We shall not share it with others, as we share not our joy + with them, nor our love, nor our hunger. So be it to the end of our days.” + </p> + <p> + “Your will be done,” they said. + </p> + <p> + Then we went out to gather wood for the great hearth of our home. We + brought water from the stream which runs among the trees under our + windows. We killed a mountain goat, and we brought its flesh to be cooked + in a strange copper pot we found in a place of wonders, which must have + been the cooking room of the house. + </p> + <p> + We did this work alone, for no words of ours could take the Golden One + away from the big glass which is not glass. They stood before it and they + looked and looked upon their own body. + </p> + <p> + When the sun sank beyond the mountains, the Golden One fell asleep on the + floor, amidst jewels, and bottles of crystal, and flowers of silk. We + lifted the Golden One in our arms and we carried them to a bed, their head + falling softly upon our shoulder. Then we lit a candle, and we brought + paper from the room of the manuscripts, and we sat by the window, for we + knew that we could not sleep tonight. + </p> + <p> + And now we look upon the earth and sky. This spread of naked rock and + peaks and moonlight is like a world ready to be born, a world that waits. + It seems to us it asks a sign from us, a spark, a first commandment. We + cannot know what word we are to give, nor what great deed this earth + expects to witness. We know it waits. It seems to say it has great gifts + to lay before us, but it wishes a greater gift for us. We are to speak. We + are to give its goal, its highest meaning to all this glowing space of + rock and sky. + </p> + <p> + We look ahead, we beg our heart for guidance in answering this call no + voice has spoken, yet we have heard. We look upon our hands. We see the + dust of centuries, the dust which hid the great secrets and perhaps great + evils. And yet it stirs no fear within our heart, but only silent + reverence and pity. + </p> + <p> + May knowledge come to us! What is the secret our heart has understood and + yet will not reveal to us, although it seems to beat as if it were + endeavoring to tell it? + </p> + + </div><!--end chapter--> + + <div class="chapter"> + + <h2><a name="link2H_PART11" id="link2H_PART11"></a> + PART ELEVEN + </h2> + <p> + I am. I think. I will. + </p> + <p> + My hands... My spirit... My sky... My forest... This earth of mine.... + What must I say besides? These are the words. This is the answer. + </p> + <p> + I stand here on the summit of the mountain. I lift my head and I spread my + arms. This, my body and spirit, this is the end of the quest. I wished to + know the meaning of things. I am the meaning. I wished to find a warrant + for being. I need no warrant for being, and no word of sanction upon my + being. I am the warrant and the sanction. + </p> + <p> + It is my eyes which see, and the sight of my eyes grants beauty to the + earth. It is my ears which hear, and the hearing of my ears gives its song + to the world. It is my mind which thinks, and the judgement of my mind is + the only searchlight that can find the truth. It is my will which chooses, + and the choice of my will is the only edict I must respect. + </p> + <p> + Many words have been granted me, and some are wise, and some are false, + but only three are holy: “I will it!” + </p> + <p> + Whatever road I take, the guiding star is within me; the guiding star and + the loadstone which point the way. They point in but one direction. They + point to me. + </p> + <p> + I know not if this earth on which I stand is the core of the universe or + if it is but a speck of dust lost in eternity. I know not and I care not. + For I know what happiness is possible to me on earth. And my happiness + needs no higher aim to vindicate it. My happiness is not the means to any + end. It is the end. It is its own goal. It is its own purpose. + </p> + <p> + Neither am I the means to any end others may wish to accomplish. I am not + a tool for their use. I am not a servant of their needs. I am not a + bandage for their wounds. I am not a sacrifice on their altars. + </p> + <p> + I am a man. This miracle of me is mine to own and keep, and mine to guard, + and mine to use, and mine to kneel before! + </p> + <p> + I do not surrender my treasures, nor do I share them. The fortune of my + spirit is not to be blown into coins of brass and flung to the winds as + alms for the poor of the spirit. I guard my treasures: my thought, my + will, my freedom. And the greatest of these is freedom. + </p> + <p> + I owe nothing to my brothers, nor do I gather debts from them. I ask none + to live for me, nor do I live for any others. I covet no man’s soul, nor + is my soul theirs to covet. + </p> + <p> + I am neither foe nor friend to my brothers, but such as each of them shall + deserve of me. And to earn my love, my brothers must do more than to have + been born. I do not grant my love without reason, nor to any chance + passer-by who may wish to claim it. I honor men with my love. But honor is + a thing to be earned. + </p> + <p> + I shall choose friends among men, but neither slaves nor masters. And I + shall choose only such as please me, and them I shall love and respect, + but neither command nor obey. And we shall join our hands when we wish, or + walk alone when we so desire. For in the temple of his spirit, each man is + alone. Let each man keep his temple untouched and undefiled. Then let him + join hands with others if he wishes, but only beyond his holy threshold. + </p> + <p> + For the word “We” must never be spoken, save by one’s choice and as a + second thought. This word must never be placed first within man’s soul, + else it becomes a monster, the root of all the evils on earth, the root of + man’s torture by men, and of an unspeakable lie. + </p> + <p> + The word “We” is as lime poured over men, which sets and hardens to stone, + and crushes all beneath it, and that which is white and that which is + black are lost equally in the grey of it. It is the word by which the + depraved steal the virtue of the good, by which the weak steal the might + of the strong, by which the fools steal the wisdom of the sages. + </p> + <p> + What is my joy if all hands, even the unclean, can reach into it? What is + my wisdom, if even the fools can dictate to me? What is my freedom, if all + creatures, even the botched and the impotent, are my masters? What is my + life, if I am but to bow, to agree and to obey? + </p> + <p> + But I am done with this creed of corruption. + </p> + <p> + I am done with the monster of “We,” the word of serfdom, of plunder, of + misery, falsehood and shame. + </p> + <p> + And now I see the face of god, and I raise this god over the earth, this + god whom men have sought since men came into being, this god who will + grant them joy and peace and pride. + </p> + <p> + This god, this one word: + </p> + <p> + “I.” + </p> + + </div><!--end chapter--> + + <div class="chapter"> + + <h2><a name="link2H_PART12" id="link2H_PART12"></a> + PART TWELVE + </h2> + <p> + It was when I read the first of the books I found in my house that I saw + the word “I.” And when I understood this word, the book fell from my + hands, and I wept, I who had never known tears. I wept in deliverance and + in pity for all mankind. + </p> + <p> + I understood the blessed thing which I had called my curse. I understood + why the best in me had been my sins and my transgressions; and why I had + never felt guilt in my sins. I understood that centuries of chains and + lashes will not kill the spirit of man nor the sense of truth within him. + </p> + <p> + I read many books for many days. Then I called the Golden One, and I told + her what I had read and what I had learned. She looked at me and the first + words she spoke were: + </p> + <p> + “I love you.” + </p> + <p> + Then I said: + </p> + <p> + “My dearest one, it is not proper for men to be without names. There was a + time when each man had a name of his own to distinguish him from all other + men. So let us choose our names. I have read of a man who lived many + thousands of years ago, and of all the names in these books, his is the + one I wish to bear. He took the light of the gods and he brought it to + men, and he taught men to be gods. And he suffered for his deed as all + bearers of light must suffer. His name was Prometheus.” + </p> + <p> + “It shall be your name,” said the Golden One. + </p> + <p> + “And I have read of a goddess,” I said, “who was the mother of the earth + and of all the gods. Her name was Gaea. Let this be your name, my Golden + One, for you are to be the mother of a new kind of gods.” + </p> + <p> + “It shall be my name,” said the Golden One. + </p> + <p> + Now I look ahead. My future is clear before me. The Saint of the pyre had + seen the future when he chose me as his heir, as the heir of all the + saints and all the martyrs who came before him and who died for the same + cause, for the same word, no matter what name they gave to their cause and + their truth. + </p> + <p> + I shall live here, in my own house. I shall take my food from the earth by + the toil of my own hands. I shall learn many secrets from my books. + Through the years ahead, I shall rebuild the achievements of the past, and + open the way to carry them further, the achievements which are open to me, + but closed forever to my brothers, for their minds are shackled to the + weakest and dullest ones among them. + </p> + <p> + I have learned that my power of the sky was known to men long ago; they + called it Electricity. It was the power that moved their greatest + inventions. It lit this house with light which came from those globes of + glass on the walls. I have found the engine which produced this light. I + shall learn how to repair it and how to make it work again. I shall learn + how to use the wires which carry this power. Then I shall build a barrier + of wires around my home, and across the paths which lead to my home; a + barrier light as a cobweb, more impassable than a wall of granite; a + barrier my brothers will never be able to cross. For they have nothing to + fight me with, save the brute force of their numbers. I have my mind. + </p> + <p> + Then here, on this mountaintop, with the world below me and nothing above + me but the sun, I shall live my own truth. Gaea is pregnant with my child. + Our son will be raised as a man. He will be taught to say “I” and to bear + the pride of it. He will be taught to walk straight and on his own feet. + He will be taught reverence for his own spirit. + </p> + <p> + When I shall have read all the books and learned my new way, when my home + will be ready and my earth tilled, I shall steal one day, for the last + time, into the cursed City of my birth. I shall call to me my friend who + has no name save International 4-8818, and all those like him, Fraternity + 2-5503, who cries without reason, and Solidarity 9-6347 who calls for help + in the night, and a few others. I shall call to me all the men and the + women whose spirit has not been killed within them and who suffer under + the yoke of their brothers. They will follow me and I shall lead them to + my fortress. And here, in this uncharted wilderness, I and they, my chosen + friends, my fellow-builders, shall write the first chapter in the new + history of man. + </p> + <p> + These are the things before me. And as I stand here at the door of glory, + I look behind me for the last time. I look upon the history of men, which + I have learned from the books, and I wonder. It was a long story, and the + spirit which moved it was the spirit of man’s freedom. But what is + freedom? Freedom from what? There is nothing to take a man’s freedom away + from him, save other men. To be free, a man must be free of his brothers. + That is freedom. That and nothing else. + </p> + <p> + At first, man was enslaved by the gods. But he broke their chains. Then he + was enslaved by the kings. But he broke their chains. He was enslaved by + his birth, by his kin, by his race. But he broke their chains. He declared + to all his brothers that a man has rights which neither god nor king nor + other men can take away from him, no matter what their number, for his is + the right of man, and there is no right on earth above this right. And he + stood on the threshold of the freedom for which the blood of the centuries + behind him had been spilled. + </p> + <p> + But then he gave up all he had won, and fell lower than his savage + beginning. + </p> + <p> + What brought it to pass? What disaster took their reason away from men? + What whip lashed them to their knees in shame and submission? The worship + of the word “We.” + </p> + <p> + When men accepted that worship, the structure of centuries collapsed about + them, the structure whose every beam had come from the thought of some one + man, each in his day down the ages, from the depth of some one spirit, + such spirit as existed but for its own sake. Those men who survived those + eager to obey, eager to live for one another, since they had nothing else + to vindicate them—those men could neither carry on, nor preserve + what they had received. Thus did all thought, all science, all wisdom + perish on earth. Thus did men—men with nothing to offer save their + great number—lost the steel towers, the flying ships, the power + wires, all the things they had not created and could never keep. Perhaps, + later, some men had been born with the mind and the courage to recover + these things which were lost; perhaps these men came before the Councils + of Scholars. They were answered as I have been answered—and for the + same reasons. + </p> + <p> + But I still wonder how it was possible, in those graceless years of + transition, long ago, that men did not see whither they were going, and + went on, in blindness and cowardice, to their fate. I wonder, for it is + hard for me to conceive how men who knew the word “I” could give it up and + not know what they lost. But such has been the story, for I have lived in + the City of the damned, and I know what horror men permitted to be brought + upon them. + </p> + <p> + Perhaps, in those days, there were a few among men, a few of clear sight + and clean soul, who refused to surrender that word. What agony must have + been theirs before that which they saw coming and could not stop! Perhaps + they cried out in protest and in warning. But men paid no heed to their + warning. And they, these few, fought a hopeless battle, and they perished + with their banners smeared by their own blood. And they chose to perish, + for they knew. To them, I send my salute across the centuries, and my + pity. + </p> + <p> + Theirs is the banner in my hand. And I wish I had the power to tell them + that the despair of their hearts was not to be final, and their night was + not without hope. For the battle they lost can never be lost. For that + which they died to save can never perish. Through all the darkness, + through all the shame of which men are capable, the spirit of man will + remain alive on this earth. It may sleep, but it will awaken. It may wear + chains, but it will break through. And man will go on. Man, not men. + </p> + <p> + Here on this mountain, I and my sons and my chosen friends shall build our + new land and our fort. And it will become as the heart of the earth, lost + and hidden at first, but beating, beating louder each day. And word of it + will reach every corner of the earth. And the roads of the world will + become as veins which will carry the best of the world’s blood to my + threshold. And all my brothers, and the Councils of my brothers, will hear + of it, but they will be impotent against me. And the day will come when I + shall break all the chains of the earth, and raze the cities of the + enslaved, and my home will become the capital of a world where each man + will be free to exist for his own sake. + </p> + <p> + For the coming of that day shall I fight, I and my sons and my chosen + friends. For the freedom of Man. For his rights. For his life. For his + honor. + </p> + <p> + And here, over the portals of my fort, I shall cut in the stone the word + which is to be my beacon and my banner. The word which will not die, + should we all perish in battle. The word which can never die on this + earth, for it is the heart of it and the meaning and the glory. + </p> + <p> + The sacred word: + </p> + <p> + EGO + </p> + + </div><!--end chapter--> + +<div style='display:block;margin-top:4em'>*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ANTHEM ***</div> +<div style='display:block;margin:1em 0;'>This file should be named 1250-h.htm or 1250-h.zip</div> +<div style='display:block;margin:1em 0;'>This and all associated files of various formats will be found in https://www.gutenberg.org/1/2/5/1250/</div> +<div style='display:block;margin:1em 0'> +Updated editions will replace the previous one—the old editions will +be renamed. +</div> + +<div style='display:block;margin:1em 0'> +Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright +law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, +so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United +States without permission and without paying copyright +royalties. 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It is as if we were +speaking alone to no ears but our own. +And we know well that there is no transgression +blacker than to do or think alone. +We have broken the laws. The laws say +that men may not write unless the Council +of Vocations bid them so. May we be forgiven! + +But this is not the only sin upon us. +We have committed a greater crime, and for +this crime there is no name. What punishment +awaits us if it be discovered we know not, +for no such crime has come in the memory +of men and there are no laws to provide for it. + +It is dark here. The flame of the candle +stands still in the air. Nothing moves in +this tunnel save our hand on the paper. We are +alone here under the earth. It is a fearful +word, alone. The laws say that none among +men may be alone, ever and at any time, +for this is the great transgression and the root +of all evil. But we have broken many laws. +And now there is nothing here save our one body, +and it is strange to see only two legs +stretched on the ground, and on the wall +before us the shadow of our one head. + +The walls are cracked and water runs +upon them in thin threads without sound, +black and glistening as blood. We stole the +candle from the larder of the Home of the +Street Sweepers. We shall be sentenced to +ten years in the Palace of Corrective +Detention if it be discovered. But this matters not. +It matters only that the light is precious and +we should not waste it to write when we +need it for that work which is our crime. +Nothing matters save the work, our secret, +our evil, our precious work. Still, we must +also write, for--may the Council have +mercy upon us!--we wish to speak for once +to no ears but our own. + +Our name is Equality 7-2521, as it is +written on the iron bracelet which all men +wear on their left wrists with their names +upon it. We are twenty-one years old. We +are six feet tall, and this is a burden, for +there are not many men who are six feet tall. +Ever have the Teachers and the Leaders pointed +to us and frowned and said: + +"There is evil in your bones, Equality 7-2521, +for your body has grown beyond the bodies +of your brothers." But we cannot change +our bones nor our body. + +We were born with a curse. It has always +driven us to thoughts which are forbidden. +It has always given us wishes which men +may not wish. We know that we are evil, +but there is no will in us and no power +to resist it. This is our wonder and our +secret fear, that we know and do not resist. + +We strive to be like all our brother men, +for all men must be alike. Over the portals +of the Palace of the World Council, there +are words cut in the marble, which we +repeat to ourselves whenever we are tempted: + + + "WE ARE ONE IN ALL AND ALL IN ONE. + THERE ARE NO MEN BUT ONLY THE GREAT _WE_, + ONE, INDIVISIBLE AND FOREVER." + + +We repeat this to ourselves, but it helps us not. + +These words were cut long ago. There is +green mould in the grooves of the letters +and yellow streaks on the marble, which +come from more years than men could +count. And these words are the truth, +for they are written on the Palace of the +World Council, and the World Council is the +body of all truth. Thus has it been ever +since the Great Rebirth, and farther back +than that no memory can reach. + +But we must never speak of the times before +the Great Rebirth, else we are sentenced to +three years in the Palace of Corrective Detention. +It is only the Old Ones who whisper about it in +the evenings, in the Home of the Useless. +They whisper many strange things, of the towers +which rose to the sky, in those Unmentionable +Times, and of the wagons which moved +without horses, and of the lights which +burned without flame. But those times +were evil. And those times passed away, +when men saw the Great Truth which is this: +that all men are one and that there is no +will save the will of all men together. + +All men are good and wise. It is only we, +Equality 7-2521, we alone who were born +with a curse. For we are not like our brothers. +And as we look back upon our life, +we see that it has ever been thus and that +it has brought us step by step to our last, +supreme transgression, our crime of crimes +hidden here under the ground. + +We remember the Home of the Infants +where we lived till we were five years old, +together with all the children of the City +who had been born in the same year. +The sleeping halls there were white and clean +and bare of all things save one hundred beds. +We were just like all our brothers +then, save for the one transgression: +we fought with our brothers. There are few +offenses blacker than to fight with our +brothers, at any age and for any cause +whatsoever. The Council of the Home told +us so, and of all the children of that year, +we were locked in the cellar most often. + +When we were five years old, we were +sent to the Home of the Students, where +there are ten wards, for our ten years of +learning. Men must learn till they reach +their fifteenth year. Then they go to work. +In the Home of the Students we arose when +the big bell rang in the tower and we went +to our beds when it rang again. Before we +removed our garments, we stood in the +great sleeping hall, and we raised our right +arms, and we said all together with the +three Teachers at the head: + +"We are nothing. Mankind is all. By the grace +of our brothers are we allowed our lives. +We exist through, by and for our brothers +who are the State. Amen." + +Then we slept. The sleeping halls were white +and clean and bare of all things save one hundred beds. + +We, Equality 7-2521, were not happy in +those years in the Home of the Students. +It was not that the learning was too hard +for us. It was that the learning was too easy. +This is a great sin, to be born with a +head which is too quick. It is not good +to be different from our brothers, but it +is evil to be superior to them. The Teachers +told us so, and they frowned when they looked upon us. + +So we fought against this curse. We tried +to forget our lessons, but we always remembered. +We tried not to understand what the Teachers taught, +but we always understood it before the Teachers +had spoken. We looked upon Union 5-3992, +who were a pale boy with only half a brain, +and we tried to say and do as they did, +that we might be like them, like Union 5-3992, +but somehow the Teachers knew that we were not. +And we were lashed more often than all the other children. + +The Teachers were just, for they had +been appointed by the Councils, and the +Councils are the voice of all justice, +for they are the voice of all men. And if +sometimes, in the secret darkness of our heart, +we regret that which befell us on our +fifteenth birthday, we know that it was +through our own guilt. We had broken +a law, for we had not paid heed to the +words of our Teachers. The Teachers +had said to us all: + +"Dare not choose in your minds the +work you would like to do when you leave +the Home of the Students. You shall do +that which the Council of Vocations shall +prescribe for you. For the Council of +Vocations knows in its great wisdom where +you are needed by your brother men, better +than you can know it in your unworthy +little minds. And if you are not needed by +your brother man, there is no reason for +you to burden the earth with your bodies." + +We knew this well, in the years of our +childhood, but our curse broke our will. +We were guilty and we confess it here: +we were guilty of the great Transgression +of Preference. We preferred some work +and some lessons to the others. We did not +listen well to the history of all the +Councils elected since the Great Rebirth. +But we loved the Science of Things. We wished +to know. We wished to know about all the +things which make the earth around us. +We asked so many questions that +the Teachers forbade it. + +We think that there are mysteries in the +sky and under the water and in the plants +which grow. But the Council of Scholars +has said that there are no mysteries, +and the Council of Scholars knows all things. +And we learned much from our Teachers. +We learned that the earth is flat and that +the sun revolves around it, which causes the +day and the night. We learned the names +of all the winds which blow over the seas +and push the sails of our great ships. +We learned how to bleed men to cure them +of all ailments. + +We loved the Science of Things. And in +the darkness, in the secret hour, when we +awoke in the night and there were no +brothers around us, but only their shapes +in the beds and their snores, we closed our +eyes, and we held our lips shut, and we +stopped our breath, that no shudder might +let our brothers see or hear or guess, +and we thought that we wished to be sent +to the Home of the Scholars when our time +would come. + +All the great modern inventions come +from the Home of the Scholars, such as +the newest one, which was found only a +hundred years ago, of how to make candles +from wax and string; also, how to make glass, +which is put in our windows to protect +us from the rain. To find these things, +the Scholars must study the earth and learn +from the rivers, from the sands, from the +winds and the rocks. And if we went to the +Home of the Scholars, we could learn from +these also. We could ask questions of these, +for they do not forbid questions. + +And questions give us no rest. We know not +why our curse makes us seek we know not what, +ever and ever. But we cannot resist it. +It whispers to us that there are great things +on this earth of ours, and that we can know them +if we try, and that we must know them. We ask, +why must we know, but it has no answer to give us. +We must know that we may know. + +So we wished to be sent to the Home of +the Scholars. We wished it so much that +our hands trembled under the blankets in +the night, and we bit our arm to stop that +other pain which we could not endure. +It was evil and we dared not face our brothers +in the morning. For men may wish nothing +for themselves. And we were punished +when the Council of Vocations came to +give us our life Mandates which tell those +who reach their fifteenth year what their +work is to be for the rest of their days. + +The Council of Vocations came on the first day +of spring, and they sat in the great hall. +And we who were fifteen and all the +Teachers came into the great hall. +And the Council of Vocations sat on a high dais, +and they had but two words to speak to each +of the Students. They called the Students' names, +and when the Students stepped before them, +one after another, the Council said: +"Carpenter" or "Doctor" or "Cook" or "Leader." +Then each Student raised their right arm and said: +"The will of our brothers be done." + +Now if the Council has said "Carpenter" or "Cook," +the Students so assigned go to work and they do not +study any further. But if the Council has said "Leader," +then those Students go into the Home of the Leaders, +which is the greatest house in the City, for it has +three stories. And there they study for many years, +so that they may become candidates and be elected +to the City Council and the State Council and +the World Council--by a free and general vote +of all men. But we wished not to be a Leader, +even though it is a great honor. We wished to be a Scholar. + +So we awaited our turn in the great hall +and then we heard the Council of Vocations +call our name: "Equality 7-2521." We walked +to the dais, and our legs did not tremble, +and we looked up at the Council. There were +five members of the Council, three of +the male gender and two of the female. +Their hair was white and their faces were +cracked as the clay of a dry river bed. +They were old. They seemed older than +the marble of the Temple of the World Council. +They sat before us and they did not move. +And we saw no breath to stir the folds +of their white togas. But we knew that +they were alive, for a finger of the hand +of the oldest rose, pointed to us, and fell down again. +This was the only thing which moved, for the lips of +the oldest did not move as they said: "Street Sweeper." + +We felt the cords of our neck grow tight +as our head rose higher to look upon the +faces of the Council, and we were happy. +We knew we had been guilty, but now we +had a way to atone for it. We would accept +our Life Mandate, and we would work for +our brothers, gladly and willingly, +and we would erase our sin against them, +which they did not know, but we knew. +So we were happy, and proud of ourselves +and of our victory over ourselves. +We raised our right arm and we spoke, +and our voice was the clearest, the steadiest +voice in the hall that day, and we said: + +"The will of our brothers be done." + +And we looked straight into the eyes of the Council, +but their eyes were as cold blue glass buttons. + +So we went into the Home of the Street Sweepers. +It is a grey house on a narrow street. +There is a sundial in its courtyard, +by which the Council of the Home can +tell the hours of the day and when to ring +the bell. When the bell rings, we all arise +from our beds. The sky is green and cold +in our windows to the east. The shadow on +the sundial marks off a half-hour while we +dress and eat our breakfast in the dining hall, +where there are five long tables with +twenty clay plates and twenty clay cups +on each table. Then we go to work in the +streets of the City, with our brooms and our +rakes. In five hours, when the sun is high, +we return to the Home and we eat our midday meal, +for which one-half hour is allowed. Then we go +to work again. In five hours, the shadows +are blue on the pavements, and the sky is blue +with a deep brightness which is not bright. +We come back to have our dinner, which lasts +one hour. Then the bell rings and we walk in +a straight column to one of the City Halls, +for the Social Meeting. Other columns of +men arrive from the Homes of the different +Trades. The candles are lit, and the Councils +of the different Homes stand in a pulpit, +and they speak to us of our duties and +of our brother men. Then visiting Leaders +mount the pulpit and they read to us the +speeches which were made in the City +Council that day, for the City Council +represents all men and all men must know. +Then we sing hymns, the Hymn of Brotherhood, +and the Hymn of Equality, and the Hymn +of the Collective Spirit. The sky is +a soggy purple when we return to the Home. +Then the bell rings and we walk in a +straight column to the City Theatre +for three hours of Social Recreation. +There a play is shown upon the stage, +with two great choruses from the Home of +the Actors, which speak and answer all together, +in two great voices. The plays are about +toil and how good it is. Then we walk +back to the Home in a straight column. +The sky is like a black sieve pierced +by silver drops that tremble, ready to +burst through. The moths beat against +the street lanterns. We go to our beds +and we sleep, till the bell rings again. +The sleeping halls are white and clean and +bare of all things save one hundred beds. + +Thus have we lived each day of four +years, until two springs ago when our +crime happened. Thus must all men live +until they are forty. At forty, they are +worn out. At forty, they are sent to the +Home of the Useless, where the Old Ones +live. The Old Ones do not work, for the +State takes care of them. They sit in the +sun in summer and they sit by the fire in +winter. They do not speak often, for they +are weary. The Old Ones know that they +are soon to die. When a miracle happens +and some live to be forty-five, they are the +Ancient Ones, and the children stare at them +when passing by the Home of the Useless. +Such is to be our life, as that of all our +brothers and of the brothers who came before us. + +Such would have been our life, had we +not committed our crime which changed +all things for us. And it was our curse +which drove us to our crime. We had been +a good Street Sweeper and like all our +brother Street Sweepers, save for our +cursed wish to know. We looked too long +at the stars at night, and at the trees and +the earth. And when we cleaned the yard +of the Home of the Scholars, we gathered +the glass vials, the pieces of metal, the dried +bones which they had discarded. We wished +to keep these things and to study them, +but we had no place to hide them. +So we carried them to the City Cesspool. +And then we made the discovery. + +It was on a day of the spring before last. +We Street Sweepers work in brigades of +three, and we were with Union 5-3992, +they of the half-brain, and with International +4-8818. Now Union 5-3992 are a sickly lad +and sometimes they are stricken with +convulsions, when their mouth froths +and their eyes turn white. But International +4-8818 are different. They are a tall, +strong youth and their eyes are like fireflies, +for there is laughter in their eyes. We cannot +look upon International 4-8818 and not +smile in answer. For this they were not +liked in the Home of the Students, as it is +not proper to smile without reason. And +also they were not liked because they took +pieces of coal and they drew pictures upon +the walls, and they were pictures which +made men laugh. But it is only our brothers +in the Home of the Artists who are permitted +to draw pictures, so International 4-8818 +were sent to the Home of the Street +Sweepers, like ourselves. + +International 4-8818 and we are friends. +This is an evil thing to say, for it is a +transgression, the great Transgression of +Preference, to love any among men better +than the others, since we must love all men +and all men are our friends. So International +4-8818 and we have never spoken of it. +But we know. We know, when we look into +each other's eyes. And when we look thus +without words, we both know other things +also, strange things for which there are +no words, and these things frighten us. + +So on that day of the spring before last, +Union 5-3992 were stricken with convulsions +on the edge of the City, near the City +Theatre. We left them to lie in the shade +of the Theatre tent and we went with +International 4-8818 to finish our work. +We came together to the great ravine behind +the Theatre. It is empty save for trees and weeds. +Beyond the ravine there is a plain, and beyond +the plain there lies the Uncharted Forest, +about which men must not think. + +We were gathering the papers and the +rags which the wind had blown from the +Theatre, when we saw an iron bar among +the weeds. It was old and rusted by many +rains. We pulled with all our strength, but +we could not move it. So we called +International 4-8818, and together we scraped +the earth around the bar. Of a sudden the +earth fell in before us, and we saw an old +iron grill over a black hole. + +International 4-8818 stepped back. But +we pulled at the grill and it gave way. +And then we saw iron rings as steps leading +down a shaft into a darkness without bottom. + +"We shall go down," we said to International 4-8818. + +"It is forbidden," they answered. + +We said: "The Council does not know +of this hole, so it cannot be forbidden." + +And they answered: "Since the Council +does not know of this hole, there can +be no law permitting to enter it. +And everything which is not permitted by law +is forbidden." + +But we said: "We shall go, none the less." + +They were frightened, but they stood by +and watched us go. + +We hung on the iron rings with our hands and our feet. +We could see nothing below us. And above us +the hole open upon the sky grew smaller and smaller, +till it came to be the size of a button. But still we +went down. Then our foot touched the ground. +We rubbed our eyes, for we could not see. +Then our eyes became used to the darkness, +but we could not believe what we saw. + +No men known to us could have built +this place, nor the men known to our +brothers who lived before us, and yet it +was built by men. It was a great tunnel. +Its walls were hard and smooth to the +touch; it felt like stone, but it was not stone. +On the ground there were long thin tracks +of iron, but it was not iron; it felt smooth +and cold as glass. We knelt, and we crawled +forward, our hand groping along the iron +line to see where it would lead. But there +was an unbroken night ahead. Only the +iron tracks glowed through it, straight and +white, calling us to follow. But we could +not follow, for we were losing the puddle +of light behind us. So we turned and we +crawled back, our hand on the iron line. +And our heart beat in our fingertips, +without reason. And then we knew. + +We knew suddenly that this place was +left from the Unmentionable Times. So it +was true, and those Times had been, and +all the wonders of those Times. Hundreds +upon hundreds of years ago men knew +secrets which we have lost. And we thought: +"This is a foul place. They are damned +who touch the things of the Unmentionable Times." +But our hand which followed the track, as we crawled, +clung to the iron as if it would not leave it, +as if the skin of our hand were thirsty and +begging of the metal some secret fluid +beating in its coldness. + +We returned to the earth. International +4-8818 looked upon us and stepped back. + +"Equality 7-2521," they said, "your face is white." + +But we could not speak and we stood looking upon them. + +They backed away, as if they dared not touch us. +Then they smiled, but it was not a gay smile; +it was lost and pleading. But still we could +not speak. Then they said: + +"We shall report our find to the City +Council and both of us will be rewarded." + +And then we spoke. Our voice was hard +and there was no mercy in our voice. We said: + +"We shall not report our find to the City Council. +We shall not report it to any men." + +They raised their hands to their ears, +for never had they heard such words as these. + +"International 4-8818," we asked, "will you report us +to the Council and see us lashed to death before your eyes?" + +They stood straight all of a sudden and they answered: +"Rather would we die." + +"Then," we said, "keep silent. This place is ours. +This place belongs to us, Equality 7-2521, and to +no other men on earth. And if ever we surrender it, +we shall surrender our life with it also." + +Then we saw that the eyes of International 4-8818 +were full to the lids with tears they dared not drop. +They whispered, and their voice trembled, so that +their words lost all shape: + +"The will of the Council is above all things, +for it is the will of our brothers, which is holy. +But if you wish it so, we shall obey you. +Rather shall we be evil with you than good +with all our brothers. May the Council +have mercy upon both our hearts!" + +Then we walked away together and back +to the Home of the Street Sweepers. +And we walked in silence. + +Thus did it come to pass that each night, +when the stars are high and the Street +Sweepers sit in the City Theatre, we, +Equality 7-2521, steal out and run through +the darkness to our place. It is easy to leave +the Theatre; when the candles are blown out +and the Actors come onto the stage, no eyes +can see us as we crawl under our seat and +under the cloth of the tent. Later, it is easy +to steal through the shadows and fall in line +next to International 4-8818, as the column +leaves the Theatre. It is dark in the streets +and there are no men about, for no men +may walk through the City when they have +no mission to walk there. Each night, we +run to the ravine, and we remove the +stones which we have piled upon the iron +grill to hide it from the men. Each night, for +three hours, we are under the earth, alone. + +We have stolen candles from the Home +of the Street Sweepers, we have stolen flints +and knives and paper, and we have brought +them to this place. We have stolen glass +vials and powders and acids from the Home +of the Scholars. Now we sit in the tunnel +for three hours each night and we study. +We melt strange metals, and we mix acids, +and we cut open the bodies of the animals +which we find in the City Cesspool. We have +built an oven of the bricks we gathered +in the streets. We burn the wood we find +in the ravine. The fire flickers in the +oven and blue shadows dance upon the walls, +and there is no sound of men to disturb us. + +We have stolen manuscripts. This is a +great offense. Manuscripts are precious, +for our brothers in the Home of the Clerks +spend one year to copy one single script +in their clear handwriting. Manuscripts are +rare and they are kept in the Home of the +Scholars. So we sit under the earth and +we read the stolen scripts. Two years have +passed since we found this place. And in +these two years we have learned more than +we had learned in the ten years of the +Home of the Students. + +We have learned things which are not +in the scripts. We have solved secrets of +which the Scholars have no knowledge. +We have come to see how great is the +unexplored, and many lifetimes will not +bring us to the end of our quest. But we +wish no end to our quest. We wish nothing, +save to be alone and to learn, and to +feel as if with each day our sight were +growing sharper than the hawk's and clearer +than rock crystal. + +Strange are the ways of evil. We are +false in the faces of our brothers. +We are defying the will of our Councils. +We alone, of the thousands who walk this +earth, we alone in this hour are doing a +work which has no purpose save that we +wish to do it. The evil of our crime +is not for the human mind to probe. The +nature of our punishment, if it be discovered, +is not for the human heart to ponder. +Never, not in the memory of the Ancient +Ones' Ancients, never have men done that +which we are doing. + +And yet there is no shame in us and no regret. +We say to ourselves that we are a wretch and a traitor. +But we feel no burden upon our spirit and no fear in our heart. +And it seems to us that our spirit is clear as a lake +troubled by no eyes save those of the sun. And in our heart-- +strange are the ways of evil!--in our heart there is +the first peace we have known in twenty years. + + + + +PART TWO + +Liberty 5-3000 . . . Liberty five-three thousand +. . . Liberty 5-3000 . . . . + +We wish to write this name. We wish to speak it, +but we dare not speak it above a whisper. +For men are forbidden to take notice of women, +and women are forbidden to take notice of men. +But we think of one among women, they whose name +is Liberty 5-3000, and we think of no others. +The women who have been assigned to work +the soil live in the Homes of the Peasants +beyond the City. Where the City ends +there is a great road winding off to the +north, and we Street Sweepers must keep +this road clean to the first milepost. +There is a hedge along the road, and beyond the +hedge lie the fields. The fields are black +and ploughed, and they lie like a great +fan before us, with their furrows gathered +in some hand beyond the sky, spreading +forth from that hand, opening wide apart +as they come toward us, like black pleats +that sparkle with thin, green spangles. +Women work in the fields, and their white +tunics in the wind are like the wings of +sea-gulls beating over the black soil. + +And there it was that we saw Liberty +5-3000 walking along the furrows. Their +body was straight and thin as a blade of +iron. Their eyes were dark and hard and +glowing, with no fear in them, no kindness +and no guilt. Their hair was golden as the +sun; their hair flew in the wind, shining +and wild, as if it defied men to restrain it. +They threw seeds from their hand as if +they deigned to fling a scornful gift, +and the earth was a beggar under their feet. + +We stood still; for the first time did we +know fear, and then pain. And we stood +still that we might not spill this pain more +precious than pleasure. + +Then we heard a voice from the others +call their name: "Liberty 5-3000," and they +turned and walked back. Thus we learned +their name, and we stood watching them go, +till their white tunic was lost in the blue mist. + +And the following day, as we came to the +northern road, we kept our eyes upon +Liberty 5-3000 in the field. And each day +thereafter we knew the illness of waiting +for our hour on the northern road. And +there we looked at Liberty 5-3000 each day. +We know not whether they looked at +us also, but we think they did. +Then one day they came close to the +hedge, and suddenly they turned to us. +They turned in a whirl and the movement +of their body stopped, as if slashed off, +as suddenly as it had started. They stood +still as a stone, and they looked straight +upon us, straight into our eyes. There was +no smile on their face, and no welcome. +But their face was taut, and their eyes +were dark. Then they turned as swiftly, +and they walked away from us. + +But the following day, when we came to +the road, they smiled. They smiled to us +and for us. And we smiled in answer. +Their head fell back, and their arms fell, +as if their arms and their thin white neck +were stricken suddenly with a great lassitude. +They were not looking upon us, but upon the sky. +Then they glanced at us over their shoulder, +as we felt as if a hand had touched our body, +slipping softly from our lips to our feet. + +Every morning thereafter, we greeted each +other with our eyes. We dared not speak. +It is a transgression to speak to men of other +Trades, save in groups at the Social Meetings. +But once, standing at the hedge, +we raised our hand to our forehead +and then moved it slowly, palm down, +toward Liberty 5-3000. Had the others seen +it, they could have guessed nothing, for it +looked only as if we were shading our eyes +from the sun. But Liberty 5-3000 saw it +and understood. They raised their hand to +their forehead and moved it as we had. +Thus, each day, we greet Liberty 5-3000, +and they answer, and no men can suspect. + +We do not wonder at this new sin of ours. +It is our second Transgression of Preference, +for we do not think of all our brothers, +as we must, but only of one, and their name +is Liberty 5-3000. We do not know why +we think of them. We do not know why, +when we think of them, we feel all of +a sudden that the earth is good and +that it is not a burden to live. +We do not think of them as Liberty +5-3000 any longer. We have given them a +name in our thoughts. We call them the +Golden One. But it is a sin to give men +names which distinguish them from other +men. Yet we call them the Golden One, +for they are not like the others. +The Golden One are not like the others. + +And we take no heed of the law which +says that men may not think of women, +save at the Time of Mating. This is the +time each spring when all the men older +than twenty and all the women older than +eighteen are sent for one night to the City +Palace of Mating. And each of the men +have one of the women assigned to them +by the Council of Eugenics. Children are +born each winter, but women never see +their children and children never know +their parents. Twice have we been sent to +the Palace of Mating, but it is an ugly and +shameful matter, of which we do not like to think. + +We had broken so many laws, and today +we have broken one more. Today, we +spoke to the Golden One. + +The other women were far off in the +field, when we stopped at the hedge by the +side of the road. The Golden One were +kneeling alone at the moat which runs +through the field. And the drops of water +falling from their hands, as they raised the +water to their lips, were like sparks of fire +in the sun. Then the Golden One saw us, +and they did not move, kneeling there, +looking at us, and circles of light played +upon their white tunic, from the sun on the +water of the moat, and one sparkling drop +fell from a finger of their hand held as +frozen in the air. + +Then the Golden One rose and walked +to the hedge, as if they had heard a +command in our eyes. The two other Street +Sweepers of our brigade were a hundred +paces away down the road. And we +thought that International 4-8818 would +not betray us, and Union 5-3992 would +not understand. So we looked straight upon +the Golden One, and we saw the shadows +of their lashes on their white cheeks and +the sparks of sun on their lips. And we said: + +"You are beautiful, Liberty 5-3000." + +Their face did not move and they did not +avert their eyes. Only their eyes grew wider, +and there was triumph in their eyes, +and it was not triumph over us, +but over things we could not guess. + +Then they asked: + +"What is your name?" + +"Equality 7-2521," we answered. + +"You are not one of our brothers, Equality +7-2521, for we do not wish you to be." + +We cannot say what they meant, for there +are no words for their meaning, but we know it +without words and we knew it then. + +"No," we answered, "nor are you one of our sisters." + +"If you see us among scores of women, +will you look upon us?" + +"We shall look upon you, Liberty 5-3000, +if we see you among all the women of the earth." + +Then they asked: + +"Are Street Sweepers sent to different +parts of the City or do they always work +in the same places?" + +"They always work in the same places," +we answered, "and no one will take this +road away from us." + +"Your eyes," they said, "are not like the +eyes of any among men." + +And suddenly, without cause for the +thought which came to us, we felt cold, +cold to our stomach. + +"How old are you?" we asked. + +They understood our thought, for they +lowered their eyes for the first time. + +"Seventeen," they whispered. + +And we sighed, as if a burden had been +taken from us, for we had been thinking +without reason of the Palace of Mating. +And we thought that we would not let the +Golden One be sent to the Palace. How to +prevent it, how to bar the will of the +Councils, we knew not, but we knew suddenly +that we would. Only we do not know why +such thought came to us, for these ugly +matters bear no relation to us and the +Golden One. What relation can they bear? + +Still, without reason, as we stood there +by the hedge, we felt our lips drawn tight +with hatred, a sudden hatred for all our +brother men. And the Golden One saw it +and smiled slowly, and there was in their +smile the first sadness we had seen in them. +We think that in the wisdom of women +the Golden One had understood more than +we can understand. + +Then three of the sisters in the field appeared, +coming toward the road, so the Golden One +walked away from us. They took the bag of seeds, +and they threw the seeds into the furrows of earth +as they walked away. But the seeds flew wildly, +for the hand of the Golden One was trembling. + +Yet as we walked back to the Home of the +Street Sweepers, we felt that we wanted +to sing, without reason. So we were +reprimanded tonight, in the dining hall, +for without knowing it we had begun to +sing aloud some tune we had never heard. +But it is not proper to sing without reason, +save at the Social Meetings. + +"We are singing because we are happy," +we answered the one of the Home Council +who reprimanded us. + +"Indeed you are happy," they answered. +"How else can men be when they live for +their brothers?" + +And now, sitting here in our tunnel, we +wonder about these words. It is forbidden, +not to be happy. For, as it has been +explained to us, men are free and the earth +belongs to them; and all things on earth belong +to all men; and the will of all men together is +good for all; and so all men must be happy. + +Yet as we stand at night in the great hall, +removing our garments for sleep, we look +upon our brothers and we wonder. The heads +of our brothers are bowed. The eyes of our +brothers are dull, and never do they look +one another in the eyes. The shoulders +of our brothers are hunched, and their +muscles are drawn, as if their bodies were +shrinking and wished to shrink out of sight. +And a word steals into our mind, as we look +upon our brothers, and that word is fear. + +There is fear hanging in the air of the +sleeping halls, and in the air of the streets. +Fear walks through the City, fear without name, +without shape. All men feel it and none dare to speak. + +We feel it also, when we are in the Home of the +Street Sweepers. But here, in our tunnel, +we feel it no longer. The air is pure +under the ground. There is no odor of men. +And these three hours give us strength +for our hours above the ground. + +Our body is betraying us, for the Council +of the Home looks with suspicion upon us. +It is not good to feel too much joy nor to be glad +that our body lives. For we matter not and +it must not matter to us whether we live or die, +which is to be as our brothers will it. +But we, Equality 7-2521, are glad to be living. +If this is a vice, then we wish no virtue. + +Yet our brothers are not like us. All is +not well with our brothers. There are +Fraternity 2-5503, a quiet boy with wise, +kind eyes, who cry suddenly, without reason, +in the midst of day or night, and their +body shakes with sobs they cannot explain. +There are Solidarity 9-6347, who are a +bright youth, without fear in the day; but +they scream in their sleep, and they scream: +"Help us! Help us! Help us!" into the +night, in a voice which chills our bones, but +the Doctors cannot cure Solidarity 9-6347. + +And as we all undress at night, in the +dim light of the candles, our brothers are +silent, for they dare not speak the thoughts +of their minds. For all must agree with all, +and they cannot know if their thoughts +are the thoughts of all, and so they fear to +speak. And they are glad when the candles +are blown for the night. But we, Equality +7-2521, look through the window upon +the sky, and there is peace in the sky, +and cleanliness, and dignity. And beyond +the City there lies the plain, and +beyond the plain, black upon the black sky, +there lies the Uncharted Forest. + +We do not wish to look upon the +Uncharted Forest. We do not wish +to think of it. But ever do our eyes +return to that black patch upon the sky. +Men never enter the Uncharted Forest, +for there is no power to explore it +and no path to lead among its ancient +trees which stand as guards of fearful +secrets. It is whispered that once or +twice in a hundred years, one among +the men of the City escape alone and run to +the Uncharted Forest, without call or reason. +These men do not return. They perish from +hunger and from the claws of the wild +beasts which roam the Forest. But our +Councils say that this is only a legend. +We have heard that there are many Uncharted +Forests over the land, among the Cities. +And it is whispered that they have grown +over the ruins of many cities of the +Unmentionable Times. The trees have +swallowed the ruins, and the bones under +the ruins, and all the things which perished. +And as we look upon the Uncharted Forest +far in the night, we think of the +secrets of the Unmentionable Times. +And we wonder how it came to pass that +these secrets were lost to the world. +We have heard the legends of the great fighting, +in which many men fought on one side and only +a few on the other. These few were the Evil +Ones and they were conquered. Then great +fires raged over the land. And in +these fires the Evil Ones and all the +things made by the Evil Ones were burned. +And the fire which is called the Dawn of +the Great Rebirth, was the Script Fire +where all the scripts of the Evil Ones +were burned, and with them all the words +of the Evil Ones. Great mountains of flame +stood in the squares of the Cities for +three months. Then came the Great Rebirth. + +The words of the Evil Ones . . . +The words of the Unmentionable Times . . . +What are the words which we have lost? + +May the Council have mercy upon us! +We had no wish to write such a question, +and we knew not what we were doing till +we had written it. We shall not ask +this question and we shall not think it. +We shall not call death upon our head. + +And yet . . . And yet . . . +There is some word, one single word +which is not in the language of men, +but which had been. And this is the +Unspeakable Word, which no men may speak +nor hear. But sometimes, and it is rare, +sometimes, somewhere, one among men find +that word. They find it upon scraps of old +manuscripts or cut into the fragments of +ancient stones. But when they speak it +they are put to death. There is no crime +punished by death in this world, save this +one crime of speaking the Unspeakable Word. + +We have seen one of such men burned +alive in the square of the City. And it was +a sight which has stayed with us through +the years, and it haunts us, and follows us, +and it gives us no rest. We were a child +then, ten years old. And we stood in the +great square with all the children and all the +men of the City, sent to behold the burning. +They brought the Transgressor out into +the square and they led them to the pyre. +They had torn out the tongue of the +Transgressor, so that they could speak no +longer. The Transgressor were young and tall. +They had hair of gold and eyes blue as morning. +They walked to the pyre, and their step did +not falter. And of all the faces +on that square, of all the faces which +shrieked and screamed and spat curses upon +them, theirs was the calmest and the happiest face. + +As the chains were wound over their +body at the stake, and a flame set to the +pyre, the Transgressor looked upon the +City. There was a thin thread of blood +running from the corner of their mouth, +but their lips were smiling. And a monstrous +thought came to us then, which has +never left us. We had heard of Saints. +There are the Saints of Labor, and the +Saints of the Councils, and the Saints of the +Great Rebirth. But we had never seen a +Saint nor what the likeness of a Saint +should be. And we thought then, standing +in the square, that the likeness of a Saint +was the face we saw before us in the flames, +the face of the Transgressor of the +Unspeakable Word. + +As the flames rose, a thing happened +which no eyes saw but ours, else we would +not be living today. Perhaps it had only +seemed to us. But it seemed to us that the +eyes of the Transgressor had chosen us +from the crowd and were looking straight +upon us. There was no pain in their eyes +and no knowledge of the agony of their +body. There was only joy in them, and +pride, a pride holier than is fit for human +pride to be. And it seemed as if these eyes +were trying to tell us something through +the flames, to send into our eyes some word +without sound. And it seemed as if these +eyes were begging us to gather that word +and not to let it go from us and from the +earth. But the flames rose and we could not +guess the word. . . . + +What--even if we have to burn for it +like the Saint of the Pyre--what is the +Unspeakable Word? + + + + +PART THREE + +We, Equality 7-2521, have discovered a +new power of nature. And we have discovered +it alone, and we alone are to know it. + +It is said. Now let us be lashed for it, +if we must. The Council of Scholars has +said that we all know the things which exist +and therefore the things which are not +known by all do not exist. But we think +that the Council of Scholars is blind. +The secrets of this earth are not for all men +to see, but only for those who will seek them. +We know, for we have found a secret unknown +to all our brothers. + +We know not what this power is nor +whence it comes. But we know its nature, +we have watched it and worked with it. +We saw it first two years ago. One night, +we were cutting open the body of a dead +frog when we saw its leg jerking. It was +dead, yet it moved. Some power unknown +to men was making it move. We could not +understand it. Then, after many tests, +we found the answer. The frog had been +hanging on a wire of copper; and it had +been the metal of our knife which had sent +the strange power to the copper through the +brine of the frog's body. We put a piece of +copper and a piece of zinc into a jar of +brine, we touched a wire to them, and +there, under our fingers, was a miracle +which had never occurred before, a new +miracle and a new power. + +This discovery haunted us. We followed +it in preference to all our studies. +We worked with it, we tested it in more ways +than we can describe, and each step was as +another miracle unveiling before us. +We came to know that we had found the +greatest power on earth. For it defies all +the laws known to men. It makes the needle +move and turn on the compass which we +stole from the Home of the Scholars; +but we had been taught, when still a child, +that the loadstone points to the north and that +this is a law which nothing can change; +yet our new power defies all laws. +We found that it causes lightning, and never +have men known what causes lightning. +In thunderstorms, we raised a tall rod of +iron by the side of our hole, and we +watched it from below. We have seen the +lightning strike it again and again. +And now we know that metal draws the power +of the sky, and that metal can be made to +give it forth. + +We have built strange things with this +discovery of ours. We used for it the +copper wires which we found here under the +ground. We have walked the length of our +tunnel, with a candle lighting the way. +We could go no farther than half a mile, for +earth and rock had fallen at both ends. +But we gathered all the things we found +and we brought them to our work place. +We found strange boxes with bars of metal +inside, with many cords and strands and +coils of metal. We found wires that led +to strange little globes of glass on the walls; +they contained threads of metal thinner +than a spider's web. + +These things help us in our work. We do +not understand them, but we think that +the men of the Unmentionable Times had +known our power of the sky, and these +things had some relation to it. We do not +know, but we shall learn. We cannot stop +now, even though it frightens us that we +are alone in our knowledge. + +No single one can possess greater +wisdom than the many Scholars who are +elected by all men for their wisdom. +Yet we can. We do. We have fought against +saying it, but now it is said. We do not care. +We forget all men, all laws and all things +save our metals and our wires. So much +is still to be learned! So long a road +lies before us, and what care we if we +must travel it alone! + + + + +PART FOUR + +Many days passed before we could speak +to the Golden One again. But then came +the day when the sky turned white, as if +the sun had burst and spread its flame in +the air, and the fields lay still without +breath, and the dust of the road was white +in the glow. So the women of the field +were weary, and they tarried over their +work, and they were far from the road +when we came. But the Golden One stood +alone at the hedge, waiting. We stopped +and we saw that their eyes, so hard and +scornful to the world, were looking at us as +if they would obey any word we might speak. + +And we said: + +"We have given you a name in our +thoughts, Liberty 5-3000." + +"What is our name?" they asked. + +"The Golden One." + +"Nor do we call you Equality 7-2521 +when we think of you." + +"What name have you given us?" +They looked straight into our eyes and +they held their head high and they answered: + +"The Unconquered." + +For a long time we could not speak. +Then we said: + +"Such thoughts as these are forbidden, +Golden One." + +"But you think such thoughts as these +and you wish us to think them." + +We looked into their eyes and we could not lie. + +"Yes," we whispered, and they smiled, +and then we said: "Our dearest one, +do not obey us." + +They stepped back, and their eyes were +wide and still. + +"Speak these words again," they whispered. + +"Which words?" we asked. But they +did not answer, and we knew it. + +"Our dearest one," we whispered. + +Never have men said this to women. + +The head of the Golden One bowed slowly, +and they stood still before us, their arms +at their sides, the palms of their hands +turned to us, as if their body were delivered +in submission to our eyes. And we could +not speak. + +Then they raised their head, and they +spoke simply and gently, as if they wished +us to forget some anxiety of their own. + +"The day is hot," they said, "and you have +worked for many hours and you must be weary." + +"No," we answered. + +"It is cooler in the fields," they said, +"and there is water to drink. Are you thirsty?" + +"Yes," we answered, "but we cannot cross the hedge." + +"We shall bring the water to you," they said. + +Then they knelt by the moat, they gathered +water in their two hands, they rose and +they held the water out to our lips. + +We do not know if we drank that water. +We only knew suddenly that their hands +were empty, but we were still holding our +lips to their hands, and that they knew it, +but did not move. + +We raised our head and stepped back. +For we did not understand what had made +us do this, and we were afraid to understand it. + +And the Golden One stepped back, and +stood looking upon their hands in wonder. +Then the Golden One moved away, even +though no others were coming, and they +moved, stepping back, as if they could not +turn from us, their arms bent before them, +as if they could not lower their hands. + + + + +PART FIVE + +We made it. We created it. We brought +it forth from the night of the ages. +We alone. Our hands. Our mind. +Ours alone and only. + +We know not what we are saying. Our head +is reeling. We look upon the light which +we have made. We shall be forgiven for +anything we say tonight. . . . + +Tonight, after more days and trials +than we can count, we finished building +a strange thing, from the remains of the +Unmentionable Times, a box of glass, devised +to give forth the power of the sky of greater +strength than we had ever achieved before. +And when we put our wires to this box, +when we closed the current--the wire glowed! +It came to life, it turned red, and a circle +of light lay on the stone before us. + +We stood, and we held our head in our hands. +We could not conceive of that which +we had created. We had touched no +flint, made no fire. Yet here was light, +light that came from nowhere, light from +the heart of metal. + +We blew out the candle. Darkness swallowed us. +There was nothing left around us, +nothing save night and a thin thread of +flame in it, as a crack in the wall of a prison. +We stretched our hands to the wire, +and we saw our fingers in the red glow. +We could not see our body nor feel it, +and in that moment nothing existed save our +two hands over a wire glowing in a black abyss. + +Then we thought of the meaning of that +which lay before us. We can light our +tunnel, and the City, and all the Cities of +the world with nothing save metal and +wires. We can give our brothers a new +light, cleaner and brighter than any they +have ever known. The power of the sky +can be made to do men's bidding. There +are no limits to its secrets and its might, +and it can be made to grant us anything if +we but choose to ask. + +Then we knew what we must do. Our +discovery is too great for us to waste our +time in sweeping the streets. We must not +keep our secret to ourselves, nor buried +under the ground. We must bring it into +the sight of all men. We need all our time, +we need the work rooms of the Home of +the Scholars, we want the help of our +brother Scholars and their wisdom joined +to ours. There is so much work ahead for +all of us, for all the Scholars of the world. + +In a month, the World Council of Scholars +is to meet in our City. It is a great Council, +to which the wisest of all lands are +elected, and it meets once a year in the +different Cities of the earth. We shall go to +this Council and we shall lay before them, +as our gift, this glass box with the power of +the sky. We shall confess everything to them. +They will see, understand and forgive. +For our gift is greater than our transgression. +They will explain it to the Council of Vocations, +and we shall be assigned to the Home of the Scholars. +This has never been done before, but neither +has a gift such as ours ever been offered to men. + +We must wait. We must guard our tunnel as +we had never guarded it before. For should +any men save the Scholars learn of +our secret, they would not understand it, +nor would they believe us. They would see +nothing, save our crime of working alone, +and they would destroy us and our light. +We care not about our body, but our light is . . . + +Yes, we do care. For the first time do we +care about our body. For this wire is as a +part of our body, as a vein torn from us, +glowing with our blood. Are we proud of +this thread of metal, or of our hands +which made it, or is there a line to +divide these two? + +We stretch out our arms. For the first +time do we know how strong our arms are. +And a strange thought comes to us: +we wonder, for the first time in our life, +what we look like. Men never see their +own faces and never ask their brothers +about it, for it is evil to have concern for +their own faces or bodies. But tonight, +for a reason we cannot fathom, we wish +it were possible to us to know the +likeness of our own person. + + + + +PART SIX + +We have not written for thirty days. +For thirty days we have not been here, in +our tunnel. We had been caught. +It happened on that night when we wrote +last. We forgot, that night, to watch the +sand in the glass which tells us when three +hours have passed and it is time to return +to the City Theatre. When we remembered +it, the sand had run out. + +We hastened to the Theatre. But the big +tent stood grey and silent against the sky. +The streets of the City lay before us, dark +and empty. If we went back to hide in our +tunnel, we would be found and our light +found with us. So we walked to the Home +of the Street Sweepers. + +When the Council of the Home questioned us, +we looked upon the faces of the Council, +but there was no curiosity in those faces, +and no anger, and no mercy. So when +the oldest of them asked us: "Where have +you been?" we thought of our glass box +and of our light, and we forgot all else. +And we answered: + +"We will not tell you." + +The oldest did not question us further. +They turned to the two youngest, and said, +and their voice was bored: + +"Take our brother Equality 7-2521 to +the Palace of Corrective Detention. +Lash them until they tell." + +So we were taken to the Stone Room +under the Palace of Corrective Detention. +This room has no windows and it is empty +save for an iron post. Two men stood by +the post, naked but for leather aprons and +leather hoods over their faces. Those who +had brought us departed, leaving us to the +two Judges who stood in a corner of the +room. The Judges were small, thin men, +grey and bent. They gave the signal to the +two strong hooded ones. + +They tore the clothes from our body, +they threw us down upon our knees and +they tied our hands to the iron post. +The first blow of the lash felt as if our +spine had been cut in two. The second +blow stopped the first, and for a second we +felt nothing, then the pain struck us in our +throat and fire ran in our lungs without air. +But we did not cry out. + +The lash whistled like a singing wind. +We tried to count the blows, but we lost count. +We knew that the blows were falling upon our back. +Only we felt nothing upon our back any longer. +A flaming grill kept dancing before our eyes, +and we thought of nothing save that grill, a grill, +a grill of red squares, and then we knew +that we were looking at the squares of the +iron grill in the door, and there were also +the squares of stone on the walls, and the +squares which the lash was cutting upon our back, +crossing and re-crossing itself in our flesh. + +Then we saw a fist before us. It knocked +our chin up, and we saw the red froth of +our mouth on the withered fingers, and the +Judge asked: + +"Where have you been?" + +But we jerked our head away, hid our +face upon our tied hands, and bit our lips. + +The lash whistled again. We wondered +who was sprinkling burning coal dust upon +the floor, for we saw drops of red twinkling +on the stones around us. + +Then we knew nothing, save two voices +snarling steadily, one after the other, +even though we knew they were speaking +many minutes apart: + +"Where have you been where have you been +where have you been where have you been? . . ." + +And our lips moved, but the sound trickled +back into our throat, and the sound was only: + +"The light . . . The light . . . The light. . . ." + +Then we knew nothing. + +We opened our eyes, lying on our stomach +on the brick floor of a cell. We looked +upon two hands lying far before us on the +bricks, and we moved them, and we knew +that they were our hands. But we could +not move our body. Then we smiled, for we +thought of the light and that we had +not betrayed it. + +We lay in our cell for many days. +The door opened twice each day, +once for the men who brought us +bread and water, and once for the Judges. +Many Judges came to our cell, +first the humblest and then the +most honored Judges of the City. +They stood before us in their white togas, +and they asked: + +"Are you ready to speak?" + +But we shook our head, lying before +them on the floor. And they departed. + +We counted each day and each night as it passed. +Then, tonight, we knew that we must escape. +For tomorrow the World Council of Scholars +is to meet in our City. + +It was easy to escape from the Palace of +Corrective Detention. The locks are old on +the doors and there are no guards about. +There is no reason to have guards, for men +have never defied the Councils so far as to +escape from whatever place they were +ordered to be. Our body is healthy and +strength returns to it speedily. We lunged +against the door and it gave way. We stole +through the dark passages, and through the +dark streets, and down into our tunnel. + +We lit the candle and we saw that our +place had not been found and nothing had +been touched. And our glass box stood +before us on the cold oven, as we had left it. +What matter they now, the scars upon our back! + +Tomorrow, in the full light of day, we +shall take our box, and leave our tunnel +open, and walk through the streets to the +Home of the Scholars. We shall put before +them the greatest gift ever offered to men. +We shall tell them the truth. We shall hand +to them, as our confession, these pages we +have written. We shall join our hands to +theirs, and we shall work together, with the +power of the sky, for the glory of mankind. +Our blessing upon you, our brothers! +Tomorrow, you will take us back into your +fold and we shall be an outcast no longer. +Tomorrow we shall be one of you again. +Tomorrow . . . + + + + +PART SEVEN + +It is dark here in the forest. The leaves +rustle over our head, black against the last +gold of the sky. The moss is soft and warm. +We shall sleep on this moss for many nights, +till the beasts of the forest come to +tear our body. We have no bed now, save +the moss, and no future, save the beasts. + +We are old now, yet we were young this +morning, when we carried our glass box +through the streets of the City to the Home +of the Scholars. No men stopped us, for +there were none about from the Palace of +Corrective Detention, and the others knew +nothing. No men stopped us at the gate. +We walked through empty passages and +into the great hall where the World Council +of Scholars sat in solemn meeting. + +We saw nothing as we entered, save the +sky in the great windows, blue and glowing. +Then we saw the Scholars who sat around +a long table; they were as shapeless clouds +huddled at the rise of the great sky. +There were men whose famous names +we knew, and others from distant +lands whose names we had not heard. +We saw a great painting on the wall +over their heads, of the twenty illustrious +men who had invented the candle. + +All the heads of the Council turned to us +as we entered. These great and wise of the +earth did not know what to think of us, +and they looked upon us with wonder and +curiosity, as if we were a miracle. +It is true that our tunic was torn and +stained with brown stains which had been blood. +We raised our right arm and we said: + +"Our greeting to you, our honored +brothers of the World Council of Scholars!" + +Then Collective 0-0009, the oldest and +wisest of the Council, spoke and asked: + +"Who are you, our brother? For you do +not look like a Scholar." + +"Our name is Equality 7-2521," we answered, +"and we are a Street Sweeper of this City." + +Then it was as if a great wind had stricken +the hall, for all the Scholars spoke at once, +and they were angry and frightened. + +"A Street Sweeper! A Street Sweeper walking +in upon the World Council of Scholars! +It is not to be believed! +It is against all the rules and all the laws!" + +But we knew how to stop them. + +"Our brothers!" we said. "We matter not, +nor our transgression. It is only our +brother men who matter. Give no thought to us, +for we are nothing, but listen to our words, +for we bring you a gift such as had never +been brought to men. Listen to us, for we +hold the future of mankind in our hands." + +Then they listened. + +We placed our glass box upon the table +before them. We spoke of it, and of our +long quest, and of our tunnel, and of our +escape from the Palace of Corrective Detention. +Not a hand moved in that hall, as we spoke, +nor an eye. Then we put the wires to the box, +and they all bent forward and sat still, watching. +And we stood still, our eyes upon the wire. +And slowly, slowly as a flush of blood, +a red flame trembled in the wire. Then the wire glowed. + +But terror struck the men of the Council. +They leapt to their feet, they ran from the +table, and they stood pressed against the +wall, huddled together, seeking the warmth +of one another's bodies to give them courage. + +We looked upon them and we laughed and said: + +"Fear nothing, our brothers. There is a +great power in these wires, but this power +is tamed. It is yours. We give it to you." + +Still they would not move. + +"We give you the power of the sky!" we cried. +"We give you the key to the earth! Take it, +and let us be one of you, the humblest among you. +Let us all work together, and harness this power, +and make it ease the toil of men. Let us +throw away our candles and our torches. +Let us flood our cities with light. +Let us bring a new light to men!" + +But they looked upon us, and suddenly +we were afraid. For their eyes were still, +and small, and evil. + +"Our brothers!" we cried. "Have you +nothing to say to us?" + +Then Collective 0-0009 moved forward. +They moved to the table and the others followed. + +"Yes," spoke Collective 0-0009, +"we have much to say to you." + +The sound of their voices brought silence +to the hall and to beat of our heart. + +"Yes," said Collective 0-0009, "we have +much to say to a wretch who have broken +all the laws and who boast of their infamy! + +How dared you think that your mind held +greater wisdom than the minds of your +brothers? And if the Councils had decreed +that you should be a Street Sweeper, +how dared you think that you could be of +greater use to men than in sweeping the streets?" + +"How dared you, gutter cleaner," spoke +Fraternity 9-3452, "to hold yourself as one +alone and with the thoughts of the one +and not of the many?" + +"You shall be burned at the stake," +said Democracy 4-6998. + +"No, they shall be lashed," said Unanimity 7-3304, +"till there is nothing left under the lashes." + +"No," said Collective 0-0009, "we cannot +decide upon this, our brothers. No such +crime has ever been committed, and it is +not for us to judge. Nor for any small Council. +We shall deliver this creature to the World Council +itself and let their will be done." + +We looked upon them and we pleaded: + +"Our brothers! You are right. Let the +will of the Council be done upon our body. +We do not care. But the light? What will +you do with the light?" + +Collective 0-0009 looked upon us, and they smiled. + +"So you think that you have found a new power," +said Collective 0-0009. "Do all your brothers think that?" + +"No," we answered. + +"What is not thought by all men cannot be true," +said Collective 0-0009. + +"You have worked on this alone?" asked +International 1-5537. + +"Many men in the Homes of the Scholars have +had strange new ideas in the past," +said Solidarity 8-1164, "but when the +majority of their brother Scholars voted +against them, they abandoned their ideas, +as all men must." + +"This box is useless," said Alliance 6-7349. + +"Should it be what they claim of it," +said Harmony 9-2642, "then it would +bring ruin to the Department of Candles. +The Candle is a great boon to mankind, +as approved by all men. Therefore it +cannot be destroyed by the whim of one." + +"This would wreck the Plans of the +World Council," said Unanimity 2-9913, +"and without the Plans of the World Council +the sun cannot rise. It took fifty years +to secure the approval of all the Councils +for the Candle, and to decide upon the +number needed, and to re-fit the Plans so +as to make candles instead of torches. +This touched upon thousands and thousands +of men working in scores of States. +We cannot alter the Plans again so soon." + +"And if this should lighten the toil of +men," said Similarity 5-0306, "then it is a +great evil, for men have no cause to exist +save in toiling for other men." + +Then Collective 0-0009 rose and pointed at our box. + +"This thing," they said, "must be destroyed." + +And all the others cried as one: + +"It must be destroyed!" + +Then we leapt to the table. + +We seized our box, we shoved them +aside, and we ran to the window. We +turned and we looked at them for the last +time, and a rage, such as it is not fit for +humans to know, choked our voice in our throat. + +"You fools!" we cried. "You fools! You thrice-damned fools!" + +We swung our fist through the windowpane, +and we leapt out in a ringing rain of glass. + +We fell, but we never let the box fall +from our hands. Then we ran. We ran +blindly, and men and houses streaked past +us in a torrent without shape. And the road +seemed not to be flat before us, but as if +it were leaping up to meet us, and we waited +for the earth to rise and strike us in the +face. But we ran. We knew not where we +were going. We knew only that we must +run, run to the end of the world, +to the end of our days. + +Then we knew suddenly that we were lying +on a soft earth and that we had stopped. +Trees taller than we had ever seen +before stood over us in great silence. +Then we knew. We were in the Uncharted Forest. +We had not thought of coming here, +but our legs had carried our wisdom, and +our legs had brought us to the Uncharted +Forest against our will. + +Our glass box lay beside us. We crawled to it, +we fell upon it, our face in our arms, and we lay still. + +We lay thus for a long time. Then we rose, +we took our box and walked on into the forest. + +It mattered not where we went. We knew +that men would not follow us, for they +never enter the Uncharted Forest. We had +nothing to fear from them. The forest +disposes of its own victims. This gave us +no fear either. Only we wished to be away, +away from the City and from the air that +touches upon the air of the City. So we +walked on, our box in our arms, our heart empty. + +We are doomed. Whatever days are left +to us, we shall spend them alone. And we +have heard of the corruption to be found +in solitude. We have torn ourselves from +the truth which is our brother men, and there +is no road back for us, and no redemption. + +We know these things, but we do not care. +We care for nothing on earth. We are tired. + +Only the glass box in our arms is like a +living heart that gives us strength. We have +lied to ourselves. We have not built this +box for the good of our brothers. We built +it for its own sake. It is above all our +brothers to us, and its truth above their truth. +Why wonder about this? We have not many days +to live. We are walking to the fangs awaiting us +somewhere among the great, silent trees. There is +not a thing behind us to regret. + +Then a blow of pain struck us, our first and our only. +We thought of the Golden One. We thought of the Golden One +whom we shall never see again. Then the pain passed. +It is best. We are one of the Damned. It is best +if the Golden One forget our name and the body +which bore that name. + + + + +PART EIGHT + +It has been a day of wonder, this, +our first day in the forest. + +We awoke when a ray of sunlight fell across +our face. We wanted to leap to our feet, +as we have had to leap every morning +of our life, but we remembered suddenly +that no bell had rung and that there was +no bell to ring anywhere. We lay on our back, +we threw our arms out, and we looked up at the sky. +The leaves had edges of silver that trembled and +rippled like a river of green and fire flowing high above us. + +We did not wish to move. We thought +suddenly that we could lie thus as long as +we wished, and we laughed aloud at the +thought. We could also rise, or run, or leap, +or fall down again. We were thinking that +these were thoughts without sense, but before +we knew it our body had risen in one leap. +Our arms stretched out of their own will, +and our body whirled and whirled, +till it raised a wind to rustle through the +leaves of the bushes. Then our hands +seized a branch and swung us high into a +tree, with no aim save the wonder of learning +the strength of our body. The branch +snapped under us and we fell upon the moss +that was soft as a cushion. Then our body, +losing all sense, rolled over and over on the +moss, dry leaves in our tunic, in our hair, +in our face. And we heard suddenly that +we were laughing, laughing aloud, laughing +as if there were no power left in us save laughter. + +Then we took our glass box, and we +went on into the forest. We went on, +cutting through the branches, and it was +as if we were swimming through a sea of leaves, +with the bushes as waves rising and falling +and rising around us, and flinging their +green sprays high to the treetops. +The trees parted before us, calling us forward. +The forest seemed to welcome us. We went on, +without thought, without care, with nothing +to feel save the song of our body. + +We stopped when we felt hunger. We saw +birds in the tree branches, and flying +from under our footsteps. We picked a +stone and we sent it as an arrow at a bird. +It fell before us. We made a fire, we cooked +the bird, and we ate it, and no meal had +ever tasted better to us. And we thought +suddenly that there was a great satisfaction +to be found in the food which we need +and obtain by our own hand. And we wished +to be hungry again and soon, that we might +know again this strange new pride in eating. + +Then we walked on. And we came to a +stream which lay as a streak of glass among +the trees. It lay so still that we saw no +water but only a cut in the earth, in which +the trees grew down, upturned, and the +sky lay at the bottom. We knelt by +the stream and we bent down to drink. +And then we stopped. For, upon the blue +of the sky below us, we saw our own face +for the first time. + +We sat still and we held our breath. +For our face and our body were beautiful. +Our face was not like the faces of our brothers, +for we felt not pity when looking upon it. +Our body was not like the bodies of our brothers, +for our limbs were straight and thin and hard and strong. +And we thought that we could trust this being who looked +upon us from the stream, and that we had nothing to fear +with this being. + +We walked on till the sun had set. +When the shadows gathered among the trees, +we stopped in a hollow between the roots, +where we shall sleep tonight. And suddenly, +for the first time this day, we remembered +that we are the Damned. We remembered it, +and we laughed. + +We are writing this on the paper we had +hidden in our tunic together with the +written pages we had brought for the World +Council of Scholars, but never given to them. +We have much to speak of to ourselves, +and we hope we shall find the words +for it in the days to come. Now, we +cannot speak, for we cannot understand. + + + + +PART NINE + +We have not written for many days. +We did not wish to speak. For we needed +no words to remember that which has happened to us. + +It was on our second day in the forest that +we heard steps behind us. We hid in the bushes, +and we waited. The steps came closer. +And then we saw the fold of a white tunic +among the trees, and a gleam of gold. + +We leapt forward, we ran to them, and +we stood looking upon the Golden One. + +They saw us, and their hands closed into +fists, and the fists pulled their arms down, +as if they wished their arms to hold them, +while their body swayed. And they could +not speak. + +We dared not come too close to them. +We asked, and our voice trembled: + +"How did you come to be here, Golden One?" + +But they whispered only: + +"We have found you. . . ." + +"How did you come to be in the forest?" +we asked. + +They raised their head, and there was a +great pride in their voice; they answered: + +"We have followed you." + +Then we could not speak, and they said: + +"We heard that you had gone to the +Uncharted Forest, for the whole City is +speaking of it. So on the night of the day +when we heard it, we ran away from the Home +of the Peasants. We found the marks of +your feet across the plain where no men walk. +So we followed them, and we went into the forest, +and we followed the path where the branches +were broken by your body." + +Their white tunic was torn, and the +branches had cut the skin of their arms, +but they spoke as if they had never taken +notice of it, nor of weariness, nor of fear. + +"We have followed you," they said, +"and we shall follow you wherever you go. +If danger threatens you, we shall face it also. +If it be death, we shall die with you. You are damned, +and we wish to share your damnation." + +They looked upon us, and their voice was low, +but there was bitterness and triumph in their voice. + +"Your eyes are as a flame, but our brothers +have neither hope nor fire. Your mouth +is cut of granite, but our brothers are soft +and humble. Your head is high, but our +brothers cringe. You walk, but our +brothers crawl. We wish to be damned with you, +rather than blessed with all our brothers. +Do as you please with us, but do not send +us away from you." + +Then they knelt, and bowed their golden +head before us. + +We had never thought of that which we did. +We bent to raise the Golden One to their feet, +but when we touched them, it was as if madness +had stricken us. We seized their body +and we pressed our lips to theirs. +The Golden One breathed once, +and their breath was a moan, +and then their arms closed around us. + +We stood together for a long time. +And we were frightened that we had lived +for twenty-one years and had never known +what joy is possible to men. + +Then we said: + +"Our dearest one. Fear nothing of the forest. +There is no danger in solitude. We have +no need of our brothers. Let us forget +their good and our evil, let us forget +all things save that we are together +and that there is joy as a bond between us. +Give us your hand. Look ahead. It is our +own world, Golden One, a strange, +unknown world, but our own." + +Then we walked on into the forest, their +hand in ours. + +And that night we knew that to hold the +body of women in our arms is neither ugly +nor shameful, but the one ecstasy granted +to the race of men. + +We have walked for many days. The forest +has no end, and we seek no end. But each day +added to the chain of days between us +and the City is like an added blessing. + +We have made a bow and many arrows. +We can kill more birds than we need for +our food; we find water and fruit in the +forest. At night, we choose a clearing, and +we build a ring of fires around it. We sleep +in the midst of that ring, and the beasts +dare not attack us. We can see their eyes, +green and yellow as coals, watching us from +the tree branches beyond. The fires smoulder +as a crown of jewels around us, and smoke +stands still in the air, in columns made blue +by the moonlight. We sleep together in the +midst of the ring, the arms of the Golden +One around us, their head upon our breast. + +Some day, we shall stop and build a house, +when we shall have gone far enough. +But we do not have to hasten. The days +before us are without end, like the forest. + +We cannot understand this new life +which we have found, yet it seems so clear +and so simple. When questions come to +puzzle us, we walk faster, then turn and +forget all things as we watch the Golden +One following. The shadows of leaves fall +upon their arms, as they spread the branches +apart, but their shoulders are in the sun. +The skin of their arms is like a blue mist, +but their shoulders are white and glowing, +as if the light fell not from above, but rose +from under their skin. We watch the leaf +which has fallen upon their shoulder, and +it lies at the curve of their neck, and a +drop of dew glistens upon it like a jewel. +They approach us, and they stop, laughing, +knowing what we think, and they wait +obediently, without questions, till it +pleases us to turn and go on. + +We go on and we bless the earth under +our feet. But questions come to us again, +as we walk in silence. If that which we +have found is the corruption of solitude, +then what can men wish for save corruption? +If this is the great evil of being alone, +then what is good and what is evil? + +Everything which comes from the many is good. +Everything which comes from one is evil. +This have we been taught with our first breath. +We have broken the law, but we have never doubted it. +Yet now, as we walk through the forest, +we are learning to doubt. + +There is no life for men, save in useful +toil for the good of all their brothers. +But we lived not, when we toiled for our +brothers, we were only weary. There is no +joy for men, save the joy shared with all +their brothers. But the only things which +taught us joy were the power we created +in our wires, and the Golden One. And both +these joys belong to us alone, they come +from us alone, they bear no relation +to all our brothers, and they do not concern +our brothers in any way. Thus do we wonder. + +There is some error, one frightful error, +in the thinking of men. What is that error? +We do not know, but the knowledge struggles +within us, struggles to be born. Today, +the Golden One stopped suddenly and said: + +"We love you." + +But they frowned and shook their +head and looked at us helplessly. + +"No," they whispered, "that is not what +we wished to say." + +They were silent, then they spoke slowly, +and their words were halting, like the words +of a child learning to speak for the first time: + +"We are one . . . alone . . . and only . . . +and we love you who are one . . . alone . . . and only." + +We looked into each other's eyes and we knew +that the breath of a miracle had touched us, +and fled, and left us groping vainly. + +And we felt torn, torn for some word we could not find. + + + + +PART TEN + +We are sitting at a table and we are +writing this upon paper made thousands +of years ago. The light is dim, and we +cannot see the Golden One, only one lock +of gold on the pillow of an ancient bed. +This is our home. + +We came upon it today, at sunrise. +For many days we had been crossing a chain +of mountains. The forest rose among cliffs, +and whenever we walked out upon a +barren stretch of rock we saw great peaks +before us in the west, and to the north of us, +and to the south, as far as our eyes could see. +The peaks were red and brown, with the green streaks +of forests as veins upon them, with blue mists as veils +over their heads. We had never heard of these mountains, +nor seen them marked on any map. +The Uncharted Forest has protected them +from the Cities and from the men of the Cities. + +We climbed paths where the wild goat +dared not follow. Stones rolled from under +our feet, and we heard them striking the +rocks below, farther and farther down, +and the mountains rang with each stroke, +and long after the strokes had died. +But we went on, for we knew that no men +would ever follow our track nor reach us here. + +Then today, at sunrise, we saw a white +flame among the trees, high on a sheer +peak before us. We thought that it was a +fire and stopped. But the flame was +unmoving, yet blinding as liquid metal. +So we climbed toward it through the rocks. +And there, before us, on a broad summit, +with the mountains rising behind it, +stood a house such as we had never seen, +and the white fire came from the sun on +the glass of its windows. + +The house had two stories and a strange +roof flat as a floor. There was more window +than wall upon its walls, and the windows +went on straight around the corners, though +how this kept the house standing we could +not guess. The walls were hard and smooth, +of that stone unlike stone which we had +seen in our tunnel. + +We both knew it without words: this house +was left from the Unmentionable Times. +The trees had protected it from time +and weather, and from men who have +less pity than time and weather. +We turned to the Golden One and we asked: + +"Are you afraid?" + +But they shook their head. So we walked +to the door, and we threw it open, +and we stepped together into the house +of the Unmentionable Times. + +We shall need the days and the years ahead, +to look, to learn, and to understand +the things of this house. Today, we could +only look and try to believe the sight of +our eyes. We pulled the heavy curtains +from the windows and we saw that the rooms +were small, and we thought that not more +than twelve men could have lived here. +We thought it strange that men had been +permitted to build a house for only twelve. + +Never had we seen rooms so full of light. +The sunrays danced upon colors, colors, +more colors than we thought possible, +we who had seen no houses save the +white ones, the brown ones and the grey. +There were great pieces of glass on the +walls, but it was not glass, for when we +looked upon it we saw our own bodies and +all the things behind us, as on the face +of a lake. There were strange things which we +had never seen and the use of which we do +not know. And there were globes of glass +everywhere, in each room, the globes with +the metal cobwebs inside, such as we had +seen in our tunnel. + +We found the sleeping hall and we stood +in awe upon its threshold. For it was a +small room and there were only two beds +in it. We found no other beds in the house, +and then we knew that only two had lived +here, and this passes understanding. +What kind of world did they have, +the men of the Unmentionable Times? + +We found garments, and the Golden One +gasped at the sight of them. For they +were not white tunics, nor white togas; +they were of all colors, no two of them +alike. Some crumbled to dust as we touched +them. But others were of heavier cloth, +and they felt soft and new in our fingers. + +We found a room with walls made of shelves, +which held rows of manuscripts, from the floor +to the ceiling. Never had we seen such a +number of them, nor of such strange shape. +They were not soft and rolled, they had hard +shells of cloth and leather; and the letters +on their pages were so small and so even that +we wondered at the men who had such handwriting. +We glanced through the pages, and we saw +that they were written in our language, +but we found many words which we could +not understand. Tomorrow, we shall begin +to read these scripts. + +When we had seen all the rooms of the +house, we looked at the Golden One and +we both knew the thought in our minds. + +"We shall never leave this house," we said, +"nor let it be taken from us. This is +our home and the end of our journey. +This is your house, Golden One, and ours, +and it belongs to no other men whatever as +far as the earth may stretch. We shall not +share it with others, as we share not our joy +with them, nor our love, nor our hunger. +So be it to the end of our days." + +"Your will be done," they said. + +Then we went out to gather wood for +the great hearth of our home. We brought +water from the stream which runs among +the trees under our windows. We killed +a mountain goat, and we brought its flesh +to be cooked in a strange copper pot we +found in a place of wonders, which must +have been the cooking room of the house. + +We did this work alone, for no words +of ours could take the Golden One away +from the big glass which is not glass. +They stood before it and they looked +and looked upon their own body. + +When the sun sank beyond the mountains, +the Golden One fell asleep on the floor, +amidst jewels, and bottles of crystal, +and flowers of silk. We lifted the Golden +One in our arms and we carried them to a bed, +their head falling softly upon our shoulder. +Then we lit a candle, and we brought paper +from the room of the manuscripts, +and we sat by the window, for we +knew that we could not sleep tonight. + +And now we look upon the earth and sky. +This spread of naked rock and peaks +and moonlight is like a world ready to be +born, a world that waits. It seems to us it +asks a sign from us, a spark, a first commandment. +We cannot know what word we are to give, +nor what great deed this earth expects to witness. +We know it waits. It seems to say it has great gifts +to lay before us, but it wishes a greater gift for us. +We are to speak. We are to give its goal, +its highest meaning to all this glowing +space of rock and sky. + +We look ahead, we beg our heart for guidance +in answering this call no voice has spoken, +yet we have heard. We look upon our hands. +We see the dust of centuries, the dust which +hid the great secrets and perhaps great evils. +And yet it stirs no fear within our heart, +but only silent reverence and pity. + +May knowledge come to us! What is the +secret our heart has understood and yet will +not reveal to us, although it seems to beat +as if it were endeavoring to tell it? + + + + +PART ELEVEN + +I am. I think. I will. + +My hands . . . My spirit . . . My sky . . . +My forest . . . This earth of mine. . . . +What must I say besides? These are the +words. This is the answer. + +I stand here on the summit of the mountain. +I lift my head and I spread my arms. +This, my body and spirit, this is the end +of the quest. I wished to know the meaning +of things. I am the meaning. I wished +to find a warrant for being. I need no +warrant for being, and no word of sanction +upon my being. I am the warrant and the sanction. + +It is my eyes which see, and the sight of +my eyes grants beauty to the earth. It is +my ears which hear, and the hearing of my +ears gives its song to the world. It is my +mind which thinks, and the judgement of +my mind is the only searchlight that can +find the truth. It is my will which chooses, +and the choice of my will is the only edict +I must respect. + +Many words have been granted me, +and some are wise, and some are false, +but only three are holy: "I will it!" + +Whatever road I take, the guiding star +is within me; the guiding star and the +loadstone which point the way. They point +in but one direction. They point to me. + +I know not if this earth on which I stand +is the core of the universe or if it is but +a speck of dust lost in eternity. I know not +and I care not. For I know what happiness +is possible to me on earth. And my happiness +needs no higher aim to vindicate it. +My happiness is not the means to any end. +It is the end. It is its own goal. +It is its own purpose. + +Neither am I the means to any end others +may wish to accomplish. I am not a tool +for their use. I am not a servant of their +needs. I am not a bandage for their wounds. +I am not a sacrifice on their altars. + +I am a man. This miracle of me is mine +to own and keep, and mine to guard, and +mine to use, and mine to kneel before! + +I do not surrender my treasures, nor do +I share them. The fortune of my spirit is +not to be blown into coins of brass and +flung to the winds as alms for the poor +of the spirit. I guard my treasures: +my thought, my will, my freedom. +And the greatest of these is freedom. + +I owe nothing to my brothers, nor do +I gather debts from them. I ask none to +live for me, nor do I live for any others. +I covet no man's soul, nor is my soul theirs +to covet. + +I am neither foe nor friend to my brothers, +but such as each of them shall deserve +of me. And to earn my love, my brothers +must do more than to have been born. +I do not grant my love without reason, nor +to any chance passer-by who may wish to +claim it. I honor men with my love. +But honor is a thing to be earned. + +I shall choose friends among men, but neither +slaves nor masters. And I shall choose +only such as please me, and them +I shall love and respect, but neither +command nor obey. And we shall join our +hands when we wish, or walk alone when +we so desire. For in the temple of his spirit, +each man is alone. Let each man keep his +temple untouched and undefiled. Then let +him join hands with others if he wishes, +but only beyond his holy threshold. + +For the word "We" must never be +spoken, save by one's choice and as a +second thought. This word must never be +placed first within man's soul, else it +becomes a monster, the root of all the evils +on earth, the root of man's torture by men, +and of an unspeakable lie. + +The word "We" is as lime poured over men, +which sets and hardens to stone, and crushes +all beneath it, and that which is white +and that which is black are lost equally +in the grey of it. It is the word by +which the depraved steal the virtue of +the good, by which the weak steal the +might of the strong, by which the fools +steal the wisdom of the sages. + +What is my joy if all hands, even the +unclean, can reach into it? What is my +wisdom, if even the fools can dictate to +me? What is my freedom, if all creatures, +even the botched and the impotent, are my +masters? What is my life, if I am but to +bow, to agree and to obey? + +But I am done with this creed of corruption. + +I am done with the monster of "We," +the word of serfdom, of plunder, of misery, +falsehood and shame. + +And now I see the face of god, and I +raise this god over the earth, this god whom +men have sought since men came into being, +this god who will grant them joy and peace and pride. + +This god, this one word: + +"I." + + + + +PART TWELVE + +It was when I read the first of the books +I found in my house that I saw the word +"I." And when I understood this word, +the book fell from my hands, and I wept, +I who had never known tears. I wept in +deliverance and in pity for all mankind. + +I understood the blessed thing which I +had called my curse. I understood why the +best in me had been my sins and my transgressions; +and why I had never felt guilt in my sins. +I understood that centuries of chains +and lashes will not kill the spirit of +man nor the sense of truth within him. + +I read many books for many days. Then I called +the Golden One, and I told her +what I had read and what I had learned. +She looked at me and the first words she +spoke were: + +"I love you." + +Then I said: + +"My dearest one, it is not proper for +men to be without names. There was a +time when each man had a name of his +own to distinguish him from all other men. +So let us choose our names. I have read of +a man who lived many thousands of years +ago, and of all the names in these books, +his is the one I wish to bear. He took the +light of the gods and he brought it to men, +and he taught men to be gods. And he suffered +for his deed as all bearers of light +must suffer. His name was Prometheus." + +"It shall be your name," said the Golden One. + +"And I have read of a goddess," I said, +"who was the mother of the earth and of +all the gods. Her name was Gaea. Let this +be your name, my Golden One, for you +are to be the mother of a new kind of gods." + +"It shall be my name," said the Golden One. + +Now I look ahead. My future is clear +before me. The Saint of the pyre had seen +the future when he chose me as his heir, +as the heir of all the saints and all the +martyrs who came before him and who +died for the same cause, for the same word, +no matter what name they gave to their +cause and their truth. + +I shall live here, in my own house. +I shall take my food from the earth +by the toil of my own hands. I shall +learn many secrets from my books. +Through the years ahead, I shall rebuild +the achievements of the past, +and open the way to carry them further, +the achievements which are open to me, +but closed forever to my brothers, +for their minds are shackled to the +weakest and dullest ones among them. + +I have learned that my power of the sky +was known to men long ago; they called +it Electricity. It was the power that +moved their greatest inventions. It lit +this house with light which came from +those globes of glass on the walls. +I have found the engine which produced this light. +I shall learn how to repair it and how to +make it work again. I shall learn how to +use the wires which carry this power. +Then I shall build a barrier of wires around +my home, and across the paths which lead +to my home; a barrier light as a cobweb, more +impassable than a wall of granite; a barrier +my brothers will never be able to cross. +For they have nothing to fight me with, +save the brute force of their numbers. +I have my mind. + +Then here, on this mountaintop, with +the world below me and nothing above me +but the sun, I shall live my own truth. +Gaea is pregnant with my child. Our son +will be raised as a man. He will be taught +to say "I" and to bear the pride of it. He +will be taught to walk straight and on his +own feet. He will be taught reverence for +his own spirit. + +When I shall have read all the books +and learned my new way, when my home +will be ready and my earth tilled, +I shall steal one day, for the last time, +into the cursed City of my birth. I shall call to me +my friend who has no name save International 4-8818, +and all those like him, Fraternity 2-5503, +who cries without reason, and Solidarity 9-6347 +who calls for help in the night, and a few others. +I shall call to me all the men and the women +whose spirit has not been killed within them +and who suffer under the yoke of their brothers. +They will follow me and I shall lead them to my fortress. +And here, in this uncharted wilderness, I and they, +my chosen friends, my fellow-builders, shall write +the first chapter in the new history of man. + +These are the things before me. +And as I stand here at the door of glory, +I look behind me for the last time. +I look upon the history of men, which +I have learned from the books, and I wonder. +It was a long story, and the spirit which moved it +was the spirit of man's freedom. +But what is freedom? Freedom from what? +There is nothing to take a man's freedom away +from him, save other men. To be free, +a man must be free of his brothers. +That is freedom. That and nothing else. + +At first, man was enslaved by the gods. +But he broke their chains. Then he was +enslaved by the kings. But he broke their chains. +He was enslaved by his birth, by his kin, +by his race. But he broke their chains. +He declared to all his brothers that +a man has rights which neither god nor +king nor other men can take away from him, +no matter what their number, for his is +the right of man, and there is no right +on earth above this right. And he stood on +the threshold of the freedom for which the +blood of the centuries behind him had been spilled. + +But then he gave up all he had won, +and fell lower than his savage beginning. + +What brought it to pass? What disaster took +their reason away from men? What whip +lashed them to their knees in shame and +submission? The worship of the word +"We." + +When men accepted that worship, +the structure of centuries collaped +about them, the structure whose every beam +had come from the thought of some one man, +each in his day down the ages, from the depth +of some one spirit, such spirit as existed +but for its own sake. Those men who survived +those eager to obey, eager to live for one +another, since they had nothing else to +vindicate them--those men could neither carry +on, nor preserve what they had received. +Thus did all thought, all science, +all wisdom perish on earth. Thus did men-- +men with nothing to offer save their great number-- +lost the steel towers, the flying ships, +the power wires, all the things they had +not created and could never keep. Perhaps, +later, some men had been born with the +mind and the courage to recover these +things which were lost; perhaps these men +came before the Councils of Scholars. +They were answered as I have been answered-- +and for the same reasons. + +But I still wonder how it was possible, +in those graceless years of transition, +long ago, that men did not see whither they +were going, and went on, in blindness and +cowardice, to their fate. I wonder, for it +is hard for me to conceive how men who +knew the word "I" could give it up and +not know what they lost. But such has been +the story, for I have lived in the City of +the damned, and I know what horror men +permitted to be brought upon them. + +Perhaps, in those days, there were a few +among men, a few of clear sight and clean +soul, who refused to surrender that word. +What agony must have been theirs before +that which they saw coming and could not +stop! Perhaps they cried out in protest and +in warning. But men paid no heed to their +warning. And they, these few, fought a +hopeless battle, and they perished with +their banners smeared by their own blood. +And they chose to perish, for they knew. +To them, I send my salute across the centuries, +and my pity. + +Theirs is the banner in my hand. And I wish +I had the power to tell them that the despair +of their hearts was not to be final, +and their night was not without hope. +For the battle they lost can never be lost. +For that which they died to save can never perish. +Through all the darkness, through +all the shame of which men are capable, +the spirit of man will remain alive on this +earth. It may sleep, but it will awaken. +It may wear chains, but it will break through. +And man will go on. Man, not men. + +Here on this mountain, I and my sons +and my chosen friends shall build our new +land and our fort. And it will become as +the heart of the earth, lost and hidden at +first, but beating, beating louder each day. +And word of it will reach every corner +of the earth. And the roads of the world +will become as veins which will carry the +best of the world's blood to my threshold. +And all my brothers, and the Councils of +my brothers, will hear of it, but they will +be impotent against me. And the day will +come when I shall break all the chains of +the earth, and raze the cities of the enslaved, +and my home will become the capital of a +world where each man will be free to exist +for his own sake. + +For the coming of that day shall I fight, +I and my sons and my chosen friends. +For the freedom of Man. For his rights. +For his life. For his honor. + +And here, over the portals of my fort, +I shall cut in the stone the word which is +to be my beacon and my banner. The word +which will not die, should we all perish in +battle. The word which can never die on +this earth, for it is the heart of it and the +meaning and the glory. + +The sacred word: + +EGO + + + + + +End of The Project Gutenberg Etext of Anthem, by Ayn Rand + diff --git a/old/old/1998-05-anthm10.zip b/old/old/1998-05-anthm10.zip Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..c29338f --- /dev/null +++ b/old/old/1998-05-anthm10.zip diff --git a/old/old/1998-05-anthm10z.txt b/old/old/1998-05-anthm10z.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..f8d4489 --- /dev/null +++ b/old/old/1998-05-anthm10z.txt @@ -0,0 +1,2822 @@ +*******The Project Gutenberg Etext of Anthem, by Ayn Rand******* +#1 in our series by Ayn Rand + +This is version 10z, a comparison of the original files we used +to create versions 10 and 10a. . .which helped us correct a few +errors per chapter in those versions. Those with interest in a +greater understanding of those differences in editing, language +and grammar selections, may find this comparison of value.
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It +is base and evil. It is as if we were speaking alone to no ears +but our own. And we know well that there is no transgression +blacker than to do or think alone. We have broken the laws. The +laws say that men may not write unless the Council of Vocations +bid them so. May we be forgiven! + +But this is not the only sin upon us. We have committed a greater +crime, and for this crime there is no name. What punishment +awaits us if it be discovered we know not, for no such crime has +come in the memory of men and there are no laws to provide for it. + +It is dark here. The flame of the candle stands still in the air. +Nothing moves in this tunnel save our [-hand-] {+hands+} on the paper. We are +alone here under the earth. It is a fearful word, alone. The laws +say that none among men may be alone, ever and at any time, for +this is the great transgression and the root of all evil. But we +have broken many laws. And now there is nothing here save our one +body, and it is strange to see only two legs stretched on the +ground, and on the wall before us the shadow of our one head. + +The walls are cracked and water runs upon them in thin threads +without sound, black and glistening as blood. We stole the candle +from the larder of the Home of the Street Sweepers. We shall be +sentenced to ten years in the Palace of Corrective Detention if +it be discovered. But this matters not. It matters only that the +light is precious and we should not waste it to write when we +need it for that work which is our crime. Nothing matters save +the work, our secret, our evil, our precious work. Still, we must +also write, for--may the [-council-] {+Council+} have mercy upon us!--we wish to +speak for once to no ears but our own. + +Our name is Equality 7-2521, as it is written on the iron +bracelet which all men wear on [-the-] {+their+} left wrists with their names +upon it. We are twenty-one years old. We are six feet tall, and +this is a burden, for there are not many men who are six feet +tall. Ever have the Teachers and the Leaders pointed to us and +frowned and said: "There is evil in your bones, Equality 7-2521, +for your body has grown beyond the bodies of your brothers." But +we cannot change our bones nor our body. + +We were born with a curse. It has always driven us to thoughts +which are forbidden. It has always given us wishes which men may +not wish. We know that we are evil, but there is no will in us +and no power to resist it. This is our wonder and our secret +fear, that we know and do not resist. + +We strive to be like all our brother men, for all men must be +alike. Over the portals of the Palace of the World Council, there +are words cut in the marble, which we {+are required to+} repeat to +ourselves whenever we are [-tempted: + + + "WE ARE ONE IN ALL AND ALL IN ONE. + THERE ARE NO MEN BUT ONLY THE GREAT _WE_, + ONE, INDIVISIBLE AND FOREVER."-] {+tempted:--"We are one in all and all in one. + +There are no men but only the great WE, One, indivisible and forever."--+} + +We repeat this to ourselves, but it helps us not. + +These words were cut long ago. There is green mould in the +grooves of the letters and yellow streaks [-on-] {+in+} the marble, which +come from more years than men could count. And these words are +the truth, for they are written on the Palace of the World +Council, and the World Council is the body of all truth. Thus has +it been ever since the Great Rebirth, and farther back than that +no memory can reach. + +But we must never speak of the times before the Great Rebirth, +else we are sentenced to three years in the Palace of Corrective +Detention. It is only the Old Ones who whisper about it in the +evenings, in the Home of the Useless. They whisper many strange +things, of the towers which rose to the sky, in those +Unmentionable Times, and of the wagons which moved without +horses, and of the lights which burned without flame. But those +times were evil. And those times passed away, when men saw the +Great Truth which is this: that all men are one and that there is +no will save the will of all men together. + +All men are good and wise. It is only we, Equality 7-2521, we +alone who were born with a curse. For we are not like our +brothers. And as we look back upon our life, we see that it has +ever been thus and that it has brought us step by step to our +last, supreme transgression, our [-crime-] {+crimes+} of crimes hidden here +under the ground. + +We remember the Home of the Infants where we lived till we were +five years old, together with all the children of the City who +had been born in the same year. The sleeping halls there were +white and clean and bare of all things save one hundred beds. We +were just like all our brothers then, save for the one +transgression: we fought with our brothers. There are few +offenses blacker than to fight with our brothers, at any age and +for any cause whatsoever. The Council of the Home told us so, and +of all the children of that year, we were locked in the cellar +most often. + +When we were five years old, we were sent to the Home of the +Students, where there are ten wards, for our ten years of +learning. Men must learn till they reach their fifteenth year. +Then they go to work. In the Home of the Students we arose when +the big bell rang in the tower and we went to our beds when it +rang again. Before we removed our garments, we stood in the great +sleeping hall, and we raised our right arms, and we said all +together with the three Teachers at the head: + +"We are nothing. Mankind is all. By the grace of our brothers are +we allowed our lives. We exist through, by and for our brothers +who are the State. Amen." + +Then we slept. The sleeping halls were white and clean and bare +of all things save one hundred beds. + +We, Equality 7-2521, were not happy in those years in the Home of +the Students. It was not that the learning was too hard for us. +It was that the learning was too easy. This is a great sin, to be +born with a head which is too quick. It is not good to be +different from our brothers, but it is evil to be superior to +them. The Teachers told us so, and they frowned when they looked +upon us. + +So we fought against this curse. We tried to forget our lessons, +but we always remembered. We tried not to understand what the [-Teachers-] +{+teachers+} taught, but we always understood it before the Teachers +had spoken. We looked upon Union [-5-3992,-] {+5-3992+} who were a pale boy with +only half a brain, and we tried to say and do as they did, that +we might be like them, like Union 5-3992, but somehow the +Teachers knew that we were not. And we were lashed more often +than all the other children. + +The Teachers were just, for they had been appointed by the +Councils, and the Councils are the [-voice-] {+voices+} of all justice, for +they are the voice of all men. And if sometimes, in the secret +darkness of our heart, we regret that which befell us on our +fifteenth birthday, we know that it was through our own guilt. We +had broken a law, for we had not paid heed to the words of our +Teachers. The Teachers had said to us all: + +"Dare not choose in your minds the work you would like to do +when you leave the Home of the Students. You shall do +[-that which-] {+what+} the +Council of [-Vocations-] {+Vocation+} shall prescribe for you. For the Council of +Vocations knows in its great wisdom where you are needed by your +brother men, better than you can know it in your unworthy little +minds. And if you are not needed by your brother [-man,-] {+men,+} there is no +reason for you to burden the earth with your bodies." + +We knew this well, in the years of our childhood, but our curse +broke our will. We were guilty and we confess it here: we were +guilty of the great Transgression of Preference. We preferred +some work and some lessons to the others. We did not listen well +to the history of all the Councils elected since the Great +Rebirth. But we [-love-] {+loved+} the Science of Things. We wished to know. +We wished to know about all the things which [-make-] {+makes+} the earth +around us. We asked so many questions that the Teachers forbade it. + +We think that there are mysteries in the +[-sky,-] {+sky+} and [-under-] the water and in +the plants which grow. But the Council of Scholars has said that +there are no mysteries, and the Council of Scholars knows all +things. And we learned much from our Teachers. We learned that +the earth is flat and that the sun revolves around it, which +causes the day and [-the-] night. We learned the names of all the winds +which blow over the seas and push the sails of our great ships. +We learned how to bleed men to cure them of all ailments. + +We [-love-] {+loved+} the Science of Things. And in the darkness, in the +secret hour, when we awoke in the night and there were no brothers +around us, but only their shapes in the beds and their snores, +we closed our eyes, and we held our lips shut, and we +stopped our breath, that no shudder might let our brothers see or +hear or guess, and we thought that we wished to be sent to the +Home of the Scholars when our time would come. + +All {+of+} the great modern inventions come from the Home of the +Scholars, such as the newest one, which was found only a hundred +years ago, of how to make candles from wax and string; also, how +to make glass, which is put in our windows to protect us from the +rain. To find these things, the Scholars must study the earth and +learn from the rivers, from the sands, from the winds and the +rocks. And if we went to the Home of the Scholars, we could learn +from these also. We could ask questions of these, for they do not +forbid questions. + +And questions give us no rest. We know not why our curse makes us +seek we know not what, ever and ever. But we cannot resist it. It +whispers to us that there are great things on this earth of ours, +and that we [-can know them +if we try, and that we-] must know them. We ask, why must we know, but it has +no answer to give us. We must know that we may know. + +So we wished to be sent to the Home of the Scholars. We wished it +so much that our hands trembled under the blankets in the night, +and we bit our arm to stop that other pain which we could not +endure. It was evil and we dared not face our brothers in the +morning. For men may wish nothing for themselves. And we were +punished when the Council of Vocations came to give us our life +Mandates which tell those who reach their fifteenth year what +their work is to be for the rest of their days. + +The Council of Vocations came {+in+} on the first day of spring, and +they sat in the great hall. And we who were fifteen and all the +Teachers came into the great hall. And the Council of [-vocations-] {+Vocations+} +sat on a high dais, and they had but two words to speak to each +of the Students. They called the Students' names, and when the [-Students-] +{+students+} stepped before them, one after another, the Council +said: "Carpenter" or "Doctor" or "Cook" or "Leader." Then each +Student raised their right arm and said: "The will of our +brothers be done." + +Now if the Council [-has-] said "Carpenter" or "Cook," the Students so +assigned go to [-work,-] {+work+} and [-they-] do not study any further. But if the +Council has said "Leader," then those [-Students-] {+students+} go into the Home +of the Leaders, which is the greatest house in the City, for it +has three stories. And there they study for many years, {+so that +they may become candidates+} and be elected to the City Council and +the State Council and the World Council--by a free and general +vote of all men. But we wished not to be a Leader, even though it +is a great honor. We wished to be a Scholar. + +So we awaited our turn in the great hall and then we heard the +Council of Vocations call our name: "Equality 7-2521." We walked +to the dais, and our legs did not tremble, and we looked up at +the {+Council. There were five members of the+} Council, three of the +male gender and two of the female. Their hair was white and their +faces were cracked as the clay of a dry river bed. They were old. +They seemed older than the marble of the Temple of the World +Council. They sat before us and they did not move. And we saw no +breath to stir the folds of their white togas. But we knew that +they were alive, for a finger of the hand of the oldest rose, +pointed to us, and fell down again. This was the only thing which +moved, for the lips of the oldest did not move as they said: +"Street Sweeper." + +We felt the cords of our neck grow tight as our head rose higher +to look upon the faces of the Council, and we were happy. We [-knew-] {+know+} +we had been guilty, but now we had a way to atone for it. We +would accept our Life Mandate, and we would work for our +brothers, gladly and willingly, and we would erase our sin +against them, which they did not know, but we knew. So we were +happy, and proud of ourselves and of our victory over ourselves. +We raised our right arm and we spoke, and our voice was the +clearest, the steadiest voice in the hall that day, and we said: + +"The will of our brothers be done." + +And we looked straight into the eyes of the Council, but their +eyes were as cold {+as+} blue glass buttons. + +So we went into the Home of the Street Sweepers. It is a grey +house on a narrow street. There is a sundial in its courtyard, by +which the Council of the Home can tell the hours of the day and +when to ring the bell. When the bell rings, we all arise from our +beds. [-They-] {+The+} sky is green and cold in our windows to the east. The +shadow on the sundial marks off a half-hour while we dress and +eat our breakfast in the dining hall, where there are five long +tables with twenty clay plates and twenty clay cups on each +table. Then we go to work in the streets of the City, with our +brooms and our rakes. In five hours, when the sun is high, we +return to the Home and we eat our midday meal, for which +one-half hour is allowed. Then we go to work again. In five +hours, the shadows are blue on the pavements, and the sky is blue +with a deep brightness which is not bright. We come back to have +our dinner, which lasts one hour. Then the bell rings and we walk +in a straight column to one of the City Halls, for the Social +Meeting. Other columns of men arrive from the Homes of the +different Trades. The candles are lit, and the Councils of the +different Homes stand in a pulpit, and they speak to us of our +duties and of our brother men. Then visiting Leaders mount the +pulpit and they read to us the speeches which were made in the +City Council that day, for the City Council represents all men +and all men must know. Then we sing hymns, the Hymn of +Brotherhood, and the Hymn of Equality, and the Hymn of the +Collective Spirit. The sky is a soggy purple when we return to +the Home. Then the bell rings and we walk in a straight column to +the City Theatre for three hours of Social Recreation. There a +play is shown upon the stage, with two great choruses from the +Home of the Actors, which speak and answer all together, in two +great voices. The plays are about toil and how good it is. Then +we walk back to the Home [-is-] {+in+} a straight column. The sky is like a +black sieve pierced by silver drops that tremble, ready to burst +through. The moths beat against the street lanterns. We go to our +beds and we sleep, till the bell rings again. The sleeping halls +are white and clean and bare of all things save one hundred beds. + +Thus have we lived each day of four years, until two springs ago +when our crime happened. Thus must all men live until they are +forty. At forty, they are worn out. At forty, they are sent to +the Home of the Useless, where the Old Ones live. The Old Ones do +not work, for the State takes care of them. They sit in the sun +in summer and they sit by the fire in winter. They do not speak +often, for they are weary. The Old Ones know that they are soon +to die. When a miracle happens and some live to be forty-five, +they are the +[-ancient ones,-] {+Ancient Ones,+} and [-the-] children stare at them when +passing by the Home of the Useless. Such is to be our life, as +that of all our brothers and of the brothers who came before us. + +Such would have been our life, had we not committed our crime +which {+has+} changed all things for us. And it was our curse which +drove us to our crime. We had been a good Street Sweeper and like +all our brother Street Sweepers, save for our cursed wish to +know. We looked too long at the stars at night, and at the trees +and the earth. And when we cleaned the yard of the Home of the +Scholars, we gathered the glass vials, the pieces of metal, the +dried bones which they had discarded. We wished to keep these +things and to study them, but we had no place to hide them. So we +carried them to the City Cesspool. And then we made the +discovery. + +It was on a day of the spring before last. We Street Sweepers +work in brigades of three, and we were with Union 5-3992, they of +the [-half brain,-] {+half-brain,+} and with International 4-8818. Now Union 5-3992 +are a sickly lad and sometimes they are stricken with +convulsions, when their mouth froths and their eyes turn white. +But International 4-8818 are different. They are a tall, strong +youth and their eyes are like fireflies, for there is laughter in +their eyes. We cannot look upon International 4-8818 and not +smile in answer. For this they were not liked in the Home of the +Students, as it is not proper to smile without reason. And also +they were not liked because they took pieces of coal and they +drew pictures upon the walls, and they were pictures which made +men laugh. But it is only our brothers in the Home of the Artists +who are permitted to draw pictures, so International 4-8818 were +sent to the Home of the Street Sweepers, like ourselves. + +International 4-8818 and we are friends. This is an evil thing to +say, for it is a {+great+} transgression, the great Transgression of +Preference, to love any among men better than the others, since +we must love all men and all men are our friends. So +International 4-8818 and we have never spoken of it. But we know. +We know, when we look into each other's eyes. And when we look +thus without [-words,-] {+works,+} we both know other things also, strange +things for which there are no words, and these things frighten us. + +So on that day of the spring before last, Union 5-3992 were stricken +with convulsions on the edge of the City, near the City Theatre. +We left them to lie in the shade of the Theatre tent and +we went with International 4-8818 to finish our work. We came +together to the great ravine behind the Theatre. It is empty save +for trees and weeds. Beyond the ravine there is a plain, and +beyond the plain there lies the Uncharted Forest, about which men +must not think. + +We were gathering the papers and the rags which the wind had +blown from the Theatre, when we saw an iron bar among the weeds. +It was old and rusted by [-man-] {+many+} rains. We pulled with all our +strength, but we could not move it. So we called International [-4-8818,-] +{+4-8818+} and together we scraped the earth around the bar. Of a +sudden the earth fell in before us, and we saw an old iron grill +over a black hole. + +International 4-8818 stepped back. But we pulled at the grill and +it gave way. And then we saw iron rings as steps leading down a +shaft into a darkness without bottom. + +"We shall go down," we said to International 4-8818. + +"It is forbidden," they answered. + +We said: "The Council does not know of this hole, so it cannot be +forbidden." + +And they answered: "Since the Council does not know of this +hole, there can be no law permitting to enter it. And everything +which is not permitted by law is forbidden." + +But we said: "We shall go, none the less." + +They were frightened, but they stood by and watched us go. + +We hung on the iron rings with our hands and {+our+} feet. We could +see nothing below us. And above us the hole [-open-] upon the sky grew +smaller and smaller, till it came to be the size of a button. But +still we went down. Then our foot touched the ground. We rubbed +our eyes, for we could not see. Then our eyes became used to the +darkness, +[-but-] {+and+} we could not believe what we saw. + +No [-men-] {+man+} known to us could have built this place, nor the men known +to our brothers who lived before us, and yet it was built by men. +It was a great tunnel. Its walls were hard and smooth to the +touch; it felt like stone, but it was not stone. On the ground +there were long thin tracks of iron, but it was not iron; it felt +smooth and cold as glass. We knelt, and we crawled forward, our +hand groping along the iron line to see where it would lead. But +there was an unbroken night ahead. Only the iron tracks glowed +through it, straight and white, calling us to follow. But we +could not follow, for we were losing the puddle of light behind +us. So we turned and we crawled back, our hand on the iron line. +And our heart beat in our fingertips, without reason. And then we knew. + +We knew suddenly that this place was left from the Unmentionable Times. +So it was true, and those Times had been, and all the wonders +of those Times. Hundreds upon hundreds of years ago men knew +secrets which we have lost. And we thought: "This is a foul +place. They are damned who touch the things of the Unmentionable +Times." But our hand which followed the track, as we crawled, +clung to the iron as if it would not leave it, as if the skin of +our hand were thirsty and begging of the metal some secret fluid +beating in its coldness. + +We returned to the earth. International 4-8818 looked upon us and +stepped back. + +"Equality 7-2521," they said, "your face is white." + +But we could not speak and we stood looking upon them. + +They backed away, as if they dared not touch us. Then they +smiled, but it was {+a+} not a gay smile; it was lost and pleading. +But still we could not speak. Then they said: + +"We shall report our find to the City Council and both of us +will be rewarded." + +And then we spoke. Our voice was hard and there was no mercy in +our voice. We said: + +"We shall not report our find to the City Council. We shall not +report it to any men." + +They raised their hands to their ears, for never had they heard +such words as these. + +"International 4-8818," we asked, "will you report us to the +Council and see us lashed to death before your eyes?" + +They stood straight [-all-] of a sudden and they answered: + +"Rather would we die." + +"Then," we said, "keep silent. This place is ours. This place +belongs to us, Equality 7-2521, and to +[-no-] {+not+} other men on earth. +And if ever we surrender it, we shall surrender our life with it +also." + +Then we saw that [-they-] {+the+} eyes of International 4-8818 were full to +the lids with tears {+with tears+} they dared not [-drop. +They-] {+drop, they+} +whispered, and their voice trembled, so that their words lost all +shape: + +"The will of the Council is above all things, for it is the will +of our brothers, which is holy. But if you wish it so, we shall +obey you. Rather shall we be evil with you than good with all our +brothers. May the Council have mercy upon both our hearts!" + +Then we walked away together and back to the Home of the Street +Sweepers. And we walked in silence. + +Thus did it come to pass that each night, when the stars are high +and the Street Sweepers sit in the City Theatre, we, Equality +7-2521, steal out and run through the darkness to our place. It +is easy to leave the Theatre; when the candles are blown [-out-] and the +Actors come onto the stage, no eyes can see us as we crawl under +our seat and under the cloth of the tent. [-Later,-] {+Later+} it is easy to +steal through the shadows and fall in line next to International +4-8818, as the column leaves the Theatre. It is dark in the +streets and there are no men about, for no men may walk through +the City when they have no mission to walk there. Each night, we +run to the ravine, and we remove the stones [-which-] we have piled upon +the iron grill to hide it from [-the-] men. Each night, for three hours, +we are under the earth, alone. + +We have stolen candles from the Home of the Street Sweepers, we +have stolen flints and knives and paper, and we have brought them +to this place. We have stolen glass vials and powders and acids +from the Home of the Scholars. Now we sit in the tunnel for three +hours each night and we study. We melt strange metals, and we mix +acids, and we cut open the bodies of the animals which we find in +the City Cesspool. We have built an oven of the bricks we +gathered in the streets. We burn the wood we find in the ravine. +The fire flickers in the oven and blue shadows dance upon the +walls, and there is no sound of men to disturb us. + +We have stolen manuscripts. This is a great offense. Manuscripts +are precious, for our brothers in the Home of the Clerks spend +one year to copy one single script in their clear handwriting. +Manuscripts are rare and they are kept in the Home of the +Scholars. So we sit under the earth and we read the stolen +scripts. Two years have passed since we found this place. And in +these two years we have learned more than we had learned in the +ten years of the Home of the Students. + +We have learned things which are not in the scripts. We have +solved {+the+} secrets of which the Scholars have no knowledge. We +have come to see how great is the unexplored, and many lifetimes +will not bring us to the end of our quest. [-But we +wish no end to our quest.-] We wish nothing, save +to be alone and to learn, and to feel as if with each day our +sight were growing sharper than the hawk's and clearer than rock +crystal. + +Strange are the ways of evil. We are false in the faces of our +brothers. We are defying the will of our Councils. We alone, of +the thousands who walk this earth, we alone in this hour are +doing a work which has no purpose save that we wish to do it. The +evil of our crime is not for the human mind to probe. The nature +of our punishment, if it be discovered, is not {+free+} for the human +heart to ponder. Never, not in the memory of the Ancient Ones' +Ancients, never have men done [-that +which-] {+what+} we are doing. + +And yet there is no shame in us and no regret. We say to +ourselves that we are a wretch and a traitor. But we feel no +burden upon our spirit and no fear in our heart. And it seems to +us that our spirit is clear as a lake troubled by no eyes save those +of the sun. And in our [-heart-- +strange-] {+heart--strange+} are the ways of [-evil!--in-] {+evil!-- +in+} our heart there is the first peace we have known in twenty years. + + + + +[-PART TWO-] + + + +{+Chapter Two+} + +Liberty 5-3000 . . . Liberty five-three thousand . . . Liberty 5-3000 . . . . + +We wish to write this name. We wish to speak it, but we dare not +speak it above a whisper. For men are forbidden to take notice of +women, and women are forbidden to take notice of men. But we +think of one among women, they whose name is Liberty 5-3000, and +we think of no others. + +The women who have been assigned to work the soil live in the +Homes of the Peasants beyond the City. Where the City ends there +is a great road winding off to the north, and we Street Sweepers +must keep this road clean to the first milepost. There is a hedge +along the road, and beyond the hedge lie the fields. The fields +are black and ploughed, and they lie like a great fan before us, +with their furrows gathered in some hand beyond the sky, +spreading forth from that hand, opening wide apart as they come +toward us, like black pleats that sparkle with thin, green +spangles. Women work in the fields, and their white tunics in the +wind are like the wings of sea-gulls beating over the black +soil. + +And there [-is-] {+it+} was that we saw Liberty 5-3000 walking along the +furrows. Their body was straight and thin as a blade of iron. +Their eyes were dark and hard and glowing, with no fear in them, +no kindness and no guilt. Their hair was golden as the sun; their +hair flew in the wind, shining and wild, as if it defied men to +restrain it. They threw seeds from their hand as if they deigned +to fling a scornful gift, and the earth was a beggar under their +feet. + +We stood still; for the first time [-did-] we know fear, and then pain. +And we stood still that we might not spill this pain more +precious than pleasure. + +Then we heard a voice from the others call their name: "Liberty +5-3000," and they turned and walked back. Thus we learned their +name, and we stood watching them go, till their white tunic was +lost in the blue mist. + +And the following day, as we came to the northern road, we kept +our eyes upon Liberty 5-3000 in the field. And each day +thereafter we knew the illness of waiting for our hour on the +northern road. And there we looked at Liberty 5-3000 each day. We +know not whether they looked at us also, but we think they did. + +Then one day they came close to the hedge, and suddenly they +turned to us. They turned in a whirl and the movement of +their body stopped, as if slashed off, as suddenly as it had started. +They stood still as a stone, and they looked straight upon us, +straight [-into-] {+in+} our eyes. There was no smile on their face, and no +welcome. But their face was [-taut,-] {+taught,+} and their eyes were dark. +Then they turned as swiftly, and they walked away from us. + +But the following day, when we came to the road, they smiled. +They smiled to us and for us. And we smiled in answer. Their head +fell back, and their arms fell, as if their arms and their thin +white neck were stricken suddenly with a great lassitude. They +were not looking upon us, but upon the sky. Then they glanced at +us over their shoulder, +[-as-] {+and+} we felt as if a hand had touched our +body, slipping softly from our lips to our feet. + +Every morning thereafter, we greeted each other with our eyes. We +dared not speak. It is a transgression to speak to men of other +Trades, save in groups at the Social Meetings. But once, standing +at the hedge, we raised our hand to our forehead and then moved +it slowly, palm down, toward Liberty 5-3000. Had the others seen +it, they could have guessed nothing, for it looked only as if we +were shading our eyes from the sun. But Liberty 5-3000 saw it and +understood. They raised their hand to their forehead and moved it +as we had. Thus, each day, we greet Liberty 5-3000, and they +answer, and no men can suspect. + +We do not wonder at this new sin of ours. It is our second +Transgression of Preference, for we do not think of all our +brothers, as we must, but only of one, and their name is Liberty +5-3000. We do not know why we think of them. We [-do-] {+don+} not know why, +when we think of them, we feel [-all-] of a sudden that the earth is good +and that it is not a burden to live. + +We do not think of them as Liberty 5-3000 any longer. We have +given them a name in our thoughts. We call them the Golden One. +But it is a sin to give men {+other+} names which distinguish them +from other men. Yet we call them the Golden [-One,-] {+one,+} for they are not +like the others. The Golden One are not like the others. + +And we take no heed of the law which says that men may not think +of women, save at the Time of Mating. This is the time each +spring when all the men older than twenty and all the women older +than eighteen are sent for one night to the City Palace of +Mating. And each of the men have one of the women assigned to +them +[-by-] {+buy+} the Council of Eugenics. Children are born each winter, +but women never see their children and children never know their +parents. Twice have we been sent to the Palace of Mating, but it +is an ugly and shameful matter, of which we do not like to think. + +We had broken so many laws, and today we have broken one more. [-Today,-] +{+Today+} we spoke to the Golden One. + +The other women were far off in the field, when we stopped at the +hedge by the side of the road. The Golden One were kneeling alone +at the moat which runs through the field. And the drops of water +falling from their hands, as they raised the water to their lips, +were like sparks of fire in the sun. Then the Golden One saw us, +and they did not move, kneeling there, looking at us, and circles +of light played upon their white tunic, from the sun on the water +of the moat, and one sparkling drop fell from a finger of their +hand held as frozen in the air. + +Then the Golden One rose and walked to the hedge, as if they had +heard a command in our eyes. The two other Street Sweepers of our +brigade were a hundred paces away down the road. And we thought +that International 4-8818 would not betray us, and Union 5-3992 +would not understand. So we looked straight upon the [-Golden One,-] {+golden one,+} +and we saw the shadows of their lashes on their white cheeks and +the sparks of sun on their lips. And we said: + +"You are beautiful, Liberty 5-3000." + +Their face did not move and they did not avert their eyes. Only +their eyes grew wider, and there was triumph in their eyes, and +it was not triumph over us, but over things we could not guess. + +Then they asked: + +"What is your name?" + +"Equality 7-2521," we answered. + +"You are not one of our brothers, Equality 7-2521, for we do not +wish you to be." + +We cannot say what they meant, for there are no words for their +meaning, but we know it without words and we knew it then. + +"No," we answered, "nor are you one of our sisters." + +"If you see us among scores of women, will you look upon us?" + +"We shall look upon you, Liberty 5-3000, if we see you among all +the women of the earth." + +Then they asked: + +"Are Street Sweepers sent to different parts of the City or do +they always work in the same places?" + +"They always work in the same places," we answered, "and no one +will take this road away from us." + +"Your eyes," they said, "are not like the eyes of any among men." + +And suddenly, without cause for the thought which came to us, we +felt cold, cold to our stomach. + +"How old are you?" we asked. + +They understood our thought, for they lowered their eyes for the +first time. + +"Seventeen," they whispered. + +And we sighed, as if a burden had been taken from us, for we had +been thinking without reason of the Palace of Mating. And we +thought that we would not let the Golden One be sent to the +Palace. How to prevent it, how to bar the will of the Councils, +we knew not, but we knew suddenly that we would. Only we do not +know why such thought came to us, for these ugly matters bear no +relation to us and the Golden One. What relation can they bear? + +Still, without reason, as we stood there by the hedge, we felt +our lips drawn tight with hatred, a sudden hatred for all our +brother men. And the Golden One saw it and smiled slowly, and +there was in their smile the first sadness we had seen in them. +We think that in the wisdom of women the Golden One had +understood more than we can understand. + +Then three of the sisters in the field appeared, coming toward +the road, so the Golden One walked away from us. They took the +bag of seeds, and they threw the seeds into the furrows of earth +as they walked away. But the seeds flew wildly, for the hand of +the Golden One was trembling. + +Yet as we walked back to the Home of the Street Sweepers, we felt +that we wanted to sing, without reason. So we were reprimanded +tonight, in the dining hall, for without knowing it we had begun +to sing aloud some tune we had never heard. But it is not proper +to sing without reason, save at the Social Meetings. + +"We are singing because we are happy," we answered the one of the +Home Council who reprimanded us. + +"Indeed you are happy," they answered. "How else can men be when +they live for their brothers?" + +And now, sitting here in our tunnel, we wonder about these words. +It is forbidden, not to be happy. For, as it has been explained +to us, men are free and the earth belongs to them; and all things +on earth belong to all men; and the will of all men together is +good for all; and so all men must be happy. + +Yet as we stand at night in the great hall, removing our garments +for sleep, we look upon our brothers and we wonder. The heads of +our brothers are bowed. The eyes of our brothers are dull, and +never do they look one another in the eyes. The shoulders of our +brothers are hunched, and their muscles are drawn, as if their +bodies were shrinking and wished to shrink out of sight. And a +word steals into our mind, as we look upon our brothers, and that +word is fear. + +There is fear hanging in the air of the sleeping halls, and in +the air of the streets. Fear walks through the [-City,-] {+city,+} fear without +name, without shape. All men feel it and none dare to speak. + +We feel it also, when we are in the Home of the Street Sweepers. +But here, in our tunnel, we feel it no longer. The air is pure +under the ground. There is no odor of men. And these three hours +give us strength for our hours above the ground. + +Our body is betraying us, for the Council of the Home looks with +suspicion upon us. It is not good to feel [-too-] {+to+} much joy nor to be +glad that our body lives. For we matter not and it must not +matter to us whether we live or die, which is to be as our +brothers will it. But we, Equality 7-2521, are glad to be living. +If this is a vice, then we wish no virtue. + +Yet our brothers are not like us. All is not well with our +brothers. There are Fraternity 2-5503, a quiet boy with wise, +kind eyes, who cry suddenly, without reason, in the midst of day +or night, and their body shakes with sobs {+so+} they cannot explain. +There are Solidarity 9-6347, who are a bright youth, without fear +in the day; but they scream in their sleep, and they scream: +"Help us! Help us! Help us!" into the night, in a voice which +chills our bones, but the Doctors cannot cure Solidarity 9-6347. + +And as we all undress at night, in the dim light of [-the-] candles, our +brothers are silent, for they dare not speak the thoughts of +their minds. For all must agree with all, and they cannot know if +their thoughts are the thoughts of all, and so they fear to +speak. And they are glad when {+the+} candles are blown for the +night. But we, Equality 7-2521, look through the window upon the +sky, and there is peace in the sky, and cleanliness, and dignity. +And beyond the City there lies the plain, and beyond the plain, +black upon the black sky, there lies the Uncharted Forest. + +We do not wish to look upon the Uncharted Forest. We do not wish +to think of it. But ever do our eyes return to that black patch +upon the sky. Men never enter the Uncharted Forest, for there is +no power to explore it and no path to lead among its ancient +trees which stand as guards of fearful secrets. It is whispered +that once or twice in a hundred years, one among the men of the +City escape alone and run to the Uncharted Forest, without call +or reason. These men do not return. They perish from hunger and +from the claws of the wild beasts which roam the Forest. But our +Councils say [-that-] this is only a legend. We have heard that there are +many Uncharted Forests over the land, among the Cities. +[-And-] {+and+} it is +whispered that they have grown over the ruins of many cities of +the Unmentionable Times. The trees have swallowed the ruins, and +the bones under the ruins, and all the things which perished. + +And as we look upon the Uncharted Forest far in the night, we +think of the secrets of the Unmentionable Times. And we wonder +how it came to pass that these secrets were lost to the world. We +have heard the legends of the great fighting, in which many men +fought on one side and only a few on the other. These few were +the Evil Ones and they were conquered. Then great fires raged +over the land. And in these fires the Evil Ones were {+burned. And +the fire which is called the Dawn of the Great Rebirth, was the +Script Fire where all the scripts of the Evil Ones were+} burned, +and with them all the words of the Evil Ones. Great mountains of +flame stood in the squares of the Cities for three months. Then +came the Great Rebirth. + +The words of the Evil [-Ones . . .-] {+Ones...+} The words of the Unmentionable [-Times . . .-] +{+Times...+} What are the words which we have lost? + +May the Council have mercy upon us! We had no wish to write such +a question, and we knew [-no-] {+not+} what we were doing till we had +written it. We shall not ask this question and we shall not +think it. We shall not call death upon our head. + +And [-yet . . .-] {+yet...+} And [-yet . . .-] {+yet...+} + +There is some word, one single word which is not in the language +of men, but which [-had-] {+has+} been. And this is the Unspeakable Word, +which no men may speak nor hear. But sometimes, and it is rare, +sometimes, somewhere, one among men find that word. They find it +upon scraps of old manuscripts or cut into the fragments of +ancient stones. But when they speak it they are put to death. +There is no crime punished by death in this world, save this one +crime of speaking the Unspeakable Word. + +We have seen one of such men burned alive in the square of the +City. And it was a sight which has stayed with us through the +years, and it haunts us, and follows us, and it gives us no rest. +We were a child then, ten years old. And we stood in the great +square with all the children and all the men of the City, sent to +behold the burning. They brought the Transgressor out into the +square and they led [-them-] {+him+} to the pyre. They had torn out the tongue +of the Transgressor, so that they could speak no longer. The +Transgressor were young and tall. They had hair of gold and eyes +blue as morning. They walked to the pyre, and their step did not +falter. And of all the faces on that square, of all the faces +which shrieked and screamed and spat curses upon them, [-their-] {+theirs+} was +the calmest and [-the-] happiest face. + +As the chains were wound over their body at the stake, and a +flame set to the pyre, the Transgressor looked upon the City. +There was a thin thread of blood running from the corner of their +mouth, but their lips were smiling. And a monstrous thought came +to us then, which has never left us. We had heard of Saints. +There are the Saints of Labor, and the Saints of the Councils, +and the Saints of the Great Rebirth. But we had never seen a +Saint nor what the likeness of a Saint should be. And we thought +then, standing in the square, that the likeness of a Saint was +the face we saw before us in the flames, the face of the +Transgressor of the Unspeakable Word. + +As the flames rose, a thing happened which no eyes saw but ours, +else we would not be living today. Perhaps it had only seemed to +us. But it seemed to us that the eyes of the Transgressor had +chosen us from the crowd and were looking straight upon us. There +was no pain in their eyes and no knowledge of the agony of their +body. There was only joy in them, and pride, a pride holier than +{+it+} is fit for human pride to be. And it seemed as if these eyes +were trying to tell us something through the flames, to send into +our eyes some word without sound. And it seemed as if these eyes +were begging us to gather that word and not to let it go from us +and from the earth. But the flames rose and we could not guess +the [-word. . . .-] {+word....+} + +What--even if we have to burn for it like the Saint of the [-Pyre--what-] {+pyre +--what+} is the Unspeakable Word? + + + + +[-PART THREE-] + + + +{+Chapter Three+} + +We, Equality 7-2521, have discovered a new power of nature. And +we have discovered it alone, and we [-alone-] are to know it. + +It is said. Now let us be lashed for it, if we must. The Council +of Scholars has said that we all know the things which exist and +therefore {+all+} the things which are not known by all do not exist. +But we think that the Council of Scholars is blind. The secrets +of this earth are not for all men to see, but only for those who +will seek them. We know, for we have found a secret unknown to +all our brothers. + +We know not what this power is nor whence [-is-] {+it+} comes. But we know +its nature, we have watched it and worked with it. We saw it +first two years ago. One night, we were cutting open the body of +a dead frog when we [-saw-] {+say+} its leg jerking. It was dead, yet it +moved. Some power unknown to men was making it move. We could not +understand it. Then, after many tests, we found the answer. The +frog had been hanging on a wire of copper; and it had been the +metal of our knife which had sent +[-the-] {+a+} strange power to the copper +through the brine of the frog's body. We put a piece of copper +and a piece of zinc into a jar of brine, we touched a wire to +them, and there, under our fingers, was a miracle which had never +occurred before, a new miracle and a new power. + +This discovery haunted us. We followed it in preference to all +our studies. We worked with it, we tested [-it-] in more ways than we +can describe, and each step was [-as-] another miracle unveiling before +us. We came to know that we had found the greatest power on +earth. For it defies all the laws known to men. It makes the +needle move and turn on the compass which we stole from the Home +of the Scholars; but we had been taught, when still a child, that +the loadstone points to the north and [-that-] this is a law which nothing +can change; yet our new power defies all laws. We found that it +causes lightning, and never have men known what causes lightning. +In thunderstorms, we raised a tall rod of iron by the side of our +hole, and we watched it from below. We have seen the +[-lightning-] {+lightening+} +strike it again and again. And now we know that metal draws the +power of the sky, and that metal can be made to give it forth. + +We have built strange things with this discovery of ours. We used +for it the copper wires which we found here under the ground. We +have walked the length of our tunnel, with a candle lighting the +way. We could go no farther [-that-] {+than+} half a mile, for earth and rock +had fallen at both ends. But we gathered all the things we found +and we brought them to our work place. We found strange boxes +with bars of metal inside, with many cords and strands and coils +of metal. We found wires that led to strange little globes of +glass on the walls; they contained threads of metal thinner than +a spider's web. + +These things help us in our work. We do not understand them, but +we think that the men of the Unmentionable Times had known our +power of the sky, and these things had some relation to it. We do +not know, but we shall learn. We cannot stop now, even though it +frightens us that we are alone in our knowledge. + +No single one can possess greater wisdom [-that-] {+than+} the many Scholars +who are elected by all men for their wisdom. Yet we can. We do. +We have fought against saying it, but now it is said. We do not +care. We forget all men, all laws and all things save our metals +and our wires. So much is still to be learned! So long a road +lies before us, and what care we if we must travel it alone! + + + + +[-PART FOUR-] + + + +{+Chapter Four+} + +Many days passed before we could speak to the Golden One again. +But then came the day when the sky turned white, as if the sun +had burst and spread its flame in the air, and the fields lay +still without breath, and the dust of the road [-was-] {+what+} white in the +glow. So the women of the field were weary, and they tarried over +their work, and they were far from the road when we came. But the +Golden [-One-] {+one+} stood alone at the hedge, waiting. We stopped and we +saw that their eyes, so hard and scornful to the world, were +looking at us [-at-] {+as+} if they would obey any word we might speak. + +And we said: + +"We have [-give-] {+given+} you a name in our thoughts, Liberty 5-3000." + +"What is our name?" they asked. + +"The Golden One." + +"Nor do we call you Equality 7-2521 when we think of you." + +"What name have you given us?" + +They looked straight into our eyes and they held their head high +and they answered: + +"The Unconquered." + +For a long time we could not speak. Then we said: + +"Such thoughts [-as these-] are forbidden, Golden One." + +"But you think such thoughts as these and you wish us to think +them." + +We [-look-] {+looked+} into their {+eyes+} and we could not lie. + +"Yes," we whispered, and they smiled, and then we said: "Our +dearest one, do not obey us." + +They stepped back, and their eyes were wide and still. + +"Speak [-these-] {+those+} words again," they whispered. + +"Which words?" we asked. But they did not answer, and we knew it. + +"Our dearest one," we whispered. + +Never have men said this to women. + +The head of the Golden One bowed slowly, and they stood still +before us, their arms at their sides, the palms of their hands +turned to us, as if their body were delivered in submission to +our eyes. And we could not speak. + +Then they raised their head, and they spoke simply and gently, as +if they wished us to forget some anxiety of their own. + +"The day is hot," they said, "and you have worked for many hours +and you must be weary." + +"No," we answered. + +"It is cooler in the fields," they said, "and there is water to +drink. Are you thirsty?" + +[-"Yes,"-] + +{+"Yes,+} we answered, "but we cannot cross the hedge." + +"We shall bring the water to you," they said. + +Then they knelt by the moat, they gathered water in their two +hands, they rose and they held the water out to our lips. + +We do not know if we drank that water. We only knew suddenly that +their hands were empty, but we were still holding our lips to +their hands, and that they knew [-it,-] {+it+} but did not move. + +We raised our head and stepped back. For we did not understand +what had made us do this, and we were afraid to understand it. + +And the Golden One stepped back, and stood looking upon their +hands in wonder. Then the Golden One moved away, even though no +others were coming, and they +[-moved,-] {+moved+} stepping back, as if they +could not turn from us, their arms bent before them, as if they +could not lower their hands. + + + + +[-PART FIVE-] + + + +{+Chapter Five+} + +We made it. We created it. We brought it forth from the night of +the ages. We alone. Our hands. Our mind. Ours alone and only. + +We know not what we are saying. Our head is reeling. We look upon +the light which we [-have-] {+had+} made. We shall be forgiven for anything we +say [-tonight.-] {+tonight .+} . . . + +Tonight, after more days and trials than we can count, we +finished building a strange thing, from the remains of the +Unmentionable Times, a box of glass, devised to give forth the +power of the sky of greater strength than we had ever achieved +before. And when we put our wires to this box, when we closed the +current--the wire glowed! It came to life, it turned red, and a +circle of light lay on the stone before us. + +We stood, and we held our head in our hands. We could not +conceive of that which we had created. We had touched no flint, +made no fire. Yet here was light, light that [-come-] {+came+} from nowhere, +light from the heart of metal. + +We blew out the candle. Darkness swallowed us. There was nothing +left around us, nothing save night and a thin thread of flame in +it, as a crack in the wall of a prison. We stretched our hands to +the wire, and we saw our fingers in the red glow. We could not +see our body nor feel it, and in that moment nothing existed save +our two hands over a wire glowing in a black abyss. + +Then we thought of the meaning of that which lay before us. We +can light our tunnel, and the City, and all the Cities of the +world with nothing save metal and wires. We can give our brothers +a new light, cleaner and brighter than any they have ever known. +The power of the sky can be made to do men's bidding. There are +no limits to its secrets and its might, and it can be made to +grant us anything if we but choose to ask. + +Then we knew what we must do. Our discovery is too great for us +to waste our time in sweeping [-the-] streets. We must not keep our +secret to ourselves, nor buried under the ground. We must bring +it into the sight of all men. We need all our time, we need the +work rooms of the Home of the Scholars, we want the help of our +brother Scholars and their wisdom joined to ours. There is so +much work ahead for all of us, for all the Scholars of the world. + +In a month, the World Council of Scholars is to meet in our City. +It is a great Council, to which the wisest of all lands are +elected, and it meets once a year in the different Cities of the +earth. We shall go to this Council and we shall lay before them, +as our gift, [-this-] {+the+} glass box with the power of the sky. We shall +confess everything to them. They will see, understand and +forgive. For our gift is greater than our transgression. They +will explain it to the Council of Vocations, and we shall be +assigned to the Home of the Scholars. This has never been done +before, but neither has a gift such as ours ever been offered to +men. + +We must wait. We must guard our tunnel as we had never guarded it +before. For should any men save the Scholars learn of our secret, +they would not understand it, nor would they believe us. They would +see nothing, save our crime of working alone, and they would destroy +us and our light. We care not about our body, but our light [-is . . .-] {+is...+} + +Yes, we do care. For the first time [-do-] we {+do+} care about our body. +For this wire is [-as-] a part of our body, as a vein torn from us, +glowing with our blood. Are we {+are+} proud of this thread of metal, +or of our hands which made it, or is there a line to divide these [-two?-] +{+two.+} + +We stretch out our arms. For the first time do we know how strong +our arms are. And a strange thought comes to us: we wonder, for +the first time in our life, what we look like. Men never see +their own faces and never ask their brothers about it, for it is +evil to have concern for their own faces or bodies. But tonight, +for a reason we cannot fathom, we wish it were possible to us to +know the likeness of our own person. + + + + +[-PART SIX-] + + + +{+Chapter Six+} + +We have not written for thirty days. For thirty days we have not +been here, in our tunnel. We had been caught. + +It happened on that night when we wrote last. We forgot, that +night, to watch the sand in the glass which tells us when three +hours have passed and it is time to return to the City Theatre. +When we [-remembered +it,-] {+remembered,+} the sand had run out. + +We hastened to the Theatre. But the big tent stood grey and +silent against the sky. The streets of the City lay before us, +dark and empty. If we went back to hide in our tunnel, we would +be found and our light +[-found-] with us. So we walked to the Home of the +Street Sweepers. + +When the Council of the Home questioned us, we looked upon the +faces of the Council, but there was no curiosity in those faces, +and no anger, and no mercy. So when the oldest of them asked us: +"Where have you been?" we thought of our glass box and of our +light, and we forgot all else. And we answered: + +"We will not tell you." + +The oldest did not question us further. They turned to the two +youngest, and said, and their voice was bored: + +"Take our brother Equality 7-2521 to the Palace of Corrective +Detention. Lash them until they tell." + +So we were taken to the Stone Room under the Palace of Corrective +Detention. This room has no windows and it is empty save for an +iron post. Two men stood by the post, naked but for leather +aprons and leather hoods over their faces. Those who had brought +us departed, leaving us to the two Judges who stood in a corner +of the room. The [-Judges-] {+judges+} were small, thin men, grey and bent. +They gave the signal to the two strong hooded ones. + +They tore [-the-] {+our+} clothes from our body, they threw us down upon our +knees and they tied our hands to the iron post. + +The first blow of the lash felt as if our spine had been cut in +two. The second blow stopped the first, and for a second we felt +nothing, then [-the-] pain struck us in our throat and fire ran in our +lungs without air. But we did not cry out. + +The lash whistled like a singing wind. We tried to count the +blows, but we lost count. We knew that the blows were falling +upon our [-back.-] {+back+} Only we felt nothing upon our back any longer. A +flaming grill kept dancing before our eyes, and we thought of +nothing save that grill, a grill, a grill of red squares, and +then we knew that we were looking at the squares of the iron +grill in the door, and there were also the squares of stone on +the walls, and the squares which the lash was cutting upon our +back, crossing and re-crossing itself in our flesh. + +Then we saw a fist before us. It knocked our chin up, and we saw +the red froth of our mouth on the withered fingers, and the Judge +asked: + +"Where have you been?" + +But we jerked our head away, hid our face upon our tied hands, +and bit our lips. + +The lash whistled again. We wondered who was sprinkling burning +coal dust upon the floor, for we saw drops of red twinkling on +the stones around us. + +Then we knew nothing, save two voices snarling steadily, one +after the other, even though we knew they were speaking many +minutes apart: + +"Where have you been where have you been where have you been +where have you been? . . ." + +And our lips moved, but the sound trickled back into our throat, +and the sound was only: + +"The light . . . The light . . . The light. . . ." + +Then we knew nothing. + +We opened our eyes, lying on our stomach on the brick floor of a +cell. We looked upon two hands [-lying-] {+flying+} far before us on the +bricks, and we moved them, and we knew that they were our hands. +But we could not move our body. Then we smiled, for we thought of +the light and that we had not betrayed it. + +We lay in our cell for many days. The door opened twice each day, +once for the men who brought us bread and water, and once for the Judges. +Many Judges came to our cell, first the humblest and then the most +honored Judges of the City. They stood before us in their white togas, +and they asked: + +"Are you ready to speak?" + +But we shook our head, lying before them on the floor. And they departed. + +We counted each day and each night as it passed. Then, tonight, +we knew that we must escape. For tomorrow the World Council of +Scholars is to meet in our City. + +It was easy to escape from the Palace of Corrective Detention. +The locks are old on the doors and there are no guards about. +There is no reason to have guards, for men have never defied the +Councils so far as to escape from whatever place they were +ordered to be. Our body is healthy and strength returns to it +speedily. We [-lunged +against the door and it gave way. We-] stole through the dark passages, and through the +dark streets, and down into our tunnel. + +We lit the candle and we saw that our place had not been found +and nothing had been touched. And our glass box stood before us +on the cold oven, as we had left it. What matter they now, the +scars upon our back! + +Tomorrow, in the full light of day, we shall take our box, and +leave our tunnel open, and walk through the streets to the Home +of the Scholars. We shall put before them the greatest gift ever +offered to men. We shall tell them the truth. We shall hand to +them, as our confession, these pages we have written. We shall +join our hands to theirs, and we shall work together, with the +power of the sky, for the glory of mankind. Our blessing upon +you, [-or-] {+our+} brothers! Tomorrow, you will take us back into your +fold and we shall be an outcast no longer. Tomorrow we shall be +one of you again. Tomorrow . . . + + + + +[-PART SEVEN-] + + + +{+Chapter Seven+} + +It is dark here in the forest. The leaves rustle over our head, +black against the last gold of the sky. The moss is soft and +warm. We shall sleep on this moss for many nights, till the +beasts of the forest come to tear our body. We have no bed now, +save the moss, and no future, save the beasts. + +We are old now, yet we were young this morning, when we carried +our glass box through the streets of the City to the Home of the +Scholars. No men stopped us, for there were none about [-from-] the Palace +of Corrective Detention, and the others knew nothing. No men +stopped us at the gate. We walked through {+the+} empty passages and +into the great hall where the World Council of Scholars sat in +solemn meeting. + +We saw nothing as we entered, save the sky in the great windows, +blue and glowing. Then we saw the Scholars who sat around a long table; +they were as shapeless clouds huddled at the rise of [-the-] {+a+} great sky. +There were {+the+} men whose famous names we knew, and others +from distant lands whose names we had not heard. We saw a +great painting on the wall over their heads, of the twenty +illustrious men who had invented the candle. + +All the heads of the Council turned to us as we entered. These +great and wise of the earth did not know what to think of us, and +they looked upon us with wonder and curiosity, as if we were a +miracle. It is true that our tunic was torn and stained with +brown stains which had been blood. We raised our right arm and we +said: + +"Our greeting to you, our honored brothers of the World Council +of Scholars!" + +Then Collective 0-0009, the oldest and wisest of the Council, +spoke and asked: + +"Who are you, our brother? For you do not look like a Scholar." + +"Our name is [-Equality-] {+Equity+} 7-2521," we answered, "and we are a Street +Sweeper of this City." + +Then [-is-] {+it+} was [-as-] if a great wind had stricken the hall, for all the +Scholars spoke at once, and they were angry and frightened. + +"A Street Sweeper! A Street Sweeper walking in upon the World +Council of Scholars! It is not to be believed! It is against all +the rules and all the laws!" + +But we knew how to stop them. + +"Our brothers!" we said. "We matter not, nor our transgression. +It is only our brother men who matter. Give no thought to us, for +we are nothing, but listen to our words, for we bring you a gift +such as [-had-] {+has+} never been brought to men. Listen to us, for we hold +the future of mankind in our hands." + +Then they listened. + +We placed our glass box [-upon-] {+on+} the table before them. We spoke of it, +and of our long quest, and of our tunnel, and of our escape from +the Palace of Corrective Detention. Not a hand moved in that +hall, as we spoke, nor an eye. Then we put the wires to the box, +and they all bent forward and sat still, watching. And we stood +still, our eyes upon the wire. And slowly, slowly as a flush of +blood, a red flame trembled in the wire. Then the wire glowed. + +But terror struck the men of the Council. They leapt to their +feet, they ran from the table, and they stood pressed against the +wall, huddled together, seeking the warmth of one another's +bodies to give them courage. + +We looked upon them and we laughed and said: + +"Fear nothing, our brothers. There is a great power in these +wires, but this power is tamed. It is yours. We give it to you." + +Still they would not move. + +"We give you the power of the sky!" we cried. "We give you the +key to the earth! Take it, and let us be one of you, the humblest +among you. Let us [-all-] work together, and harness this power, and make +it ease the toil of men. Let us throw away our candles and our +torches. Let us flood our cities with light. Let us bring a new +light to men!" + +But they looked upon us, and suddenly we were afraid. For their +eyes were still, and small, and evil. + +"Our brothers!" we cried. "Have you nothing to say to us?" + +Then Collective 0-0009 moved forward. They moved to the table and +the others followed. + +"Yes," spoke Collective 0-0009, "we have much to say to you." + +The sound of their [-voices-] {+voice+} brought silence to the hall and to [-be-] {+the+} +beat of our heart. + +"Yes," said Collective 0-0009, "we have much to say to a wretch +who have broken all the laws and who boast of their infamy! How +dared you think that your mind held greater wisdom [-that-] {+than+} the minds +of your brothers? And if the [-Councils-] {+Council+} had decreed that you [-should-] be a +Street Sweeper, how dared you think that you could be of greater +use to men than in sweeping the streets?" + +"How dared you, gutter cleaner," spoke Fraternity 9-3452, "to +hold yourself as one alone and with the thoughts of [-the-] one and not +of [-the-] many?" + +"You shall be burned at the stake," said Democracy 4-6998. + +"No, they shall be lashed," said Unanimity 7-3304, "till there is +nothing left under the lashes." + +"No," said Collective 0-0009, "we cannot decide upon this, our +brothers. No such crime has ever been committed, and it is not +for us to judge. Nor for any small Council. We shall deliver this +creature to the World Council itself and let their will be done." + +We looked upon them and we pleaded: + +"Our brothers! You are right. Let the will of the Council be +done upon our body. We do not care. But the light? What will you +do with the light?" + +Collective 0-0009 looked upon us, and they smiled. + +"So you think [-that-] you have found a new power," said Collective +0-0009. "Do {+you think+} all your brothers think that?" + +"No," we answered. + +"What is not thought by all men cannot be true," said Collective +0-0009. + +"You have worked on this alone?" asked International 1-5537. + +[-"Man-] + +{+"Yes," we answered. + +"What is not done collectively cannot be good," said +International 1-5537. + +"Many+} men in the Homes of the Scholars have had strange new +ideas in the past," said Solidarity 8-1164, "but when the +majority of their brother Scholars voted against them, they +abandoned their ideas, as all men must." + +"This box is useless," said Alliance [-6-4349.-] {+6-7349.+} + +"Should it be what they claim of it," said Harmony 9-2642, "then +it would bring ruin to the Department of Candles. The [-andle-] {+Candle+} is a +great boon to mankind, as approved by all men. Therefore it +cannot be destroyed by the whim of one." + +"This would wreck the [-Plans-] {+plans+} of the World Council," said +Unanimity 2-9913, "and without the Plans of the World Council the +sun cannot rise. It took fifty years to secure the approval of +all the Councils for the Candle, and to decide upon the number +needed, and to re-fit {+the+} Plans so as to make candles instead of +torches. This touched upon thousands and thousands of men working +in scores of States. We cannot alter the Plans again [-to-] {+so+} soon." + +"And if this should lighten the toil of men," said Similarity +5-0306, "then it is a great evil, for men have no cause to exist +save in toiling for other men." + +Then Collective 0-0009 rose and pointed at our box. + +"This thing," they said, "must be destroyed." + +And all the others cried as one: + +"It must be destroyed!" + +Then we leapt to the table. + +We seized our box, we shoved them aside, and we ran to the +window. We turned and we looked at them for the last time, and a +rage, such as [-it-] is not fit for humans to know, choked our voice in +our throat. + +"You [-fools"-] {+fools!"+} we cried. "You fools! You thrice-damned fools!" + +We swung our fist through the windowpane, and we leapt out in a +ringing rain of glass. + +We fell, but we never let the box fall from our hands. Then we +ran. We ran blindly, and men and houses streaked past us in a +torrent without shape. And the road seemed not to be flat before +us, but as if it were leaping up to meet us, and we waited for +the earth to rise and strike us in the face. But we ran. We knew +not where we were going. We knew only that we must run, run to +the end of the world, to the end of our days. + +Then we knew suddenly that we were lying on a soft earth and that +we had stopped. Trees taller than we had ever seen before stood +over us in {+a+} great silence. Then we knew. We were in the +Uncharted Forest. We had not thought of coming here, but our legs +had carried our wisdom, and our legs had brought us to the +Uncharted Forest against our will. + +Our glass box lay beside us. We crawled to it, we fell upon it, +our face in our arms, and we lay still. + +We lay [-this-] {+thus+} for a long time. Then we rose, we took our [-box and-] {+box, had+} +walked on into the forest. + +It mattered not where we went. We knew that men would not follow +us, for they never [-enter-] {+entered+} the Uncharted Forest. We had nothing +to fear from them. The forest disposes of its own victims. This +gave us no fear either. Only we wished to be [-away,-] away from the City +and [-from-] the air that touches upon the air of the City. So we walked +on, our box in our arms, our heart empty. + +We are doomed. Whatever days are left to us, we shall spend them +alone. And we have heard of the corruption to be found in +solitude. We have torn ourselves from the truth which is our +brother men, and there is no road back for us, and no redemption. + +We know these things, but we do not care. We care for nothing on +earth. We are tired. + +Only the glass box in our arms is like a living heart that gives +us strength. We have lied to ourselves. We have not built this +box for the good of our brothers. We built it for its own sake. +It is above all our brothers to us, and its truth above their +truth. Why wonder about this? We {+have not many days to live. We+} +are walking to the fangs awaiting us somewhere among the great, +silent trees. There is not a thing behind us to regret. + +Then a blow of pain struck us, our first and our only. We thought +of the Golden One. We thought of the Golden One whom we shall +never see again. Then the pain passed. It is best. We are one of +the Damned. It is best if the Golden [-One-] {+one+} forget our name and the +body which bore that name. + + + + +[-PART EIGHT-] + + + +{+Chapter Eight+} + +It has been a day of wonder, this, our first day in the forest. + +We awoke when a ray of sunlight fell across our face. We wanted +to leap to our feet, as we have had to leap {+to our feet+} every +morning of our life, but we remembered suddenly that no bell had +rung and that there was no bell to ring anywhere. We lay on our +back, we threw our arms out, and we looked up at the sky. The +leaves had edges of silver that trembled and rippled like a river +of green and fire flowing high above us. + +We did not wish to move. We thought suddenly that we could lie +thus as long as we wished, and we laughed aloud at the thought. +We could also rise, or run, or leap, or fall down again. We were +thinking that these were [-thoughts-] {+things+} without sense, but before we knew [-it-] +{+it,+} our body had risen in one leap. Our arms stretched out of +their own will, and our body whirled and whirled, till it raised +a wind to rustle through the leaves of the bushes. Then our hands +seized a branch and swung us high into a tree, with no aim save +the wonder of learning the strength of our body. The branch +snapped under us and we fell upon the moss that was soft as a +cushion. Then our body, losing all sense, rolled over and over on +the moss, dry leaves in our tunic, in our hair, in our face. And +we heard suddenly that we were laughing, laughing aloud, laughing +as if there were no power left in us save laughter. + +Then we took our glass box, and we went [-on-] into the forest. We went +on, cutting through the branches, and it was as if we were +swimming through a sea of leaves, with the bushes as waves rising +and falling and rising around us, and flinging their green sprays +high to the treetops. The trees parted before us, calling us +forward. The forest seemed to welcome us. We went on, without +thought, without care, with nothing to [-feel-] {+fell+} save the song of our +body. + +We stopped when we felt hunger. We saw birds in the tree +branches, and flying from under our footsteps. We picked a stone +and we sent [-is-] {+it+} as an arrow at a bird. It fell before us. We made +a fire, we cooked the bird, and we ate it, and no meal had ever +tasted better to us. And we thought suddenly that there was a +great satisfaction to be found in the food which we need and +obtain by our own hand. And we wished to {+be+} hungry again and +soon, that we might know again this strange new pride in eating. + +Then we walked on. And we came to a stream which lay as a streak +of glass among the trees. It lay so still that we saw no water +but only a cut in the earth, in which the trees grew down, +upturned, and the sky [-lay-] at the bottom. We knelt by the stream and +we bent down to drink. And then we stopped. For, upon the blue of +the sky below us, we saw our own face for the first time. + +We sat still and we held our breath. For our face and our body +were beautiful. Our face was not like the faces of our brothers, +for we felt [-not-] {+no+} pity when [-looking-] {+we looked+} upon it. Our body was not like +the bodies of our brothers, for our limbs were straight and thin +and hard and strong. And we thought that we could trust this +being who looked upon us from the stream, and that we had nothing +to fear +[-with-] {+from+} this being. + +We walked on till the sun had set. When the shadows gathered +among the trees, we stopped in a hollow between the roots, where +we shall sleep tonight. And suddenly, for the first time this +day, we remembered that we are the Damned. We remembered it, and +we laughed. + +We are writing this on the paper we had hidden in our tunic +together with the written pages we had brought for the World +Council of Scholars, but never given to them. We have much to +speak of to ourselves, and we hope we shall find the words for it +in the days to come. Now, we cannot speak, for we cannot +understand. + + + + +[-PART NINE-] + + + +{+Chapter Nine+} + +We have not written for many days. We did not wish to speak. For +we needed no words to remember that which has happened to us. + +It was on our second day in the forest that we heard steps behind +us. We hid in the bushes, and we waited. The steps came closer. +And then we saw the fold of a white tunic among the trees, and a +gleam of gold. + +We leapt forward, we ran to them, and we stood looking upon the +Golden One. + +They saw us, and their hands closed into fists, and the fists +pulled their arms down, as if they wished their arms to hold +them, while their body swayed. And they could not speak. + +We dared not come too close to them. We asked, and our voice +trembled: + +"How [-did you-] come {+you+} to be here, Golden One?" + +{+But they whispered only:+} + +"We have found you. . . ." + +"How [-did you-] come {+you+} to be in the forest?" we asked. + +They raised their head, and there was a great pride in their +voice; they answered: + +"We have followed you." + +Then we could not speak, and they said: + +"We heard that you had gone to the Uncharted Forest, for the +whole City is speaking of it. So on the night of the day when we +heard it, we ran away from the Home of the Peasants. We found the +marks of your feet across the plain where no men walk. So we +followed them, and we went into the forest, and we followed +the path where the branches were broken by your body." + +Their white tunic was torn, and the branches had cut the skin of +their arms, but they spoke as if they had never taken notice of +it, nor of weariness, nor of fear. + +"We have followed you," they said, "and we shall follow you +wherever you go. If danger threatens you, we shall face it also. +If it be death, we shall die with you. You are damned, and we +wish to share your damnation." + +They looked upon us, and their voice was low, but there was +bitterness and triumph in their [-voice.-] {+voice:+} + +"Your eyes are as a flame, but our brothers have neither hope nor +fire. Your mouth is cut of granite, but our brothers are soft and +humble. Your head is high, but our brothers cringe. You walk, but +our brothers crawl. We wish to be damned with you, rather than [-pleased-] {+be +blessed+} with all our brothers. Do as you please with us, but do +not send us away from you." + +Then they knelt, and bowed their golden head before us. + +We had never thought of that which we did. We bent to raise the +Golden One to their feet, but when we touched them, it was as if +madness had stricken us. We seized their body and we pressed our +lips to theirs. The Golden One breathed once, and their breath +was a moan, and then their arms closed around us. + +We stood together for a long time. And we were frightened that we +had lived for twenty-one years and had never known what joy is +possible to men. + +Then we said: + +"Our dearest one. Fear nothing of the forest. There is no danger +in solitude. We have no need of our brothers. Let us forget their +good and our evil, let us forget all things save that we are +together and that there is joy [-as a bond-] between us. Give us your hand. +Look ahead. It is our own world, Golden One, a strange, unknown +world, but our own." + +Then we walked on into the forest, their hand in ours. + +And that night we knew that to hold the body of [-women-] {+a woman+} in our +arms is neither ugly nor shameful, but the one ecstasy granted to +the race of men. + +We have walked for many days. The forest has no end, and we seek +no end. But each day added to the chain of days between us and +the City is like an added blessing. + +We have made a bow and many arrows. We can kill more birds than +we need for our food; we find water and fruit in the forest. At +night, we choose a clearing, and we build a ring of fires around +it. We sleep in the midst of that ring, and the beasts dare not attack us. +We can see their eyes, green and yellow as coals, watching us +from the tree branches beyond. The fires [-smoulder-] {+smolder+} as a crown +of jewels around us, and smoke stands still in the air, in +columns made blue by the moonlight. We sleep together in the +midst of the ring, the arms of the Golden One around us, their +head upon our breast. + +Some day, we shall stop and build a house, when we shall have +gone far enough. But we do not have to hasten. The days before us +are without end, like the forest. + +We cannot understand this new life which we have found, yet it +seems so clear and so simple. When questions come to puzzle us, +we walk faster, then turn and forget all things as we watch the +Golden One following. The shadows of leaves fall upon their arms, +as they spread the branches apart, but their shoulders are in the +sun. The skin of their arms is like a blue [-mist.-] {+mist,+} but their +shoulders are white and glowing, as if the light fell not from +above, but rose from under their skin. We watch the leaf which +has fallen upon their shoulder, and it lies at the curve of their +neck, and a drop of dew glistens upon it like a jewel. They +approach us, and they stop, laughing, knowing what we think, and +they wait obediently, without questions, till it pleases us to +turn and go on. + +We go on and we bless the earth under our feet. But questions +come to us again, as we walk in silence. If that which we have +found is the corruption of solitude, then what can men wish for +save corruption? If this is the great evil of being alone, then +what is good and what is evil? + +Everything which comes from the many is good. Everything which +comes from one is evil. +[-This have-] {+Thus+} we {+have+} been taught with our first +breath. We have broken the law, but we have never doubted it. Yet +now, as we walk [-through-] the forest, we are learning to doubt. + +There is no life for men, save in useful toil for the good of [-all-] +their brothers. But we lived not, when we toiled for our +brothers, we were only weary. There is no joy for men, save the +joy shared with all their brothers. But the only things which +taught us joy were the power [-we-] created in our wires, and the Golden +One. And both these joys belong to us alone, they come from us +alone, they bear no relation to [-all-] our brothers, and they do not +concern our brothers in any way. Thus do we wonder. + +There is some error, one frightful error, in the thinking of men. +What is that error? We do not know, but the knowledge struggles +within us, struggles to be born. + +Today, the Golden One stopped suddenly and said: + +"We love you." + +But {+then+} they frowned and shook their head and looked at us +helplessly. + +"No," they whispered, "that is not what we wished to say." + +They were silent, then they spoke slowly, and their words were +halting, like the words of a child learning to speak for the +first time: + +"We are one . . . alone . . . and only . . . and we love you who +are one . . . alone . . . and only." + +We looked into each other's eyes and we knew that the breath of a +miracle had touched us, and fled, and left us groping vainly. + +And we felt torn, torn for some word we could not find. + + + + +[-PART TEN-] + + + +{+Chapter Ten+} + +We are sitting at a table and we are writing this upon paper +made thousands of years ago. The light is dim, and we cannot see +the Golden One, only one lock of gold on the pillow of an ancient +bed. This is our home. + +We came upon it today, at sunrise. For many days we [-had-] {+have+} been +crossing a chain of mountains. The forest rose among cliffs, and +whenever we walked out upon a barren stretch of rock we saw great +peaks before us in the west, and to the north of us, and to the +south, as far as our eyes could see. The peaks were red and +brown, with the green streaks of forests as veins upon them, with +blue mists as veils over their heads. We had never heard of these +mountains, nor seen them marked on any map. The Uncharted Forest +has protected them from the Cities and from the men of the +Cities. + +We climbed paths where the wild goat dared not follow. Stones +rolled from under our feet, and we heard them striking the rocks +below, farther and farther down, and the mountains rang with each +stroke, and long after the strokes had died. But we went on, for +we knew that no men would ever follow our track nor reach us +here. + +Then today, at sunrise, we saw a white flame among the trees, +high on a sheer peak before us. We thought that it was a fire and +{+we+} stopped. But the flame [-was-] {+as+} unmoving, yet blinding as liquid +metal. So we climbed toward it through the rocks. And there, +before us, on a broad summit, with the mountains rising behind +it, stood a house such as we had never seen, and the white fire +came from the sun on the glass of its windows. + +The house had two stories and a strange roof flat as a floor. +There was more window than wall upon its walls, and the windows +went on straight around [-the-] corners, though how this [-kept the-] house {+kept+} +standing we could not guess. The walls were hard and smooth, of +that stone unlike stone which we had seen in our tunnel. + +We both knew it without words: this house was left from +the Unmentionable Times. The trees had protected it from time +and weather, and from men who have less pity than time and weather. +We turned to the Golden One and we asked: + +"Are you afraid?" + +But they shook their head. So we walked to the door, and we threw +it open, and we stepped together into the house of the +Unmentionable Times. + +We shall need the days and the years ahead, to look, to [-learn,-] {+learn+} and +to understand the things of this house. Today, we could only look +and try to believe the sight of our eyes. We pulled the heavy +curtains from the windows and we saw that the rooms were small, +and we thought that not more than twelve men could have lived +here. We thought it strange that [-men-] {+man+} had been permitted to build +a house for only twelve. + +Never had we seen rooms so full of light. The sunrays danced upon +colors, colors, {+and+} more colors [-that-] {+than+} we thought possible, we who +had seen no houses save the white ones, the brown ones and the +grey. There were great pieces of glass on the walls, but it was +not glass, for when we looked upon it we saw our own bodies and +all the things behind us, as on the face of a lake. There were +strange things which we had never seen and the use of which we do +not know. And there were globes of glass everywhere, in each +room, the globes with the metal cobwebs inside, such as we had +seen in our tunnel. + +We found the sleeping hall and we stood in awe upon its +threshold. For it was a small room and there were only two beds +in it. We found no other beds in the house, and then we knew that +only two had lived here, and this passes understanding. What kind +of world did they have, the men of the Unmentionable Times? + +We found garments, and the Golden One gasped at the sight of +them. For they were not white tunics, nor white togas; they were +of all colors, no two of them alike. Some crumbled to dust as we +touched +[-them. But-] {+them, but+} others were of heavier cloth, and they felt +soft and new in our fingers. + +We found a room with walls made of shelves, which held rows of +manuscripts, from the floor to the ceiling. Never had we seen +such a number of them, nor of such strange shape. They were not +soft and rolled, they had hard shells of cloth and leather; and +the letters on their pages were [-so-] small and so even that we +wondered at the men who had such handwriting. We glanced through +the pages, and we saw that they were written in our language, but +we found many words which we could not understand. Tomorrow, we +shall begin to read these scripts. + +When we had seen all the rooms of the house, we looked at the +Golden One and we both knew the thought in our minds. + +"We shall never leave this house," we said, "nor let it be taken +from us. This is our home and the end of our journey. This is your house, +Golden One, and ours, and it belongs to no other men whatever +as far as the earth may stretch. We shall not share it with others, +as we share not our joy with them, nor our love, nor our hunger. +So be it to the end of our days." + +"Your will be done," they said. + +Then we went out to gather wood for the great hearth of our home. +We brought water from the stream which runs among the trees under +our windows. We killed a mountain goat, and we brought its flesh +to be cooked in a strange copper pot we found in a place of +wonders, which must have been the cooking room of the house. + +We did this work alone, for no words of ours could take the +Golden One away from the big glass which is not glass. They stood +before it and they looked and looked upon their own body. + +When the sun sank beyond the mountains, the Golden One fell +asleep on the floor, amidst jewels, and bottles of crystal, and +flowers of silk. We lifted the Golden One in our arms and we +carried them to a bed, their head falling softly upon our +shoulder. Then we lit a candle, and we brought paper from the +room of the manuscripts, and we sat by the window, for we knew +that we could not sleep tonight. + +And now we look upon the earth and sky. This spread of naked rock +and peaks and moonlight is like a world ready to be born, a world +that waits. It seems to us it asks a sign from us, a spark, a +first commandment. We cannot know what word we are to give, nor +what great deed this earth expects to witness. We know it waits. +It seems to say it has great gifts to lay before [-us, but it wishes a greater gift for-] us. We are to +speak. We are to give its goal, its highest meaning to all this +glowing space of rock and sky. + +We look ahead, we beg our heart for guidance in answering this +call no voice has spoken, yet we have heard. We look upon our +hands. We see the dust of centuries, the dust which hid [-the-] great +secrets and perhaps great evils. And yet it stirs no fear within +our heart, but only silent reverence and pity. + +May knowledge come to us! What is [-the-] {+this+} secret our heart has +understood and yet will not reveal to us, although it seems to +beat as if it were endeavoring to tell it? + + + + +[-PART ELEVEN-] + + + +{+Chapter Eleven+} + +I am. I think. I will. + +My hands . . . My spirit . . . My sky . . . My forest . . . +This earth of [-mine.-] {+mine .+} . . . + +What must I say besides? These are the words. This is the answer. + +I stand here on the summit of the mountain. I lift my head +and I spread my arms. This, my body and spirit, this is the end +of the quest. I wished to know the meaning of things. I am the meaning. +I wished to find a warrant for being. I need no warrant for +being, and no word of sanction upon my being. I am the warrant +and the sanction. + +It is my eyes which see, and the sight of my eyes grants beauty +to the earth. It is my ears which hear, and the hearing of my +ears gives its song to the world. It is my mind which thinks, and +the [-judgement-] {+judgment+} of my mind is the only searchlight that can find the +truth. It is my will which chooses, and the choice of my will is +the only edict I must respect. + +Many words have been granted me, and some are wise, and some are +false, but only three are holy: "I will it!" + +Whatever road I take, the guiding star is within me; the guiding +star and the loadstone which point the way. They point +[-on-] {+in+} but one +direction. They point to me. + +I know not if this earth on which I stand is the core of the +universe or if it is but a speck of dust lost in eternity. I know +not and I care not. For I know what happiness is possible to me +on earth. And my happiness needs no [-nigher-] {+higher+} aim to vindicate it. +My happiness is not the means to any end. It is the end. It is +its own goal. It is its own purpose. + +Neither am I the means to any end others may wish to accomplish. +I am not a tool for their use. I am not a servant of their needs. +I am not a bandage for their wounds. I am not a sacrifice on +their altars. + +I am a man. This miracle of me is mine to own and keep, and mine +to guard, and mine to use, and mine to kneel before! + +I do not surrender my treasures, nor do I share them. The fortune +of my spirit is not to be blown into coins of brass and flung to +the winds as alms for the poor of the spirit. I guard my +treasures: my thought, my will, my freedom. And the greatest of +these is freedom. + +I owe nothing to my brothers, nor do I gather debts from them. I +ask none to live for me, nor do I live for any others. I covet no +man's soul, nor is my soul theirs to covet. + +I am neither foe nor friend to my brothers, but such as each of +them shall deserve of me. And to earn my love, my brothers must +do more than to have been born. I do not grant my love without +reason, nor to any chance passer-by who may wish to claim it. I +honor men with my love. But honor is a thing to be earned. + +I shall choose friends among men, but neither slaves nor masters. +And I shall choose only such as please me, and them I shall love +and respect, but neither command nor obey. And we shall join our +hands when we wish, or walk alone when we so desire. For in the +temple of his spirit, each man is alone. Let each man keep his +temple untouched and undefiled. Then let him join hands with +others if he wishes, but only beyond his holy threshold. + +For the word "We" must never be spoken, save by one's choice and +as a second thought. This word must never be placed first within +man's soul, else it becomes a monster, the root of all the evils +on earth, the root of man's torture by men, and [-of-] an unspeakable lie. + +The word "We" is as lime poured over men, which sets and hardens +to stone, and crushes all beneath it, and that which is white and +that which is black are lost equally in the grey of it. It is the +word by which the depraved steal the virtue of the good, by which +the weak steal the might of the strong, by which the fools steal +the wisdom of the sages. + +What is my joy if all hands, even the unclean, can reach into it? +What is my wisdom, if even the fools can dictate to me? What is +my freedom, if all creatures, even the botched and [-the-] impotent, are +my masters? What is my life, if I am but to bow, to [-agree-] {+agree,+} and to +obey? + +But I am done with this creed of corruption. + +I am done with the monster of "We," the word of serfdom, of +plunder, of misery, falsehood and shame. + +And now I see the face of god, and I raise this god over the +earth, this god whom men have sought since men came into being, +this god who will grant them joy and peace and pride. + +This god, this one word: + +"I." + + + + +[-PART TWELVE-] + + + +{+Chapter Twelve+} + +It was when I read the first of the books I found in my house +that I saw the word "I." And when I understood this word, the +book fell from my hands, and I wept, I who had never known tears. +I wept in deliverance and in pity for all mankind. + +I understood the blessed thing which I had called my curse. I +understood why the best in me had been my sins and my +transgressions; and why I had never felt guilt in my sins. I +understood that centuries of chains and lashes will not kill the +spirit of man nor the sense of truth within him. + +I read {+many+} books for many days. Then I called the Golden One, +and I told her what I had read and what I had learned. She looked +at me and the first words she spoke were: + +"I love you." + +Then I said: + +"My dearest one, it is not proper for men to be without names. +There was a time when each man had a name of his own to +distinguish him from all other men. So let us choose our names. I +have read of a man who lived many thousands of years ago, and of +all the names in these books, his is the one I wish to bear. He +took the light of the gods and [-he-] brought it to men, and he taught +men to be gods. And he suffered for his deed as all bearers of +light must suffer. His name was Prometheus." + +"It shall be your name," said the Golden One. + +"And I have read of a goddess," I said, "who was the mother of +the earth and of all the gods. Her name was Gaea. Let this be +your name, my Golden One, for you are to be the mother of a new +kind of gods." + +"It shall be my name," said the Golden One. + +Now I look ahead. My future is clear before me. The Saint of the +pyre had seen the future when he chose me as his heir, as the +heir of all the saints and all the martyrs who came before him +and who died for the same cause, for the same word, no matter +what name they gave to their cause and their truth. + +I shall live here, in my own house. I shall take my food from the +earth by the toil of my own hands. I shall learn many secrets +from my books. Through the years ahead, I shall rebuild the +achievements of the past, and open the way to carry them further, +the achievements which are open to me, but closed forever to my +brothers, for their minds are shackled to the weakest and dullest [-ones-] +among them. + +I have learned that [-my-] {+the+} power of the sky was known to men long +ago; they called it Electricity. It was the power that moved +their greatest inventions. It lit this house with light [-which-] {+that+} came +from those globes of glass on the walls. I have found the engine +which produced this light. I shall learn how to repair it and how +to make it work again. I shall learn how to use the wires which +carry this power. Then I shall build a barrier of wires around my +home, and across the paths which lead to my home; a barrier light +as a cobweb, more impassable [-that-] {+than+} a wall of granite; a barrier my +brothers will never be able to cross. For they have nothing to +fight me with, save the brute force of their numbers. I have my +mind. + +Then here, on this mountaintop, with the world below me and +nothing above me but the sun, I shall live my own truth. Gaea is +pregnant with my child. [-Our son +will be raised as a man.-] He will be taught to say "I" and to bear +the pride of it. He will be taught to walk straight [-and-] on his own +feet. He will be taught reverence for his own spirit. + +When I shall have read all the books and learned my new way, when +my home will be ready and my earth tilled, I shall steal one day, +for the last time, into the cursed City of my birth. I shall call +to me my friend who has no name save International 4-8818, and +all those like him, Fraternity 2-5503, who cries without reason, +and Solidarity [-9-6347-] {+8-6347+} who calls for help in the night, and a few +others. I shall call to me all the men and the women whose spirit +has not been killed within them and who suffer under the yoke of +their brothers. They will follow me and I shall lead them to my +fortress. And here, in this uncharted wilderness, I and they, my +chosen friends, my fellow-builders, shall write the first chapter +in the new history of man. + +These are the {+last+} things before me. And as I stand here at the +door of glory, I look behind me for the last time. I look upon +the history of men, which I have learned from the books, and I +wonder. It was a long story, and the spirit which moved it was +the spirit of man's freedom. But what is freedom? Freedom from +what? There is nothing to take a man's freedom away from him, +save other men. To be free, a man must be free of his brothers. +That is freedom. That and nothing else. + +At first, man was enslaved by the gods. But he broke their +chains. [-The-] {+Then+} he was enslaved by the kings. But he broke their +chains. He was enslaved by his birth, by his kin, by his race. +But he broke their chains. He declared to all his brothers that a +man has rights which neither god nor king nor other men can take +away from him, no matter what their number, for his is the right +of man, and there is no right on earth above this right. And he +stood on the threshold of [-the-] freedom for which the blood of the +centuries behind him had been spilled. + +But then he gave up all he had won, and fell lower than his +savage beginning. + +What brought it to pass? What disaster took their reason away +from men? What whip lashed them to their knees in shame and +submission? The worship of the word "We." + +When men accepted that worship, the structure {+of centuries +collapsed about them, the structure+} whose every beam had come +from the thought of some one man, each in his day down the ages, +from the depth of some one spirit, such [-spirit-] as {+spirit+} existed but for +its own sake. Those men who [-survived-] {+survived-+} those eager to obey, eager +to live for one another, since they had nothing else to vindicate [-them--those-] +{+them- those+} men could neither carry on, nor preserve what they +had received. Thus did all thought, all science, all wisdom +perish on earth. Thus did [-men---] {+men-+} men with nothing to offer save +their great [-number-- +lost-] {+numbers- lose+} the steel towers, the flying ships, the +power wires, all the things they had not created and could never +keep. Perhaps, later, some men had been born with the mind and +the courage to recover these things which were lost; perhaps +these men came before the Councils of Scholars. They [-were-] answered as +I have been [-answered---] {+answered-+} and for the same reasons. + +But I still wonder how it was possible, in those graceless years +of transition, long ago, that men did not see whither they were +going, and went on, in blindness and cowardice, to their fate. I +wonder, for it is hard for me to conceive how men who knew the word [-"I"-] {+"I,"+} +could give it up and not know what they {+had+} lost. But such has been +the story, for I have lived in the City of the damned, +and I know what horror men permitted to be brought upon them. + +Perhaps, in those days, there were a few among men, a few of +clear sight and clean soul, who refused to surrender that word. +What agony must have been theirs before that which they saw +coming and could not stop! Perhaps they cried out in protest and +in warning. But men paid no heed to their warning. And they, [-these-] +{+those+} few, fought a hopeless battle, and they perished with their +banners smeared by their own blood. And they chose to perish, for +they knew. To them, I send my salute across the centuries, and my pity. + +[-Their-] + +{+Theirs+} is the banner in my hand. And I wish I had the power to +tell them that the despair of their hearts was not to be final, +and their night was not without hope. For the battle they lost +can never be lost. For that which they died to save can never +perish. Through all the darkness, through all the shame of which +men are capable, the spirit of man will remain alive on this +earth. It may sleep, but it will awaken. It may wear chains, but +it will break through. And man will go on. Man, not men. + +[-Here-] + +{+Here,+} on this mountain, I and my sons and my chosen friends shall +build our new land and our fort. And it will become as the heart +of the earth, lost and hidden at first, but beating, beating +louder each day. And word of it will reach every corner of the +earth. And the roads of the world will become as veins which will +carry the best of the world's blood to my threshold. And all my +brothers, and the Councils of my brothers, will hear of it, but +they will be impotent against me. And the day will come when I +shall break [-all-] the chains of the earth, and raze the cities of the +enslaved, and my home will become the capital of a world where +each man will be free to exist for his own sake. + +For the coming of that day [-shall-] I {+shall+} fight, I and my sons and my +chosen friends. For the freedom of Man. For his rights. For his +life. For his honor. + +And here, over the portals of my fort, I shall cut in the stone +the word which is to be my beacon and my banner. The word which +will not die, should we all perish in battle. The word which can +never die on this earth, for it is the heart of it and the +meaning and the glory. + +The sacred word: + +EGO + + + + + +End of The Project Gutenberg Etext of Anthem, by Ayn Rand + diff --git a/old/old/1998-05-anthm10z.zip b/old/old/1998-05-anthm10z.zip Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..a0ccdae --- /dev/null +++ b/old/old/1998-05-anthm10z.zip diff --git a/old/old/2013-01-29_1250-h.zip b/old/old/2013-01-29_1250-h.zip Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..164e05a --- /dev/null +++ b/old/old/2013-01-29_1250-h.zip diff --git a/old/old/anthm10a.txt b/old/old/anthm10a.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6f7cb1e --- /dev/null +++ b/old/old/anthm10a.txt @@ -0,0 +1,2417 @@ +*******The Project Gutenberg Etext of Anthem, by Ayn Rand******* +#1 in our series by Ayn Rand + +This is version 10a, you may also want to look at version 10, +with narrower margins, and slightly different wording. + + +Copyright laws are changing all over the world, be sure to check +the copyright laws for your country before posting these files!! +Anthem is still under copyright in Canada. 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It is as if we were speaking alone to no ears +but our own. And we know well that there is no transgression +blacker than to do or think alone. We have broken the laws. The +laws say that men may not write unless the Council of Vocations +bid them so. May we be forgiven! + +But this is not the only sin upon us. We have committed a greater +crime, and for this crime there is no name. What punishment +awaits us if it be discovered we know not, for no such crime has +come in the memory of men and there are no laws to provide for it. + +It is dark here. The flame of the candle stands still in the air. +Nothing moves in this tunnel save our hand on the paper. We are +alone here under the earth. It is a fearful word, alone. The laws +say that none among men may be alone, ever and at any time, for +this is the great transgression and the root of all evil. But we +have broken many laws. And now there is nothing here save our one +body, and it is strange to see only two legs stretched on the +ground, and on the wall before us the shadow of our one head. + +The walls are cracked and water runs upon them in thin threads +without sound, black and glistening as blood. We stole the candle +from the larder of the Home of the Street Sweepers. We shall be +sentenced to ten years in the Palace of Corrective Detention if +it be discovered. But this matters not. It matters only that the +light is precious and we should not waste it to write when we +need it for that work which is our crime. Nothing matters save +the work, our secret, our evil, our precious work. Still, we must +also write, for--may the Council have mercy upon us!--we wish to +speak for once to no ears but our own. + +Our name is Equality 7-2521, as it is written on the iron +bracelet which all men wear on their left wrists with their names +upon it. We are twenty-one years old. We are six feet tall, and +this is a burden, for there are not many men who are six feet +tall. Ever have the Teachers and the Leaders pointed to us and +frowned and said: "There is evil in your bones, Equality 7-2521, +for your body has grown beyond the bodies of your brothers." But +we cannot change our bones nor our body. + +We were born with a curse. It has always driven us to thoughts +which are forbidden. It has always given us wishes which men may +not wish. We know that we are evil, but there is no will in us +and no power to resist it. This is our wonder and our secret +fear, that we know and do not resist. + +We strive to be like all our brother men, for all men must be +alike. Over the portals of the Palace of the World Council, there +are words cut in the marble, which we are required to repeat to +ourselves whenever we are tempted: + + +"We are one in all and all in one. +There are no men but only the great WE, +One, indivisible and forever."-- + + +We repeat this to ourselves, but it helps us not. + +These words were cut long ago. There is green mould in the +grooves of the letters and yellow streaks on the marble, which +come from more years than men could count. And these words are +the truth, for they are written on the Palace of the World +Council, and the World Council is the body of all truth. Thus has +it been ever since the Great Rebirth, and farther back than that +no memory can reach. + +But we must never speak of the times before the Great Rebirth, +else we are sentenced to three years in the Palace of Corrective +Detention. It is only the Old Ones who whisper about it in the +evenings, in the Home of the Useless. They whisper many strange +things, of the towers which rose to the sky, in those +Unmentionable Times, and of the wagons which moved without +horses, and of the lights which burned without flame. But those +times were evil. And those times passed away, when men saw the +Great Truth which is this: that all men are one and that there is +no will save the will of all men together. + +All men are good and wise. It is only we, Equality 7-2521, we +alone who were born with a curse. For we are not like our +brothers. And as we look back upon our life, we see that it has +ever been thus and that it has brought us step by step to our +last, supreme transgression, our crime of crimes hidden here +under the ground. + +We remember the Home of the Infants where we lived till we were +five years old, together with all the children of the City who +had been born in the same year. The sleeping halls there were +white and clean and bare of all things save one hundred beds. We +were just like all our brothers then, save for the one +transgression: we fought with our brothers. There are few +offenses blacker than to fight with our brothers, at any age and +for any cause whatsoever. The Council of the Home told us so, and +of all the children of that year, we were locked in the cellar +most often. + +When we were five years old, we were sent to the Home of the +Students, where there are ten wards, for our ten years of +learning. Men must learn till they reach their fifteenth year. +Then they go to work. In the Home of the Students we arose when +the big bell rang in the tower and we went to our beds when it +rang again. Before we removed our garments, we stood in the great +sleeping hall, and we raised our right arms, and we said all +together with the three Teachers at the head: + +"We are nothing. Mankind is all. By the grace of our brothers are +we allowed our lives. We exist through, by and for our brothers +who are the State. Amen." + +Then we slept. The sleeping halls were white and clean and bare +of all things save one hundred beds. + +We, Equality 7-2521, were not happy in those years in the Home of +the Students. It was not that the learning was too hard for us. +It was that the learning was too easy. This is a great sin, to be +born with a head which is too quick. It is not good to be +different from our brothers, but it is evil to be superior to +them. The Teachers told us so, and they frowned when they looked +upon us. + +So we fought against this curse. We tried to forget our lessons, +but we always remembered. We tried not to understand what the +Teachers taught, but we always understood it before the Teachers +had spoken. We looked upon Union 5-3992, who were a pale boy with +only half a brain, and we tried to say and do as they did, that +we might be like them, like Union 5-3992, but somehow the +Teachers knew that we were not. And we were lashed more often +than all the other children. + +The Teachers were just, for they had been appointed by the +Councils, and the Councils are the voice of all justice, for +they are the voice of all men. And if sometimes, in the secret +darkness of our heart, we regret that which befell us on our +fifteenth birthday, we know that it was through our own guilt. We +had broken a law, for we had not paid heed to the words of our +Teachers. The Teachers had said to us all: + +"Dare not choose in your minds the work you would like to do +when you leave the Home of the Students. You shall do what the +Council of Vocations shall prescribe for you. For the Council of +Vocations knows in its great wisdom where you are needed by your +brother men, better than you can know it in your unworthy little +minds. And if you are not needed by your brother men, there is no +reason for you to burden the earth with your bodies." + +We knew this well, in the years of our childhood, but our curse +broke our will. We were guilty and we confess it here: we were +guilty of the great Transgression of Preference. We preferred +some work and some lessons to the others. We did not listen well +to the history of all the Councils elected since the Great +Rebirth. But we loved the Science of Things. We wished to know. +We wished to know about all the things which make the earth +around us. We asked so many questions that the Teachers forbade it. + +We think that there are mysteries in the sky and under the water +and in the plants which grow. But the Council of Scholars has said +that there are no mysteries, and the Council of Scholars knows all +things. And we learned much from our Teachers. We learned that +the earth is flat and that the sun revolves around it, which +causes the day and night. We learned the names of all the winds +which blow over the seas and push the sails of our great ships. +We learned how to bleed men to cure them of all ailments. + +We loved the Science of Things. And in the darkness, in the +secret hour, when we awoke in the night and there were no brothers +around us, but only their shapes in the beds and their snores, +we closed our eyes, and we held our lips shut, and we +stopped our breath, that no shudder might let our brothers see or +hear or guess, and we thought that we wished to be sent to the +Home of the Scholars when our time would come. + +All of the great modern inventions come from the Home of the +Scholars, such as the newest one, which was found only a hundred +years ago, of how to make candles from wax and string; also, how +to make glass, which is put in our windows to protect us from the +rain. To find these things, the Scholars must study the earth and +learn from the rivers, from the sands, from the winds and the +rocks. And if we went to the Home of the Scholars, we could learn +from these also. We could ask questions of these, for they do not +forbid questions. + +And questions give us no rest. We know not why our curse makes us +seek we know not what, ever and ever. But we cannot resist it. It +whispers to us that there are great things on this earth of ours, +and that we must know them. We ask, why must we know, but it has +no answer to give us. We must know that we may know. + +So we wished to be sent to the Home of the Scholars. We wished it +so much that our hands trembled under the blankets in the night, +and we bit our arm to stop that other pain which we could not +endure. It was evil and we dared not face our brothers in the +morning. For men may wish nothing for themselves. And we were +punished when the Council of Vocations came to give us our life +Mandates which tell those who reach their fifteenth year what +their work is to be for the rest of their days. + +The Council of Vocations came in on the first day of spring, and +they sat in the great hall. And we who were fifteen and all the +Teachers came into the great hall. And the Council of Vocations +sat on a high dais, and they had but two words to speak to each +of the Students. They called the Students' names, and when the +Students stepped before them, one after another, the Council +said: "Carpenter" or "Doctor" or "Cook" or "Leader." Then each +Student raised their right arm and said: "The will of our +brothers be done." + +Now if the Council said "Carpenter" or "Cook," the Students so +assigned go to work and do not study any further. But if the +Council has said "Leader," then those Students go into the Home +of the Leaders, which is the greatest house in the City, for it +has three stories. And there they study for many years, so that +they may become candidates and be elected to the City Council and +the State Council and the World Council--by a free and general +vote of all men. But we wished not to be a Leader, even though it +is a great honor. We wished to be a Scholar. + +So we awaited our turn in the great hall and then we heard the +Council of Vocations call our name: "Equality 7-2521." We walked +to the dais, and our legs did not tremble, and we looked up at +the Council. There were five members of the Council, three of the +male gender and two of the female. Their hair was white and their +faces were cracked as the clay of a dry river bed. They were old. +They seemed older than the marble of the Temple of the World +Council. They sat before us and they did not move. And we saw no +breath to stir the folds of their white togas. But we knew that +they were alive, for a finger of the hand of the oldest rose, +pointed to us, and fell down again. This was the only thing which +moved, for the lips of the oldest did not move as they said: +"Street Sweeper." + +We felt the cords of our neck grow tight as our head rose higher +to look upon the faces of the Council, and we were happy. We knew +we had been guilty, but now we had a way to atone for it. We +would accept our Life Mandate, and we would work for our +brothers, gladly and willingly, and we would erase our sin +against them, which they did not know, but we knew. So we were +happy, and proud of ourselves and of our victory over ourselves. +We raised our right arm and we spoke, and our voice was the +clearest, the steadiest voice in the hall that day, and we said: + +"The will of our brothers be done." + +And we looked straight into the eyes of the Council, but their +eyes were as cold as blue glass buttons. + +So we went into the Home of the Street Sweepers. It is a grey +house on a narrow street. There is a sundial in its courtyard, by +which the Council of the Home can tell the hours of the day and +when to ring the bell. When the bell rings, we all arise from our +beds. The sky is green and cold in our windows to the east. The +shadow on the sundial marks off a half-hour while we dress and +eat our breakfast in the dining hall, where there are five long +tables with twenty clay plates and twenty clay cups on each +table. Then we go to work in the streets of the City, with our +brooms and our rakes. In five hours, when the sun is high, we +return to the Home and we eat our midday meal, for which +one-half hour is allowed. Then we go to work again. In five +hours, the shadows are blue on the pavements, and the sky is blue +with a deep brightness which is not bright. We come back to have +our dinner, which lasts one hour. Then the bell rings and we walk +in a straight column to one of the City Halls, for the Social +Meeting. Other columns of men arrive from the Homes of the +different Trades. The candles are lit, and the Councils of the +different Homes stand in a pulpit, and they speak to us of our +duties and of our brother men. Then visiting Leaders mount the +pulpit and they read to us the speeches which were made in the +City Council that day, for the City Council represents all men +and all men must know. Then we sing hymns, the Hymn of +Brotherhood, and the Hymn of Equality, and the Hymn of the +Collective Spirit. The sky is a soggy purple when we return to +the Home. Then the bell rings and we walk in a straight column to +the City Theatre for three hours of Social Recreation. There a +play is shown upon the stage, with two great choruses from the +Home of the Actors, which speak and answer all together, in two +great voices. The plays are about toil and how good it is. Then +we walk back to the Home in a straight column. The sky is like a +black sieve pierced by silver drops that tremble, ready to burst +through. The moths beat against the street lanterns. We go to our +beds and we sleep, till the bell rings again. The sleeping halls +are white and clean and bare of all things save one hundred beds. + +Thus have we lived each day of four years, until two springs ago +when our crime happened. Thus must all men live until they are +forty. At forty, they are worn out. At forty, they are sent to +the Home of the Useless, where the Old Ones live. The Old Ones do +not work, for the State takes care of them. They sit in the sun +in summer and they sit by the fire in winter. They do not speak +often, for they are weary. The Old Ones know that they are soon +to die. When a miracle happens and some live to be forty-five, +they are the Ancient Ones, and children stare at them when +passing by the Home of the Useless. Such is to be our life, as +that of all our brothers and of the brothers who came before us. + +Such would have been our life, had we not committed our crime +which has changed all things for us. And it was our curse which +drove us to our crime. We had been a good Street Sweeper and like +all our brother Street Sweepers, save for our cursed wish to +know. We looked too long at the stars at night, and at the trees +and the earth. And when we cleaned the yard of the Home of the +Scholars, we gathered the glass vials, the pieces of metal, the +dried bones which they had discarded. We wished to keep these +things and to study them, but we had no place to hide them. So we +carried them to the City Cesspool. And then we made the +discovery. + +It was on a day of the spring before last. We Street Sweepers +work in brigades of three, and we were with Union 5-3992, they of +the half-brain, and with International 4-8818. Now Union 5-3992 +are a sickly lad and sometimes they are stricken with +convulsions, when their mouth froths and their eyes turn white. +But International 4-8818 are different. They are a tall, strong +youth and their eyes are like fireflies, for there is laughter in +their eyes. We cannot look upon International 4-8818 and not +smile in answer. For this they were not liked in the Home of the +Students, as it is not proper to smile without reason. And also +they were not liked because they took pieces of coal and they +drew pictures upon the walls, and they were pictures which made +men laugh. But it is only our brothers in the Home of the Artists +who are permitted to draw pictures, so International 4-8818 were +sent to the Home of the Street Sweepers, like ourselves. + +International 4-8818 and we are friends. This is an evil thing to +say, for it is a great transgression, the great Transgression of +Preference, to love any among men better than the others, since +we must love all men and all men are our friends. So +International 4-8818 and we have never spoken of it. But we know. +We know, when we look into each other's eyes. And when we look +thus without words, we both know other things also, strange +things for which there are no words, and these things frighten us. + +So on that day of the spring before last, Union 5-3992 were stricken +with convulsions on the edge of the City, near the City Theatre. +We left them to lie in the shade of the Theatre tent and +we went with International 4-8818 to finish our work. We came +together to the great ravine behind the Theatre. It is empty save +for trees and weeds. Beyond the ravine there is a plain, and +beyond the plain there lies the Uncharted Forest, about which men +must not think. + +We were gathering the papers and the rags which the wind had +blown from the Theatre, when we saw an iron bar among the weeds. +It was old and rusted by many rains. We pulled with all our +strength, but we could not move it. So we called International +4-8818, and together we scraped the earth around the bar. Of a +sudden the earth fell in before us, and we saw an old iron grill +over a black hole. + +International 4-8818 stepped back. But we pulled at the grill and +it gave way. And then we saw iron rings as steps leading down a +shaft into a darkness without bottom. + +"We shall go down," we said to International 4-8818. + +"It is forbidden," they answered. + +We said: "The Council does not know of this hole, so it cannot be +forbidden." + +And they answered: "Since the Council does not know of this +hole, there can be no law permitting to enter it. And everything +which is not permitted by law is forbidden." + +But we said: "We shall go, none the less." + +They were frightened, but they stood by and watched us go. + +We hung on the iron rings with our hands and our feet. We could +see nothing below us. And above us the hole open upon the sky grew +smaller and smaller, till it came to be the size of a button. But +still we went down. Then our foot touched the ground. We rubbed +our eyes, for we could not see. Then our eyes became used to the +darkness, and we could not believe what we saw. + +No man known to us could have built this place, nor the men known +to our brothers who lived before us, and yet it was built by men. +It was a great tunnel. Its walls were hard and smooth to the +touch; it felt like stone, but it was not stone. On the ground +there were long thin tracks of iron, but it was not iron; it felt +smooth and cold as glass. We knelt, and we crawled forward, our +hand groping along the iron line to see where it would lead. But +there was an unbroken night ahead. Only the iron tracks glowed +through it, straight and white, calling us to follow. But we +could not follow, for we were losing the puddle of light behind +us. So we turned and we crawled back, our hand on the iron line. +And our heart beat in our fingertips, without reason. And then we knew. + +We knew suddenly that this place was left from the Unmentionable Times. +So it was true, and those Times had been, and all the wonders +of those Times. Hundreds upon hundreds of years ago men knew +secrets which we have lost. And we thought: "This is a foul +place. They are damned who touch the things of the Unmentionable +Times." But our hand which followed the track, as we crawled, +clung to the iron as if it would not leave it, as if the skin of +our hand were thirsty and begging of the metal some secret fluid +beating in its coldness. + +We returned to the earth. International 4-8818 looked upon us and +stepped back. + +"Equality 7-2521," they said, "your face is white." + +But we could not speak and we stood looking upon them. + +They backed away, as if they dared not touch us. Then they +smiled, but it was not a gay smile; it was lost and pleading. +But still we could not speak. Then they said: + +"We shall report our find to the City Council and both of us +will be rewarded." + +And then we spoke. Our voice was hard and there was no mercy in +our voice. We said: + +"We shall not report our find to the City Council. We shall not +report it to any men." + +They raised their hands to their ears, for never had they heard +such words as these. + +"International 4-8818," we asked, "will you report us to the +Council and see us lashed to death before your eyes?" + +They stood straight of a sudden and they answered: + +"Rather would we die." + +"Then," we said, "keep silent. This place is ours. This place +belongs to us, Equality 7-2521, and to no other men on earth. +And if ever we surrender it, we shall surrender our life with it +also." + +Then we saw that the eyes of International 4-8818 were full to +the lids with tears they dared not drop, they whispered, +and their voice trembled, so that their words lost all shape: + +"The will of the Council is above all things, for it is the will +of our brothers, which is holy. But if you wish it so, we shall +obey you. Rather shall we be evil with you than good with all our +brothers. May the Council have mercy upon both our hearts!" + +Then we walked away together and back to the Home of the Street +Sweepers. And we walked in silence. + +Thus did it come to pass that each night, when the stars are high +and the Street Sweepers sit in the City Theatre, we, Equality +7-2521, steal out and run through the darkness to our place. It +is easy to leave the Theatre; when the candles are blown and the +Actors come onto the stage, no eyes can see us as we crawl under +our seat and under the cloth of the tent. Later it is easy to +steal through the shadows and fall in line next to International +4-8818, as the column leaves the Theatre. It is dark in the +streets and there are no men about, for no men may walk through +the City when they have no mission to walk there. Each night, we +run to the ravine, and we remove the stones we have piled upon +the iron grill to hide it from men. Each night, for three hours, +we are under the earth, alone. + +We have stolen candles from the Home of the Street Sweepers, we +have stolen flints and knives and paper, and we have brought them +to this place. We have stolen glass vials and powders and acids +from the Home of the Scholars. Now we sit in the tunnel for three +hours each night and we study. We melt strange metals, and we mix +acids, and we cut open the bodies of the animals which we find in +the City Cesspool. We have built an oven of the bricks we +gathered in the streets. We burn the wood we find in the ravine. +The fire flickers in the oven and blue shadows dance upon the +walls, and there is no sound of men to disturb us. + +We have stolen manuscripts. This is a great offense. Manuscripts +are precious, for our brothers in the Home of the Clerks spend +one year to copy one single script in their clear handwriting. +Manuscripts are rare and they are kept in the Home of the +Scholars. So we sit under the earth and we read the stolen +scripts. Two years have passed since we found this place. And in +these two years we have learned more than we had learned in the +ten years of the Home of the Students. + +We have learned things which are not in the scripts. We have +solved secrets of which the Scholars have no knowledge. We have +come to see how great is the unexplored, and many lifetimes will +not bring us to the end of our quest. We wish nothing, save to be +alone and to learn, and to feel as if with each day our sight were +growing sharper than the hawk's and clearer than rock crystal. + +Strange are the ways of evil. We are false in the faces of our +brothers. We are defying the will of our Councils. We alone, of +the thousands who walk this earth, we alone in this hour are +doing a work which has no purpose save that we wish to do it. The +evil of our crime is not for the human mind to probe. The nature +of our punishment, if it be discovered, is not free for the human +heart to ponder. Never, not in the memory of the Ancient Ones' +Ancients, never have men done what we are doing. + +And yet there is no shame in us and no regret. We say to +ourselves that we are a wretch and a traitor. But we feel no +burden upon our spirit and no fear in our heart. And it seems to +us that our spirit is clear as a lake troubled by no eyes save those +of the sun. And in our heart--strange are the ways of evil!-- +in our heart there is the first peace we have known in twenty years. + + + +Chapter Two + +Liberty 5-3000 . . . Liberty five-three thousand . . . Liberty 5-3000 . . . . + +We wish to write this name. We wish to speak it, but we dare not +speak it above a whisper. For men are forbidden to take notice of +women, and women are forbidden to take notice of men. But we +think of one among women, they whose name is Liberty 5-3000, and +we think of no others. + +The women who have been assigned to work the soil live in the +Homes of the Peasants beyond the City. Where the City ends there +is a great road winding off to the north, and we Street Sweepers +must keep this road clean to the first milepost. There is a hedge +along the road, and beyond the hedge lie the fields. The fields +are black and ploughed, and they lie like a great fan before us, +with their furrows gathered in some hand beyond the sky, +spreading forth from that hand, opening wide apart as they come +toward us, like black pleats that sparkle with thin, green +spangles. Women work in the fields, and their white tunics in the +wind are like the wings of sea-gulls beating over the black +soil. + +And there it was that we saw Liberty 5-3000 walking along the +furrows. Their body was straight and thin as a blade of iron. +Their eyes were dark and hard and glowing, with no fear in them, +no kindness and no guilt. Their hair was golden as the sun; their +hair flew in the wind, shining and wild, as if it defied men to +restrain it. They threw seeds from their hand as if they deigned +to fling a scornful gift, and the earth was a beggar under their +feet. + +We stood still; for the first time we knew fear, and then pain. +And we stood still that we might not spill this pain more +precious than pleasure. + +Then we heard a voice from the others call their name: "Liberty +5-3000," and they turned and walked back. Thus we learned their +name, and we stood watching them go, till their white tunic was +lost in the blue mist. + +And the following day, as we came to the northern road, we kept +our eyes upon Liberty 5-3000 in the field. And each day +thereafter we knew the illness of waiting for our hour on the +northern road. And there we looked at Liberty 5-3000 each day. We +know not whether they looked at us also, but we think they did. + +Then one day they came close to the hedge, and suddenly they +turned to us. They turned in a whirl and the movement of +their body stopped, as if slashed off, as suddenly as it had started. +They stood still as a stone, and they looked straight upon us, +straight in our eyes. There was no smile on their face, and no +welcome. But their face was taut, and their eyes were dark. +Then they turned as swiftly, and they walked away from us. + +But the following day, when we came to the road, they smiled. +They smiled to us and for us. And we smiled in answer. Their head +fell back, and their arms fell, as if their arms and their thin +white neck were stricken suddenly with a great lassitude. They +were not looking upon us, but upon the sky. Then they glanced at +us over their shoulder, and we felt as if a hand had touched our +body, slipping softly from our lips to our feet. + +Every morning thereafter, we greeted each other with our eyes. We +dared not speak. It is a transgression to speak to men of other +Trades, save in groups at the Social Meetings. But once, standing +at the hedge, we raised our hand to our forehead and then moved +it slowly, palm down, toward Liberty 5-3000. Had the others seen +it, they could have guessed nothing, for it looked only as if we +were shading our eyes from the sun. But Liberty 5-3000 saw it and +understood. They raised their hand to their forehead and moved it +as we had. Thus, each day, we greet Liberty 5-3000, and they +answer, and no men can suspect. + +We do not wonder at this new sin of ours. It is our second +Transgression of Preference, for we do not think of all our +brothers, as we must, but only of one, and their name is Liberty +5-3000. We do not know why we think of them. We do not know why, +when we think of them, we feel of a sudden that the earth is good +and that it is not a burden to live. + +We do not think of them as Liberty 5-3000 any longer. We have +given them a name in our thoughts. We call them the Golden One. +But it is a sin to give men other names which distinguish them +from other men. Yet we call them the Golden One, for they are not +like the others. The Golden One are not like the others. + +And we take no heed of the law which says that men may not think +of women, save at the Time of Mating. This is the time each +spring when all the men older than twenty and all the women older +than eighteen are sent for one night to the City Palace of +Mating. And each of the men have one of the women assigned to +them by the Council of Eugenics. Children are born each winter, +but women never see their children and children never know their +parents. Twice have we been sent to the Palace of Mating, but it +is an ugly and shameful matter, of which we do not like to think. + +We had broken so many laws, and today we have broken one more. +Today we spoke to the Golden One. + +The other women were far off in the field, when we stopped at the +hedge by the side of the road. The Golden One were kneeling alone +at the moat which runs through the field. And the drops of water +falling from their hands, as they raised the water to their lips, +were like sparks of fire in the sun. Then the Golden One saw us, +and they did not move, kneeling there, looking at us, and circles +of light played upon their white tunic, from the sun on the water +of the moat, and one sparkling drop fell from a finger of their +hand held as frozen in the air. + +Then the Golden One rose and walked to the hedge, as if they had +heard a command in our eyes. The two other Street Sweepers of our +brigade were a hundred paces away down the road. And we thought +that International 4-8818 would not betray us, and Union 5-3992 +would not understand. So we looked straight upon the Golden One, +and we saw the shadows of their lashes on their white cheeks and +the sparks of sun on their lips. And we said: + +"You are beautiful, Liberty 5-3000." + +Their face did not move and they did not avert their eyes. Only +their eyes grew wider, and there was triumph in their eyes, and +it was not triumph over us, but over things we could not guess. + +Then they asked: + +"What is your name?" + +"Equality 7-2521," we answered. + +"You are not one of our brothers, Equality 7-2521, for we do not +wish you to be." + +We cannot say what they meant, for there are no words for their +meaning, but we know it without words and we knew it then. + +"No," we answered, "nor are you one of our sisters." + +"If you see us among scores of women, will you look upon us?" + +"We shall look upon you, Liberty 5-3000, if we see you among all +the women of the earth." + +Then they asked: + +"Are Street Sweepers sent to different parts of the City or do +they always work in the same places?" + +"They always work in the same places," we answered, "and no one +will take this road away from us." + +"Your eyes," they said, "are not like the eyes of any among men." + +And suddenly, without cause for the thought which came to us, we +felt cold, cold to our stomach. + +"How old are you?" we asked. + +They understood our thought, for they lowered their eyes for the +first time. + +"Seventeen," they whispered. + +And we sighed, as if a burden had been taken from us, for we had +been thinking without reason of the Palace of Mating. And we +thought that we would not let the Golden One be sent to the +Palace. How to prevent it, how to bar the will of the Councils, +we knew not, but we knew suddenly that we would. Only we do not +know why such thought came to us, for these ugly matters bear no +relation to us and the Golden One. What relation can they bear? + +Still, without reason, as we stood there by the hedge, we felt +our lips drawn tight with hatred, a sudden hatred for all our +brother men. And the Golden One saw it and smiled slowly, and +there was in their smile the first sadness we had seen in them. +We think that in the wisdom of women the Golden One had +understood more than we can understand. + +Then three of the sisters in the field appeared, coming toward +the road, so the Golden One walked away from us. They took the +bag of seeds, and they threw the seeds into the furrows of earth +as they walked away. But the seeds flew wildly, for the hand of +the Golden One was trembling. + +Yet as we walked back to the Home of the Street Sweepers, we felt +that we wanted to sing, without reason. So we were reprimanded +tonight, in the dining hall, for without knowing it we had begun +to sing aloud some tune we had never heard. But it is not proper +to sing without reason, save at the Social Meetings. + +"We are singing because we are happy," we answered the one of the +Home Council who reprimanded us. + +"Indeed you are happy," they answered. "How else can men be when +they live for their brothers?" + +And now, sitting here in our tunnel, we wonder about these words. +It is forbidden, not to be happy. For, as it has been explained +to us, men are free and the earth belongs to them; and all things +on earth belong to all men; and the will of all men together is +good for all; and so all men must be happy. + +Yet as we stand at night in the great hall, removing our garments +for sleep, we look upon our brothers and we wonder. The heads of +our brothers are bowed. The eyes of our brothers are dull, and +never do they look one another in the eyes. The shoulders of our +brothers are hunched, and their muscles are drawn, as if their +bodies were shrinking and wished to shrink out of sight. And a +word steals into our mind, as we look upon our brothers, and that +word is fear. + +There is fear hanging in the air of the sleeping halls, and in +the air of the streets. Fear walks through the City, fear without +name, without shape. All men feel it and none dare to speak. + +We feel it also, when we are in the Home of the Street Sweepers. +But here, in our tunnel, we feel it no longer. The air is pure +under the ground. There is no odor of men. And these three hours +give us strength for our hours above the ground. + +Our body is betraying us, for the Council of the Home looks with +suspicion upon us. It is not good to feel too much joy nor to be +glad that our body lives. For we matter not and it must not +matter to us whether we live or die, which is to be as our +brothers will it. But we, Equality 7-2521, are glad to be living. +If this is a vice, then we wish no virtue. + +Yet our brothers are not like us. All is not well with our +brothers. There are Fraternity 2-5503, a quiet boy with wise, +kind eyes, who cry suddenly, without reason, in the midst of day +or night, and their body shakes with sobs so they cannot explain. +There are Solidarity 9-6347, who are a bright youth, without fear +in the day; but they scream in their sleep, and they scream: +"Help us! Help us! Help us!" into the night, in a voice which +chills our bones, but the Doctors cannot cure Solidarity 9-6347. + +And as we all undress at night, in the dim light of candles, our +brothers are silent, for they dare not speak the thoughts of +their minds. For all must agree with all, and they cannot know if +their thoughts are the thoughts of all, and so they fear to +speak. And they are glad when the candles are blown for the +night. But we, Equality 7-2521, look through the window upon the +sky, and there is peace in the sky, and cleanliness, and dignity. +And beyond the City there lies the plain, and beyond the plain, +black upon the black sky, there lies the Uncharted Forest. + +We do not wish to look upon the Uncharted Forest. We do not wish +to think of it. But ever do our eyes return to that black patch +upon the sky. Men never enter the Uncharted Forest, for there is +no power to explore it and no path to lead among its ancient +trees which stand as guards of fearful secrets. It is whispered +that once or twice in a hundred years, one among the men of the +City escape alone and run to the Uncharted Forest, without call +or reason. These men do not return. They perish from hunger and +from the claws of the wild beasts which roam the Forest. But our +Councils say this is only a legend. We have heard that there are +many Uncharted Forests over the land, among the Cities. And it is +whispered that they have grown over the ruins of many cities of +the Unmentionable Times. The trees have swallowed the ruins, and +the bones under the ruins, and all the things which perished. + +And as we look upon the Uncharted Forest far in the night, we +think of the secrets of the Unmentionable Times. And we wonder +how it came to pass that these secrets were lost to the world. We +have heard the legends of the great fighting, in which many men +fought on one side and only a few on the other. These few were +the Evil Ones and they were conquered. Then great fires raged +over the land. And in these fires the Evil Ones were burned. And +the fire which is called the Dawn of the Great Rebirth, was the +Script Fire where all the scripts of the Evil Ones were burned, +and with them all the words of the Evil Ones. Great mountains of +flame stood in the squares of the Cities for three months. Then +came the Great Rebirth. + +The words of the Evil Ones... The words of the Unmentionable +Times... What are the words which we have lost? + +May the Council have mercy upon us! We had no wish to write such +a question, and we knew not what we were doing till we had +written it. We shall not ask this question and we shall not +think it. We shall not call death upon our head. + +And yet... And yet... + +There is some word, one single word which is not in the language +of men, but which has been. And this is the Unspeakable Word, +which no men may speak nor hear. But sometimes, and it is rare, +sometimes, somewhere, one among men find that word. They find it +upon scraps of old manuscripts or cut into the fragments of +ancient stones. But when they speak it they are put to death. +There is no crime punished by death in this world, save this one +crime of speaking the Unspeakable Word. + +We have seen one of such men burned alive in the square of the +City. And it was a sight which has stayed with us through the +years, and it haunts us, and follows us, and it gives us no rest. +We were a child then, ten years old. And we stood in the great +square with all the children and all the men of the City, sent to +behold the burning. They brought the Transgressor out into the +square and they led him to the pyre. They had torn out the tongue +of the Transgressor, so that they could speak no longer. The +Transgressor were young and tall. They had hair of gold and eyes +blue as morning. They walked to the pyre, and their step did not +falter. And of all the faces on that square, of all the faces +which shrieked and screamed and spat curses upon them, theirs was +the calmest and happiest face. + +As the chains were wound over their body at the stake, and a +flame set to the pyre, the Transgressor looked upon the City. +There was a thin thread of blood running from the corner of their +mouth, but their lips were smiling. And a monstrous thought came +to us then, which has never left us. We had heard of Saints. +There are the Saints of Labor, and the Saints of the Councils, +and the Saints of the Great Rebirth. But we had never seen a +Saint nor what the likeness of a Saint should be. And we thought +then, standing in the square, that the likeness of a Saint was +the face we saw before us in the flames, the face of the +Transgressor of the Unspeakable Word. + +As the flames rose, a thing happened which no eyes saw but ours, +else we would not be living today. Perhaps it had only seemed to +us. But it seemed to us that the eyes of the Transgressor had +chosen us from the crowd and were looking straight upon us. There +was no pain in their eyes and no knowledge of the agony of their +body. There was only joy in them, and pride, a pride holier than +it is fit for human pride to be. And it seemed as if these eyes +were trying to tell us something through the flames, to send into +our eyes some word without sound. And it seemed as if these eyes +were begging us to gather that word and not to let it go from us +and from the earth. But the flames rose and we could not guess +the word.... + +What--even if we have to burn for it like the Saint of the pyre +--what is the Unspeakable Word? + + + +Chapter Three + +We, Equality 7-2521, have discovered a new power of nature. And +we have discovered it alone, and we are to know it. + +It is said. Now let us be lashed for it, if we must. The Council +of Scholars has said that we all know the things which exist and +therefore all the things which are not known by all do not exist. +But we think that the Council of Scholars is blind. The secrets +of this earth are not for all men to see, but only for those who +will seek them. We know, for we have found a secret unknown to +all our brothers. + +We know not what this power is nor whence it comes. But we know +its nature, we have watched it and worked with it. We saw it +first two years ago. One night, we were cutting open the body of +a dead frog when we saw its leg jerking. It was dead, yet it +moved. Some power unknown to men was making it move. We could not +understand it. Then, after many tests, we found the answer. The +frog had been hanging on a wire of copper; and it had been the +metal of our knife which had sent a strange power to the copper +through the brine of the frog's body. We put a piece of copper +and a piece of zinc into a jar of brine, we touched a wire to +them, and there, under our fingers, was a miracle which had never +occurred before, a new miracle and a new power. + +This discovery haunted us. We followed it in preference to all +our studies. We worked with it, we tested in more ways than we +can describe, and each step was another miracle unveiling before +us. We came to know that we had found the greatest power on +earth. For it defies all the laws known to men. It makes the +needle move and turn on the compass which we stole from the Home +of the Scholars; but we had been taught, when still a child, that +the loadstone points to the north and this is a law which nothing +can change; yet our new power defies all laws. We found that it +causes lightning, and never have men known what causes lightning. +In thunderstorms, we raised a tall rod of iron by the side of our +hole, and we watched it from below. We have seen the lightning +strike it again and again. And now we know that metal draws the +power of the sky, and that metal can be made to give it forth. + +We have built strange things with this discovery of ours. We used +for it the copper wires which we found here under the ground. We +have walked the length of our tunnel, with a candle lighting the +way. We could go no farther than half a mile, for earth and rock +had fallen at both ends. But we gathered all the things we found +and we brought them to our work place. We found strange boxes +with bars of metal inside, with many cords and strands and coils +of metal. We found wires that led to strange little globes of +glass on the walls; they contained threads of metal thinner than +a spider's web. + +These things help us in our work. We do not understand them, but +we think that the men of the Unmentionable Times had known our +power of the sky, and these things had some relation to it. We do +not know, but we shall learn. We cannot stop now, even though it +frightens us that we are alone in our knowledge. + +No single one can possess greater wisdom than the many Scholars +who are elected by all men for their wisdom. Yet we can. We do. +We have fought against saying it, but now it is said. We do not +care. We forget all men, all laws and all things save our metals +and our wires. So much is still to be learned! So long a road +lies before us, and what care we if we must travel it alone! + + + +Chapter Four + +Many days passed before we could speak to the Golden One again. +But then came the day when the sky turned white, as if the sun +had burst and spread its flame in the air, and the fields lay +still without breath, and the dust of the road was white in the +glow. So the women of the field were weary, and they tarried over +their work, and they were far from the road when we came. But the +Golden One stood alone at the hedge, waiting. We stopped and we +saw that their eyes, so hard and scornful to the world, were +looking at us as if they would obey any word we might speak. + +And we said: + +"We have given you a name in our thoughts, Liberty 5-3000." + +"What is our name?" they asked. + +"The Golden One." + +"Nor do we call you Equality 7-2521 when we think of you." + +"What name have you given us?" + +They looked straight into our eyes and they held their head high +and they answered: + +"The Unconquered." + +For a long time we could not speak. Then we said: + +"Such thoughts are forbidden, Golden One." + +"But you think such thoughts as these and you wish us to think +them." + +We looked into their eyes and we could not lie. + +"Yes," we whispered, and they smiled, and then we said: "Our +dearest one, do not obey us." + +They stepped back, and their eyes were wide and still. + +"Speak those words again," they whispered. + +"Which words?" we asked. But they did not answer, and we knew it. + +"Our dearest one," we whispered. + +Never have men said this to women. + +The head of the Golden One bowed slowly, and they stood still +before us, their arms at their sides, the palms of their hands +turned to us, as if their body were delivered in submission to +our eyes. And we could not speak. + +Then they raised their head, and they spoke simply and gently, as +if they wished us to forget some anxiety of their own. + +"The day is hot," they said, "and you have worked for many hours +and you must be weary." + +"No," we answered. + +"It is cooler in the fields," they said, "and there is water to +drink. Are you thirsty?" + +"Yes," we answered, "but we cannot cross the hedge." + +"We shall bring the water to you," they said. + +Then they knelt by the moat, they gathered water in their two +hands, they rose and they held the water out to our lips. + +We do not know if we drank that water. We only knew suddenly that +their hands were empty, but we were still holding our lips to +their hands, and that they knew it but did not move. + +We raised our head and stepped back. For we did not understand +what had made us do this, and we were afraid to understand it. + +And the Golden One stepped back, and stood looking upon their +hands in wonder. Then the Golden One moved away, even though no +others were coming, and they moved stepping back, as if they +could not turn from us, their arms bent before them, as if they +could not lower their hands. + + + +Chapter Five + +We made it. We created it. We brought it forth from the night of +the ages. We alone. Our hands. Our mind. Ours alone and only. + +We know not what we are saying. Our head is reeling. We look upon +the light which we had made. We shall be forgiven for anything we +say tonight . . . . + +Tonight, after more days and trials than we can count, we +finished building a strange thing, from the remains of the +Unmentionable Times, a box of glass, devised to give forth the +power of the sky of greater strength than we had ever achieved +before. And when we put our wires to this box, when we closed the +current--the wire glowed! It came to life, it turned red, and a +circle of light lay on the stone before us. + +We stood, and we held our head in our hands. We could not +conceive of that which we had created. We had touched no flint, +made no fire. Yet here was light, light that came from nowhere, +light from the heart of metal. + +We blew out the candle. Darkness swallowed us. There was nothing +left around us, nothing save night and a thin thread of flame in +it, as a crack in the wall of a prison. We stretched our hands to +the wire, and we saw our fingers in the red glow. We could not +see our body nor feel it, and in that moment nothing existed save +our two hands over a wire glowing in a black abyss. + +Then we thought of the meaning of that which lay before us. We +can light our tunnel, and the City, and all the Cities of the +world with nothing save metal and wires. We can give our brothers +a new light, cleaner and brighter than any they have ever known. +The power of the sky can be made to do men's bidding. There are +no limits to its secrets and its might, and it can be made to +grant us anything if we but choose to ask. + +Then we knew what we must do. Our discovery is too great for us +to waste our time in sweeping streets. We must not keep our +secret to ourselves, nor buried under the ground. We must bring +it into the sight of all men. We need all our time, we need the +work rooms of the Home of the Scholars, we want the help of our +brother Scholars and their wisdom joined to ours. There is so +much work ahead for all of us, for all the Scholars of the world. + +In a month, the World Council of Scholars is to meet in our City. +It is a great Council, to which the wisest of all lands are +elected, and it meets once a year in the different Cities of the +earth. We shall go to this Council and we shall lay before them, +as our gift, the glass box with the power of the sky. We shall +confess everything to them. They will see, understand and +forgive. For our gift is greater than our transgression. They +will explain it to the Council of Vocations, and we shall be +assigned to the Home of the Scholars. This has never been done +before, but neither has a gift such as ours ever been offered to +men. + +We must wait. We must guard our tunnel as we had never guarded it +before. For should any men save the Scholars learn of our secret, +they would not understand it, nor would they believe us. They would +see nothing, save our crime of working alone, and they would destroy +us and our light. We care not about our body, but our light is... + +Yes, we do care. For the first time we do care about our body. +For this wire is a part of our body, as a vein torn from us, +glowing with our blood. Are we proud of this thread of metal, +or of our hands which made it, or is there a line to divide these +two? + +We stretch out our arms. For the first time do we know how strong +our arms are. And a strange thought comes to us: we wonder, for +the first time in our life, what we look like. Men never see +their own faces and never ask their brothers about it, for it is +evil to have concern for their own faces or bodies. But tonight, +for a reason we cannot fathom, we wish it were possible to us to +know the likeness of our own person. + + + +Chapter Six + +We have not written for thirty days. For thirty days we have not +been here, in our tunnel. We had been caught. + +It happened on that night when we wrote last. We forgot, that +night, to watch the sand in the glass which tells us when three +hours have passed and it is time to return to the City Theatre. +When we remembered, the sand had run out. + +We hastened to the Theatre. But the big tent stood grey and +silent against the sky. The streets of the City lay before us, +dark and empty. If we went back to hide in our tunnel, we would +be found and our light with us. So we walked to the Home of the +Street Sweepers. + +When the Council of the Home questioned us, we looked upon the +faces of the Council, but there was no curiosity in those faces, +and no anger, and no mercy. So when the oldest of them asked us: +"Where have you been?" we thought of our glass box and of our +light, and we forgot all else. And we answered: + +"We will not tell you." + +The oldest did not question us further. They turned to the two +youngest, and said, and their voice was bored: + +"Take our brother Equality 7-2521 to the Palace of Corrective +Detention. Lash them until they tell." + +So we were taken to the Stone Room under the Palace of Corrective +Detention. This room has no windows and it is empty save for an +iron post. Two men stood by the post, naked but for leather +aprons and leather hoods over their faces. Those who had brought +us departed, leaving us to the two Judges who stood in a corner +of the room. The Judges were small, thin men, grey and bent. +They gave the signal to the two strong hooded ones. + +They tore our clothes from our body, they threw us down upon our +knees and they tied our hands to the iron post. + +The first blow of the lash felt as if our spine had been cut in +two. The second blow stopped the first, and for a second we felt +nothing, then pain struck us in our throat and fire ran in our +lungs without air. But we did not cry out. + +The lash whistled like a singing wind. We tried to count the +blows, but we lost count. We knew that the blows were falling +upon our back. Only we felt nothing upon our back any longer. A +flaming grill kept dancing before our eyes, and we thought of +nothing save that grill, a grill, a grill of red squares, and +then we knew that we were looking at the squares of the iron +grill in the door, and there were also the squares of stone on +the walls, and the squares which the lash was cutting upon our +back, crossing and re-crossing itself in our flesh. + +Then we saw a fist before us. It knocked our chin up, and we saw +the red froth of our mouth on the withered fingers, and the Judge +asked: + +"Where have you been?" + +But we jerked our head away, hid our face upon our tied hands, +and bit our lips. + +The lash whistled again. We wondered who was sprinkling burning +coal dust upon the floor, for we saw drops of red twinkling on +the stones around us. + +Then we knew nothing, save two voices snarling steadily, one +after the other, even though we knew they were speaking many +minutes apart: + +"Where have you been where have you been where have you been +where have you been? . . ." + +And our lips moved, but the sound trickled back into our throat, +and the sound was only: + +"The light . . . The light . . . The light. . . ." + +Then we knew nothing. + +We opened our eyes, lying on our stomach on the brick floor of a +cell. We looked upon two hands lying far before us on the +bricks, and we moved them, and we knew that they were our hands. +But we could not move our body. Then we smiled, for we thought of +the light and that we had not betrayed it. + +We lay in our cell for many days. The door opened twice each day, +once for the men who brought us bread and water, and once for the Judges. +Many Judges came to our cell, first the humblest and then the most +honored Judges of the City. They stood before us in their white togas, +and they asked: + +"Are you ready to speak?" + +But we shook our head, lying before them on the floor. And they departed. + +We counted each day and each night as it passed. Then, tonight, +we knew that we must escape. For tomorrow the World Council of +Scholars is to meet in our City. + +It was easy to escape from the Palace of Corrective Detention. +The locks are old on the doors and there are no guards about. +There is no reason to have guards, for men have never defied the +Councils so far as to escape from whatever place they were +ordered to be. Our body is healthy and strength returns to it +speedily. We lunged against the door and it gave way. We stole +through the dark passages, and through the dark streets, +and down into our tunnel. + +We lit the candle and we saw that our place had not been found +and nothing had been touched. And our glass box stood before us +on the cold oven, as we had left it. What matter they now, the +scars upon our back! + +Tomorrow, in the full light of day, we shall take our box, and +leave our tunnel open, and walk through the streets to the Home +of the Scholars. We shall put before them the greatest gift ever +offered to men. We shall tell them the truth. We shall hand to +them, as our confession, these pages we have written. We shall +join our hands to theirs, and we shall work together, with the +power of the sky, for the glory of mankind. Our blessing upon +you, our brothers! Tomorrow, you will take us back into your +fold and we shall be an outcast no longer. Tomorrow we shall be +one of you again. Tomorrow . . . + + + +Chapter Seven + +It is dark here in the forest. The leaves rustle over our head, +black against the last gold of the sky. The moss is soft and +warm. We shall sleep on this moss for many nights, till the +beasts of the forest come to tear our body. We have no bed now, +save the moss, and no future, save the beasts. + +We are old now, yet we were young this morning, when we carried +our glass box through the streets of the City to the Home of the +Scholars. No men stopped us, for there were none about the Palace +of Corrective Detention, and the others knew nothing. No men +stopped us at the gate. We walked through the empty passages and +into the great hall where the World Council of Scholars sat in +solemn meeting. + +We saw nothing as we entered, save the sky in the great windows, +blue and glowing. Then we saw the Scholars who sat around a long table; +they were as shapeless clouds huddled at the rise of a great sky. +There were the men whose famous names we knew, and others +from distant lands whose names we had not heard. We saw a +great painting on the wall over their heads, of the twenty +illustrious men who had invented the candle. + +All the heads of the Council turned to us as we entered. These +great and wise of the earth did not know what to think of us, and +they looked upon us with wonder and curiosity, as if we were a +miracle. It is true that our tunic was torn and stained with +brown stains which had been blood. We raised our right arm and we +said: + +"Our greeting to you, our honored brothers of the World Council +of Scholars!" + +Then Collective 0-0009, the oldest and wisest of the Council, +spoke and asked: + +"Who are you, our brother? For you do not look like a Scholar." + +"Our name is Equality 7-2521," we answered, "and we are a Street +Sweeper of this City." + +Then it was as if a great wind had stricken the hall, for all the +Scholars spoke at once, and they were angry and frightened. + +"A Street Sweeper! A Street Sweeper walking in upon the World +Council of Scholars! It is not to be believed! It is against all +the rules and all the laws!" + +But we knew how to stop them. + +"Our brothers!" we said. "We matter not, nor our transgression. +It is only our brother men who matter. Give no thought to us, for +we are nothing, but listen to our words, for we bring you a gift +such as has never been brought to men. Listen to us, for we hold +the future of mankind in our hands." + +Then they listened. + +We placed our glass box on the table before them. We spoke of it, +and of our long quest, and of our tunnel, and of our escape from +the Palace of Corrective Detention. Not a hand moved in that +hall, as we spoke, nor an eye. Then we put the wires to the box, +and they all bent forward and sat still, watching. And we stood +still, our eyes upon the wire. And slowly, slowly as a flush of +blood, a red flame trembled in the wire. Then the wire glowed. + +But terror struck the men of the Council. They leapt to their +feet, they ran from the table, and they stood pressed against the +wall, huddled together, seeking the warmth of one another's +bodies to give them courage. + +We looked upon them and we laughed and said: + +"Fear nothing, our brothers. There is a great power in these +wires, but this power is tamed. It is yours. We give it to you." + +Still they would not move. + +"We give you the power of the sky!" we cried. "We give you the +key to the earth! Take it, and let us be one of you, the humblest +among you. Let us work together, and harness this power, and make +it ease the toil of men. Let us throw away our candles and our +torches. Let us flood our cities with light. Let us bring a new +light to men!" + +But they looked upon us, and suddenly we were afraid. For their +eyes were still, and small, and evil. + +"Our brothers!" we cried. "Have you nothing to say to us?" + +Then Collective 0-0009 moved forward. They moved to the table and +the others followed. + +"Yes," spoke Collective 0-0009, "we have much to say to you." + +The sound of their voice brought silence to the hall and to the +beat of our heart. + +"Yes," said Collective 0-0009, "we have much to say to a wretch +who have broken all the laws and who boast of their infamy! How +dared you think that your mind held greater wisdom than the minds +of your brothers? And if the Council had decreed that you be a +Street Sweeper, how dared you think that you could be of greater +use to men than in sweeping the streets?" + +"How dared you, gutter cleaner," spoke Fraternity 9-3452, "to +hold yourself as one alone and with the thoughts of one and not +of many?" + +"You shall be burned at the stake," said Democracy 4-6998. + +"No, they shall be lashed," said Unanimity 7-3304, "till there is +nothing left under the lashes." + +"No," said Collective 0-0009, "we cannot decide upon this, our +brothers. No such crime has ever been committed, and it is not +for us to judge. Nor for any small Council. We shall deliver this +creature to the World Council itself and let their will be done." + +We looked upon them and we pleaded: + +"Our brothers! You are right. Let the will of the Council be +done upon our body. We do not care. But the light? What will you +do with the light?" + +Collective 0-0009 looked upon us, and they smiled. + +"So you think you have found a new power," said Collective +0-0009. "Do you think all your brothers think that?" + +"No," we answered. + +"What is not thought by all men cannot be true," said Collective +0-0009. + +"You have worked on this alone?" asked International 1-5537. + +"Yes," we answered. + +"What is not done collectively cannot be good," said +International 1-5537. + +"Many men in the Homes of the Scholars have had strange new +ideas in the past," said Solidarity 8-1164, "but when the +majority of their brother Scholars voted against them, they +abandoned their ideas, as all men must." + +"This box is useless," said Alliance 6-7349. + +"Should it be what they claim of it," said Harmony 9-2642, "then +it would bring ruin to the Department of Candles. The Candle is a +great boon to mankind, as approved by all men. Therefore it +cannot be destroyed by the whim of one." + +"This would wreck the Plans of the World Council," said +Unanimity 2-9913, "and without the Plans of the World Council the +sun cannot rise. It took fifty years to secure the approval of +all the Councils for the Candle, and to decide upon the number +needed, and to re-fit the Plans so as to make candles instead of +torches. This touched upon thousands and thousands of men working +in scores of States. We cannot alter the Plans again so soon." + +"And if this should lighten the toil of men," said Similarity +5-0306, "then it is a great evil, for men have no cause to exist +save in toiling for other men." + +Then Collective 0-0009 rose and pointed at our box. + +"This thing," they said, "must be destroyed." + +And all the others cried as one: + +"It must be destroyed!" + +Then we leapt to the table. + +We seized our box, we shoved them aside, and we ran to the +window. We turned and we looked at them for the last time, and a +rage, such as is not fit for humans to know, choked our voice in +our throat. + +"You fools!" we cried. "You fools! You thrice-damned fools!" + +We swung our fist through the windowpane, and we leapt out in a +ringing rain of glass. + +We fell, but we never let the box fall from our hands. Then we +ran. We ran blindly, and men and houses streaked past us in a +torrent without shape. And the road seemed not to be flat before +us, but as if it were leaping up to meet us, and we waited for +the earth to rise and strike us in the face. But we ran. We knew +not where we were going. We knew only that we must run, run to +the end of the world, to the end of our days. + +Then we knew suddenly that we were lying on a soft earth and that +we had stopped. Trees taller than we had ever seen before stood +over us in a great silence. Then we knew. We were in the +Uncharted Forest. We had not thought of coming here, but our legs +had carried our wisdom, and our legs had brought us to the +Uncharted Forest against our will. + +Our glass box lay beside us. We crawled to it, we fell upon it, +our face in our arms, and we lay still. + +We lay thus for a long time. Then we rose, we took our box, and +walked on into the forest. + +It mattered not where we went. We knew that men would not follow +us, for they never entered the Uncharted Forest. We had nothing +to fear from them. The forest disposes of its own victims. This +gave us no fear either. Only we wished to be away from the City +and the air that touches upon the air of the City. So we walked +on, our box in our arms, our heart empty. + +We are doomed. Whatever days are left to us, we shall spend them +alone. And we have heard of the corruption to be found in +solitude. We have torn ourselves from the truth which is our +brother men, and there is no road back for us, and no redemption. + +We know these things, but we do not care. We care for nothing on +earth. We are tired. + +Only the glass box in our arms is like a living heart that gives +us strength. We have lied to ourselves. We have not built this +box for the good of our brothers. We built it for its own sake. +It is above all our brothers to us, and its truth above their +truth. Why wonder about this? We have not many days to live. We +are walking to the fangs awaiting us somewhere among the great, +silent trees. There is not a thing behind us to regret. + +Then a blow of pain struck us, our first and our only. We thought +of the Golden One. We thought of the Golden One whom we shall +never see again. Then the pain passed. It is best. We are one of +the Damned. It is best if the Golden One forget our name and the +body which bore that name. + + + +Chapter Eight + +It has been a day of wonder, this, our first day in the forest. + +We awoke when a ray of sunlight fell across our face. We wanted +to leap to our feet, as we have had to leap to our feet every +morning of our life, but we remembered suddenly that no bell had +rung and that there was no bell to ring anywhere. We lay on our +back, we threw our arms out, and we looked up at the sky. The +leaves had edges of silver that trembled and rippled like a river +of green and fire flowing high above us. + +We did not wish to move. We thought suddenly that we could lie +thus as long as we wished, and we laughed aloud at the thought. +We could also rise, or run, or leap, or fall down again. We were +thinking that these were things without sense, but before we knew +it, our body had risen in one leap. Our arms stretched out of +their own will, and our body whirled and whirled, till it raised +a wind to rustle through the leaves of the bushes. Then our hands +seized a branch and swung us high into a tree, with no aim save +the wonder of learning the strength of our body. The branch +snapped under us and we fell upon the moss that was soft as a +cushion. Then our body, losing all sense, rolled over and over on +the moss, dry leaves in our tunic, in our hair, in our face. And +we heard suddenly that we were laughing, laughing aloud, laughing +as if there were no power left in us save laughter. + +Then we took our glass box, and we went into the forest. We went +on, cutting through the branches, and it was as if we were +swimming through a sea of leaves, with the bushes as waves rising +and falling and rising around us, and flinging their green sprays +high to the treetops. The trees parted before us, calling us +forward. The forest seemed to welcome us. We went on, without +thought, without care, with nothing to feel save the song of our +body. + +We stopped when we felt hunger. We saw birds in the tree +branches, and flying from under our footsteps. We picked a stone +and we sent it as an arrow at a bird. It fell before us. We made +a fire, we cooked the bird, and we ate it, and no meal had ever +tasted better to us. And we thought suddenly that there was a +great satisfaction to be found in the food which we need and +obtain by our own hand. And we wished to be hungry again and +soon, that we might know again this strange new pride in eating. + +Then we walked on. And we came to a stream which lay as a streak +of glass among the trees. It lay so still that we saw no water +but only a cut in the earth, in which the trees grew down, +upturned, and the sky at the bottom. We knelt by the stream and +we bent down to drink. And then we stopped. For, upon the blue of +the sky below us, we saw our own face for the first time. + +We sat still and we held our breath. For our face and our body +were beautiful. Our face was not like the faces of our brothers, +for we felt no pity when we looked upon it. Our body was not like +the bodies of our brothers, for our limbs were straight and thin +and hard and strong. And we thought that we could trust this +being who looked upon us from the stream, and that we had nothing +to fear from this being. + +We walked on till the sun had set. When the shadows gathered +among the trees, we stopped in a hollow between the roots, where +we shall sleep tonight. And suddenly, for the first time this +day, we remembered that we are the Damned. We remembered it, and +we laughed. + +We are writing this on the paper we had hidden in our tunic +together with the written pages we had brought for the World +Council of Scholars, but never given to them. We have much to +speak of to ourselves, and we hope we shall find the words for it +in the days to come. Now, we cannot speak, for we cannot +understand. + + + +Chapter Nine + +We have not written for many days. We did not wish to speak. For +we needed no words to remember that which has happened to us. + +It was on our second day in the forest that we heard steps behind +us. We hid in the bushes, and we waited. The steps came closer. +And then we saw the fold of a white tunic among the trees, and a +gleam of gold. + +We leapt forward, we ran to them, and we stood looking upon the +Golden One. + +They saw us, and their hands closed into fists, and the fists +pulled their arms down, as if they wished their arms to hold +them, while their body swayed. And they could not speak. + +We dared not come too close to them. We asked, and our voice +trembled: + +"How come you to be here, Golden One?" + +But they whispered only: + +"We have found you. . . ." + +"How came you to be in the forest?" we asked. + +They raised their head, and there was a great pride in their +voice; they answered: + +"We have followed you." + +Then we could not speak, and they said: + +"We heard that you had gone to the Uncharted Forest, for the +whole City is speaking of it. So on the night of the day when we +heard it, we ran away from the Home of the Peasants. We found the +marks of your feet across the plain where no men walk. So we +followed them, and we went into the forest, and we followed +the path where the branches were broken by your body." + +Their white tunic was torn, and the branches had cut the skin of +their arms, but they spoke as if they had never taken notice of +it, nor of weariness, nor of fear. + +"We have followed you," they said, "and we shall follow you +wherever you go. If danger threatens you, we shall face it also. +If it be death, we shall die with you. You are damned, and we +wish to share your damnation." + +They looked upon us, and their voice was low, but there was +bitterness and triumph in their voice: + +"Your eyes are as a flame, but our brothers have neither hope nor +fire. Your mouth is cut of granite, but our brothers are soft and +humble. Your head is high, but our brothers cringe. You walk, but +our brothers crawl. We wish to be damned with you, rather than be +blessed with all our brothers. Do as you please with us, but do +not send us away from you." + +Then they knelt, and bowed their golden head before us. + +We had never thought of that which we did. We bent to raise the +Golden One to their feet, but when we touched them, it was as if +madness had stricken us. We seized their body and we pressed our +lips to theirs. The Golden One breathed once, and their breath +was a moan, and then their arms closed around us. + +We stood together for a long time. And we were frightened that we +had lived for twenty-one years and had never known what joy is +possible to men. + +Then we said: + +"Our dearest one. Fear nothing of the forest. There is no danger +in solitude. We have no need of our brothers. Let us forget their +good and our evil, let us forget all things save that we are +together and that there is joy between us. Give us your hand. +Look ahead. It is our own world, Golden One, a strange, unknown +world, but our own." + +Then we walked on into the forest, their hand in ours. + +And that night we knew that to hold the body of a woman in our +arms is neither ugly nor shameful, but the one ecstasy granted to +the race of men. + +We have walked for many days. The forest has no end, and we seek +no end. But each day added to the chain of days between us and +the City is like an added blessing. + +We have made a bow and many arrows. We can kill more birds than +we need for our food; we find water and fruit in the forest. At +night, we choose a clearing, and we build a ring of fires around +it. We sleep in the midst of that ring, and the beasts dare not attack us. +We can see their eyes, green and yellow as coals, watching us +from the tree branches beyond. The fires smolder as a crown +of jewels around us, and smoke stands still in the air, in +columns made blue by the moonlight. We sleep together in the +midst of the ring, the arms of the Golden One around us, their +head upon our breast. + +Some day, we shall stop and build a house, when we shall have +gone far enough. But we do not have to hasten. The days before us +are without end, like the forest. + +We cannot understand this new life which we have found, yet it +seems so clear and so simple. When questions come to puzzle us, +we walk faster, then turn and forget all things as we watch the +Golden One following. The shadows of leaves fall upon their arms, +as they spread the branches apart, but their shoulders are in the +sun. The skin of their arms is like a blue mist, but their +shoulders are white and glowing, as if the light fell not from +above, but rose from under their skin. We watch the leaf which +has fallen upon their shoulder, and it lies at the curve of their +neck, and a drop of dew glistens upon it like a jewel. They +approach us, and they stop, laughing, knowing what we think, and +they wait obediently, without questions, till it pleases us to +turn and go on. + +We go on and we bless the earth under our feet. But questions +come to us again, as we walk in silence. If that which we have +found is the corruption of solitude, then what can men wish for +save corruption? If this is the great evil of being alone, then +what is good and what is evil? + +Everything which comes from the many is good. Everything which +comes from one is evil. Thus we have been taught with our first +breath. We have broken the law, but we have never doubted it. Yet +now, as we walk the forest, we are learning to doubt. + +There is no life for men, save in useful toil for the good of +their brothers. But we lived not, when we toiled for our +brothers, we were only weary. There is no joy for men, save the +joy shared with all their brothers. But the only things which +taught us joy were the power created in our wires, and the Golden +One. And both these joys belong to us alone, they come from us +alone, they bear no relation to our brothers, and they do not +concern our brothers in any way. Thus do we wonder. + +There is some error, one frightful error, in the thinking of men. +What is that error? We do not know, but the knowledge struggles +within us, struggles to be born. + +Today, the Golden One stopped suddenly and said: + +"We love you." + +But then they frowned and shook their head and looked at us +helplessly. + +"No," they whispered, "that is not what we wished to say." + +They were silent, then they spoke slowly, and their words were +halting, like the words of a child learning to speak for the +first time: + +"We are one . . . alone . . . and only . . . and we love you who +are one . . . alone . . . and only." + +We looked into each other's eyes and we knew that the breath of a +miracle had touched us, and fled, and left us groping vainly. + +And we felt torn, torn for some word we could not find. + + + +Chapter Ten + +We are sitting at a table and we are writing this upon paper +made thousands of years ago. The light is dim, and we cannot see +the Golden One, only one lock of gold on the pillow of an ancient +bed. This is our home. + +We came upon it today, at sunrise. For many days we have been +crossing a chain of mountains. The forest rose among cliffs, and +whenever we walked out upon a barren stretch of rock we saw great +peaks before us in the west, and to the north of us, and to the +south, as far as our eyes could see. The peaks were red and +brown, with the green streaks of forests as veins upon them, with +blue mists as veils over their heads. We had never heard of these +mountains, nor seen them marked on any map. The Uncharted Forest +has protected them from the Cities and from the men of the +Cities. + +We climbed paths where the wild goat dared not follow. Stones +rolled from under our feet, and we heard them striking the rocks +below, farther and farther down, and the mountains rang with each +stroke, and long after the strokes had died. But we went on, for +we knew that no men would ever follow our track nor reach us +here. + +Then today, at sunrise, we saw a white flame among the trees, +high on a sheer peak before us. We thought that it was a fire and +we stopped. But the flame was unmoving, yet blinding as liquid +metal. So we climbed toward it through the rocks. And there, +before us, on a broad summit, with the mountains rising behind +it, stood a house such as we had never seen, and the white fire +came from the sun on the glass of its windows. + +The house had two stories and a strange roof flat as a floor. +There was more window than wall upon its walls, and the windows +went on straight around corners, though how this house kept +standing we could not guess. The walls were hard and smooth, of +that stone unlike stone which we had seen in our tunnel. + +We both knew it without words: this house was left from +the Unmentionable Times. The trees had protected it from time +and weather, and from men who have less pity than time and weather. +We turned to the Golden One and we asked: + +"Are you afraid?" + +But they shook their head. So we walked to the door, and we threw +it open, and we stepped together into the house of the +Unmentionable Times. + +We shall need the days and the years ahead, to look, to learn and +to understand the things of this house. Today, we could only look +and try to believe the sight of our eyes. We pulled the heavy +curtains from the windows and we saw that the rooms were small, +and we thought that not more than twelve men could have lived +here. We thought it strange that man had been permitted to build +a house for only twelve. + +Never had we seen rooms so full of light. The sunrays danced upon +colors, colors, and more colors than we thought possible, we who +had seen no houses save the white ones, the brown ones and the +grey. There were great pieces of glass on the walls, but it was +not glass, for when we looked upon it we saw our own bodies and +all the things behind us, as on the face of a lake. There were +strange things which we had never seen and the use of which we do +not know. And there were globes of glass everywhere, in each +room, the globes with the metal cobwebs inside, such as we had +seen in our tunnel. + +We found the sleeping hall and we stood in awe upon its +threshold. For it was a small room and there were only two beds +in it. We found no other beds in the house, and then we knew that +only two had lived here, and this passes understanding. What kind +of world did they have, the men of the Unmentionable Times? + +We found garments, and the Golden One gasped at the sight of +them. For they were not white tunics, nor white togas; they were +of all colors, no two of them alike. Some crumbled to dust as we +touched them, but others were of heavier cloth, and they felt +soft and new in our fingers. + +We found a room with walls made of shelves, which held rows of +manuscripts, from the floor to the ceiling. Never had we seen +such a number of them, nor of such strange shape. They were not +soft and rolled, they had hard shells of cloth and leather; and +the letters on their pages were small and so even that we +wondered at the men who had such handwriting. We glanced through +the pages, and we saw that they were written in our language, but +we found many words which we could not understand. Tomorrow, we +shall begin to read these scripts. + +When we had seen all the rooms of the house, we looked at the +Golden One and we both knew the thought in our minds. + +"We shall never leave this house," we said, "nor let it be taken +from us. This is our home and the end of our journey. This is your house, +Golden One, and ours, and it belongs to no other men whatever +as far as the earth may stretch. We shall not share it with others, +as we share not our joy with them, nor our love, nor our hunger. +So be it to the end of our days." + +"Your will be done," they said. + +Then we went out to gather wood for the great hearth of our home. +We brought water from the stream which runs among the trees under +our windows. We killed a mountain goat, and we brought its flesh +to be cooked in a strange copper pot we found in a place of +wonders, which must have been the cooking room of the house. + +We did this work alone, for no words of ours could take the +Golden One away from the big glass which is not glass. They stood +before it and they looked and looked upon their own body. + +When the sun sank beyond the mountains, the Golden One fell +asleep on the floor, amidst jewels, and bottles of crystal, and +flowers of silk. We lifted the Golden One in our arms and we +carried them to a bed, their head falling softly upon our +shoulder. Then we lit a candle, and we brought paper from the +room of the manuscripts, and we sat by the window, for we knew +that we could not sleep tonight. + +And now we look upon the earth and sky. This spread of naked rock +and peaks and moonlight is like a world ready to be born, a world +that waits. It seems to us it asks a sign from us, a spark, a +first commandment. We cannot know what word we are to give, nor +what great deed this earth expects to witness. We know it waits. +It seems to say it has great gifts to lay before us. We are to +speak. We are to give its goal, its highest meaning to all this +glowing space of rock and sky. + +We look ahead, we beg our heart for guidance in answering this +call no voice has spoken, yet we have heard. We look upon our +hands. We see the dust of centuries, the dust which hid great +secrets and perhaps great evils. And yet it stirs no fear within +our heart, but only silent reverence and pity. + +May knowledge come to us! What is this secret our heart has +understood and yet will not reveal to us, although it seems to +beat as if it were endeavoring to tell it? + + + +Chapter Eleven + +I am. I think. I will. + +My hands . . . My spirit . . . My sky . . . My forest . . . +This earth of mine . . . . + +What must I say besides? These are the words. This is the answer. + +I stand here on the summit of the mountain. I lift my head +and I spread my arms. This, my body and spirit, this is the end +of the quest. I wished to know the meaning of things. I am the meaning. +I wished to find a warrant for being. I need no warrant for +being, and no word of sanction upon my being. I am the warrant +and the sanction. + +It is my eyes which see, and the sight of my eyes grants beauty +to the earth. It is my ears which hear, and the hearing of my +ears gives its song to the world. It is my mind which thinks, and +the judgment of my mind is the only searchlight that can find the +truth. It is my will which chooses, and the choice of my will is +the only edict I must respect. + +Many words have been granted me, and some are wise, and some are +false, but only three are holy: "I will it!" + +Whatever road I take, the guiding star is within me; the guiding +star and the loadstone which point the way. They point in but one +direction. They point to me. + +I know not if this earth on which I stand is the core of the +universe or if it is but a speck of dust lost in eternity. I know +not and I care not. For I know what happiness is possible to me +on earth. And my happiness needs no higher aim to vindicate it. +My happiness is not the means to any end. It is the end. It is +its own goal. It is its own purpose. + +Neither am I the means to any end others may wish to accomplish. +I am not a tool for their use. I am not a servant of their needs. +I am not a bandage for their wounds. I am not a sacrifice on +their altars. + +I am a man. This miracle of me is mine to own and keep, and mine +to guard, and mine to use, and mine to kneel before! + +I do not surrender my treasures, nor do I share them. The fortune +of my spirit is not to be blown into coins of brass and flung to +the winds as alms for the poor of the spirit. I guard my +treasures: my thought, my will, my freedom. And the greatest of +these is freedom. + +I owe nothing to my brothers, nor do I gather debts from them. I +ask none to live for me, nor do I live for any others. I covet no +man's soul, nor is my soul theirs to covet. + +I am neither foe nor friend to my brothers, but such as each of +them shall deserve of me. And to earn my love, my brothers must +do more than to have been born. I do not grant my love without +reason, nor to any chance passer-by who may wish to claim it. I +honor men with my love. But honor is a thing to be earned. + +I shall choose friends among men, but neither slaves nor masters. +And I shall choose only such as please me, and them I shall love +and respect, but neither command nor obey. And we shall join our +hands when we wish, or walk alone when we so desire. For in the +temple of his spirit, each man is alone. Let each man keep his +temple untouched and undefiled. Then let him join hands with +others if he wishes, but only beyond his holy threshold. + +For the word "We" must never be spoken, save by one's choice and +as a second thought. This word must never be placed first within +man's soul, else it becomes a monster, the root of all the evils +on earth, the root of man's torture by men, and an unspeakable lie. + +The word "We" is as lime poured over men, which sets and hardens +to stone, and crushes all beneath it, and that which is white and +that which is black are lost equally in the grey of it. It is the +word by which the depraved steal the virtue of the good, by which +the weak steal the might of the strong, by which the fools steal +the wisdom of the sages. + +What is my joy if all hands, even the unclean, can reach into it? +What is my wisdom, if even the fools can dictate to me? What is +my freedom, if all creatures, even the botched and impotent, are +my masters? What is my life, if I am but to bow, to agree, and to +obey? + +But I am done with this creed of corruption. + +I am done with the monster of "We," the word of serfdom, of +plunder, of misery, falsehood and shame. + +And now I see the face of god, and I raise this god over the +earth, this god whom men have sought since men came into being, +this god who will grant them joy and peace and pride. + +This god, this one word: + +"I." + + + +Chapter Twelve + +It was when I read the first of the books I found in my house +that I saw the word "I." And when I understood this word, the +book fell from my hands, and I wept, I who had never known tears. +I wept in deliverance and in pity for all mankind. + +I understood the blessed thing which I had called my curse. I +understood why the best in me had been my sins and my +transgressions; and why I had never felt guilt in my sins. I +understood that centuries of chains and lashes will not kill the +spirit of man nor the sense of truth within him. + +I read many books for many days. Then I called the Golden One, +and I told her what I had read and what I had learned. She looked +at me and the first words she spoke were: + +"I love you." + +Then I said: + +"My dearest one, it is not proper for men to be without names. +There was a time when each man had a name of his own to +distinguish him from all other men. So let us choose our names. I +have read of a man who lived many thousands of years ago, and of +all the names in these books, his is the one I wish to bear. He +took the light of the gods and brought it to men, and he taught +men to be gods. And he suffered for his deed as all bearers of +light must suffer. His name was Prometheus." + +"It shall be your name," said the Golden One. + +"And I have read of a goddess," I said, "who was the mother of +the earth and of all the gods. Her name was Gaea. Let this be +your name, my Golden One, for you are to be the mother of a new +kind of gods." + +"It shall be my name," said the Golden One. + +Now I look ahead. My future is clear before me. The Saint of the +pyre had seen the future when he chose me as his heir, as the +heir of all the saints and all the martyrs who came before him +and who died for the same cause, for the same word, no matter +what name they gave to their cause and their truth. + +I shall live here, in my own house. I shall take my food from the +earth by the toil of my own hands. I shall learn many secrets +from my books. Through the years ahead, I shall rebuild the +achievements of the past, and open the way to carry them further, +the achievements which are open to me, but closed forever to my +brothers, for their minds are shackled to the weakest and dullest +among them. + +I have learned that the power of the sky was known to men long +ago; they called it Electricity. It was the power that moved +their greatest inventions. It lit this house with light that came +from those globes of glass on the walls. I have found the engine +which produced this light. I shall learn how to repair it and how +to make it work again. I shall learn how to use the wires which +carry this power. Then I shall build a barrier of wires around my +home, and across the paths which lead to my home; a barrier light +as a cobweb, more impassable than a wall of granite; a barrier my +brothers will never be able to cross. For they have nothing to +fight me with, save the brute force of their numbers. I have my +mind. + +Then here, on this mountaintop, with the world below me and +nothing above me but the sun, I shall live my own truth. Gaea is +pregnant with my child. He will be taught to say "I" and to bear +the pride of it. He will be taught to walk straight on his own +feet. He will be taught reverence for his own spirit. + +When I shall have read all the books and learned my new way, when +my home will be ready and my earth tilled, I shall steal one day, +for the last time, into the cursed City of my birth. I shall call +to me my friend who has no name save International 4-8818, and +all those like him, Fraternity 2-5503, who cries without reason, +and Solidarity 9-6347 who calls for help in the night, and a few +others. I shall call to me all the men and the women whose spirit +has not been killed within them and who suffer under the yoke of +their brothers. They will follow me and I shall lead them to my +fortress. And here, in this uncharted wilderness, I and they, my +chosen friends, my fellow-builders, shall write the first chapter +in the new history of man. + +These are the last things before me. And as I stand here at the +door of glory, I look behind me for the last time. I look upon +the history of men, which I have learned from the books, and I +wonder. It was a long story, and the spirit which moved it was +the spirit of man's freedom. But what is freedom? Freedom from +what? There is nothing to take a man's freedom away from him, +save other men. To be free, a man must be free of his brothers. +That is freedom. That and nothing else. + +At first, man was enslaved by the gods. But he broke their +chains. Then he was enslaved by the kings. But he broke their +chains. He was enslaved by his birth, by his kin, by his race. +But he broke their chains. He declared to all his brothers that a +man has rights which neither god nor king nor other men can take +away from him, no matter what their number, for his is the right +of man, and there is no right on earth above this right. And he +stood on the threshold of freedom for which the blood of the +centuries behind him had been spilled. + +But then he gave up all he had won, and fell lower than his +savage beginning. + +What brought it to pass? What disaster took their reason away +from men? What whip lashed them to their knees in shame and +submission? The worship of the word "We." + +When men accepted that worship, the structure of centuries +collapsed about them, the structure whose every beam had come +from the thought of some one man, each in his day down the ages, +from the depth of some one spirit, such as spirit existed but for +its own sake. Those men who survived- those eager to obey, eager +to live for one another, since they had nothing else to vindicate +them- those men could neither carry on, nor preserve what they +had received. Thus did all thought, all science, all wisdom +perish on earth. Thus did men- men with nothing to offer save +their great numbers- lose the steel towers, the flying ships, the +power wires, all the things they had not created and could never +keep. Perhaps, later, some men had been born with the mind and +the courage to recover these things which were lost; perhaps +these men came before the Councils of Scholars. They answered as +I have been answered- and for the same reasons. + +But I still wonder how it was possible, in those graceless years +of transition, long ago, that men did not see whither they were +going, and went on, in blindness and cowardice, to their fate. I +wonder, for it is hard for me to conceive how men who knew the word "I," +could give it up and not know what they had lost. But such has been +the story, for I have lived in the City of the damned, +and I know what horror men permitted to be brought upon them. + +Perhaps, in those days, there were a few among men, a few of +clear sight and clean soul, who refused to surrender that word. +What agony must have been theirs before that which they saw +coming and could not stop! Perhaps they cried out in protest and +in warning. But men paid no heed to their warning. And they, +those few, fought a hopeless battle, and they perished with their +banners smeared by their own blood. And they chose to perish, for +they knew. To them, I send my salute across the centuries, and my pity. + +Theirs is the banner in my hand. And I wish I had the power to +tell them that the despair of their hearts was not to be final, +and their night was not without hope. For the battle they lost +can never be lost. For that which they died to save can never +perish. Through all the darkness, through all the shame of which +men are capable, the spirit of man will remain alive on this +earth. It may sleep, but it will awaken. It may wear chains, but +it will break through. And man will go on. Man, not men. + +Here, on this mountain, I and my sons and my chosen friends shall +build our new land and our fort. And it will become as the heart +of the earth, lost and hidden at first, but beating, beating +louder each day. And word of it will reach every corner of the +earth. And the roads of the world will become as veins which will +carry the best of the world's blood to my threshold. And all my +brothers, and the Councils of my brothers, will hear of it, but +they will be impotent against me. And the day will come when I +shall break the chains of the earth, and raze the cities of the +enslaved, and my home will become the capital of a world where +each man will be free to exist for his own sake. + +For the coming of that day I shall fight, I and my sons and my +chosen friends. For the freedom of Man. For his rights. For his +life. For his honor. + +And here, over the portals of my fort, I shall cut in the stone +the word which is to be my beacon and my banner. The word which +will not die, should we all perish in battle. The word which can +never die on this earth, for it is the heart of it and the +meaning and the glory. + +The sacred word: + +EGO + + + + + + +End of The Project Gutenberg Etext of Anthem, by Ayn Rand + diff --git a/old/old/anthm10a.zip b/old/old/anthm10a.zip Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..378dd86 --- /dev/null +++ b/old/old/anthm10a.zip |