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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: Time and the Gods</div> +<div style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:1em; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Author: Lord Dunsany [Edward J. M. D. Plunkett]</div> +<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>Release Date: June 27, 2003 [eBook #8183]<br /> +[Most recently updated: December 23, 2022]</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: Joris Van Dael, Jerry Fairbanks, Suzanne L. Shell, Charles Franks and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team</div> +<div style='margin-top:2em; margin-bottom:4em'>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK TIME AND THE GODS ***</div> + +<div class="fig" style="width:55%;"> +<img src="images/cover.jpg" style="width:100%;" alt="[Illustration]" /> +</div> + +<h1>TIME AND THE GODS</h1> + +<h2 class="no-break">by Lord Dunsany</h2> + +<p class="center"> +<i>With Nine Full-Page Illustrations by</i> +</p> + +<h3>S. H. SIME</h3> + +<p class="center"> +LONDON<br /> +WILLIAM HEINEMANN<br /> +1906 +</p> + +<hr /> + +<h2>Contents</h2> + +<table summary="" style=""> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#pref01">Preface</a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#part01"><b>Part I:</b></a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#chap01">Time and the Gods</a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#chap02">The Coming of the Sea</a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#chap03">A Legend of the Dawn</a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#chap04">The Vengeance of Men</a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#chap05">When the Gods Slept</a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#chap06">The King That Was Not</a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#chap07">The Cave of Kai</a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#chap08">The Sorrow of Search</a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#chap09">The Men of Yarnith</a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#chap10">For the Honour of the Gods</a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#chap11">Night and Morning</a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#chap12">Usury</a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#chap13">Mlideen</a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#chap14">The Secret of the Gods</a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#chap15">The South Wind</a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#chap16">In the Land of Time</a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#chap17">The Relenting of Sarnidac</a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#chap18">The Jest of the Gods</a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#chap19">The Dreams of the Prophet</a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#part02"><b>Part II:</b></a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#chap20">The Journey of the King</a></td> +</tr> + +</table> + +<h2>List of Illustrations</h2> + +<table summary="" style=""> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#illus01">Inzana calls up the Thunder</a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#illus02">Kai Laughed</a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#illus03">Departure of Hothrun Dath</a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#illus04">Lo! The Gods</a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#illus05">The Opulence of Yahn</a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#illus06">“Yazun is God”</a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#illus07">The Tomb of Morning Zai</a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#illus08">The Dirge of Shimono Kani</a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#illus09">Pattering Leaves Danced</a></td> +</tr> + +</table> + +<div class="chapter"> + +<h2><a name="pref01"></a>PREFACE</h2> + +<p> +These tales are of the things that befell gods and men in Yarnith, Averon, and +Zarkandhu, and in the other countries of my dreams. +</p> + +</div><!--end chapter--> + +<div class="chapter"> + +<h2><a name="part01"></a>PART I.</h2> + +</div><!--end chapter--> + +<div class="chapter"> + +<h2><a name="chap01"></a>TIME AND THE GODS</h2> + +<p> +Once when the gods were young and only Their swarthy servant Time was without +age, the gods lay sleeping by a broad river upon earth. There in a valley that +from all the earth the gods had set apart for Their repose the gods dreamed +marble dreams. And with domes and pinnacles the dreams arose and stood up +proudly between the river and the sky, all shimmering white to the morning. In +the city’s midst the gleaming marble of a thousand steps climbed to the +citadel where arose four pinnacles beckoning to heaven, and midmost between the +pinnacles there stood the dome, vast, as the gods had dreamed it. All around, +terrace by terrace, there went marble lawns well guarded by onyx lions and +carved with effigies of all the gods striding amid the symbols of the worlds. +With a sound like tinkling bells, far off in a land of shepherds hidden by some +hill, the waters of many fountains turned again home. Then the gods awoke and +there stood Sardathrion. Not to common men have the gods given to walk +Sardathrion’s streets, and not to common eyes to see her fountains. Only +to those to whom in lonely passes in the night the gods have spoken, leaning +through the stars, to those that have heard the voices of the gods above the +morning or seen Their faces bending above the sea, only to those hath it been +given to see Sardathrion, to stand where her pinnacles gathered together in the +night fresh from the dreams of gods. For round the valley a great desert lies +through which no common traveller may come, but those whom the gods have chosen +feel suddenly a great longing at heart, and crossing the mountains that divide +the desert from the world, set out across it driven by the gods, till hidden in +the desert’s midst they find the valley at last and look with eyes upon +Sardathrion. +</p> + +<p> +In the desert beyond the valley grow a myriad thorns, and all pointing towards +Sardathrion. So may many that the gods have loved come to the marble city, but +none can return, for other cities are no fitting home for men whose feet have +touched Sardathrion’s marble streets, where even the gods have not been +ashamed to come in the guise of men with Their cloaks wrapped about their +faces. Therefore no city shall ever hear the songs that are sung in the marble +citadel by those in whose ears have rung the voices of the gods. No report +shall ever come to other lands of the music of the fall of Sardathrion’s +fountains, when the waters which went heavenward return again into the lake +where the gods cool Their brows sometimes in the guise of men. None may ever +hear the speech of the poets of that city, to whom the gods have spoken. +</p> + +<p> +It stands a city aloof. There hath been no rumour of it—I alone have +dreamed of it, and I may not be sure that my dreams are true. +</p> + +<hr /> + +<p> +Above the Twilight the gods were seated in the after years, ruling the worlds. +No longer now They walked at evening in the Marble City hearing the fountains +splash, or listening to the singing of the men they loved, because it was in +the after years and the work of the gods was to be done. +</p> + +<p> +But often as they rested a moment from doing the work of the gods, from hearing +the prayers of men or sending here the Pestilence or there Mercy, They would +speak awhile with one another of the olden years saying, “Rememberest +thou not Sardathrion?” and another would answer “Ah! Sardathrion, +and all Sardathrion’s mist-draped marble lawns whereon we walk not +now.” +</p> + +<p> +Then the gods turned to do the work of the gods, answering the prayers of men +or smiting them, and ever They sent Their swarthy servant Time to heal or +overwhelm. And Time went forth into the worlds to obey the commands of the +gods, yet he cast furtive glances at his masters, and the gods distrusted Time +because he had known the worlds or ever the gods became. +</p> + +<p> +One day when furtive Time had gone into the worlds to nimbly smite some city +whereof the gods were weary, the gods above the twilight speaking to one +another said: +</p> + +<p> +“Surely we are the lords of Time and gods of the worlds besides. See how +our city Sardathrion lifts over other cities. Others arise and perish but +Sardathrion standeth yet, the first and the last of cities. Rivers are lost in +the sea and streams forsake the hills, but ever Sardathrion’s fountains +arise in our dream city. As was Sardathrion when the gods were young, so are +her streets to-day as a sign that we are the gods.” +</p> + +<p> +Suddenly the swart figure of Time stood up before the gods, with both hands +dripping with blood and a red sword dangling idly from his fingers, and said: +</p> + +<p> +“Sardathrion is gone! I have overthrown it!” +</p> + +<p> +And the gods said: +</p> + +<p> +“Sardathrion? Sardathrion, the marble city? Thou, thou hast overthrown +it? Thou, the slave of the gods?” +</p> + +<p> +And the oldest of the gods said: +</p> + +<p> +“Sardathrion, Sardathrion, and is Sardathrion gone?” +</p> + +<p> +And furtively Time looked him in the face and edged towards him fingering with +his dripping fingers the hilt of his nimble sword. +</p> + +<p> +Then the gods feared with a new fear that he that had overthrown Their city +would one day slay the gods. And a new cry went wailing through the Twilight, +the lament of the gods for Their dream city, crying: +</p> + +<p> +“Tears may not bring again Sardathrion. +</p> + +<p> +“But this the gods may do who have seen, and seen with unrelenting eyes, +the sorrows of ten thousand worlds—thy gods may weep for thee. +</p> + +<p> +“Tears may not bring again Sardathrion. +</p> + +<p> +“Believe it not, Sardathrion, that ever thy gods sent this doom to thee; +he that hath overthrown thee shall overthrow thy gods. +</p> + +<p> +“How oft when Night came suddenly on Morning playing in the fields of +Twilight did we watch thy pinnacles emerging from the darkness, Sardathrion, +Sardathrion, dream city of the gods, and thine onyx lions looming limb by limb +from the dusk. +</p> + +<p> +“How often have we sent our child the Dawn to play with thy fountain +tops; how often hath Evening, loveliest of our goddesses, strayed long upon thy +balconies. +</p> + +<p> +“Let one fragment of thy marbles stand up above the dust for thine old +gods to caress, as a man when all else is lost treasures one lock of the hair +of his beloved. +</p> + +<p> +“Sardathrion, the gods must kiss once more the place where thy streets +were once. +</p> + +<p> +“There were wonderful marbles in thy streets, Sardathrion.” +</p> + +<p> +“Sardathrion, Sardathrion, the gods weep for thee.” +</p> + +</div><!--end chapter--> + +<div class="chapter"> + +<h2><a name="chap02"></a>THE COMING OF THE SEA</h2> + +<p> +Once there was no sea, and the gods went walking over the green plains of +earth. +</p> + +<p> +Upon an evening of the forgotten years the gods were seated on the hills, and +all the little rivers of the world lay coiled at Their feet asleep, when Slid, +the new god, striding through the stars, came suddenly upon earth lying in a +corner of space. And behind Slid there marched a million waves, all following +Slid and tramping up the twilight; and Slid touched Earth in one of her great +green valleys that divide the south, and here he encamped for the night with +all his waves about him. But to the gods as They sat upon Their hilltops a new +cry came crying over the green spaces that lay below the hills, and the gods +said: +</p> + +<p> +“This is neither the cry of life nor yet the whisper of death. What is +this new cry that the gods have never commanded, yet which comes to the ears of +the gods?” +</p> + +<p> +And the gods together shouting made the cry of the south, calling the south +wind to them. And again the gods shouted all together making the cry of the +north, calling the north wind to Them; and thus They gathered to Them all Their +winds and sent these four down into the low plains to find what thing it was +that called with the new cry, and to drive it away from the gods. +</p> + +<p> +Then all the winds harnessed up their clouds and drave forth till they came to +the great green valley that divides the south in twain, and there found Slid +with all his waves about him. Then for a space Slid and the four winds +struggled with one another till the strength of the winds was gone, and they +limped back to the gods, their masters, and said: +</p> + +<p> +“We have met this new thing that has come upon the earth and have striven +against its armies, but could not drive them forth; and the new thing is +beautiful but very angry, and is creeping towards the gods.” +</p> + +<p> +But Slid advanced and led his armies up the valley, and inch by inch and mile +by mile he conquered the lands of the gods. Then from Their hills the gods sent +down a great array of cliffs of hard, red rocks, and bade them march against +Slid. And the cliffs marched down till they came and stood before Slid and +leaned their heads forward and frowned and stood staunch to guard the lands of +the gods against the might of the sea, shutting Slid off from the world. Then +Slid sent some of his smaller waves to search out what stood against him, and +the cliffs shattered them. But Slid went back and gathered together a hoard of +his greatest waves and hurled them against the cliffs, and the cliffs shattered +them. And again Slid called up out of his deep a mighty array of waves and sent +them roaring against the guardians of the gods, and the red rocks frowned and +smote them. And once again Slid gathered his greater waves and hurled them +against the cliffs; and when the waves were scattered like those before them +the feet of the cliffs were no longer standing firm, and their faces were +scarred and battered. Then into every cleft that stood in the rocks Slid sent +his hugest wave and others followed behind it, and Slid himself seized hold of +huge rocks with his claws and tore them down and stamped them under his feet. +And when the tumult was over the sea had won, and over the broken remnants of +those red cliffs the armies of Slid marched on and up the long green valley. +</p> + +<p> +Then the gods heard Slid exulting far away and singing songs of triumph over +Their battered cliffs, and ever the tramp of his armies sounded nearer and +nearer in the listening ears of the gods. +</p> + +<p> +Then the gods called to Their downlands to save Their world from Slid, and the +downlands gathered themselves and marched away, a great white line of gleaming +cliffs, and halted before Slid. Then Slid advanced no more and lulled his +legions, and while his waves were low he softly crooned a song such as once +long ago had troubled the stars and brought down tears out of the twilight. +</p> + +<p> +Sternly the white cliffs stood on guard to save the world of the gods, but the +song that once had troubled the stars went moaning on awaking pent desires, +till full at the feet of the gods the melody fell. Then the blue rivers that +lay curled asleep opened their gleaming eyes, uncurled themselves and shook +their rushes, and, making a stir among the hills, crept down to find the sea. +And passing across the world they came at last to where the white cliffs stood, +and, coming behind them, split them here and there and went through their +broken ranks to Slid at last. And the gods were angry with Their traitorous +streams. +</p> + +<p> +Then Slid ceased from singing the song that lures the world, and gathered up +his legions, and the rivers lifted up their heads with the waves, and all went +marching on to assail the cliffs of the gods. And wherever the rivers had +broken the ranks of the cliffs, Slid’s armies went surging in and broke +them up into islands and shattered the islands away. And the gods on Their +hill-tops heard once more the voice of Slid exulting over Their cliffs. +</p> + +<p> +Already more than half the world lay subject to Slid, and still his armies +advanced; and the people of Slid, the fishes and the long eels, went in and out +of arbours that once were dear to the gods. Then the gods feared for Their +dominion, and to the innermost sacred recesses of the mountains, to the very +heart of the hills, the gods trooped off together and there found Tintaggon, a +mountain of black marble, staring far over the earth, and spake thus to him +with the voices of the gods: +</p> + +<p> +“O eldest born of our mountains, when first we devised the earth we made +thee, and thereafter fashioned fields and hollows, valleys and other hills, to +lie about thy feet. And now, Tintaggon, thine ancient lords, the gods, are +facing a new thing which overthrows the old. Go therefore, thou, Tintaggon, and +stand up against Slid, that the gods be still the gods and the earth still +green.” +</p> + +<p> +And hearing the voices of his sires, the elder gods, Tintaggon strode down +through the evening, leaving a wake of twilight broad behind him as he strode: +and going across the green earth came down to Ambrady at the valley’s +edge, and there met the foremost of Slid’s fierce armies conquering the +world. +</p> + +<p> +And against him Slid hurled the force of a whole bay, which lashed itself high +over Tintaggon’s knees and streamed around his flanks and then fell and +was lost. Tintaggon still stood firm for the honour and dominion of his lords, +the elder gods. Then Slid went to Tintaggon and said: “Let us now make a +truce. Stand thou back from Ambrady and let me pass through thy ranks that mine +armies may now pass up the valley which opens on the world, that the green +earth that dreams around the feet of older gods shall know the new god Slid. +Then shall mine armies strive with thee no more, and thou and I shall be the +equal lords of the whole earth when all the world is singing the chaunt of +Slid, and thy head alone shall be lifted above mine armies when rival hills are +dead. And I will deck thee with all the robes of the sea, and all the plunder +that I have taken in rare cities shall be piled before thy feet. Tintaggon, I +have conquered all the stars, my song swells through all the space besides, I +come victorious from Mahn and Khanagat on the furthest edge of the worlds, and +thou and I are to be equal lords when the old gods are gone and the green earth +knoweth Slid. Behold me gleaming azure and fair with a thousand smiles, and +swayed by a thousand moods.” And Tintaggon answered: “I am staunch +and black and have one mood, and this—to defend my masters and their +green earth.” +</p> + +<p> +Then Slid went backward growling and summoned together the waves of a whole sea +and sent them singing full in Tintaggon’s face. Then from +Tintaggon’s marble front the sea fell backwards crying on to a broken +shore, and ripple by ripple straggled back to Slid saying: “Tintaggon +stands.” +</p> + +<p> +Far out beyond the battered shore that lay at Tintaggon’s feet Slid +rested long and sent the nautilus to drift up and down before Tintaggon’s +eyes, and he and his armies sat singing idle songs of dreamy islands far away +to the south, and of the still stars whence they had stolen forth, of twilight +evenings and of long ago. Still Tintaggon stood with his feet planted fair upon +the valley’s edge defending the gods and Their green earth against the +sea. +</p> + +<p> +And all the while that Slid sang his songs and played with the nautilus that +sailed up and down he gathered his oceans together. One morning as Slid sang of +old outrageous wars and of most enchanting peace and of dreamy islands and the +south wind and the sun, he suddenly launched five oceans out of the deep all to +attack Tintaggon. And the five oceans sprang upon Tintaggon and passed above +his head. One by one the grip of the oceans loosened, one by one they fell back +into the deep and still Tintaggon stood, and on that morning the might of all +five oceans lay dead at Tintaggon’s feet. That which Slid had conquered +he still held, and there is now no longer a great green valley in the south, +but all that Tintaggon had guarded against Slid he gave back to the gods. Very +calm the sea lies now about Tintaggon’s feet, where he stands all black +amid crumbled cliffs of white, with red rocks piled about his feet. And often +the sea retreats far out along the shore, and often wave by wave comes marching +in with the sound of the tramping of armies, that all may still remember the +great fight that surged about Tintaggon once, when he guarded the gods and the +green earth against Slid. +</p> + +<p> +Sometimes in their dreams the war-scarred warriors of Slid still lift their +heads and cry their battle cry; then do dark clouds gather about +Tintaggon’s swarthy brow and he stands out menacing, seen afar by ships, +where once he conquered Slid. And the gods know well that while Tintaggon +stands They and Their world are safe; and whether Slid shall one day smite +Tintaggon is hidden among the secrets of the sea. +</p> + +</div><!--end chapter--> + +<div class="chapter"> + +<h2><a name="chap03"></a>A LEGEND OF THE DAWN</h2> + +<p> +When the worlds and All began the gods were stern and old and They saw the +Beginning from under eyebrows hoar with years, all but Inzana, Their child, who +played with the golden ball. Inzana was the child of all the gods. And the law +before the Beginning and thereafter was that all should obey the gods, yet +hither and thither went all Pegāna’s gods to obey the Dawnchild because +she loved to be obeyed. +</p> + +<p> +It was dark all over the world and even in Pegāna, where dwell the gods, it was +dark when the child Inzana, the Dawn, first found her golden ball. Then running +down the stairway of the gods with tripping feet, chalcedony, onyx, chalcedony, +onyx, step by step, she cast her golden ball across the sky. The golden ball +went bounding up the sky, and the Dawnchild with her flaring hair stood +laughing upon the stairway of the gods, and it was day. So gleaming fields +below saw the first of all the days that the gods have destined. But towards +evening certain mountains, afar and aloof, conspired together to stand between +the world and the golden ball and to wrap their crags about it and to shut it +from the world, and all the world was darkened with their plot. And the +Dawnchild up in Pegāna cried for her golden ball. Then all the gods came down +the stairway right to Pegāna’s gate to see what ailed the Dawnchild and +to ask her why she cried. Then Inzana said that her golden ball had been taken +away and hidden by mountains black and ugly, far away from Pegāna, all in a +world of rocks under the rim of the sky, and she wanted her golden ball and +could not love the dark. +</p> + +<p> +Thereat Umborodom, whose hound was the thunder, took his hound in leash, and +strode away across the sky after the golden ball until he came to the mountains +afar and aloof. There did the thunder put his nose to the rocks and bay along +the valleys, and fast at his heels followed Umborodom. And the nearer the +hound, the thunder, came to the golden ball the louder did he bay, but haughty +and silent stood the mountains whose plot had darkened the world. All in the +dark among the crags in a mighty cavern, guarded by two twin peaks, at last +they found the golden ball for which the Dawnchild wept. Then under the world +went Umborodom with his thunder panting behind him, and came in the dark before +the morning from underneath the world and gave the Dawnchild back her golden +ball. And Inzana laughed and took it in her hands, and Umborodom went back into +Pegāna, and at its threshold the thunder went to sleep. +</p> + +<p> +Again the Dawnchild tossed the golden ball far up into the blue across the sky, +and the second morning shone upon the world, on lakes and oceans, and on drops +of dew. But as the ball went bounding on its way, the prowling mists and the +rain conspired together and took it and wrapped it in their tattered cloaks and +carried it away. And through the rents in their garments gleamed the golden +ball, but they held it fast and carried it right away and underneath the world. +Then on an onyx step Inzana sat down and wept, who could no more be happy +without her golden ball. And again the gods were sorry, and the South Wind came +to tell her tales of most enchanted islands, to whom she listened not, nor yet +to the tales of temples in lone lands that the East Wind told her, who had +stood beside her when she flung her golden ball. But from far away the West +Wind came with news of three grey travellers wrapt round with battered cloaks +that carried away between them a golden ball. +</p> + +<p> +Then up leapt the North Wind, he who guards the pole, and drew his sword of ice +out of his scabbard of snow and sped away along the road that leads across the +blue. And in the darkness underneath the world he met the three grey travellers +and rushed upon them and drove them far before him, smiting them with his sword +till their grey cloaks streamed with blood. And out of the midst of them, as +they fled with flapping cloaks all red and grey and tattered, he leapt up with +the golden ball and gave it to the Dawnchild. +</p> + +<p> +Again Inzana tossed the ball into the sky, making the third day, and up and up +it went and fell towards the fields, and as Inzana stooped to pick it up she +suddenly heard the singing of all the birds that were. All the birds in the +world were singing all together and also all the streams, and Inzana sat and +listened and thought of no golden ball, nor ever of chalcedony and onyx, nor of +all her fathers the gods, but only of all the birds. Then in the woods and +meadows where they had all suddenly sung, they suddenly ceased. And Inzana, +looking up, found that her ball was lost, and all alone in the stillness one +owl laughed. When the gods heard Inzana crying for her ball They clustered +together on the threshold and peered into the dark, but saw no golden ball. And +leaning forward They cried out to the bat as he passed up and down: “Bat +that seest all things, where is the golden ball?” +</p> + +<p> +And though the bat answered none heard. And none of the winds had seen it nor +any of the birds, and there were only the eyes of the gods in the darkness +peering for the golden ball. Then said the gods: “Thou hast lost thy +golden ball,” and They made her a moon of silver to roll about the sky. +And the child cried and threw it upon the stairway and chipped and broke its +edges and asked for the golden ball. And Limpang Tung, the Lord of Music, who +was least of all the gods, because the child cried still for her golden ball, +stole out of Pegāna and crept across the sky, and found the birds of all the +world sitting in trees and ivy, and whispering in the dark. He asked them one +by one for news of the golden ball. Some had last seen it on a neighbouring +hill and others in trees, though none knew where it was. A heron had seen it +lying in a pond, but a wild duck in some reeds had seen it last as she came +home across the hills, and then it was rolling very far away. +</p> + +<p> +At last the cock cried out that he had seen it lying beneath the world. There +Limpang Tung sought it and the cock called to him through the darkness as he +went, until at last he found the golden ball. Then Limpang Tung went up into +Pegāna and gave it to the Dawnchild, who played with the moon no more. And the +cock and all his tribe cried out: “We found it. We found the golden +ball.” +</p> + +<p> +Again Inzana tossed the ball afar, laughing with joy to see it, her hands +stretched upwards, her golden hair afloat, and carefully she watched it as it +fell. But alas! it fell with a splash into the great sea and gleamed and +shimmered as it fell till the waters became dark above it and could be seen no +more. And men on the world said: “How the dew has fallen, and how the +mists set in with breezes from the streams.” +</p> + +<p> +But the dew was the tears of the Dawnchild, and the mists were her sighs when +she said: “There will no more come a time when I play with my ball again, +for now it is lost for ever.” +</p> + +<p> +And the gods tried to comfort Inzana as she played with her silver moon, but +she would not hear Them, and went in tears to Slid, where he played with +gleaming sails, and in his mighty treasury turned over gems and pearls and +lorded it over the sea. And she said: “O Slid, whose soul is in the sea, +bring back my golden ball.” +</p> + +<p> +And Slid stood up, swarthy, and clad in seaweed, and mightily dived from the +last chalcedony step out of Pegāna’s threshold straight into ocean. There +on the sand, among the battered navies of the nautilus and broken weapons of +the swordfish, hidden by dark water, he found the golden ball. And coming up in +the night, all green and dripping, he carried it gleaming to the stairway of +the gods and brought it back to Inzana from the sea; and out of the hands of +Slid she took it and tossed it far and wide over his sails and sea, and far +away it shone on lands that knew not Slid, till it came to its zenith and +dropped towards the world. +</p> + +<p> +But ere it fell the Eclipse dashed out from his hiding, and rushed at the +golden ball and seized it in his jaws. When Inzana saw the Eclipse bearing her +plaything away she cried aloud to the thunder, who burst from Pegāna and fell +howling upon the throat of the Eclipse, who dropped the golden ball and let it +fall towards earth. But the black mountains disguised themselves with snow, and +as the golden ball fell down towards them they turned their peaks to ruby +crimson and their lakes to sapphires gleaming amongst silver, and Inzana saw a +jewelled casket into which her plaything fell. But when she stooped to pick it +up again she found no jewelled casket with rubies, silver or sapphires, but +only wicked mountains disguised in snow that had trapped her golden ball. And +then she cried because there was none to find it, for the thunder was far away +chasing the Eclipse, and all the gods lamented when They saw her sorrow. And +Limpang Tung, who was least of all the gods, was yet the saddest at the +Dawnchild’s grief, and when the gods said: “Play with your silver +moon,” he stepped lightly from the rest, and coming down the stairway of +the gods, playing an instrument of music, went out towards the world to find +the golden ball because Inzana wept. +</p> + +<div class="fig" style="width:100%;"> +<a name="illus01"></a> +<img src="images/fig01.jpg" width="408" height="600" alt="[Illustration: ]" /> +<p class="caption">Inzāna calls up the Thunder</p> +</div> + +<p> +And into the world he went till he came to the nether cliffs that stand by the +inner mountains in the soul and heart of the earth where the Earthquake +dwelleth alone, asleep but astir as he sleeps, breathing and moving his legs, +and grunting aloud in the dark. Then in the ear of the Earthquake Limpang Tung +said a word that only the gods may say, and the Earthquake started to his feet +and flung the cave away, the cave wherein he slept between the cliffs, and +shook himself and went galloping abroad and overturned the mountains that hid +the golden ball, and bit the earth beneath them and hurled their crags about +and covered himself with rocks and fallen hills, and went back ravening and +growling into the soul of the earth, and there lay down and slept again for a +hundred years. And the golden ball rolled free, passing under the shattered +earth, and so rolled back to Pegāna; and Limpang Tung came home to the onyx +step and took the Dawnchild by the hand and told not what he had done but said +it was the Earthquake, and went away to sit at the feet of the gods. But Inzana +went and patted the Earthquake on the head, for she said it was dark and lonely +in the soul of the earth. Thereafter, returning step by step, chalcedony, onyx, +chalcedony, onyx, up the stairway of the gods, she cast again her golden ball +from the Threshold afar into the blue to gladden the world and the sky, and +laughed to see it go. +</p> + +<p> +And far away Trogool upon the utter Rim turned a page that was numbered six in +a cipher that none might read. And as the golden ball went through the sky to +gleam on lands and cities, there came the Fog towards it, stooping as he walked +with his dark brown cloak about him, and behind him slunk the Night. And as the +golden ball rolled past the Fog suddenly Night snarled and sprang upon it and +carried it away. Hastily Inzana gathered the gods and said: “The Night +hath seized my golden ball and no god alone can find it now, for none can say +how far the Night may roam, who prowls all round us and out beyond the +worlds.” +</p> + +<p> +At the entreaty of Their Dawnchild all the gods made Themselves stars for +torches, and far away through all the sky followed the tracks of Night as far +as he prowled abroad. And at one time Slid, with the Pleiades in his hand, came +nigh to the golden ball, and at another Yoharneth-Lahai, holding Orion for a +torch, but lastly Limpang Tung, bearing the morning star, found the golden ball +far away under the world near to the lair of Night. +</p> + +<p> +And all the gods together seized the ball, and Night turning smote out the +torches of the gods and thereafter slunk away; and all the gods in triumph +marched up the gleaming stairway of the gods, all praising little Limpang Tung, +who through the chase had followed Night so close in search of the golden ball. +Then far below on the world a human child cried out to the Dawnchild for the +golden ball, and Inzana ceased from her play that illumined world and sky, and +cast the ball from the Threshold of the gods to the little human child that +played in the fields below, and would one day die. And the child played all day +long with the golden ball down in the little fields where the humans lived, and +went to bed at evening and put it beneath his pillow, and went to sleep, and no +one worked in all the world because the child was playing. And the light of the +golden ball streamed up from under the pillow and out through the half shut +door and shone in the western sky, and Yoharneth-Lahai in the night time +tip-toed into the room, and took the ball gently (for he was a god) away from +under the pillow and brought it back to the Dawnchild to gleam on an onyx step. +</p> + +<p> +But some day Night shall seize the golden ball and carry it right away and drag +it down to his lair, and Slid shall dive from the Threshold into the sea to see +if it be there, and coming up when the fishermen draw their nets shall find it +not, nor yet discover it among the sails. Limpang Tung shall seek among the +birds and shall not find it when the cock is mute, and up the valleys shall go +Umborodom to seek among the crags. And the hound, the thunder, shall chase the +Eclipse and all the gods go seeking with Their stars, but never find the ball. +And men, no longer having light of the golden ball, shall pray to the gods no +more, who, having no worship, shall be no more the gods. +</p> + +<p> +These things be hidden even from the gods. +</p> + +</div><!--end chapter--> + +<div class="chapter"> + +<h2><a name="chap04"></a>THE VENGEANCE OF MEN</h2> + +<p> +Ere the Beginning the gods divided earth into waste and pasture. Pleasant +pastures They made to be green over the face of earth, orchards They made in +valleys and heather upon hills, but Harza They doomed, predestined and +foreordained to be a waste for ever. +</p> + +<p> +When the world prayed at evening to the gods and the gods answered prayers They +forgot the prayers of all the Tribes of Arim. Therefore the men of Arim were +assailed with wars and driven from land to land and yet would not be crushed. +And the men of Arim made them gods for themselves, appointing men as gods until +the gods of Pegāna should remember them again. And their leaders, Yoth and +Haneth, played the part of gods and led their people on though every tribe +assailed them. At last they came to Harza, where no tribes were, and at last +had rest from war, and Yoth and Haneth said: “The work is done, and +surely now Pegāna’s gods will remember.” And they built a city in +Harza and tilled the soil, and the green came over the waste as the wind comes +over the sea, and there were fruit and cattle in Harza and the sounds of a +million sheep. There they rested from their flight from all the tribes, and +builded fables out of all their sorrows till all men smiled in Harza and +children laughed. +</p> + +<p> +Then said the gods, “Earth is no place for laughter.” Thereat They +strode to Pegāna’s outer gate, to where the Pestilence lay curled asleep, +and waking him up They pointed toward Harza, and the Pestilence leapt forward +howling across the sky. +</p> + +<p> +That night he came to the fields near Harza, and stalking through the grass sat +down and glared at the lights, and licked his paws and glared at the lights +again. +</p> + +<p> +But the next night, unseen, through laughing crowds, the Pestilence crept into +the city, and stealing into the houses one by one, peered into the +people’s eyes, looking even through their eyelids, so that when morning +came men stared before them crying out that they saw the Pestilence whom others +saw not, and thereafter died, because the green eyes of the Pestilence had +looked into their souls. Chill and damp was he, yet there came heat from his +eyes that parched the souls of men. Then came the physicians and the men +learned in magic, and made the sign of the physicians and the sign of the men +of magic and cast blue water upon herbs and chanted spells; but still the +Pestilence crept from house to house and still he looked into the souls of men. +And the lives of the people streamed away from Harza, and whither they went is +set in many books. But the Pestilence fed on the light that shines in the eyes +of men, which never appeased his hunger; chiller and damper he grew, and the +heat from his eyes increased when night by night he galloped through the city, +going by stealth no more. +</p> + +<p> +Then did men pray in Harza to the gods, saying: +</p> + +<p> +“High gods! Show clemency to Harza.” +</p> + +<p> +And the gods listened to their prayers, but as They listened They pointed with +their fingers and cheered the Pestilence on. And the Pestilence grew bolder at +his masters’ voices and thrust his face close up before the eyes of men. +</p> + +<p> +He could be seen by none saving those he smote. At first he slept by day, lying +in misty hollows, but as his hunger increased he sprang up even in sunlight and +clung to the chests of men and looked down through their eyes into their souls +that shrivelled, until almost he could be dimly seen even by those he smote +not. +</p> + +<p> +Adro, the physician, sat in his chamber with one light burning, making a mixing +in a bowl that should drive the Pestilence away, when through his door there +blew a draught that set the light a-flickering. +</p> + +<p> +Then because the draught was cold the physician shivered and went and closed +the door, but as he turned again he saw the Pestilence lapping at his mixing, +who sprang and set one paw upon Adro’s shoulder and another upon his +cloak, while with two he clung to his waist, and looked him in the eyes. +</p> + +<p> +Two men were walking in the street; one said to the other: “Upon the +morrow I will sup with thee.” +</p> + +<p> +And the Pestilence grinned a grin that none beheld, baring his dripping teeth, +and crept away to see whether upon the morrow those men should sup together. +</p> + +<p> +A traveller coming in said: “This is Harza. Here will I rest.” +</p> + +<p> +But his life went further than Harza upon that day’s journey. +</p> + +<p> +All feared the Pestilence, and those that he smote beheld him, but none saw the +great shapes of the gods by starlight as They urged Their Pestilence on. +</p> + +<p> +Then all men fled from Harza, and the Pestilence chased dogs and rats and +sprang upward at the bats as they sailed above him, who died and lay in the +streets. But soon he returned and pursued the men of Harza where they fled, and +sat by rivers where they came to drink, away below the city. Then back to Harza +went the people of Harza pursued by the Pestilence still, and gathered in the +Temple of All the gods save One, and said to the High Prophet: “What may +now be done?” who answered: +</p> + +<p> +“All the gods have mocked at prayer. This sin must now be punished by the +vengeance of men.” +</p> + +<p> +And the people stood in awe. +</p> + +<p> +The High Prophet went up to the Tower beneath the sky whereupon beat the eyes +of all the gods by starlight. There in the sight of the gods he spake in the +ear of the gods, saying: “High gods! Ye have made mock of men. Know +therefore that it is writ in ancient lore and found by prophecy that there is +an <i>End</i> that waiteth for the gods, who shall go down from Pegāna in +galleons of gold all down the Silent River and into the Silent Sea, and there +Their galleons shall go up in mist and They shall be gods no more. And men +shall gain harbour from the mocking of the gods at last in the warm moist +earth, but to the gods shall no ceasing ever come from being the Things that +were the gods. When Time and worlds and death are gone away nought shall then +remain but worn regrets and Things that were once gods. +</p> + +<p> +“In the sight of the gods. +</p> + +<p> +“In the ear of the gods.” +</p> + +<p> +Then the gods shouted all together and pointed with Their hands at the High +Prophet’s throat, and the Pestilence sprang. +</p> + +<p> +Long since the High Prophet is dead and his words are forgotten by men, but the +gods know not yet whether it be true that <i>The End</i> is waiting for the +gods, and him who might have told Them They have slain. And the gods of Pegāna +are fearing the fear that hath fallen upon the gods because of the vengeance of +men, for They know not when <i>The End</i> shall be, or whether it shall come. +</p> + +</div><!--end chapter--> + +<div class="chapter"> + +<h2><a name="chap05"></a>WHEN THE GODS SLEPT</h2> + +<p> +All the gods were sitting in Pegāna, and Their slave, Time, lay idle at +Pegāna’s gate with nothing to destroy, when They thought of worlds, +worlds large and round and gleaming, and little silver moons. Then (who knoweth +when?), as the gods raised Their hands making the sign of the gods, the +thoughts of the gods became worlds and silver moons. And the worlds swam by +Pegāna’s gate to take their places in the sky, to ride at anchor for +ever, each where the gods had bidden. And because they were round and big and +gleamed all over the sky, the gods laughed and shouted and all clapped Their +hands. Then upon earth the gods played out the game of the gods, the game of +life and death, and on the other worlds They did a secret thing, playing a game +that is hidden. +</p> + +<p> +At last They mocked no more at life and laughed at death no more, and cried +aloud in Pegāna: “Will no new thing be? Must those four march for ever +round the world till our eyes are wearied with the treading of the feet of the +Seasons that will not cease, while Night and Day and Life and Death drearily +rise and fall?” +</p> + +<p> +And as a child stares at the bare walls of a narrow hut, so the gods looked all +listlessly upon the worlds, saying: +</p> + +<p> +“Will no new thing be?” +</p> + +<p> +And in Their weariness the gods said: “Ah! to be young again. Ah! to be +fresh once more from the brain of <i>Mana-Yood-Sushai</i>.” +</p> + +<p> +And They turned away Their eyes in weariness from all the gleaming worlds and +laid Them down upon Pegāna’s floor, for They said: +</p> + +<p> +“It may be that the worlds shall pass and we would fain forget +them.” +</p> + +<p> +Then the gods slept. Then did the comet break loose from his moorings and the +eclipse roamed about the sky, and down on the earth did Death’s three +children—Famine, Pestilence, and Drought—come out to feed. The eyes +of the Famine were green, and the eyes of the Drought were red, but the +Pestilence was blind and smote about all round him with his claws among the +cities. +</p> + +<p> +But as the gods slept, there came from beyond the Rim, out of the dark and +unknown, three Yozis, spirits of ill, that sailed up the river of Silence in +galleons with silver sails. Far away they had seen Yum and Gothum, the stars +that stand sentinel over Pegāna’s gate, blinking and falling asleep, and +as they neared Pegāna they found a hush wherein the gods slept heavily. Ya, Ha, +and Snyrg were these three Yozis, the lords of evil, madness, and of spite. +When they crept from their galleons and stole over Pegāna’s silent +threshold it boded ill for the gods. There in Pegāna lay the gods asleep, and +in a corner lay the Power of the gods alone upon the floor, a thing wrought of +black rock and four words graven upon it, whereof I might not give thee any +clue, if even I should find it—four words of which none knoweth. Some say +they tell of the opening of a flower towards dawn, and others say they concern +earthquakes among hills, and others that they tell of the death of fishes, and +others that the words be these: Power, Knowledge, Forgetting, and another word +that not the gods themselves may ever guess. These words the Yozis read, and +sped away in dread lest the gods should wake, and going aboard their galleons, +bade the rowers haste. Thus the Yozis became gods, having the power of gods, +and they sailed away to the earth, and came to a mountainous island in the sea. +There they sat upon the rocks, sitting as the gods sit, with their right hands +uplifted, and having the power of gods, only none came to worship. Thither came +no ships nigh them, nor ever at evening came the prayers of men, nor smell of +incense, nor screams from the sacrifice. Then said the Yozis: +</p> + +<p> +“Of what avails it that we be gods if no one worship us nor give us +sacrifice?” +</p> + +<p> +And Ya, Ha, and Snyrg set sail in their silver galleons, and went looming down +the sea to come to the shores of men. And first they came to an island where +were fisher folk; and the folk of the island, running down to the shore cried +out to them: +</p> + +<p> +“Who be ye?” +</p> + +<p> +And the Yozis answered: +</p> + +<p> +“We be three gods, and we would have your worship.” +</p> + +<p> +But the fisher folk answered: +</p> + +<p> +“Here we worship Rahm, the Thunder, and have no worship nor sacrifice for +other gods.” +</p> + +<p> +Then the Yozis snarled with anger and sailed away, and sailed till they came to +another shore, sandy and low and forsaken. And at last they found an old man +upon the shore, and they cried out to him: +</p> + +<p> +“Old man upon the shore! We be three gods that it were well to worship, +gods of great power and apt in the granting of prayer.” +</p> + +<p> +The old man answered: +</p> + +<p> +“We worship Pegāna’s gods, who have a fondness for our incense and +the sound of our sacrifice when it squeals upon the altar.” +</p> + +<p> +Then answered Snyrg: +</p> + +<p> +“Asleep are Pegāna’s gods, nor will They wake for the humming of +thy prayers which lie in the dust upon Pegāna’s floor, and over Them +Sniracte, the spider of the worlds, hath woven a web of mist. And the squealing +of the sacrifice maketh no music in ears that are closed in sleep.” +</p> + +<p> +The old man answered, standing upon the shore: +</p> + +<p> +“Though all the gods of old shall answer our prayers no longer, yet still +to the gods of old shall all men pray here in Syrinais.” +</p> + +<p> +But the Yozis turned their ships about and angrily sailed away, all cursing +Syrinais and Syrinais’s gods, but most especially the old man that stood +upon the shore. +</p> + +<p> +Still the three Yozis lusted for the worship of men, and came, on the third +night of their sailing, to a city’s lights; and nearing the shore they +found it a city of song wherein all folks rejoiced. Then sat each Yozi on his +galleon’s prow, and leered with his eyes upon the city, so that the music +stopped and the dancing ceased, and all looked out to sea at the strange shapes +of the Yozis beneath their silver sails. Then Snyrg demanded their worship, +promising increase of joys, and swearing by the light of his eyes that he would +send little flames to leap over the grass, to pursue the enemies of that city +and to chase them about the world. +</p> + +<p> +But the people answered that in that city men worshipped Agrodaun, the mountain +standing alone, and might not worship other gods even though they came in +galleons with silver sails, sailing from over the sea. But Snyrg answered: +</p> + +<p> +“Certainly Agrodaun is only a mountain, and in no manner a god.” +</p> + +<p> +But the priests of Agrodaun sang answer from the shore: +</p> + +<p> +“If the sacrifice of men make not Agrodaun a god, nor blood still young +on his rocks, nor the little fluttering prayers of ten thousand hearts, nor two +thousands years of worship and all the hopes of the people and the whole +strength of our race, then are there no gods and ye be common sailors, sailing +from over the sea.” +</p> + +<p> +Then said the Yozis: +</p> + +<p> +“Hath Agrodaun answered prayer?” And the people heard the words +that the Yozis said. +</p> + +<p> +Then went the priests of Agrodaun away from the shore and up the steep streets +of the city, the people following, and over the moor beyond it to the foot of +Agrodaun, and then said: +</p> + +<p> +“Agrodaun, if thou art not our god, go back and herd with yonder common +hills, and put a cap of snow upon thy head and crouch far off as they do +beneath the sky; but if we have given thee divinity in two thousand years, if +our hopes are all about thee like a cloak, then stand and look upon thy +worshippers from over our city for ever.” And the smoke that ascended +from his feet stood still and there fell a hush over great Agrodaun; and the +priests went back to the sea and said to the three Yozis: +</p> + +<p> +“New gods shall have our worship when Agrodaun grows weary of being our +god, or when in some night-time he shall stride away, leaving us nought to gaze +at that is higher than our city.” +</p> + +<p> +And the Yozis sailed away and cursed towards Agrodaun, but could not hurt him, +for he was but a mountain. +</p> + +<p> +And the Yozis sailed along the coast till they came to a river running to the +sea, and they sailed up the river till they came to a people at work, who +furrowed the soil and sowed, and strove against the forest. Then the Yozis +called to the people as they worked in the fields: +</p> + +<p> +“Give us your worship and ye shall have many joys.” +</p> + +<p> +But the people answered: +</p> + +<p> +“We may not worship you.” +</p> + +<p> +Then answered Snyrg: +</p> + +<p> +“Ye also, have ye a god?” +</p> + +<p> +And the people answered: +</p> + +<p> +“We worship the years to come, and we set the world in order for their +coming, as one layeth raiment on the road before the advent of a King. And when +those years shall come, they shall accept the worship of a race they knew not, +and their people shall make their sacrifice to the years that follow them, who, +in their turn, shall minister to the <i>End</i>.” +</p> + +<p> +Then answered Snyrg: +</p> + +<p> +“Gods that shall recompense you not. Rather give us your prayers and have +our pleasures, the pleasures that we shall give you, and when your gods shall +come, let them be wroth—they cannot punish you.” +</p> + +<p> +But the people continued to sacrifice their labour to their gods, the years to +come, making the world a place for gods to dwell in, and the Yozis cursed those +gods and sailed away. And Ya, the Lord of malice, swore that when those years +should come, they should see whether it were well for them to have snatched +away the worship from three Yozis. +</p> + +<p> +And still the Yozis sailed, for they said: +</p> + +<p> +“It were better to be birds and have no air to fly in, than to be gods +having neither prayers nor worship.” +</p> + +<p> +But where sky met with ocean, the Yozis saw land again, and thither sailed; and +there the Yozis saw men in strange old garments performing ancient rites in a +land of many temples. And the Yozis called to the men as they performed their +ancient rites and said: +</p> + +<p> +“We be three gods well versed in the needs of men, to worship whom were +to obtain instant joy.” +</p> + +<p> +But the men said: +</p> + +<p> +“We have already gods.” +</p> + +<p> +And Snyrg replied: +</p> + +<p> +“Ye, too?” +</p> + +<p> +The men answered: +</p> + +<p> +“For we worship the things that have been and all the years that were. +Divinely have they helped us, therefore we give them worship that is their +due.” +</p> + +<p> +And the Yozis answered the people: +</p> + +<p> +“We be gods of the present and return good things for worship.” +</p> + +<p> +But the people answered, saying from the shore: +</p> + +<p> +“Our gods have given us already the good things, and we return Them the +worship that is Their due.” +</p> + +<p> +And the Yozis set their faces to landward, and cursed all things that had been +and all the years that were, and sailed in their galleons away. +</p> + +<p> +A rocky shore in an inhuman land stood up against the sea. Thither the Yozis +came and found no man, but out of the dark from inland towards evening came a +herd of great baboons and chattered greatly when they saw the ships. +</p> + +<p> +Then spake Snyrg to them: +</p> + +<p> +“Have ye, too, a god?” +</p> + +<p> +And the baboons spat. +</p> + +<p> +Then said the Yozis: +</p> + +<p> +“We be seductive gods, having a particular remembrance for little +prayers.” +</p> + +<p> +But the baboons leered fiercely at the Yozis and would have none of them for +gods. +</p> + +<p> +One said that prayers hindered the eating of nuts. But Snyrg leaned forward and +whispered, and the baboons went down upon their knees and clasped their hands +as men clasp, and chattered prayer and said to one another that these were the +gods of old, and gave the Yozis their worship—for Snyrg had whispered in +their ears that, if they would worship the Yozis, he would make them men. And +the baboons arose from worshipping, smoother about the face and a little +shorter in the arms, and went away and hid their bodies in clothing, and +afterwards galloped away from the rocky shore and went and herded with men. And +men could not discern what they were, for their bodies were bodies of men, +though their souls were still the souls of beasts and their worship went to the +Yozis, spirits of ill. +</p> + +<p> +And the lords of malice, hatred and madness sailed back to their island in the +sea and sat upon the shore as gods sit, with right hand uplifted; and at +evening foul prayers from the baboons gathered about them and infested the +rocks. +</p> + +<p> +But in Pegāna the gods awoke with a start. +</p> + +</div><!--end chapter--> + +<div class="chapter"> + +<h2><a name="chap06"></a>THE KING THAT WAS NOT</h2> + +<p> +The land of Runazar hath no King nor ever had one; and this is the law of the +land of Runazar that, seeing that it hath never had a King, it shall not have +one for ever. Therefore in Runazar the priests hold sway, who tell people that +never in Runazar hath there been a King. +</p> + +<p> +Althazar, King of Runazar, and lord of all lands near by, commanded for the +closer knowledge of the gods that Their images should be carven in Runazar, and +in all lands near by. And when Althazar’s command, wafted abroad by +trumpets, came tinkling in the ear of all the gods, right glad were They at the +sound of it. Therefore men quarried marble from the earth, and sculptors busied +themselves in Runazar to obey the edict of the King. But the gods stood by +starlight on the hills where the sculptors might see Them, and draped the +clouds about Them, and put upon Them Their divinest air, that sculptors might +do justice to Pegāna’s gods. Then the gods strode back into Pegāna and +the sculptors hammered and wrought, and there came a day when the Master of +Sculptors took audience of the King, saying: +</p> + +<p> +“Althazar, King of Runazar, High Lord moreover of all the lands near by, +to whom be the gods benignant, humbly have we completed the images of all such +gods as were in thine edict named.” +</p> + +<p> +Then the King commanded a great space to be cleared among the houses in his +city, and there the images of all the gods were borne and set before the King, +and there were assembled the Master of Sculptors and all his men; and before +each stood a soldier bearing a pile of gold upon a jewelled tray, and behind +each stood a soldier with a drawn sword pointing against their necks, and the +King looked upon the images. And lo! they stood as gods with the clouds all +draped about them, making the sign of the gods, but their bodies were those of +men, and lo! their faces were very like the King’s, and their beards were +as the King’s beard. And the King said: +</p> + +<p> +“These be indeed Pegāna’s gods.” +</p> + +<p> +And the soldiers that stood before the sculptors were caused to present to them +the piles of gold, and the soldiers that stood behind the sculptors were caused +to sheath their swords. And the people shouted: +</p> + +<p> +“These be indeed Pegāna’s gods, whose faces we are permitted to see +by the will of Althazar the King, to whom be the gods benignant.” And +heralds were sent abroad through the cities of Runazar and of all the lands +near by, proclaiming of the images: +</p> + +<p> +“These be Pegāna’s gods.” +</p> + +<p> +But up in Pegāna the gods howled with wrath and Mung leant forward to make the +sign of Mung against Althazar the King. But the gods laid Their hands upon his +shoulder saying: +</p> + +<p> +“Slay him not, for it is not enough that Althazar shall die, who hath +made the faces of the gods to be like the faces of men, but he must not even +have ever been.” +</p> + +<p> +Then said the gods: +</p> + +<p> +“Spake we of Althazar, a King?” +</p> + +<p> +And the gods said: +</p> + +<p> +“Nay, we spake not.” And the gods said: +</p> + +<p> +“Dreamed we of one Althazar?” And the gods said: +</p> + +<p> +“Nay, we dreamed not.” +</p> + +<p> +But in the royal palace of Runazar, Althazar, passing suddenly out of the +remembrance of the gods, became no longer a thing that was or had ever been. +</p> + +<p> +And by the throne of Althazar lay a robe, and near it lay a crown, and the +priests of the gods entered his palace and made it a temple of the gods. And +the people coming to worship said: +</p> + +<p> +“Whose was this robe and to what purpose is this crown?” +</p> + +<p> +And the priests answered: +</p> + +<p> +“The gods have cast away the fragment of a garment and lo! from the +fingers of the gods hath slipped one little ring.” +</p> + +<p> +And the people said to the priests: +</p> + +<p> +“Seeing that Runazar hath never had a King, therefore be ye our rulers, +and make ye our laws in the sight of Pegāna’s gods.” +</p> + +</div><!--end chapter--> + +<div class="chapter"> + +<h2><a name="chap07"></a>THE CAVE OF KAI</h2> + +<p> +The pomp of crowning was ended, the rejoicings had died away, and Khanazar, the +new King, sat in the seat of the Kings of Averon to do his work upon the +destinies of men. His uncle, Khanazar the Lone, had died, and he had come from +a far castle to the south, with a great procession, to Ilaun, the citadel of +Averon; and there they had crowned him King of Averon and of the mountains, and +Lord, if there be aught beyond those mountains, of all such lands as are. But +now the pomp of the crowning was gone away and Khanazar sat afar off from his +home, a very mighty King. +</p> + +<p> +Then the King grew weary of the destinies of Averon and weary of the making of +commands. So Khanazar sent heralds through all cities saying: +</p> + +<p> +“Hear! The will of the King! Hear! The will of the King of Averon and of +the mountains and Lord, if there be aught beyond those mountains, of all such +lands as are. Let there come together to Ilaun all such as have an art in +secret matters. Hear!” +</p> + +<p> +And there gathered together to Ilaun the wise men of all the degrees of magic, +even to the seventh, who had made spells before Khanazar the Lone; and they +came before the new King in his palace placing their hands upon his feet. Then +said the King to the magicians: +</p> + +<p> +“I have a need.” +</p> + +<p> +And they answered: +</p> + +<p> +“The earth touches the feet of the King in token of submission.” +</p> + +<p> +But the King answered: +</p> + +<p> +“My need is not of the earth; but I would find certain of the hours that +have been, and sundry days that were.” +</p> + +<p> +And all the wise folks were silent, till there spake out mournfully the wisest +of them all, who made spells in the seventh degree, saying: +</p> + +<p> +“The days that were, and the hours, have winged their way to Mount +Agdora’s summit, and there, dipping, have passed away from sight, not +ever to return, for haply they have not heard the King’s command.” +</p> + +<p> +Of these wise folks are many things chronicled. Moreover, it is set in writing +of the scribes how they had audience of King Khanazar and of the words they +spake, but of their further deeds there is no legend. But it is told how the +King sent men to run and pass through all the cities till they should find one +that was wiser even than the magicians that had made spells before Khanazar the +Lone. Far up the mountains that limit Averon they found Syrahn, the prophet, +among the goats, who was of none of the degrees of magic, and who had cast no +spells before the former King. Him they brought to Khanazar, and the King said +unto him: +</p> + +<p> +“I have a need.” +</p> + +<p> +And Syrahn answered: +</p> + +<p> +“Thou art a man.” +</p> + +<p> +And the King said: +</p> + +<p> +“Where lie the days that were and certain hours?” +</p> + +<p> +And Syrahn answered: +</p> + +<p> +“These things lie in a cave afar from here, and over the cave stands +sentinel one Kai, and this cave Kai hath guarded from the gods and men since +ever the Beginning was made. It may be that he shall let Khanazar pass +by.” +</p> + +<p> +Then the King gathered elephants and camels that carried burdens of gold, and +trusty servants that carried precious gems, and gathered an army to go before +him and an army to follow behind, and sent out horsemen to warn the dwellers of +the plains that the King of Averon was afoot. +</p> + +<p> +And he bade Syrahn to lead to that place where the days of old lie hid and all +forgotten hours. +</p> + +<p> +Across the plain and up Mount Agdora, and dipping beyond its summit went +Khanazar the King, and his two armies who followed Syrahn. Eight times the +purple tent with golden border had been pitched for the King of Averon, and +eight times it had been struck ere the King and the King’s armies came to +a dark cave in a valley dark, where Kai stood guard over the days that were. +And the face of Kai was as a warrior that vanquisheth cities and burdeneth +himself not with captives, and his form was as the forms of gods, but his eyes +were the eyes of beasts; before whom came the King of Averon with elephants and +camels bearing burdens of gold, and trusty servants carrying precious gems. +</p> + +<p> +Then said the King: +</p> + +<p> +“Yonder behold my gifts. Give back to me my yesterday with its waving +banners, my yesterday with its music and blue sky and all its cheering crowds +that made me King, the yesterday that sailed with gleaming wings over my +Averon.” +</p> + +<p> +And Kai answered, pointing to his cave: +</p> + +<p> +“Thither, dishonoured and forgot, thy yesterday slunk away. And who amid +the dusty heap of the forgotten days shall grovel to find thy yesterday?” +</p> + +<p> +Then answered the King of Averon and of the mountains and Lord, if there be +aught beyond them, of all such lands as are: +</p> + +<p> +“I will go down on my knees in yon dark cave and search with my hands +amid the dust, if so I may find my yesterday again and certain hours that are +gone.” +</p> + +<p> +And the King pointed to his piles of gold that stood where elephants were met +together, and beyond them to the scornful camels. And Kai answered: +</p> + +<p> +“The gods have offered me the gleaming worlds and all as far as the Rim, +and whatever lies beyond it as far as the gods may see—and thou comest to +me with elephants and camels.” +</p> + +<p> +Then said the King: +</p> + +<p> +“Across the orchards of my home there hath passed one hour whereof thou +knowest well, and I pray to thee, who wilt take no gifts borne upon elephants +or camels, to give me of thy mercy one second back, one grain of dust that +clings to that hour in the heap that lies within thy cave.” +</p> + +<p> +And, at the word mercy, Kai laughed. And the King turned his armies to the +east. Therefore the armies returned to Averon and the heralds before them +cried: +</p> + +<p> +“Here cometh Khanazar, King of Averon and of the mountains and Lord, if +there be aught beyond those mountains, of all such lands as are.” +</p> + +<div class="fig" style="width:100%;"> +<a name="illus02"></a> +<img src="images/fig02.jpg" width="411" height="600" alt="[Illustration: ]" /> +<p class="caption">Kai Laughed</p> +</div> + +<p> +And the King said to them: +</p> + +<p> +“Say rather that here comes one greatly wearied who, having accomplished +nought, returneth from a quest forlorn.” +</p> + +<p> +So the King came again to Averon. +</p> + +<p> +But it is told how there came into Ilaun one evening as the sun was setting a +harper with a golden harp desiring audience of the King. +</p> + +<p> +And it is told how men led him to Khanazar, who sat frowning alone upon his +throne, to whom said the harper: +</p> + +<p> +“I have a golden harp; and to its strings have clung like dust some +seconds out of the forgotten hours and little happenings of the days that +were.” +</p> + +<p> +And Khanazar looked up and the harper touched the strings, and the old +forgotten things were stirring again, and there arose a sound of songs that had +passed away and long since voices. Then when the harper saw that Khanazar +looked not angrily upon him his fingers tramped over the chords as the gods +tramp down the sky, and out of the golden harp arose a haze of memories; and +the King leaning forward and staring before him saw in the haze no more his +palace walls, but saw a valley with a stream that wandered through it, and +woods upon either hill, and an old castle standing lonely to the south. And the +harper, seeing a strange look upon the face of Khanazar, said: +</p> + +<p> +“Is the King pleased who lords it over Averon and the mountains, and, if +there be aught beyond them, over all such lands as are?” +</p> + +<p> +And the King said:— +</p> + +<p> +“Seeing that I am a child again in a valley to the south, how may I say +what may be the will of the great King?” +</p> + +<p> +When the stars shone high over Ilaun and still the King sat staring straight +before him, all the courtiers drew away from the great palace, save one that +stayed and kept one taper burning, and with them went the harper. +</p> + +<p> +And when the dawn came up through silent archways into the marble palace, +making the taper pale, the King still stared before him, and still he sat there +when the stars shone again clearly and high above Ilaun. +</p> + +<p> +But on the second morning the King arose and sent for the harper and said to +him:— +</p> + +<p> +“I am King again, and thou that hast a skill to stay the hours and mayest +bring again to men their forgotten days, thou shalt stand sentinel over my +great to-morrow; and when I go forth to conquer Ziman-ho and make my armies +mighty thou shalt stand between that morrow and the cave of Kai, and haply some +deed of mine and the battling of my armies shall cling to thy golden harp and +not go down dishonoured into the cave. For my to-morrow, who with such +resounding stride goes trampling through my dreams, is far too kingly to herd +with forgotten days in the dust of things that were. But on some future day, +when Kings are dead and all their deeds forgotten, some harper of that time +shall come and from those golden strings awake those deeds that echo in my +dreams, till my to-morrow shall stride forth among the lesser days and tell the +years that Khanazar was a King.” +</p> + +<p> +And answered the harper: +</p> + +<p> +“I will stand sentinel over thy great to-morrow, and when thou goest +forth to conquer Ziman-ho and make thine armies mighty I will stand between thy +morrow and the cave of Kai, till thy deeds and the battling of thine armies +shall cling to my golden harp and not go down dishonoured into the cave. So +that when Kings are dead and all their deeds forgotten the harpers of the +future time shall awake from these golden chords those deeds of thine. This +will I do.” +</p> + +<p> +Men of these days, that be skilled upon the harp, tell still of Khanazar, how +that he was King of Averon and of the mountains, and claimed lordship of +certain lands beyond, and how he went with armies against Ziman-ho and fought +great battles, and in the last gained victory and was slain. But Kai, as he +waited with his claws to gather in the last days of Khanazar that they might +loom enormous in his cave, still found them not, and only gathered in some +meaner deeds and the days and hours of lesser men, and was vexed by the shadow +of a harper that stood between him and the world. +</p> + +</div><!--end chapter--> + +<div class="chapter"> + +<h2><a name="chap08"></a>THE SORROW OF SEARCH</h2> + +<p> +It is told also of King Khanazar how he bowed very low unto the gods of Old. +None bowed so low unto the gods of Old as did King Khanazar. +</p> + +<p> +One day the King returning from the worship of the gods of Old and from bowing +before them in the temple of the gods commanded their prophets to appear before +him, saying: +</p> + +<p> +“I would know somewhat concerning the gods.” +</p> + +<p> +Then came the prophets before King Khanazar, burdened with many books, to whom +the King said: +</p> + +<p> +“It is not in books.” +</p> + +<p> +Thereat the prophets departed, bearing away with them a thousand methods well +devised in books whereby men may gain wisdom of the gods. One alone remained, a +master prophet, who had forgotten books, to whom the King said: +</p> + +<p> +“The gods of Old are mighty.” +</p> + +<p> +And answered the master prophet: +</p> + +<p> +“Very mighty are the gods of Old.” +</p> + +<p> +Then said the King: +</p> + +<p> +“There are no gods but the gods of Old.” +</p> + +<p> +And answered the prophet: +</p> + +<p> +“There are none other.” +</p> + +<p> +And they two being alone within the palace the King said: +</p> + +<p> +“Tell me aught concerning gods or men if aught of the truth be +known.” +</p> + +<p> +Then said the master prophet: +</p> + +<p> +“Far and white and straight lieth the road to Knowing, and down it in the +heat and dust go all wise people of the earth, but in the fields before they +come to it the very wise lie down or pluck the flowers. By the side of the road +to Knowing—O King, it is hard and hot—stand many temples, and in +the doorway of every temple stand many priests, and they cry to the travellers +that weary of the road, crying to them: +</p> + +<p> +“This is the End.” +</p> + +<p> +And in the temples are the sounds of music, and from each roof arises the +savour of pleasant burning; and all that look at a cool temple, whichever +temple they look at, or hear the hidden music, turn in to see whether it be +indeed the End. And such as find that their temple is not indeed the End set +forth again upon the dusty road, stopping at each temple as they pass for fear +they miss the End, or striving onwards on the road, and see nothing in the +dust, till they can walk no longer and are taken worn and weary of their +journey into some other temple by a kindly priest who shall tell them that this +also is the End. Neither on that road may a man gain any guiding from his +fellows, for only one thing that they say is surely true, when they say: +</p> + +<p> +“Friend, we can see nothing for the dust.” +</p> + +<p> +And of the dust that hides the way much has been there since ever that road +began, and some is stirred up by the feet of all that travel upon it, and more +arises from the temple doors. +</p> + +<p> +And, O King, it were better for thee, travelling upon that road, to rest when +thou hearest one calling: “This is the End,” with the sounds of +music behind him. And if in the dust and darkness thou pass by Lo and Mush and +the pleasant temple of Kynash, or Sheenath with his opal smile, or Sho with his +eyes of agate, yet Shilo and Mynarthitep, Gazo and Amurund and Slig are still +before thee and the priests of their temples will not forget to call thee. +</p> + +<p> +And, O King, it is told that only one discerned the end and passed by three +thousand temples, and the priests of the last were like the priests of the +first, and all said that their temple was at the end of the road, and the dark +of the dust lay over them all, and all were very pleasant and only the road was +weary. And in some were many gods, and in a few only one, and in some the +shrine was empty, and all had many priests, and in all the travellers were +happy as they rested. And into some his fellow travellers tried to force him, +and when he said: +</p> + +<p> +“I will travel further,” many said: +</p> + +<p> +“This man lies, for the road ends here.” +</p> + +<p> +And he that travelled to the End hath told that when the thunder was heard upon +the road there arose the sound of the voices of all the priests as far as he +could hear, crying: +</p> + +<p> +“Hearken to Shilo”—“Hear Mush”—“Lo! +Kynash”—“The voice of Sho”—“Mynarthitep is +angry”—“Hear the word of Slig!” +</p> + +<p> +And far away along the road one cried to the traveller that Sheenath stirred in +his sleep. +</p> + +<p> +O King this is very doleful. It is told that that traveller came at last to the +utter End and there was a mighty gulf, and in the darkness at the bottom of the +gulf one small god crept, no bigger than a hare, whose voice came crying in the +cold: +</p> + +<p> +“I know not.” +</p> + +<p> +And beyond the gulf was nought, only the small god crying. +</p> + +<p> +And he that travelled to the End fled backwards for a great distance till he +came to temples again, and entering one where a priest cried: +</p> + +<p> +“This is the End,” lay down and rested on a couch. There Yush sat +silent, carved with an emerald tongue and two great eyes of sapphire, and there +many rested and were happy. And an old priest, coming from comforting a child, +came over to that traveller who had seen the End and said to him: +</p> + +<p> +“This is Yush and this is the End of wisdom.” +</p> + +<p> +And the traveller answered: +</p> + +<p> +“Yush is very peaceful and this indeed the End.” +</p> + +<p> +“O King, wouldst thou hear more?” +</p> + +<p> +And the King said: +</p> + +<p> +“I would hear all.” +</p> + +<p> +And the master prophet answered: +</p> + +<p> +“There was also another prophet and his name was Shaun, who had such +reverence for the gods of Old that he became able to discern their forms by +starlight as they strode, unseen by others, among men. Each night did Shaun +discern the forms of the gods and every day he taught concerning them, till men +in Averon knew how the gods appeared all grey against the mountains, and how +Rhoog was higher than Mount Scagadon, and how Skun was smaller, and how Asgool +leaned forward as he strode, and how Trodath peered about him with small eyes. +But one night as Shaun watched the gods of Old by starlight, he faintly +discerned some other gods that sat far up the slopes of the mountains in the +stillness behind the gods of Old. And the next day he hurled his robe away that +he wore as Averon’s prophet and said to his people: +</p> + +<p> +“There be gods greater than the gods of Old, three gods seen faintly on +the hills by starlight looking on Averon.” +</p> + +<p> +And Shaun set out and travelled many days and many people followed him. And +every night he saw more clearly the shapes of the three new gods who sat silent +when the gods of Old were striding among men. On the higher slopes of the +mountain Shaun stopped with all his people, and there they built a city and +worshipped the gods, whom only Shaun could see, seated above them on the +mountain. And Shaun taught how the gods were like grey streaks of light seen +before dawn, and how the god on the right pointed upward toward the sky, and +how the god on the left pointed downward toward the ground, but the god in the +middle slept. +</p> + +<p> +And in the city Shaun’s followers built three temples. The one on the +right was a temple for the young, and the one on the left a temple for the old, +and the third was a temple with doors closed and barred—therein none ever +entered. One night as Shaun watched before the three gods sitting like pale +light against the mountain, he saw on the mountain’s summit two gods that +spake together and pointed, mocking the gods of the hill, only he heard no +sound. The next day Shaun set out and a few followed him to climb to the +mountain’s summit in the cold, to find the gods who were so great that +they mocked at the silent three. And near the two gods they halted and built +for themselves huts. Also they built a temple wherein the Two were carved by +the hand of Shaun with their heads turned towards each other, with mockery on +Their faces and Their fingers pointing, and beneath Them were carved the three +gods of the hill as actors making sport. None remembered now Asgool, Trodath, +Skun, and Rhoog, the gods of Old. +</p> + +<p> +For many years Shaun and his few followers lived in their huts upon the +mountain’s summit worshipping gods that mocked, and every night Shaun saw +the two gods by starlight as they laughed to one another in the silence. And +Shaun grew old. +</p> + +<p> +One night as his eyes were turned towards the Two, he saw across the mountains +in the distance a great god seated in the plain and looming enormous to the +sky, who looked with angry eyes towards the Two as they sat and mocked. Then +said Shaun to his people, the few that had followed him thither: +</p> + +<p> +“Alas that we may not rest, but beyond us in the plain sitteth the one +true god and he is wroth with mocking. Let us therefore leave these two that +sit and mock and let us find the truth in the worship of that greater god, who +even though he kill shall yet not mock us.” +</p> + +<p> +But the people answered: +</p> + +<p> +“Thou hast taken from us many gods and taught us now to worship gods that +mock, and if there is laughter on their faces as we die, lo! thou alone canst +see it, and we would rest.” +</p> + +<p> +But three men who had grown old with following followed still. +</p> + +<p> +And down the steep mountain on the further side Shaun led them, saying: +</p> + +<p> +“Now we shall surely know.” +</p> + +<p> +And the three old men answered: +</p> + +<p> +“We shall know indeed, O last of all the prophets.” +</p> + +<p> +That night the two gods mocking at their worshippers mocked not at Shaun nor +his three followers, who coming to the plain still travelled on till they came +at last to a place where the eyes of Shaun at night could closely see the vast +form of their god. And beyond them as far as the sky there lay a marsh. There +they rested, building such shelters as they could, and said to one another: +</p> + +<p> +“This is the End, for Shaun discerneth that there are no more gods, and +before us lieth the marsh and old age hath come upon us.” +</p> + +<p> +And since they could not labour to build a temple, Shaun carved upon a rock all +that he saw by starlight of the great god of the plain; so that if ever others +forsook the gods of Old because they saw beyond them the Greater Three, and +should thence come to knowledge of the Twain that mocked, and should yet +persevere in wisdom till they saw by starlight him whom Shaun named the +Ultimate god, they should still find there upon the rock what one had written +concerning the end of search. For three years Shaun carved upon the rock, and +rising one night from carving, saying: +</p> + +<p> +“Now is my labour done,” saw in the distance four greater gods +beyond the Ultimate god. Proudly in the distance beyond the marsh these gods +were tramping together, taking no heed of the god upon the plain. Then said +Shaun to his three followers: +</p> + +<p> +“Alas that we know not yet, for there be gods beyond the marsh.” +</p> + +<p> +None would follow Shaun, for they said that old age must end all quests, and +that they would rather wait there in the plain for Death than that he should +pursue them across the marsh. +</p> + +<p> +Then Shaun said farewell to his followers, saying: +</p> + +<p> +“You have followed me well since ever we forsook the gods of Old to +worship greater gods. Farewell. It may be that your prayers at evening shall +avail when you pray to the god of the plain, but I must go onward, for there be +gods beyond.” +</p> + +<p> +So Shaun went down into the marsh, and for three days struggled through it, and +on the third night saw the four gods not very far away, yet could not discern +Their faces. All the next day Shaun toiled on to see Their faces by starlight, +but ere the night came up or one star shone, at set of sun, Shaun fell down +before the feet of his four gods. The stars came out, and the faces of the four +shone bright and clear, but Shaun saw them not, for the labour of toiling and +seeing was over for Shaun; and lo! They were Asgool, Trodath, Skun, and +Rhoog—The gods of Old. +</p> + +<p> +Then said the King: +</p> + +<p> +“It is well that the sorrow of search cometh only to the wise, for the +wise are very few.” +</p> + +<p> +Also the King said: +</p> + +<p> +“Tell me this thing, O prophet. Who are the true gods?” +</p> + +<p> +The master prophet answered: +</p> + +<p> +“Let the King command.” +</p> + +</div><!--end chapter--> + +<div class="chapter"> + +<h2><a name="chap09"></a>THE MEN OF YARNITH</h2> + +<p> +The men of Yarnith hold that nothing began until Yarni Zai uplifted his hand. +Yarni Zai, they say, has the form of a man but is greater and is a thing of +rock. When he uplifted his hand all the rocks that wandered beneath the Dome, +by which name they call the sky, gathered together around Yarni Zai. +</p> + +<p> +Of the other worlds they say nought, but hold that the stars are the eyes of +all the other gods that look on Yarni Zai and laugh, for they are all greater +than he, though they have gathered no worlds around them. +</p> + +<p> +Yet though they be greater than Yarni Zai, and though they laugh at him when +they speak together beneath the Dome, they all speak of Yarni Zai. +</p> + +<p> +Unheard is the speaking of the gods to all except the gods, but the men of +Yarnith tell of how their prophet Iraun lying in the sand desert, Azrakhan, +heard once their speaking and knew thereby how Yarni Zai departed from all the +other gods to clothe himself with rocks and make a world. +</p> + +<p> +Certain it is that every legend tells that at the end of the valley of Yodeth, +where it becomes lost among black cliffs, there sits a figure colossal, against +a mountain, whose form is the form of a man with the right hand uplifted, but +vaster than the hills. And in the Book of Secret Things which the prophets keep +in the Temple that stands in Yarnith is writ the story of the gathering of the +world as Iraun heard it when the gods spake together, up in the stillness above +Azrakhan. +</p> + +<p> +And all that read this may learn how Yarni Zai drew the mountains about him +like a cloak, and piled the world below him. It is not set in writing for how +many years Yarni Zai sat clothed with rocks at the end of the Valley of Yodeth, +while there was nought in all the world save rocks and Yarni Zai. +</p> + +<p> +But one day there came another god running over the rocks across the world, and +he ran as the clouds run upon days of storm, and as he sped towards Yodeth, +Yarni Zai, sitting against his mountain with right hand uplifted, cried out: +</p> + +<p> +“What dost thou, running across my world, and whither art thou +going?” +</p> + +<p> +And the new god answered never a word, but sped onwards, and as he went to left +of him and to right of him there sprang up green things all over the rocks of +the world of Yarni Zai. +</p> + +<p> +So the new god ran round the world and made it green, saying in the valley +where Yarni Zai sat monstrous against his mountain and certain lands wherein +Cradoa, the drought, browsed horribly at night. +</p> + +<p> +Further, the writing in the book tells of how there came yet another god +running speedily out of the east, as swiftly as the first, with his face set +westward, and nought to stay his running; and how he stretched both arms +outward beside him, and to left of him and to right of him as he ran the whole +world whitened. +</p> + +<p> +And Yarni Zai called out: +</p> + +<p> +“What dost thou, running across my world?” +</p> + +<p> +And the new god answered: +</p> + +<p> +“I bring the snow for all the world—whiteness and resting and +stillness.” +</p> + +<p> +And he stilled the running of streams and laid his hand even upon the head of +Yarni Zai and muffled the noises of the world, till there was no sound in all +lands, but the running of the new god that brought the snow as he sped across +the plains. +</p> + +<p> +But the two new gods chased each other for ever round the world, and every year +they passed again, running down the valleys and up the hills and away across +the plains before Yarni Zai, whose hand uplifted had gathered the world about +him. +</p> + +<p> +And, furthermore, the very devout may read how all the animals came up the +valley of Yodeth to the mountain whereon rested Yarni Zai, saying: +</p> + +<p> +“Give us leave to live, to be lions, rhinoceroses and rabbits, and to go +about the world.” +</p> + +<p> +And Yarni Zai gave leave to the animals to be lions, rhinoceroses and rabbits, +and all the other kinds of beasts, and to go about the world. But when they all +had gone he gave leave to the bird to be a bird and to go about the sky. +</p> + +<p> +And further there came a man into that valley who said: +</p> + +<p> +“Yarni Zai, thou hast made animals into thy world. O Yarni Zai, ordain +that there be men.” +</p> + +<p> +So Yarni Zai made men. +</p> + +<p> +Then was there in the world Yarni Zai, and two strange gods that brought the +greenness and the growing and the whiteness and the stillness, and animals and +men. +</p> + +<p> +And the god of the greenness pursued the god of the whiteness, and the god of +the whiteness pursued the god of the greenness, and men pursued animals, and +animals pursued men. But Yarni Zai sat still against his mountain with his +right hand uplifted. But the men of Yarnith say that when the arm of Yarni Zai +shall cease to be uplifted the world shall be flung behind him, as a +man’s cloak is flung away. And Yarni Zai, no longer clad with the world, +shall go back into the emptiness beneath the Dome among the stars, as a diver +seeking pearls goes down from the islands. +</p> + +<p> +It is writ in Yarnith’s histories by scribes of old that there passed a +year over the valley of Yarnith that bore not with it any rain; and the Famine +from the wastes beyond, finding that it was dry and pleasant in Yarnith, crept +over the mountains and down their slopes and sunned himself at the edge of +Yarnith’s fields. +</p> + +<p> +And men of Yarnith, labouring in the fields, found the Famine as he nibbled at +the corn and chased the cattle, and hastily they drew water from deep wells and +cast it over the Famine’s dry grey fur and drove him back to the +mountains. But the next day when his fur was dry again the Famine returned and +nibbled more of the corn and chased the cattle further, and again men drove him +back. But again the Famine returned, and there came a time when there was no +more water in the wells to frighten the Famine with, and he nibbled the corn +till all of it was gone and the cattle that he chased grew very lean. And the +Famine drew nearer, even to the houses of men and trampled on their gardens at +night and ever came creeping nearer to their doors. At last the cattle were +able to run no more, and one by one the Famine took them by their throats and +dragged them down, and at night he scratched in the ground, killing even the +roots of things, and came and peered in at the doorways and started back and +peered in at the door again a little further, but yet was not bold enough to +enter altogether, for fear that men should have water to throw over his dry +grey fur. +</p> + +<p> +Then did the men of Yarnith pray to Yarni Zai as he sat far off beyond the +valley, praying to him night and day to call his Famine back, but the Famine +sat and purred and slew all the cattle and dared at last to take men for his +food. +</p> + +<p> +And the histories tell how he slew children first and afterwards grew bolder +and tore down women, till at last he even sprang at the throats of men as they +laboured in the fields. +</p> + +<p> +Then said the men of Yarnith: +</p> + +<p> +“There must go one to take our prayers to the feet of Yarni Zai; for the +world at evening utters many prayers, and it may be that Yarni Zai, as he hears +all earth lamenting when the prayers at evening flutter to his feet, may have +missed among so many the prayers of the men of Yarnith. But if one go and say +to Yarni Zai: ‘There is a little crease in the outer skirts of thy cloak +that men call the valley of Yarnith, where the Famine is a greater lord than +Yarni Zai,’ it may be that he shall remember for an instant and call his +Famine back.” +</p> + +<p> +Yet all men feared to go, seeing that they were but men and Yarni Zai was Lord +of the whole earth, and the journey was far and rocky. But that night Hothrun +Dath heard the Famine whining outside his house and pawing at his door; +therefore, it seemed to him more meet to wither before the glance of Yarni Zai +than that the whining of that Famine should ever again fall upon his ears. +</p> + +<p> +So about the dawn, Hothrun Dath crept away, fearing still to hear behind him +the breathing of the Famine, and set out upon his journey whither pointed the +graves of men. For men in Yarnith are buried with their feet and faces turned +toward Yarni Zai, lest he might beckon to them in their night and call them to +him. +</p> + +<p> +So all day long did Hothrun Dath follow the way of the graves. It is told that +he even journeyed for three days and nights with nought but the graves to guide +him, as they pointed towards Yarni Zai where all the world slopes upwards +towards Yodeth, and the great black rocks that are nearest to Yarni Zai lie +gathered together by clans, till he came to the two great black pillars of +asdarinth and saw the rocks beyond them piled in a dark valley, narrow and +aloof, and knew that this was Yodeth. Then did he haste no more, but walked +quietly up the valley, daring not to disturb the stillness, for he said: +</p> + +<p> +“Surely this is the stillness of Yarni Zai, which lay about him before he +clothed himself with rocks.” +</p> + +<div class="fig" style="width:100%;"> +<a name="illus03"></a> +<img src="images/fig03.jpg" width="449" height="600" alt="[Illustration: ]" /> +<p class="caption">Departure of Hothrun Dath</p> +</div> + +<p> +Here among the rocks which first had gathered to the call of Yarni Zai, Hothrun +Dath felt a mighty fear, but yet went onwards because of all his people and +because he knew that thrice in every hour in some dark chamber Death and Famine +met to speak two words together, “The End.” +</p> + +<p> +But as dawn turned the darkness into grey, he came to the valley’s end, +and even touched the foot of Yarni Zai, but saw him not, for he was all hidden +in the mist. Then Hothrun Dath feared that he might not behold him to look him +in the eyes when he sent up his prayer. But laying his forehead against the +foot of Yarni Zai he prayed for the men of Yarnith, saying: +</p> + +<p> +“O Lord of Famine and Father of Death, there is a spot in the world that +thou hast cast about thee which men call Yarnith, and there men die before the +time thou hast apportioned, passing out of Yarnith. Perchance the Famine hath +rebelled against thee, or Death exceeds his powers. O Master of the World, +drive out the Famine as a moth out of thy cloak, lest the gods beyond that +regard thee with their eyes say—there is Yarni Zai, and lo! his cloak is +tattered.” +</p> + +<p> +And in the mist no sign made Yarni Zai. Then did Hothrun Dath pray to Yarni Zai +to make some sign with his uplifted hand that he might know he heard him. In +the awe and silence he waited, until nigh the dawn the mist that hid the figure +rolled upwards. Serene above the mountains he brooded over the world, silent, +with right hand uplifted. +</p> + +<p> +What Hothrun Dath saw there upon the face of Yarni Zai no history telleth, or +how he came again alive to Yarnith, but this is writ that he fled, and none +hath since beheld the face of Yarni Zai. Some say that he saw a look on the +face of the image that set a horror tingling through his soul, but it is held +in Yarnith that he found the marks of instruments of carving about the +figure’s feet, and discerning thereby that Yarni Zai was wrought by the +hands of men, he fled down the valley screaming: +</p> + +<p> +“There are no gods, and all the world is lost.” And hope departed +from him and all the purposes of life. Motionless behind him, lit by the rising +sun, sat the colossal figure with right hand uplifted that man had made in his +own image. +</p> + +<p> +But the men of Yarnith tell how Hothrun Dath came back again panting to his own +city, and told the people that there were no gods and that Yarnith had no hope +from Yarni Zai. Then the men of Yarnith when they knew that the Famine came not +from the gods, arose and strove against him. They dug deep for wells, and slew +goats for food high up on Yarnith’s mountains and went afar and gathered +blades of grass, where yet it grew, that their cattle might live. Thus they +fought the Famine, for they said: “If Yarni Zai be not a god, then is +there nothing mightier in Yarnith than men, and who is the Famine that he +should bare his teeth against the lords of Yarnith?” +</p> + +<p> +And they said: “If no help cometh from Yarni Zai then is there no help +but from our own strength and might, and we be Yarnith’s gods with the +saving of Yarnith burning within us or its doom according to our desire.” +</p> + +<p> +And some more the Famine slew, but others raised their hands saying: +“These be the hands of gods,” and drave the Famine back till he +went from the houses of men and out among the cattle, and still the men of +Yarnith pursued him, till above the heat of the fight came the million whispers +of rain heard faintly far off towards evening. Then the Famine fled away +howling back to the mountains and over the mountains’ crests, and became +no more than a thing that is told in Yarnith’s legends. +</p> + +<p> +A thousand years have passed across the graves of those that fell in Yarnith by +the Famine. But the men of Yarnith still pray to Yarni Zai, carved by +men’s hands in the likeness of a man, for they say—“It may be +that the prayers we offer to Yarni Zai may roll upwards from his image as do +the mists at dawn, and somewhere find at last the other gods or that God who +sits behind the others of whom our prophets know not.” +</p> + +</div><!--end chapter--> + +<div class="chapter"> + +<h2><a name="chap10"></a>FOR THE HONOUR OF THE GODS</h2> + +<p> +Of the great wars of the Three Islands are many histories writ and of how the +heroes of the olden time one by one were slain, but nought is told of the days +before the olden time, or ever the people of the isles went forth to war, when +each in his own land tended cattle or sheep, and listless peace obscured those +isles in the days before the olden time. For then the people of the Islands +played like children about the feet of Chance and had no gods and went not +forth to war. But sailors, cast by strange winds upon those shores which they +named the Prosperous Isles, and finding a happy people which had no gods, told +how they should be happier still and know the gods and fight for the honour of +the gods and leave their names writ large in histories and at the last die +proclaiming the names of the gods. And the people of the islands met and said: +</p> + +<p> +“The beasts we know, but lo! these sailors tell of things beyond that +know us as we know the beasts and use us for their pleasure as we use the +beasts, but yet are apt to answer idle prayer flung up at evening near the +hearth, when a man returneth from the ploughing of the fields. Shall we now +seek these gods?” And some said: +</p> + +<p> +“We are lords of the Three Islands and have none to trouble us, and while +we live we find prosperity, and when we die our bones have ease in the quiet. +Let us not therefore seek those who may loom greater than we do in the Islands +Three or haply harry our bones when we be dead.” +</p> + +<p> +But others said: +</p> + +<p> +“The prayers that a man mutters, when the drought hath come and all the +cattle die, go up unheeded to the heedless clouds, and if somewhere there be +those that garner prayer let us send men to seek them and to say: ‘There +be men in the Isles called Three, or sometimes named by sailors the Prosperous +Isles (and they be in the Central Sea), who ofttimes pray, and it hath been +told us that ye love the worship of men, and for it answer prayer, and we be +travellers from the Islands Three.’” +</p> + +<p> +And the people of the Islands were greatly allured by the thought of strange +things neither men nor beasts who at evening answered prayer. +</p> + +<p> +Therefore they sent men down in ships with sails to sail across the sea, and in +safety over the sea to a far shore Chance brought the ships. Then over hill and +valley three men set forth seeking to find the gods, and their comrades beached +the ships and waited on the shore. And they that sought the gods followed for +thirty nights the lightnings in the sky over five mountains, and as they came +to the summit of the last, they saw a valley beneath them, and lo! the gods. +For there the gods sat, each on a marble hill, each sitting with an elbow on +his knee, and his chin upon his hand, and all the gods were smiling about Their +lips. And below them there were armies of little men, and about the feet of the +gods they fought against each other and slew one another for the honour of the +gods, and for the glory of the name of the gods. And round them in the valley +their cities that they had builded with the toil of their hands, they burned +for the honour of the gods, where they died for the honour of the gods, and the +gods looked down and smiled. And up from the valley fluttered the prayers of +men and here and there the gods did answer a prayer, but oftentimes They mocked +them, and all the while men died. +</p> + +<p> +And they that had sought the gods from the Islands Three, having seen what they +had seen, lay down on the mountain summit lest the gods should see them. Then +they crept backward a little space, still lying down, and whispered together +and then stooped low and ran, and travelled across the mountains in twenty days +and came again to their comrades by the shore. But their comrades asked them if +their quest had failed and the three men only answered: +</p> + +<p> +“We have seen the gods.” +</p> + +<div class="fig" style="width:100%;"> +<a name="illus04"></a> +<img src="images/fig04.jpg" width="396" height="600" alt="[Illustration: ]" /> +<p class="caption">Lo! The Gods</p> +</div> + +<p> +And setting sail the ships hove back across the Central Sea and came again to +the Islands Three, where rest the feet of Chance, and said to the people: +</p> + +<p> +“We have seen the gods.” +</p> + +<p> +But to the rulers of the Islands they told how the gods drove men in herds; and +went back and tended their flocks again all in the Prosperous Isles, and were +kinder to their cattle after they had seen how that the gods used men. +</p> + +<p> +But the gods walking large about Their valley, and peering over the great +mountain’s rim, saw one morning the tracks of the three men. Then the +gods bent their faces low over the tracks and leaning forward ran, and came +before the evening of the day to the shore where the men had set sail in ships, +and saw the tracks of ships upon the sand, and waded far out into the sea, and +yet saw nought. Still it had been well for the Islands Three had not certain +men that had heard the travellers’ tale sought also to see the gods +themselves. These in the night-time slipped away from the Isles in ships, and +ere the gods had retreated to the hills, They saw where ocean meets with sky +the full white sails of those that sought the gods upon an evil day. Then for a +while the people of those gods had rest while the gods lurked behind the +mountain, waiting for the travellers from the Prosperous Isles. But the +travellers came to shore and beached their ships, and sent six of their number +to the mountain whereof they had been told. But they after many days returned, +having not seen the gods but only the smoke that went upward from burned +cities, and vultures that stood in the sky instead of answered prayer. And they +all ran down their ships again into the sea, and set sail again and came to the +Prosperous Isles. But in the distance crouching behind the ships the gods came +wading through the sea that They might have the worship of the isles. And to +every isle of the three the gods showed themselves in different garb and guise, +and to all they said: +</p> + +<p> +“Leave your flocks. Go forth and fight for the honour of the gods.” +</p> + +<p> +And from one of the isles all the folk came forth in ships to battle for gods +that strode through the isle like kings. And from another they came to fight +for gods that walked like humble men upon the earth in beggars’ rags; and +the people of the other isle fought for the honour of gods that were clothed in +hair like beasts; and had many gleaming eyes and claws upon their foreheads. +But of how these people fought till the isles grew desolate but very glorious, +and all for the fame of the gods, are many histories writ. +</p> + +</div><!--end chapter--> + +<div class="chapter"> + +<h2><a name="chap11"></a>NIGHT AND MORNING</h2> + +<p> +Once in an arbour of the gods above the fields of twilight Night wandering +alone came suddenly on Morning. Then Night drew from his face his cloak of dark +grey mists and said: “See, I am Night,” and they two sitting in +that arbour of the gods, Night told wondrous stories of old mysterious +happenings in the dark. And Morning sat and wondered, gazing into the face of +Night and at his wreath of stars. And Morning told how the rains of Snamarthis +smoked in the plain, but Night told how Snamarthis held riot in the dark, with +revelry and drinking and tales told by kings, till all the hosts of Meenath +crept against it and the lights went out and there arose the din of arms or +ever Morning came. And Night told how Sindana the beggar had dreamed that he +was a King, and Morning told how she had seen Sindana find suddenly an army in +the plain, and how he had gone to it thinking he was King and the army had +believed him, and Sindana now ruled over Marthis and Targadrides, Dynath, Zahn, +and Tumeida. And most Night loved to tell of Assarnees, whose ruins are scant +memories on the desert’s edge, but Morning told of the twin cities of +Nardis and Timaut that lorded over the plain. And Night told terribly of what +Mynandes found when he walked through his own city in the dark. And ever at the +elbow of regal Night whispers arose saying: “Tell Morning +<i>this</i>.” +</p> + +<p> +And ever Night told and ever Morning wondered. And Night spake on, and told +what the dead had done when they came in the darkness on the King that had led +them into battle once. And Night knew who slew Darnex and how it was done. +Moreover, he told why the seven Kings tortured Sydatheris and what Sydatheris +said just at the last, and how the Kings went forth and took their lives. +</p> + +<p> +And Night told whose blood had stained the marble steps that lead to the temple +in Ozahn, and why the skull within it wears a golden crown, and whose soul is +in the wolf that howls in the dark against the city. And Night knew whither the +tigers go out of the Irasian desert and the place where they meet together, and +who speaks to them and what she says and why. And he told why human teeth had +bitten the iron hinge in the great gate that swings in the walls of Mondas, and +who came up out of the marsh alone in the darktime and demanded audience of the +King and told the King a lie, and how the King, believing it, went down into +the vaults of his palace and found only toads and snakes, who slew the King. +And he told of ventures in palace towers in the quiet, and knew the spell +whereby a man might send the light of the moon right into the soul of his foe. +And Night spoke of the forest and the stirring of shadows and soft feet +pattering and peering eyes, and of the fear that sits behind the trees taking +to itself the shape of something crouched to spring. +</p> + +<p> +But far under that arbour of the gods down on the earth the mountain peak +Mondana looked Morning in the eyes and forsook his allegiance to Night, and one +by one the lesser hills about Mondana’s knees greeted the Morning. And +all the while in the plains the shapes of cities came looming out of the dusk. +And Kongros stood forth with all her pinnacles, and the winged figure of Poesy +carved upon the eastern portal of her gate, and the squat figure of Avarice +carved facing it upon the west; and the bat began to tire of going up and down +her streets, and already the owl was home. And the dark lions went up out of +the plain back to their caves again. Not as yet shone any dew upon the +spider’s snare nor came the sound of any insects stirring or bird of the +day, and full allegiance all the valleys owned still to their Lord the Night. +Yet earth was preparing for another ruler, and kingdom by kingdom she stole +away from Night, and there marched through the dreams of men a million heralds +that cried with the voice of the cock: “Lo! Morning come behind +us.” But in that arbour of the gods above the fields of twilight the star +wreath was paling about the head of Night, and ever more wonderful on +Morning’s brow appeared the mark of power. And at the moment when the +camp fires pale and the smoke goes grey to the sky, and camels sniff the dawn, +suddenly Morning forgot Night. And out of that arbour of the gods, and away to +the haunts of the dark, Night with his swart cloak slunk away; and Morning +placed her hand upon the mists and drew them upward and revealed the earth, and +drove the shadows before her, and they followed Night. And suddenly the mystery +quitted haunting shapes, and an old glamour was gone, and far and wide over the +fields of earth a new splendour arose. +</p> + +</div><!--end chapter--> + +<div class="chapter"> + +<h2><a name="chap12"></a>USURY</h2> + +<p> +The men of Zonu hold that Yahn is God, who sits as a usurer behind a heap of +little lustrous gems and ever clutches at them with both his arms. Scarce +larger than a drop of water are the gleaming jewels that lie under the grasping +talons of Yahn, and every jewel is a life. Men tell in Zonu that the earth was +empty when Yahn devised his plan, and on it no life stirred. Then Yahn lured to +him shadows whose home was beyond the Rim, who knew little of joys and nought +of any sorrow, whose place was beyond the Rim before the birth of Time. These +Yahn lured to him and showed them his heap of gems; and in the jewels there was +light, and green fields glistened in them, and there were glimpses of blue sky +and little streams, and very faintly little gardens showed that flowered in +orchard lands. And some showed winds in the heaven, and some showed the arch of +the sky with a waste plain drawn across it, with grasses bent in the wind and +never aught but the plain. But the gems that changed the most had in their +centre the ever changing sea. Then the shadows gazed into the Lives and saw the +green fields and the sea and earth and the gardens of earth. And Yahn said: +“I will loan you each a Life, and you may do your work with it upon the +Scheme of Things, and have each a shadow for his servant in green fields and in +gardens, only for these things you shall polish these Lives with experience and +cut their edges with your griefs, and in the end shall return them again to +me.” +</p> + +<p> +And thereto the shadows consented, that they might have gleaming Lives and have +shadows for their servants, and this thing became the Law. But the shadows, +each with his Life, departed and came to Zonu and to other lands, and there +with experience they polished the Lives of Yahn, and cut them with human griefs +until they gleamed anew. And ever they found new scenes to gleam within these +Lives, and cities and sails and men shone in them where there had been before +only green fields and sea, and ever Yahn the usurer cried out to remind them of +their bargain. When men added to their Lives scenes that were pleasant to Yahn, +then was Yahn silent, but when they added scenes that pleased not the eyes of +Yahn, then did he take a toll of sorrow from them because it was the Law. +</p> + +<p> +But men forgot the usurer, and there arose some claiming to be wise in the Law, +who said that after their labour, which they wrought upon their Lives, was +done, those Lives should be theirs to possess; so men took comfort from their +toil and labour and the grinding and cutting of their griefs. But as their +Lives began to shine with experience of many things, the thumb and forefinger +of Yahn would suddenly close upon a Life, and the man became a shadow. But away +beyond the Rim the shadows say: +</p> + +<p> +“We have greatly laboured for Yahn, and have gathered griefs in the +world, and caused his Lives to shine, and Yahn doeth nought for us. Far better +had we stayed where no cares are, floating beyond the Rim.” +</p> + +<p> +And there the shadows fear lest ever again they be lured by specious promises +to suffer usury at the hands of Yahn, who is overskilled in Law. Only Yahn sits +and smiles, watching his hoard increase in preciousness, and hath no pity for +the poor shadows whom he hath lured from their quiet to toil in the form of +men. +</p> + +<p> +And ever Yahn lures more shadows and sends them to brighten his Lives, sending +the old Lives out again to make them brighter still; and sometimes he gives to +a shadow a Life that was once a king’s and sendeth him with it down to +the earth to play the part of a beggar, or sometimes he sendeth a +beggar’s Life to play the part of a king. What careth Yahn? +</p> + +<p> +The men of Zonu have been promised by those that claim to be wise in the Law +that their Lives which they have toiled at shall be theirs to possess for ever, +yet the men of Zonu fear that Yahn is greater and overskilled in the Law. +Moreover it hath been said that Time will bring the hour when the wealth of +Yahn shall be such as his dreams have lusted for. Then shall Yahn leave the +earth at rest and trouble the shadows no more, but sit and gloat with his +unseemly face over his hoard of Lives, for his soul is a usurer’s soul. +But others say, and they swear that this is true, that there are gods of Old, +who be far greater than Yahn, who made the Law wherein Yahn is overskilled, and +who will one day drive a bargain with him that shall be too hard for Yahn. Then +Yahn shall wander away, a mean forgotten god, and perchance in some forsaken +land shall haggle with the rain for a drop of water to drink, for his soul is a +usurer’s soul. And the Lives—who knoweth the gods of Old or what +Their will shall be? +</p> + +<div class="fig" style="width:100%;"> +<a name="illus05"></a> +<img src="images/fig05.jpg" width="407" height="600" alt="[Illustration: ]" /> +<p class="caption">The Opulence of Yahn</p> +</div> + +</div><!--end chapter--> + +<div class="chapter"> + +<h2><a name="chap13"></a>MLIDEEN</h2> + +<p> +Upon an evening of the forgotten years the gods were seated upon Mowrah Nawut +above Mlideen holding the avalanche in leash. +</p> + +<p> +All in the Middle City stood the Temples of the city’s priests, and +hither came all the people of Mlideen to bring them gifts, and there it was the +wont of the City’s priests to carve them gods for Mlideen. For in a room +apart in the Temple of Eld in the midst of the temples that stood in the Middle +City of Mlideen there lay a book called the Book of Beautiful Devices, writ in +a language that no man may read and writ long ago, telling how a man may make +for himself gods that shall neither rage nor seek revenge against a little +people. And ever the priests came forth from reading in the Book of Beautiful +Devices and ever they sought to make benignant gods, and all the gods that they +made were different from each other, only their eyes turned all upon Mlideen. +</p> + +<p> +But upon Mowrah Nawut for all of the forgotten years the gods had waited and +forborne until the people of Mlideen should have carven one hundred gods. Never +came lightnings from Mowrah Nawut crashing upon Mlideen, nor blight on harvests +nor pestilence in the city, only upon Mowrah Nawut the gods sat and smiled. The +people of Mlideen had said: “Yoma is god.” And the gods sat and +smiled. And after the forgetting of Yoma and the passing of years the people +had said: “Zungari is god.” And the gods sat and smiled. +</p> + +<p> +Then on the altar of Zungari a priest had set a figure squat, carven in purple +agate, saying: “Yazun is god.” Still the gods sat and smiled. +</p> + +<div class="fig" style="width:100%;"> +<a name="illus06"></a> +<img src="images/fig06.jpg" width="406" height="564" alt="[Illustration: ]" /> +<p class="caption">“Yazun is god.”</p> +</div> + +<p> +About the feet of Yonu, Bazun, Nidish and Sundrao had gone the worship of the +people of Mlideen, and still the gods sat holding the avalanche in leash above +the city. +</p> + +<p> +There set a great calm towards sunset over the heights, and Mowrah Nawut stood +up still with gleaming snow, and into the hot city cool breezes blew from his +benignant slopes as Tarsi Zalo, high prophet of Mlideen, carved out of a great +sapphire the city’s hundredth god, and then upon Mowrah Nawut the gods +turned away saying: “One hundred infamies have now been wrought.” +And they looked no longer upon Mlideen and held the avalanche no more in leash, +and he leapt forward howling. +</p> + +<p> +Over the Middle City of Mlideen now lies a mass of rocks, and on the rocks a +new city is builded wherein people dwell who know not old Mlideen, and the gods +are seated on Mowrah Nawut still. And in the new city men worship carven gods, +and the number of the gods that they have carven is ninety and nine, and I, the +prophet, have found a curious stone and go to carve it into the likeness of a +god for all Mlideen to worship. +</p> + +</div><!--end chapter--> + +<div class="chapter"> + +<h2><a name="chap14"></a>THE SECRET OF THE GODS</h2> + +<p> +Zyni Moe, the small snake, saw the cool river gleaming before him afar off and +set out over the burning sand to reach it. +</p> + +<p> +Uldoon, the prophet, came out of the desert and followed up the bank of the +river towards his old home. Thirty years since Uldoon had left the city, where +he was born, to live his life in a silent place where he might search for the +secret of the gods. The name of his home was the City by the River, and in that +city many prophets taught concerning many gods, and men made many secrets for +themselves, but all the while none knew the Secret of the gods. Nor might any +seek to find it, for if any sought men said of him: +</p> + +<p> +“This man sins, for he giveth no worship to the gods that speak to our +prophets by starlight when none heareth.” +</p> + +<p> +And Uldoon perceived that the mind of a man is as a garden, and that his +thoughts are as the flowers, and the prophets of a man’s city are as many +gardeners who weed and trim, and who have made in the garden paths both smooth +and straight, and only along these paths is a man’s soul permitted to go +lest the gardeners say, “This soul transgresseth.” And from the +paths the gardeners weed out every flower that grows, and in the garden they +cut off all flowers that grow tall, saying: +</p> + +<p> +“It is customary,” and “it is written,” and “this +hath ever been,” or “that hath not been before.” +</p> + +<p> +Therefore Uldoon saw that not in that city might he discover the Secret of the +gods. And Uldoon said to the people: +</p> + +<p> +“When the worlds began, the Secret of the gods lay written clear over the +whole earth, but the feet of many prophets have trampled it out. Your prophets +are all true men, but I go into the desert to find a truth which is truer than +your prophets.” Therefore Uldoon went into the desert and in storm and +still he sought for many years. When the thunder roared over the mountains that +limited the desert he sought the Secret in the thunder, but the gods spake not +by the thunder. When the voices of the beasts disturbed the stillness under the +stars he sought the secret there, but the gods spake not by the beasts. +</p> + +<p> +Uldoon grew old and all the voices of the desert had spoken to Uldoon, but not +the gods, when one night he heard Them whispering beyond the hills. And the +gods whispered one to another, and turning Their faces earthward They all wept. +And Uldoon though he saw not the gods yet saw Their shadows turn as They went +back to a great hollow in the hills; and there, all standing in the +valley’s mouth, They said: +</p> + +<p> +“Oh, Morning Zai, oh, oldest of the gods, the faith of thee is gone, and +yesterday for the last time thy name was spoken upon earth.” And turning +earthward they all wept again. And the gods tore white clouds out of the sky +and draped them about the body of Morning Zai and bore him forth from his +valley behind the hills, and muffled the mountain peaks with snow, and beat +upon their summits with drum sticks carved of ebony, playing the dirge of the +gods. And the echoes rolled about the passes and the winds howled, because the +faith of the olden days was gone, and with it had sped the soul of Morning Zai. +So through the mountain passes the gods came at night bearing Their dead +father. And Uldoon followed. And the gods came to a great sepulchre of onyx +that stood upon four fluted pillars of white marble, each carved out of four +mountains, and therein the gods laid Morning Zai because the old faith was +fallen. And there at the tomb of Their father the gods spake and Uldoon heard +the Secret of the gods, and it became to him a simple thing such as a man might +well guess—yet hath not. Then the soul of the desert arose and cast over +the tomb its wreath of forgetfulness devised of drifting sand, and the gods +strode home across the mountains to Their hollow land. But Uldoon left the +desert and travelled many days, and so came to the river where it passes beyond +the city to seek the sea, and following its bank came near to his old home. And +the people of the City by the River, seeing him far off, cried out: +</p> + +<p> +“Hast thou found the Secret of the gods?” +</p> + +<p> +And he answered: +</p> + +<p> +“I have found it, and the Secret of the gods is this”—: +</p> + +<p> +Zyni Moe, the small snake, seeing the figure and the shadow of a man between +him and the cool river, raised his head and struck once. And the gods are +pleased with Zyni Moe, and have called him the protector of the Secret of the +gods. +</p> + +<div class="fig" style="width:100%;"> +<a name="illus07"></a> +<img src="images/fig07.jpg" width="432" height="600" alt="[Illustration: ]" /> +<p class="caption">The Tomb of Morning Zai.</p> +</div> + +</div><!--end chapter--> + +<div class="chapter"> + +<h2><a name="chap15"></a>THE SOUTH WIND</h2> + +<p> +Two players sat down to play a game together to while eternity away, and they +chose the gods as pieces wherewith to play their game, and for their board of +playing they chose the sky from rim to rim, whereon lay a little dust; and +every speck of dust was a world upon the board of playing. And the players were +robed and their faces veiled, and the robes and veils were alike, and their +names were Fate and Chance. And as they played their game and moved the gods +hither and thither about the board, the dust arose, and shone in the light from +the players’ eyes that gleamed behind the veils. Then said the gods: +“See how We stir the dust.” +</p> + +<p> +It chanced, or was ordained (who knoweth which?) that Ord, a prophet, one night +saw the gods as They strode knee deep among the stars. But as he gave Them +worship, he saw the hand of a player, enormous over Their heads, stretched out +to make his move. Then Ord, the prophet, knew. Had he been silent it might have +still been well with Ord, but Ord went about the world crying out to all men, +“There is a power over the gods.” +</p> + +<p> +This the gods heard. Then said They, “Ord hath seen.” +</p> + +<p> +Terrible is the vengeance of the gods, and fierce were Their eyes when They +looked on the head of Ord and snatched out of his mind all knowledge of +Themselves. And that man’s soul went wandering afield to find for itself +gods, for ever finding them not. Then out of Ord’s Dream of Life the gods +plucked the moon and the stars, and in the night-time he only saw black sky and +saw the lights no more. Next the gods took from him, for Their vengeance +resteth not, the birds and butterflies, flowers and leaves and insects and all +small things, and the prophet looked on the world that was strangely altered, +yet knew not of the anger of the gods. Then the gods sent away his familiar +hills, to be seen no more by him, and all the pleasant woodlands on their +summits and the further fields; and in a narrower world Ord walked round and +round, now seeing little, and his soul still wandered searching for some gods +and finding none. +</p> + +<p> +Lastly, the gods took away the fields and stream and left to the prophet only +his house and the larger things that were in it. Day by day They crept about +him drawing films of mist between him and familiar things, till at last he +beheld nought at all and was quite blind and unaware of the anger of the gods. +Then Ord’s world became only a world of sound, and only by hearing he +kept his hold upon Things. All the profit that he had out of his days was here +some song from the hills or there the voice of the birds, and sound of the +stream, or the drip of the falling rain. But the anger of the gods ceases not +with the closing of flowers, nor is it assuaged by all the winter’s +snows, nor doth it rest in the full glare of summer, and They snatched away +from Ord one night his world of sound and he awoke deaf. But as a man may smite +away the hive of the bee, and the bee with all his fellows builds again, +knowing not what hath smitten his hive or that it shall smite again, so Ord +built for himself a world out of old memories and set it in the past. There he +builded himself cities out of former joys, and therein built palaces of mighty +things achieved, and with his memory as a key he opened golden locks and had +still a world to live in, though the gods had taken from him the world of sound +and all the world of sight. But the gods tire not from pursuing, and They +seized his world of former things and took his memory away and covered up the +paths that led into the past, and left him blind and deaf and forgetful among +men, and caused all men to know that this was he who once had said that the +gods were little things. +</p> + +<p> +And lastly the gods took his soul, and out of it They fashioned the South Wind +to roam the seas for ever and not have rest; and well the South Wind knows that +he hath once understood somewhere and long ago, and so he moans to the islands +and cries along southern shores, “I have known,” and “I have +known.” +</p> + +<p> +But all things sleep when the South Wind speaks to them and none heed his cry +that he hath known, but are rather content to sleep. But still the South Wind, +knowing that there is something that he hath forgot, goes on crying, “I +have known,” seeking to urge men to arise and to discover it. But none +heed the sorrows of the South Wind even when he driveth his tears out of the +South, so that though the South Wind cries on and on and never findeth rest +none heed that there is aught that may be known, and the Secret of the gods is +safe. But the business of the South Wind is with the North, and it is said that +the time will one day come when he shall overcome the bergs and sink the seas +of ice and come where the Secret of the gods is graven upon the pole. And the +game of Fate and Chance shall suddenly cease and He that loses shall cease to +be or ever to have been, and from the board of playing Fate or Chance (who +knoweth which shall win?) shall sweep the gods away. +</p> + +</div><!--end chapter--> + +<div class="chapter"> + +<h2><a name="chap16"></a>IN THE LAND OF TIME</h2> + +<p> +Thus Karnith, King of Alatta, spake to his eldest son: “I bequeath to +thee my city of Zoon, with its golden eaves, whereunder hum the bees. And I +bequeath to thee also the land of Alatta, and all such other lands as thou art +worthy to possess, for my three strong armies which I leave thee may well take +Zindara and over-run Istahn, and drive back Onin from his frontier, and leaguer +the walls of Yan, and beyond that spread conquest over the lesser lands of +Hebith, Ebnon, and Karida. Only lead not thine armies against Zeenar, nor ever +cross the Eidis.” +</p> + +<p> +Thereat in the city of Zoon in the land of Alatta, under his golden eaves, died +King Karnith, and his soul went whither had gone the souls of his sires the +elder Kings, and the souls of their slaves. +</p> + +<p> +Then Karnith Zo, the new King, took the iron crown of Alatta and afterwards +went down to the plains that encircle Zoon and found his three strong armies +clamouring to be led against Zeenar, over the river Eidis. +</p> + +<p> +But the new King came back from his armies, and all one night in the great +palace alone with his iron crown, pondered long upon war; and a little before +dawn he saw dimly through his palace window, facing east over the city of Zoon +and across the fields of Alatta, to far off where a valley opened on Istahn. +There, as he pondered, he saw the smoke arising tall and straight over small +houses in the plain and the fields where the sheep fed. Later the sun rose +shining over Alatta as it shone over Istahn, and there arose a stir about the +houses both in Alatta and Istahn, and cocks crowed in the city and men went +out into the fields among the bleating sheep; and the King wondered if men did +otherwise in Istahn. And men and women met as they went out to work and the +sound of laughter arose from streets and fields; the King’s eyes gazed +into the distance toward Istahn and still the smoke went upward tall and +straight from the small houses. And the sun rose higher that shone upon Alatta +and Istahn, causing the flowers to open wide in each, and the birds to sing and +the voices of men and women to arise. And in the market place of Zoon caravans +were astir that set out to carry merchandise to Istahn, and afterwards passed +camels coming to Alatta with many tinkling bells. All this the King saw as he +pondered much, who had not pondered before. Westward the Agnid mountains +frowned in the distance guarding the river Eidis; behind them the fierce people +of Zeenar lived in a bleak land. +</p> + +<p> +Later the King, going abroad through his new kingdom, came on the Temple of the +gods of Old. There he found the roof shattered and the marble columns broken +and tall weeds met together in the inner shrine, and the gods of Old, bereft of +worship or sacrifice, neglected and forgotten. And the King asked of his +councillors who it was that had overturned this temple of the gods or caused +the gods Themselves to be thus forsaken. And they answered him: +</p> + +<p> +“Time has done this.” +</p> + +<p> +Next the King came upon a man bent and crippled, whose face was furrowed and +worn, and the King having seen no such sight within the court of his father +said to the man: +</p> + +<p> +“Who hath done this thing to you?” +</p> + +<p> +And the old man answered: +</p> + +<p> +“Time hath ruthlessly done it.” +</p> + +<p> +But the King and his councillors went on, and next they came upon a body of men +carrying among them a hearse. And the King asked his councillors closely +concerning death, for these things had not before been expounded to the King. +And the oldest of the councillors answered: +</p> + +<p> +“Death, O King, is a gift sent by the gods by the hand of their servant +Time, and some receive it gladly, and some are forced reluctantly to take it, +and before others it is suddenly flung in the middle of the day. And with this +gift that Time hath brought him from the gods a man must go forth into the dark +to possess no other thing for so long as the gods are willing.” +</p> + +<p> +But the King went back to his palace and gathered the greatest of his prophets +and his councillors and asked them more particularly concerning Time. And they +told the King how that Time was a great figure standing like a tall shadow in +the dusk or striding, unseen, across the world, and how that he was the slave +of the gods and did Their bidding, but ever chose new masters, and how all the +former masters of Time were dead and Their shrines forgotten. And one said: +</p> + +<p> +“I have seen him once when I went down to play again in the garden of my +childhood because of certain memories. And it was towards evening and the light +was pale, and I saw Time standing over the little gate, pale like the light, +and he stood between me and that garden and had stolen my memories because he +was mightier than I.” +</p> + +<p> +And another said: +</p> + +<p> +“I, too, have seen the Enemy of my House. For I saw him when he strode +over the fields that I knew well and led a stranger by the hand to place him in +my home to sit where my forefathers sat. And I saw him afterwards walk thrice +round the house and stoop and gather up the glamour from the lawns and brush +aside the tall poppies in the garden and spread weeds in his pathway where he +strode through the remembered nooks.” +</p> + +<p> +And another said: +</p> + +<p> +“He went one day into the desert and brought up life out of the waste +places, and made it cry bitterly and covered it with the desert again.” +</p> + +<p> +And another said: +</p> + +<p> +“I too saw him once seated in the garden of a child tearing the flowers, +and afterwards he went away through many woodlands and stooped down as he went, +and picked the leaves one by one from the trees.” +</p> + +<p> +And another said: +</p> + +<p> +“I saw him once by moonlight standing tall and black amidst the ruins of +a shrine in the old kingdom of Amarna, doing a deed by night. And he wore a +look on his face such as murderers wear as he busied himself to cover over +something with weeds and dust. Thereafter in Amarna the people of that old +Kingdom missed their god, in whose shrine I saw Time crouching in the night, +and they have not since beheld him.” +</p> + +<p> +And all the while from the distance at the city’s edge rose a hum from +the three armies of the King clamouring to be led against Zeenar. Thereat the +King went down to his three armies and speaking to their chiefs said: +</p> + +<p> +“I will not go down clad with murder to be King over other lands. I have +seen the same morning arising on Istahn that also gladdened Alatta, and have +heard Peace lowing among the flowers. I will not desolate homes to rule over an +orphaned land and a land widowed. But I will lead you against the pledged enemy +of Alatta who shall crumble the towers of Zoon and hath gone far to overthrow +our gods. He is the foe of Zindara and Istahn and many-citadeled Yan, Hebith +and Ebnon may not overcome him nor Karida be safe against him among her +bleakest mountains. He is a foe mightier than Zeenar with frontiers stronger +than Eidis; he leers at all the peoples of the earth and mocks their gods and +covets their builded cities. Therefore we will go forth and conquer Time and +save the gods of Alatta from his clutch, and coming back victorious shall find +that Death is gone and age and illness departed, and here we shall live for +ever by the golden eaves of Zoon, while the bees hum among unrusted gables and +never crumbling towers. There shall be neither fading nor forgetting, nor ever +dying nor sorrow, when we shall have freed the people and pleasant fields of +the earth from inexorable Time.” +</p> + +<p> +And the armies swore that they would follow the King to save the world and the +gods. +</p> + +<p> +So the next day the King set forth with his three armies and crossed many +rivers and marched through many lands, and wherever they went they asked for +news of Time. +</p> + +<p> +And the first day they met a woman with her face furrowed and lined, who told +them that she had been beautiful and that Time had smitten her in the face with +his five claws. +</p> + +<p> +Many an old man they met as they marched in search of Time. All had seen him +but none could tell them more, except that some said he went that way and +pointed to a ruined tower or to an old and broken tree. +</p> + +<p> +And day after day and month by month the King pushed on with his armies, hoping +to come at last on Time. Sometimes they encamped at night near palaces of +beautiful design or beside gardens of flowers, hoping to find their enemy when +he came to desecrate in the dark. Sometimes they came on cobwebs, sometimes on +rusted chains and houses with broken roofs or crumbling walls. Then the armies +would push on apace thinking that they were closer upon the track of Time. +</p> + +<p> +As the weeks passed by and weeks grew to months, and always they heard reports +and rumours of Time, but never found him, the armies grew weary of the great +march, but the King pushed on and would let none turn back, saying always that +the enemy was near at hand. +</p> + +<p> +Month in, month out, the King led on his now unwilling armies, till at last +they had marched for close upon a year and came to the village of Astarma very +far to the north. There many of the King’s weary soldiers deserted from +his armies and settled down in Astarma and married Astarmian girls. By these +soldiers we have the march of the armies clearly chronicled to the time when +they came to Astarma, having been nigh a year upon the march. And the army left +that village and the children cheered them as they went up the street, and five +miles distant they passed over a ridge of hills and out of sight. Beyond this +less is known, but the rest of this chronicle is gathered from the tales that +the veterans of the King’s armies used to tell in the evenings about the +fires in Zoon and remembered afterwards by the men of Zeenar. +</p> + +<p> +It is mostly credited in these days that such of the King’s armies as +went on past Astarma came at last (it is not known after how long a time) over +a crest of a slope where the whole earth slanted green to the north. Below it +lay green fields and beyond them moaned the sea with never shore nor island so +far as the eye could reach. Among the green fields lay a village, and on this +village the eyes of the King and his armies were turned as they came down the +slope. It lay beneath them, grave with seared antiquity, with old-world gables +stained and bent by the lapse of frequent years, with all its chimneys awry. +Its roofs were tiled with antique stones covered over deep with moss, each +little window looked with a myriad strange cut panes on the gardens shaped with +quaint devices and overrun with weeds. On rusted hinges the doors swung to and +fro and were fashioned of planks of immemorial oak with black knots gaping from +their sockets. Against it all there beat the thistle-down, about it clambered +the ivy or swayed the weeds; tall and straight out of the twisted chimneys +arose blue columns of smoke, and blades of grass peeped upward between the huge +cobbles of the unmolested street. Between the gardens and the cobbled streets +stood hedges higher than a horseman might look, of stalwart thorn, and upward +through it clambered the convolvulus to peer into the garden from the top. +Before each house there was cut a gap in the hedge, and in it swung a wicket +gate of timber soft with the rain and years, and green like the moss. Over all +of it there brooded age and the full hush of things bygone and forgotten. Upon +this derelict that the years had cast up out of antiquity the King and his +armies gazed long. Then on the hill slope the King made his armies halt, and +went down alone with one of his chiefs into the village. +</p> + +<p> +Presently there was a stir in one of the houses, and a bat flew out of the door +into the daylight, and three mice came running out of the doorway down the +step, an old stone cracked in two and held together by moss; and there followed +an old man bending on a stick with a white beard coming to the ground, wearing +clothes that were glossed with use, and presently there came others out of the +other houses, all of them as old, and all hobbling on sticks. These were the +oldest people that the King had ever beheld, and he asked them the name of the +village and who they were; and one of them answered, “This is the City of +the Aged in the Territory of Time.” +</p> + +<p> +And the King said, “Is Time then here?” +</p> + +<p> +And one of the old men pointed to a great castle standing on a steep hill and +said: “Therein dwells Time, and we are his people;” and they all +looked curiously at King Karnith Zo, and the eldest of the villagers spoke +again and said: “Whence do you come, you that are so young?” and +Karnith Zo told him how he had come to conquer Time to save the world and the +gods, and asked them whence they came. +</p> + +<p> +And the villagers said: +</p> + +<p> +“We are older than always, and know not whence we came, but we are the +people of Time, and here from the Edge of Everything he sends out his hours to +assail the world, and you may never conquer Time.” But the King went back +to his armies, and pointed towards the castle on the hill and told them that at +last they had found the Enemy of the Earth; and they that were older than +always went back slowly into their houses with the creaking of olden doors. And +there they went across the fields and passed the village. From one of his +towers Time eyed them all the while, and in battle order they closed in on the +steep hill as Time sat still in his great tower and watched. +</p> + +<p> +But as the feet of the foremost touched the edge of the hill Time hurled five +years against them, and the years passed over their heads and the army still +came on, an army of older men. But the slope seemed steeper to the King and to +every man in his army, and they breathed more heavily. And Time summoned up +more years, and one by one he hurled them at Karnith Zo and at all his men. And +the knees of the army stiffened, and their beards grew and turned grey, and the +hours and days and the months went singing over their heads, and their hair +turned whiter and whiter, and the conquering hours bore down, and the years +rushed on and swept the youth of that army clear away till they came face to +face under the walls of the castle of Time with a mass of howling years, and +found the top of the slope too steep for aged men. Slowly and painfully, +harassed with agues and chills, the King rallied his aged army that tottered +down the slope. +</p> + +<p> +Slowly the King led back his warriors over whose heads had shrieked the +triumphant years. Year in, year out, they straggled southwards, always towards +Zoon; they came, with rust upon their spears and long beards flowing, again +into Astarma, and none knew them there. They passed again by towns and villages +where once they had inquired curiously concerning Time, and none knew them +there either. They came again to the palaces and gardens where they had waited +for Time in the night, and found that Time had been there. And all the while +they set a hope before them that they should come on Zoon again and see its +golden eaves. And no one knew that unperceived behind them there lurked and +followed the gaunt figure of Time cutting off stragglers one by one and +overwhelming them with his hours, only men were missed from the army every day, +and fewer and fewer grew the veterans of Karnith Zo. +</p> + +<p> +But at last after many a month, one night as they marched in the dusk before +the morning, dawn suddenly ascending shone on the eaves of Zoon, and a great +cry ran through the army: +</p> + +<p> +“Alatta, Alatta!” +</p> + +<p> +But drawing nearer they found that the gates were rusted and weeds grew tall +along the outer walls, many a roof had fallen, gables were blackened and bent, +and the golden eaves shone not as heretofore. And the soldiers entering the +city expecting to find their sisters and sweethearts of a few years ago saw +only old women wrinkled with great age and knew not who they were. +</p> + +<p> +Suddenly someone said: +</p> + +<p> +“He has been here too.” +</p> + +<p> +And then they knew that while they searched for Time, Time had gone forth +against their city and leaguered it with the years, and had taken it while they +were far away and enslaved their women and children with the yoke of age. So +all that remained of the three armies of Karnith Zo settled in the conquered +city. And presently the men of Zeenar crossed over the river Eidis and easily +conquering an army of aged men took all Alatta for themselves, and their kings +reigned thereafter in the city of Zoon. And sometimes the men of Zeenar +listened to the strange tales that the old Alattans told of the years when they +made battle against Time. Such of these tales as the men of Zeenar remembered +they afterwards set forth, and this is all that may be told of those +adventurous armies that went to war with Time to save the world and the gods, +and were overwhelmed by the hours and the years. +</p> + +</div><!--end chapter--> + +<div class="chapter"> + +<h2><a name="chap17"></a>THE RELENTING OF SARNIDAC</h2> + +<p> +The lame boy Sarnidac tended sheep on a hill to the southward of the city. +Sarnidac was a dwarf and greatly derided in the city. For the women said: +</p> + +<p> +“It is very funny that Sarnidac is a dwarf,” and they would point +their fingers at him saying:—“This is Sarnidac, he is a dwarf; also +he is very lame.” +</p> + +<p> +Once the doors of all the temples in the world swung open to the morning, and +Sarnidac with his sheep upon the hill saw strange figures going down the white +road, always southwards. All the morning he saw the dust rising above the +strange figures and always they went southwards right as far as the rim of the +Nydoon hills where the white road could be seen no more. And the figures +stooped and seemed to be larger than men, but all men seemed very large to +Sarnidac, and he could not see clearly through the dust. And Sarnidac shouted +to them, as he hailed all people that passed down the long white road, and none +of the figures looked to left or right and none of them turned to answer +Sarnidac. But then few people ever answered him because he was lame, and a +small dwarf. +</p> + +<p> +Still the figures went striding swiftly, stooping forward through the dust, +till at last Sarnidac came running down his hill to watch them closer. As he +came to the white road the last of the figures passed him, and Sarnidac ran +limping behind him down the road. +</p> + +<p> +For Sarnidac was weary of the city wherein all derided him, and when he saw +these figures all hurrying away he thought that they went perhaps to some other +city beyond the hills over which the sun shone brighter, or where there was +more food, for he was poor, even perhaps where people had not the custom of +laughing at Sarnidac. So this procession of figures that stooped and seemed +larger than men went southward down the road and a lame dwarf hobbled behind +them. +</p> + +<p> +Khamazan, now called the City of the Last of Temples, lies southward of the +Nydoon hills. This is the story of Pompeides, now chief prophet of the only +temple in the world, and greatest of all the prophets that have been: +</p> + +<p> +On the slopes of Nydoon I was seated once above Khamazan. There I saw figures +in the morning striding through much dust along the road that leads across the +world. Striding up the hill they came towards me, not with the gait of men, and +soon the first one came to the crest of the hill where the road dips to find +the plains again, where lies Khamazan. And now I swear by all the gods that are +gone that this thing happened as I shall say it, and was surely so. When those +that came striding up the hill came to its summit they took not the road that +goes down into the plains nor trod the dust any longer, but went straight on +and upwards, striding as they strode before, as though the hill had not ended +nor the road dipped. And they strode as though they trod no yielding substance, +yet they stepped upwards through the air. +</p> + +<p> +This the gods did, for They were not born men who strode that day so strangely +away from earth. +</p> + +<p> +But I, when I saw this thing, when already three had passed me, leaving earth, +cried out before the fourth: +</p> + +<p> +‘Gods of my childhood, guardians of little homes, whither are ye going, +leaving the round earth to swim alone and forgotten in so great a waste of +sky?’ +</p> + +<p> +And one answered: +</p> + +<p> +‘Heresy apace shoots her fierce glare over the world and men’s +faith grows dim and the gods go. Men shall make iron gods and gods of steel +when the wind and the ivy meet within the shrines of the temples of the gods of +old.’ +</p> + +<p> +And I left that place as a man leaves fire by night, and going plainwards down +the white road that the gods spurned cried out to all that I passed to follow +me, and so crying came to the city’s gates. And there I shouted to all +near the gates: +</p> + +<p> +‘From yonder hilltop the gods are leaving earth.’ +</p> + +<p> +Then I gathered many, and we all hastened to the hill to pray the gods to +tarry, and there we cried out to the last of the departing gods: +</p> + +<p> +‘Gods of old prophecy and of men’s hopes, leave not the earth, and +all our worship shall hum about Your ears as never it hath before, and oft the +sacrifice shall squeal upon Your altars.’ +</p> + +<p> +And I said:— +</p> + +<p> +‘Gods of still evenings and quiet nights, go not from earth and leave not +Your carven shrines, and all men shall worship You still. For between us and +yonder still blue spaces oft roam the thunder and the storms, there in his +hiding lurks the dark eclipse, and there are stored all snows and hails and +lightnings that shall vex the earth for a million years. Gods of our hopes, how +shall men’s prayers crying from empty shrines pass through such terrible +spaces; how shall they ever fare above the thunder and many storms to whatever +place the gods may go in that blue waste beyond?’ +</p> + +<p> +But the gods bent straight forward, and trampled through the sky and looked not +to the right nor left nor downwards, nor ever heeded my prayer. +</p> + +<p> +And one cried out hoping yet to stay the gods, though nearly all were gone, +saying:— +</p> + +<p> +‘O gods, rob not the earth of the dim hush that hangs round all Your +temples, bereave not all the world of old romance, take not the glamour from +the moonlight nor tear the wonder out of the white mists in every land; for, O +ye gods of the childhood of the world, when You have left the earth you shall +have taken the mystery from the sea and all its glory from antiquity, and You +shall have wrenched out hope from the dim future. There shall be no strange +cries at night time half understood, nor songs in the twilight, and the whole +of the wonder shall have died with last year’s flowers in little gardens +or hill-slopes leaning south; for with the gods must go the enchantment of the +plains and all the magic of dark woods, and something shall be lacking from the +quiet of early dawn. For it would scarce befit the gods to leave the earth and +not take with Them that which They had given it. Out beyond the still blue +spaces Ye will need the holiness of sunset for Yourselves and little sacred +memories and the thrill that is in stories told by firesides long ago. One +strain of music, one song, one line of poetry and one kiss, and a memory of one +pool with rushes, and each one the best, shall the gods take to whom the best +belongs, when the gods go. +</p> + +<p> +‘Sing a lamentation, people of Khamazan, sing a lamentation for all the +children of earth at the feet of the departing gods. Sing a lamentation for the +children of earth who now must carry their prayers to empty shrines and around +empty shrines must rest at last.’ +</p> + +<p> +Then when our prayers were ended and our tears shed, we beheld the last and +smallest of the gods halted upon the hilltop. Twice he called to Them with a +cry somewhat like the cry wherewith our shepherds hail their brethren, and long +gazed after Them, and then deigned to look no longer and to tarry upon earth +and turn his eyes on men. Then a great shout went up when we saw that our hopes +were saved and that there was still on earth a haven for our prayers. Smaller +than men now seemed the figures that had loomed so big, as one behind the other +far over our heads They still strode upwards. But the small god that had pitied +the world came with us down the hill, still deigning to tread the road, though +strangely, not as men tread, and into Khamazan. There we housed him in the +palace of the King, for that was before the building of the temple of gold, and +the King made sacrifice before him with his own hands, and he that had pitied +the world did eat the flesh of the sacrifice. +</p> + +<p> +And the Book of the Knowledge of the gods in Khamazan tells how the small god +that pitied the world told his prophets that his name was Sarnidac and that he +herded sheep, and that therefore he is called the shepherd god, and sheep are +sacrificed upon his altars thrice a day, and the North, East, West and the +South are the four hurdles of Sarnidac and the white clouds are his sheep. And +the Book of the Knowledge of the gods tells further how the day on which +Pompeides found the gods shall be kept for ever as a fast until the evening and +called the Fast of the Departing, but in the evening shall a feast be held +which is named the Feast of the Relenting, for on that evening Sarnidac pitied +the whole world and tarried. +</p> + +<p> +And the people of Khamazan all prayed to Sarnidac, and dreamed their dreams and +hoped their hopes because their temple was not empty. Whether the gods that are +departed be greater than Sarnidac none know in Khamazan, but some believe that +in their azure windows They have set lights that lost prayers swarming upwards +may come to them like moths and at last find haven and light far up above the +evening and the stillness where sit the gods. +</p> + +<p> +But Sarnidac wondered at the strange figures, at the people of Khamazan, and at +the palace of the King and the customs of the prophets, but wondered not more +greatly at aught in Khamazan than he had wondered at the city which he had +left. For Sarnidac, who had not known why men were unkind to him, thought that +he had found at last the land for which the gods had let him hope, where men +should have the custom of being kind to Sarnidac. +</p> + +</div><!--end chapter--> + +<div class="chapter"> + +<h2><a name="chap18"></a>THE JEST OF THE GODS</h2> + +<p> +Once the Older gods had need of laughter. Therefore They made the soul of a +king, and set in it ambitions greater than kings should have, and lust for +territories beyond the lust of other kings, and in this soul They set strength +beyond the strength of others and fierce desire for power and a strong pride. +Then the gods pointed earthward and sent that soul into the fields of men to +live in the body of a slave. And the slave grew, and the pride and lust for +power began to arise in his heart, and he wore shackles on his arms. Then in +the Fields of Twilight the gods prepared to laugh. +</p> + +<p> +But the slave went down to the shore of the great sea, and cast his body away +and the shackles that were upon it, and strode back to the Fields of Twilight +and stood up before the gods and looked Them in Their faces. This thing the +gods, when They had prepared to laugh, had not foreseen. Lust for power burned +strong in that King’s soul, and there was all the strength and pride in +it that the gods had placed therein, and he was too strong for the Older gods. +He whose body had borne the lashes of men could brook no longer the dominion of +the gods, and standing before Them he bade the gods to go. Up to Their lips +leapt all the anger of the Older gods, being for the first time commanded, but +the King’s soul faced Them still, and Their anger died away and They +averted Their eyes. Then Their thrones became empty, and the Fields of Twilight +bare as the gods slunk far away. But the soul chose new companions. +</p> + +</div><!--end chapter--> + +<div class="chapter"> + +<h2><a name="chap19"></a>THE DREAMS OF THE PROPHET</h2> + +<h3>I</h3> + +<p> +When the gods drave me forth to toil and assailed me with thirst and beat me +down with hunger, then I prayed to the gods. When the gods smote the cities +wherein I dwelt, and when Their anger scorched me and Their eyes burned, then +did I praise the gods and offer sacrifice. But when I came again to my green +land and found that all was gone, and the old mysterious haunts wherein I +prayed as a child were gone, and when the gods tore up the dust and even the +spider’s web from the last remembered nook, then did I curse the gods, +speaking it to Their faces, saying:— +</p> + +<p> +“Gods of my prayers! Gods of my sacrifice! because Ye have forgotten the +sacred places of my childhood, and they have therefore ceased to be, yet may I +not forget. Because Ye have done this thing, Ye shall see cold altars and shall +lack both my fear and praise. I shall not wince at Your lightnings, nor be awed +when Ye go by.” +</p> + +<p> +Then looking seawards I stood and cursed the gods, and at this moment there +came to me one in the garb of a poet, who said:— +</p> + +<p> +“Curse not the gods.” +</p> + +<p> +And I said to him: +</p> + +<p> +“Wherefore should I not curse Those that have stolen my sacred places in +the night, and trodden down the gardens of my childhood?” +</p> + +<p> +And he said “Come, and I will show thee.” And I followed him to +where two camels stood with their faces towards the desert. And we set out and +I travelled with him for a great space, he speaking never a word, and so we +came at last to a waste valley hid in the desert’s midst. And herein, +like fallen moons, I saw vast ribs that stood up white out of the sand, higher +than the hills of the desert. And here and there lay the enormous shapes of +skulls like the white marble domes of palaces built for tyrannous kings a long +while since by armies of driven slaves. Also there lay in the desert other +bones, the bones of vast legs and arms, against which the desert, like a +besieging sea, ever advanced and already had half drowned. And as I gazed in +wonder at these colossal things the poet said to me: +</p> + +<p> +“The gods are dead.” +</p> + +<p> +And I gazed long in silence, and I said: +</p> + +<p> +“These fingers, that are now so dead and so very white and still, tore +once the flowers in gardens of my youth.” +</p> + +<p> +But my companion said to me: +</p> + +<p> +“I have brought thee here to ask of thee thy forgiveness of the gods, for +I, being a poet, knew the gods, and would fain drive off the curses that hover +above Their bones and bring Them men’s forgiveness as an offering at the +last, that the weeds and the ivy may cover Their bones from the sun.” +</p> + +<p> +And I said: +</p> + +<p> +“They made Remorse with his fur grey like a rainy evening in the autumn, +with many rending claws, and Pain with his hot hands and lingering feet, and +Fear like a rat with two cold teeth carved each out of the ice of either pole, +and Anger with the swift flight of the dragonfly in summer having burning eyes. +I will not forgive these gods.” +</p> + +<p> +But the poet said: +</p> + +<p> +“Canst thou be angry with these beautiful white bones?” And I +looked long at those curved and beautiful bones that were no longer able to +hurt the smallest creature in all the worlds that they had made. And I thought +long of the evil that they had done, and also of the good. But when I thought +of Their great hands coming red and wet from battles to make a primrose for a +child to pick, then I forgave the gods. +</p> + +<p> +And a gentle rain came falling out of heaven and stilled the restless sand, and +a soft green moss grew suddenly and covered the bones till they looked like +strange green hills, and I heard a cry and awoke and found that I had dreamed, +and looking out of my house into the street I found that a flash of lightning +had killed a child. Then I knew that the gods still lived. +</p> + +<h3>II</h3> + +<p> +I lay asleep in the poppy fields of the gods in the valley of Alderon, where +the gods come by night to meet together in council when the moon is low. And I +dreamed that this was the Secret. +</p> + +<p> +Fate and Chance had played their game and ended, and all was over, all the +hopes and tears, regrets, desires and sorrows, things that men wept for and +unremembered things, and kingdoms and little gardens and the sea, and the +worlds and the moons and the suns; and what remained was nothing, having +neither colour nor sound. +</p> + +<p> +Then said Fate to Chance: “Let us play our old game again.” And +they played it again together, using the gods as pieces, as they had played it +oft before. So that those things which have been shall all be again, and under +the same bank in the same land a sudden glare of sunlight on the same spring +day shall bring the same daffodil to bloom once more and the same child shall +pick it, and not regretted shall be the billion years that fell between. And +the same old faces shall be seen again, yet not bereaved of their familiar +haunts. And you and I shall in a garden meet again upon an afternoon in summer +when the sun stands midway between his zenith and the sea, where we met oft +before. For Fate and Chance play but one game together with every move the +same, and they play it oft to while eternity away. +</p> + +</div><!--end chapter--> + +<div class="chapter"> + +<h2><a name="part02"></a>PART II.</h2> + +</div><!--end chapter--> + +<div class="chapter"> + +<h2><a name="chap20"></a>THE JOURNEY OF THE KING</h2> + +<h3>I</h3> + +<p> +One day the King turned to the women that danced and said to them: “Dance +no more,” and those that bore the wine in jewelled cups he sent away. The +palace of King Ebalon was emptied of sound of song and there rose the voices of +heralds crying in the streets to find the prophets of the land. +</p> + +<p> +Then went the dancers, the cupbearer and the singers down into the hard streets +among the houses, Pattering Leaves, Silvern Fountain and Summer Lightning, the +dancers whose feet the gods had not devised for stony ways, which had only +danced for princes. And with them went the singer, Soul of the South, and the +sweet singer, Dream of the Sea, whose voices the gods had attuned to the ears +of kings, and old Istahn the cupbearer left his life’s work in the palace +to tread the common ways, he that had stood at the elbows of three kings of +Zarkandhu and had watched his ancient vintage feeding their valour and mirth as +the waters of Tondaris feed the green plains to the south. Ever he had stood +grave among their jests, but his heart warmed itself solely by the fire of the +mirth of Kings. He too, with the singers and dancers, went out into the dark. +</p> + +<p> +And throughout the land the heralds sought out the prophets thereof. Then one +evening as King Ebalon sat alone within his palace there were brought before +him all who had repute for wisdom and who wrote the histories of the times to +be. Then the King spake, saying: “The King goeth upon a journey with many +horses, yet riding upon none, when the pomp of travelling shall be heard in the +streets and the sound of the lute and the drum and the name of the King. And I +would know what princes and what people shall greet me on the other shore in +the land to which I travel.” +</p> + +<p> +Then fell a hush upon the prophets for they murmured: “All knowledge is +with the King.” +</p> + +<p> +Then said the King: “Thou first, Samahn, High Prophet of the Temple of +gold in Azinorn, answer or thou shalt write no more the history of the times to +be, but shalt toil with thy hand to make record of the little happenings of the +days that were, as do the common men.” +</p> + +<p> +Then said Samahn: “All knowledge is with the King,” and when the +pomp of travelling shall be heard in the streets and the slow horses whereon +the King rideth not go behind lute and drum, then, as the King well knoweth, +thou shalt go down to the great white house of Kings and, entering the portals +where none are worthy to follow, shalt make obeisance alone to all the elder +Kings of Zarkandhu, whose bones are seated upon golden thrones grasping their +sceptres still. Therein thou shalt go with robes and sceptre through the marble +porch, but thou shalt leave behind thee thy gleaming crown that others may wear +it, and as the times go by come in to swell the number of the thirty Kings that +sit in the great white house on golden thrones. There is one doorway in the +great white house, and it stands wide with marble portals yawning for kings, +but when it shall receive thee, and thine obeisance hath been made because of +thine obligation to the thirty Kings, thou shalt find at the back of the house +an unknown door through which the soul of a King may just pass, and leaving thy +bones upon a golden throne thou shalt go unseen out of the great white house to +tread the velvet spaces that lie among the worlds. Then, O King, it were well +to travel fast and not to tarry about the houses of men as do the souls of some +who still bewail the sudden murder that sent them upon the journey before their +time, and who, being yet loth to go, linger in dark chambers all the night. +These, setting forth to travel in the dawn and travelling all the day, see +earth behind them gleaming when evening falls, and again are loth to leave its +pleasant haunts, and come back again through dark woods and up into some old +loved chamber, and ever tarry between home and flight and find no rest. +</p> + +<p> +Thou wilt set forth at once because the journey is far and lasts for many +hours; but the hours on the velvet spaces are the hours of the gods, and we may +not say what time such an hour may be if reckoned in mortal years. +</p> + +<p> +At last thou shalt come to a grey place filled with mist, with grey shapes +standing before it which are altars, and on the altars rise small red flames +from dying fires that scarce illumine the mist. And in the mist it is dark and +cold because the fires are low. These are the altars of the people’s +faiths, and the flames are the worship of men, and through the mist the gods of +Old go groping in the dark and in the cold. There thou shalt hear a voice cry +feebly: “Inyani, Inyani, lord of the thunder, where art thou, for I +cannot see?” And a voice shall answer faintly in the cold: “O maker +of many worlds, I am here.” And in that place the gods of Old are nearly +deaf for the prayers of men grow few, they are nigh blind because the fires +burn low upon the altars of men’s faiths and they are very cold. And all +about the place of mist there lies a moaning sea which is called the Sea of +Souls. And behind the place of mist are the dim shapes of mountains, and on the +peak of one there glows a silvern light that shines in the moaning sea; and +ever as the flames on the altars die before the gods of Old the light on the +mountain increases, and the light shines over the mist and never through it as +the gods of Old grow blind. It is said that the light on the mountain shall one +day become a new god who is not of the gods of Old. +</p> + +<p> +There, O King, thou shalt enter the Sea of Souls by the shore where the altars +stand which are covered in mist. In that sea are the souls of all that ever +lived on the worlds and all that ever shall live, all freed from earth and +flesh. And all the souls in that sea are aware of one another but more than +with hearing or sight or by taste or touch or smell, and they all speak to each +other yet not with lips, with voices which need no sound. And over the sea lies +music as winds o’er an ocean on earth, and there unfettered by language +great thoughts set outward through the souls as on earth the currents go. +</p> + +<p> +Once did I dream that in a mist-built ship I sailed upon that sea and heard the +music that is not of instruments, and voices not from lips, and woke and found +that I was upon the earth and that the gods had lied to me in the night. Into +this sea from fields of battle and cities come down the rivers of lives, and +ever the gods have taken onyx cups and far and wide into the worlds again have +flung the souls out of the sea, that each soul may find a prison in the body of +a man with five small windows closely barred, and each one shackled with +forgetfulness. +</p> + +<p> +But all the while the light on the mountain grows, and none may say what work +the god that shall be born of the silvern light shall work on the Sea of Souls, +when the gods of Old are dead and the Sea is living still. +</p> + +<p> +And answer made the King: +</p> + +<p> +“Thou that art a prophet of the gods of Old, go back and see that those +red flames burn more brightly on the altars in the mist, for the gods of Old +are easy and pleasant gods, and thou canst not say what toil shall vex our +souls when the god of the light on the mountain shall stride along the shore +where bleach the huge bones of the gods of Old.” +</p> + +<p> +And Samahn answered: “All knowledge is with the King.” +</p> + +<h3>II</h3> + +<p> +Then the King called to Ynath bidding him speak concerning the journey of the +King. Ynath was the prophet that sat at the Eastern gate of the Temple of +Gorandhu. There Ynath prayed his prayers to all the passers by lest ever the +gods should go abroad, and one should pass him dressed in mortal guise. And men +are pleased as they walk by that Eastern gate that Ynath should pray to them +for fear that they be gods, so men bring gifts to Ynath in the Eastern gate. +</p> + +<p> +And Ynath said: “All knowledge is with the King. When a strange ship +comes to anchor in the air outside thy chamber window, thou shalt leave thy +well-kept garden and it shall become a prey to the nights and days and be +covered again with grass. But going aboard thou shalt set sail over the Sea of +Time and well shall the ship steer through the many worlds and still sail on. +If other ships shall pass thee on the way and hail thee saying: ‘From +what port’ thou shalt answer them: ‘From Earth.’ And if they +ask thee ‘whither bound?’ then thou shalt answer: ‘The +End.’ Or thou shalt hail them saying: ‘From what port?’ And +they shall answer: ‘From The End called also The Beginning, and bound to +Earth.’ And thou shalt sail away till like an old sorrow dimly felt by +happy men the worlds shall gleam in the distance like one star, and as the star +pales thou shalt come to the shore of space where aeons rolling shorewards from +Time’s sea shall lash up centuries to foam away in years. There lies the +Centre Garden of the gods, facing full seawards. All around lie songs that on +earth were never sung, fair thoughts not heard among the worlds, dream pictures +never seen that drifted over Time without a home till at last the aeons swept +them on to the shore of space. And in the Centre Garden of the gods bloom many +fancies. Therein once some souls were playing where the gods walked up and down +and to and fro. And a dream came in more beauteous than the rest on the crest +of a wave of Time, and one soul going downward to the shore clutched at the +dream and caught it. Then over the dreams and stories and old songs that lay on +the shore of space the hours came sweeping back, and the centuries caught that +soul and swirled him with his dream far out to the Sea of Time, and the aeons +swept him earthwards and cast him into a palace with all the might of the sea +and left him there with his dream. The child grew to a King and still clutched +at his dream till the people wondered and laughed. Then, O King, Thou didst +cast thy dream back into the Sea, and Time drowned it and men laughed no more, +but thou didst forget that a certain sea beat on a distant shore and that there +was a garden and therein souls. But at the end of the journey that thou shalt +take, when thou comest to the shore of space again thou shalt go up the beach, +and coming to a garden gate that stands in a garden wall shalt remember these +things again, for it stands where the hours assail not above the beating of +Time, far up the shore, and nothing altereth there. So thou shalt go through +the garden gate and hear again the whispering of the souls when they talk low +where sing the voices of the gods. There with kindred souls thou shalt speak as +thou didst of yore and tell them what befell thee beyond the tides of time and +how they took thee and made of thee a King so that thy soul found no rest. +There in the Centre Garden thou shalt sit at ease and watch the gods all +rainbow-clad go up and down and to and fro on the paths of dreams and songs, +and shalt not venture down to the cheerless sea. For that which a man loves +most is not on this side of Time, and all which drifts on its aeons is a lure. +</p> + +<p> +“All knowledge is with the King.” +</p> + +<p> +Then said the King: “Ay, there was a dream once but Time hath swept it +away.” +</p> + +<h3>III</h3> + +<p> +Then spake Monith, Prophet of the Temple of Azure that stands on the snow-peak +of Ahmoon and said: “All knowledge is with the King. Once thou didst set +out upon a one day’s journey riding thy horse and before thee had gone a +beggar down the road, and his name was Yeb. Him thou didst overtake and when he +heeded not thy coming thou didst ride over him. +</p> + +<p> +“Upon the journey that thou shalt one day take riding upon no horse, this +beggar has set out before thee and is labouring up the crystal steps towards +the moon as a man goeth up the steps of a high tower in the dark. On the +moon’s edge beneath the shadow of Mount Angises he shall rest awhile and +then shall climb the crystal steps again. Then a great journey lies before him +before he may rest again till he come to that star that is called the left eye +of Gundo. Then a journey of many crystal steps lieth before him again with +nought to guide him but the light of Omrazu. On the edge of Omrazu shall Yeb +tarry long, for the most dreadful part of his journey lieth before him. Up the +crystal steps that lie beyond Omrazu he must go, and any that follow, though +the howling of all the meteors that ride the sky; for in that part of the +crystal space go many meteors up and down all squealing in the dark, which +greatly perplex all travellers. And, if he may see though the gleaming of the +meteors and in spite of their uproar come safely through, he shall come to the +star Omrund at the edge of the Track of Stars. And from star to star along the +Track of Stars the soul of a man may travel with more ease, and there the +journey lies no more straight forward, but curves to the right.” +</p> + +<p> +Then said King Ebalon: +</p> + +<p> +“Of this beggar whom my horse smote down thou hast spoken much, but I +sought to know by what road a King should go when he taketh his last royal +journey, and what princes and what people should meet him upon another +shore.” +</p> + +<p> +Then answered Monith: +</p> + +<p> +“All knowledge is with the King. It hath been doomed by the gods, who +speak not in jest, that thou shalt follow the soul that thou didst send alone +upon its journey, that that soul go not unattended up the crystal steps. +</p> + +<p> +“Moreover, as this beggar went upon his lonely journey he dared to curse +the King, and his curses lie like a red mist along the valleys and hollows +wherever he uttered them. By these red mists, O King, thou shalt track him as a +man follows a river by night until thou shalt fare at last to the land wherein +he hath blessed thee (repenting of anger at last), and thou shalt see his +blessing lie over the land like a blaze of golden sunshine illumining fields +and gardens.” +</p> + +<p> +Then said the King: +</p> + +<p> +“The gods have spoken hard above the snowy peak of this mountain +Ahmoon.” +</p> + +<p> +And Monith said: +</p> + +<p> +“How a man may come to the shore of space beyond the tides of time I know +not, but it is doomed that thou shalt certainly first follow the beggar past +the moon, Omrund and Omrazu till thou comest to the Track of Stars, and up the +Track of Stars coming towards the right along the edge of it till thou comest +to Ingazi. There the soul of the beggar Yeb sat long, then, breathing deep, set +off on his great journey earthward adown the crystal steps. Straight through +the spaces where no stars are found to rest at, following the dull gleam of +earth and her fields till he come at last where journeys end and start.” +</p> + +<p> +Then said King Ebalon: +</p> + +<p> +“If this hard tale be true, how shall I find the beggar that I must +follow when I come again to the earth?” +</p> + +<p> +And the Prophet answered: +</p> + +<p> +“Thou shalt know him by his name and find him in this place, for that +beggar shall be called King Ebalon and he shall be sitting upon the throne of +the Kings of Zarkandhu.” +</p> + +<p> +And the King answered: +</p> + +<p> +“If one sit upon this throne whom men call King Ebalon, who then shall I +be?” +</p> + +<p> +And the Prophet answered: +</p> + +<p> +“Thou shalt be a beggar and thy name shall be Yeb, and thou shalt ever +tread the road before the palace waiting for alms from the King whom men shall +call Ebalon.” +</p> + +<p> +Then said the King: +</p> + +<p> +“Hard gods indeed are those that tramp the snows of Ahmoon about the +temple of Azure, for if I sinned against this beggar called Yeb, they too have +sinned against him when they doomed him to travel on this weary journey though +he hath not offended.” +</p> + +<p> +And Monith said: +</p> + +<p> +“He too hath offended, for he was angry as thy horse struck him, and the +gods smite anger. And his anger and his curses doom him to journey without rest +as also they doom thee.” +</p> + +<p> +Then said the King: +</p> + +<p> +“Thou that sittest upon Ahmoon in the Temple of Azure, dreaming thy +dreams and making prophecies, foresee the ending of this weary quest and tell +me where it shall be?” +</p> + +<p> +And Monith answered: +</p> + +<p> +“As a man looks across great lakes I have gazed into the days to be, and +as the great flies come upon four wings of gauze to skim over blue waters, so +have my dreams come sailing two by two out of the days to be. And I dreamed +that King Ebalon, whose soul was not thy soul, stood in his palace in a time +far hence, and beggars thronged the street outside, and among them was Yeb, a +beggar, having thy soul. And it was on the morning of a festival and the King +came robed in white, with all his prophets and his seers and magicians, all +down the marble steps to bless the land and all that stood therein as far as +the purple hills, because it was the morning of festival. And as the King +raised up his hand over the beggars’ heads to bless the fields and rivers +and all that stood therein, I dreamed that the quest was ended. +</p> + +<p> +“All knowledge is with the King.” +</p> + +<h3>IV</h3> + +<p> +Evening darkened and above the palace domes gleamed out the stars whereon haply +others missed the secret too. +</p> + +<p> +And outside the palace in the dark they that had borne the wine in jewelled +cups mocked in low voices at the King and at the wisdom of his prophets. +</p> + +<p> +Then spake Ynar, called the prophet of the Crystal Peak; for there rises +Amanath above all that land, a mountain whose peak is crystal, and Ynar beneath +its summit hath his Temple, and when day shines no longer on the world Amanath +takes the sunlight and gleams afar as a beacon in a bleak land lit at night. +And at the hour when all faces are turned on Amanath, Ynar comes forth beneath +the Crystal peak to weave strange spells and to make signs that people say are +surely for the gods. Therefore it is said in all those lands that Ynar speaks +at evening to the gods when all the world is still. +</p> + +<p> +And Ynar said: +</p> + +<p> +“All knowledge is with the King, and without doubt it hath come to the +King’s ears how certain speech is held at evening on the Peak of Amanath. +</p> + +<p> +“They that speak to me at evening on the Peak are They that live in a +city through whose streets Death walketh not, and I have heard it from Their +Elders that the King shall take no journey; only from thee the hills shall slip +away, the dark woods, the sky and all the gleaming worlds that fill the night, +and the green fields shall go on untrodden by thy feet and the blue sky ungazed +at by thine eyes, and still the rivers shall all run seaward but making no +music in thine ears. And all the old laments shall still be spoken, troubling +thee not, and to the earth shall fall the tears of the children of earth and +never grieving thee. Pestilence, heat and cold, ignorance, famine and anger, +these things shall grip their claws upon all men as heretofore in fields and +roads and cities but shall not hold thee. But from thy soul, sitting in the old +worn track of the worlds when all is gone away, shall fall off the shackles of +circumstance and thou shalt dream thy dreams alone. +</p> + +<p> +“And thou shalt find that dreams are real where there is nought as far as +the Rim but only thy dreams and thee. +</p> + +<p> +“With them thou shalt build palaces and cities resting upon nothing and +having no place in time, not to be assailed by the hours or harmed by ivy or +rust, not to be taken by conquerors, but destroyed by thy fancy if thou dost +wish it so or by thy fancy rebuilded. And nought shall ever disturb these +dreams of thine which here are troubled and lost by all the happenings of +earth, as the dreams of one who sleeps in a tumultuous city. For these thy +dreams shall sweep outward like a strong river over a great waste plain wherein +are neither rocks nor hills to turn it, only in that place there shall be no +boundaries nor sea, neither hindrance nor end. And it were well for thee that +thou shouldst take few regrets into thy waste dominions from the world wherein +thou livest, for such regrets or any memory of deeds ill done must sit beside +thy soul forever in that waste, singing one song always of forlorn remorse; and +they too shall be only dreams but very real. +</p> + +<p> +“There nought shall hinder thee among thy dreams, for even the gods may +harass thee no more when flesh and earth and events with which They bound thee +shall have slipped away.” +</p> + +<p> +Then said the King: +</p> + +<p> +“I like not this grey doom, for dreams are empty. I would see action +roaring through the world, and men and deeds.” +</p> + +<p> +Then answered the Prophet: +</p> + +<p> +“Victory, jewels and dancing but please thy fancy. What is the sparkle of +the gem to thee without thy fancy which it allures, and thy fancy is all a +dream. Action and deeds and men are nought without dreams and do but fetter +them, and only dreams are real, and where thou stayest when the worlds shall +drift away there shall be only dreams.” +</p> + +<p> +And the King answered: +</p> + +<p> +“A mad prophet.” +</p> + +<p> +And Ynar said: +</p> + +<p> +“A mad prophet, but believing that his soul possesseth all things of +which his soul may become aware and that he is master of that soul, and thou a +high-minded King believing only that thy soul possesseth such few countries as +are leaguered by thine armies and the sea, and that thy soul is possessed by +certain strange gods of whom thou knowest not, who shall deal with it in a way +whereof thou knowest not. Until a knowledge come to us that either is wrong I +have wider realms, I King, than thee and hold them beneath no overlords.” +</p> + +<p> +Then said the King: +</p> + +<p> +“Thou hast said no overlords! To whom then dost thou speak by strange +signs at evening above the world?” +</p> + +<p> +And Ynar went forward and whispered to the King. And the King shouted: +</p> + +<p> +“Seize ye this prophet for he is a hypocrite and speaks to no gods at +evening above the world, but has deceived us with his signs.” +</p> + +<p> +And Ynar said: +</p> + +<p> +“Come not near me or I shall point towards you when I speak at evening +upon the mountain with Those that ye know of.” +</p> + +<p> +Then Ynar went away and the guards touched him not. +</p> + +<h3>V</h3> + +<p> +Then spake the prophet Thun, who was clad in seaweed and had no Temple, but +lived apart from men. All his life he had lived on a lonely beach and had heard +for ever the wailing of the sea and the crying of the wind in hollows among the +cliffs. Some said that having lived so long by the full beating of the sea, and +where always the wind cries loudest, he could not feel the joys of other men, +but only felt the sorrow of the sea crying in his soul for ever. +</p> + +<p> +“Long ago on the path of stars, midmost between the worlds, there strode +the gods of Old. In the bleak middle of the worlds They sat and the worlds went +round and round, like dead leaves in the wind at Autumn’s end, with never +a life on one, while the gods went sighing for the things that might not be. +And the centuries went over the gods to go where the centuries go, toward the +End of Things, and with Them went the sighs of all the gods as They longed for +what might not be. +</p> + +<p> +“One by one in the midst of the worlds, fell dead the gods of Old, still +sighing for the things that might not be, all slain by Their own regrets. Only +Shimono Kani, the youngest of the gods, made him a harp out of the heart +strings of all the elder gods, and, sitting upon the Path of Stars in the +Middle of Things, played upon the harp a dirge for the gods of Old. And the +song told of all vain regrets and of unhappy loves of the gods in the olden +time, and of Their great deeds that were to adorn the future years. But into +the dirge of Shimono Kani came voices crying out of the heart strings of the +gods, all sighing still for the things that might not be. And the dirge and the +voices crying, go drifting away from the Path of Stars, away from the Midst of +Things, till they come twittering among the Worlds, like a great host of birds +that are lost by night. And every note is a life, and many notes become caught +up among the worlds to be entangled with flesh for a little while before they +pass again on their journey to the great Anthem that roars at the End of Time. +Shimono Kani hath given a voice to the wind and added a sorrow to the sea. But +when in lighted chambers after feasting there arises the voice of the singer to +please the King, then is the soul of that singer crying aloud to his fellows +from where he stands chained to earth. And when at the sound of the singing the +heart of the King grows sad and his princes lament then they remember, though +knowing not that, they remember it, the sad face of Shimono Kani sitting by his +dead brethren, the elder gods, playing on the harp of crying heart strings +whereby he sent their souls among the worlds. +</p> + +<div class="fig" style="width:100%;"> +<a name="illus08"></a> +<img src="images/fig08.jpg" width="410" height="600" alt="[Illustration: ]" /> +<p class="caption">The Dirge of Shimono Kani</p> +</div> + +<p> +“And when the music of one lute is lonely on the hills at night, then one +soul calleth to his brother souls—the notes of Shimono Kani’s dirge +which have not been caught among the worlds—and he knoweth not to whom he +calls or why, but knoweth only that minstrelsy is his only cry and sendeth it +out into the dark. +</p> + +<p> +“But although in the prison houses of earth all memories must die, yet as +there sometimes clings to a prisoner’s feet some dust of the fields +wherein he was captured, so sometimes fragments of remembrance cling to a +man’s soul after it hath been taken to earth. Then a great minstrel +arises, and, weaving together the shreds of his memories, maketh some melody +such as the hand of Shimono Kani smites out of his harp; and they that pass by +say: ‘Hath there not been some such melody before?’ and pass on sad +at heart for memories which are not. +</p> + +<p> +“Therefore, O King, one day the great gates of thy palace shall lie open +for a procession wherein the King comes down to pass through a people, +lamenting with lute and drum; and on the same day a prison door shall be opened +by relenting hands, and one more lost note of Shimono Kani’s dirge shall +go back to swell his melody again. +</p> + +<p> +“The dirge of Shimono Kani shall roll on till one day it shall come with +all its notes complete to overwhelm the Silence that sits at the End of Things. +Then shall Shimono Kani say to his brethren’s bones: The things that +might not be have at last become.’ +</p> + +<p> +“But very quiet shall be the bones of the gods of Old, and only Their +voices shall live which cried from the harp of heart strings, for the things +which might not be.” +</p> + +<h3>VI</h3> + +<p> +When the caravans, saying farewell to Zandara, set out across the waste +northwards towards Einandhu, they follow the desert track for seven days before +they come to water where Shubah Onath rises black out of the waste, with a well +at its foot and herbage on its summit. On this rock a prophet hath his Temple +and is called the Prophet of Journeys, and hath carven in a southern window +smiling along the camel track all gods that are benignant to caravans. +</p> + +<p> +There a traveller may learn by prophecy whether he shall accomplish the ten +days’ journey thence across the desert and so come to the white city of +Einandhu, or whether his bones shall lie with the bones of old along the desert +track. +</p> + +<p> +No name hath the Prophet of Journeys, for none is needed in that desert where +no man calls nor ever a man answers. +</p> + +<p> +Thus spake the Prophet of Journeys standing before the King: +</p> + +<p> +“The journey of the King shall be an old journey pushed on apace. +</p> + +<p> +“Many a year before the making of the moon thou camest down with dream +camels from the City without a name that stands beyond all the stars. And then +began thy journey over the Waste of Nought, and thy dream camel bore thee well +when those of certain of thy fellow travellers fell down in the Waste and were +covered over by the silence and were turned again to nought; and those +travellers when their dream camels fell, having nothing to carry them further +over the Waste, were lost beyond and never found the earth. These are those men +that might have been but were not. And all about thee fluttered the myriad +hours travelling in great swarms across the Waste of Nought. +</p> + +<p> +“How many centuries passed across the cities while thou wast making thy +journey none may reckon, for there is no time in the Waste of Nought, but only +the hours fluttering earthwards from beyond to do the work of Time. At last the +dream-borne travellers saw far off a green place gleaming and made haste +towards it and so came to Earth. And there, O King, ye rest for a little while, +thou and those that came with thee, making an encampment upon earth before +journeying on. There the swarming hours alight, settling on every blade of +grass and tree, and spreading over your tents and devouring all things, and at +last bending your very tent poles with their weight and wearying you. +</p> + +<p> +“Behind the encampment in the shadow of the tents lurks a dark figure +with a nimble sword, having the name of Time. This is he that hath called the +hours from beyond and he it is that is their master, and it is his work that +the hours do as they devour all green things upon the earth and tatter the +tents and weary all the travellers. As each of the hours does the work of Time, +Time smites him with his nimble sword as soon as his work is done, and the hour +falls severed to the dust with his bright wings scattered, as a locust cut +asunder by the scimitar of a skillful swordsman. +</p> + +<p> +“One by one, O King, with a stir in the camp, and the folding up of the +tents one by one, the travellers shall push on again on the journey begun so +long before out of the City without a name to the place where dream camels go, +striding free through the Waste. So into the Waste, O King, thou shalt set +forth ere long, perhaps to renew friendships begun during thy short encampment +upon earth. +</p> + +<p> +“Other green places thou shalt meet in the Waste and thereon shalt encamp +again until driven thence by the hours. What prophet shall relate how many +journeys thou shalt make or how many encampments? But at last thou shalt come +to the place of The Resting of Camels, and there shall gleaming cliffs that are +named The Ending of Journeys lift up out of the Waste of Nought, Nought at +their feet, Nought laying wide before them, with only the glint of worlds far +off to illumine the Waste. One by one, on tired dream camels, the travellers +shall come in, and going up the pathway through the cliff in that land of The +Resting of Camels shall come on The City of Ceasing. There, the dream-wrought +pinnacles and the spires that are builded of men’s hopes shall rise up +real before thee, seen only hitherto as a mirage in the Waste. +</p> + +<p> +“So far the swarming hours may not come, and far away among the tents +shall stand the dark figure with the nimble sword. But in the scintillant +streets, under the song-built abodes of the last of cities, thy journey, O +King, shall end.” +</p> + +<h3>VII</h3> + +<p> +In the valley beyond Sidono there lies a garden of poppies, and where the +poppies’ heads are all a-swing with summer breezes that go up the valley +there lies a path well strewn with ocean shells. Over Sidono’s summit the +birds come streaming to the lake that lies in the valley of the garden, and +behind them rises the sun sending Sidono’s shadow as far as the edge of +the lake. And down the path of many ocean shells when they begin to gleam in +the sun, every morning walks an aged man clad in a silken robe with strange +devices woven. A little temple where the old man lives stands at the edge of +the path. None worship there, for Zornadhu, the old prophet, hath forsaken men +to walk among his poppies. +</p> + +<p> +For Zornadhu hath failed to understand the purport of Kings and cities and the +moving up and down of many people to the tune of the clinking of gold. +Therefore hath Zornadhu gone far away from the sound of cities and from those +that are ensnared thereby, and beyond Sidono’s mountain hath come to rest +where there are neither kings nor armies nor bartering for gold, but only the +heads of the poppies that sway in the wind together and the birds that fly from +Sidono to the lake, and then the sunrise over Sidono’s summit; and +afterwards the flight of birds out of the lake and over Sidono again, and +sunset behind the valley, and high over lake and garden the stars that know not +cities. There Zornadhu lives in his garden of poppies with Sidono standing +between him and the whole world of men; and when the wind blowing athwart the +valley sways the heads of the tall poppies against the Temple wall, the old +prophet says: “The flowers are all praying, and lo! they be nearer to the +gods than men.” +</p> + +<p> +But the heralds of the King coming after many days of travel to Sidono +perceived the garden valley. By the lake they saw the poppy garden gleaming +round and small like a sunrise over water on a misty morning seen by some +shepherd from the hills. And descending the bare mountain for three days they +came to the gaunt pines, and ever between the tall trunks came the glare of the +poppies that shone from the garden valley. For a whole day they travelled +through the pines. That night a cold wind came up the garden valley crying +against the poppies. Low in his Temple, with a song of exceeding grief, +Zornadhu in the morning made a dirge for the passing of poppies, because in the +night time there had fallen petals that might not return or ever come again +into the garden valley. Outside the Temple on the path of ocean shells the +heralds halted, and read the names and honours of the King; and from the Temple +came the voice of Zornadhu still singing his lament. But they took him from his +garden because of the King’s command, and down his gleaming path of ocean +shells and away up Sidono, and left the Temple empty with none to lament when +silken poppies died. And the will of the wind of the autumn was wrought upon +the poppies, and the heads of the poppies that rose from the earth went down to +the earth again, as the plume of a warrior smitten in a heathen fight far away, +where there are none to lament him. Thus out of his land of flowers went +Zornadhu and came perforce into the lands of men, and saw cities, and in the +city’s midst stood up before the King. +</p> + +<p> +And the King said: +</p> + +<p> +“Zornadhu, what of the journey of the King and of the princes and the +people that shall meet me?” +</p> + +<p> +Zornadhu answered: +</p> + +<p> +“I know nought of Kings, but in the night time the poppy made his journey +a little before dawn. Thereafter the wildfowl came as is their wont over +Sidono’s summit, and the sun rising behind them gleamed upon Sidono, and +all the flowers of the lake awoke. And the bee passing up and down the garden +went droning to other poppies, and the flowers of the lake, they that had known +the poppy, knew him no more. And the sun’s rays slanting from +Sidono’s crest lit still a garden valley where one poppy waved his petals +to the dawn no more. And I, O King, that down a path of gleaming ocean shells +walk in the morning, found not, nor have since found, that poppy again, that +hath gone on the journey whence there is not returning, out of my garden +valley. And I, O King, made a dirge to cry beyond that valley and the poppies +bowed their heads; but there is no cry nor no lament that may adjure the life +to return again to a flower that grew in a garden once and hereafter is not. +</p> + +<p> +“Unto what place the lives of poppies have gone no man shall truly say. +Sure it is that to that place are only outward tracks. Only it may be that when +a man dreams at evening in a garden where heavily the scent of poppies hangs in +the air, when the winds have sunk, and far away the sound of a lute is heard on +lonely hills, as he dreams of silken-scarlet poppies that once were a-swing +together in the gardens of his youth, the lives of those old lost poppies shall +return, living again in his dream. <i>So there may dream the gods.</i> And +through the dreams of some divinity reclining in tinted fields above the +morning we may haply pass again, although our bodies have long swirled up and +down the world with other dust. In these strange dreams our lives may be again, +all in the centre of our hopes, rejoicings and laments, until above the morning +the gods wake to go about their work, haply to remember still Their idle +dreams, haply to dream them all again in the stillness when shines the +starlight of the gods.” +</p> + +<h3>VIII</h3> + +<p> +Then said the King: “I like not these strange journeys nor this faint +wandering through the dreams of gods like the shadow of a weary camel that may +not rest when the sun is low. The gods that have made me to love the +earth’s cool woods and dancing streams do ill to send me into the starry +spaces that I love not, with my soul still peering earthward through the +eternal years, as a beggar who once was noble staring from the street at +lighted halls. For wherever the gods may send me I shall be as the gods have +made me, a creature loving the green fields of earth. +</p> + +<p> +“Now if there stand one prophet here that hath the ear of those too +splendid gods that stride above the glories of the orient sky, tell them that +there is on earth one King in the land called Zarkandhu to the south of the +opal mountains, who would fain tarry among the many gardens of earth, and would +leave to other men the splendours that the gods shall give the dead above the +twilight that surrounds the stars.” +</p> + +<p> +Then spake Yamen, prophet of the Temple of Obin that stands on the shores of a +great lake, facing east. Yamen said: “I pray oft to the gods who sit +above the twilight behind the east. When the clouds are heavy and red at +sunset, or when there is boding of thunder or eclipse, then I pray not, lest my +prayers be scattered and beaten earthward. But when the sun sets in a tranquil +sky, pale green or azure, and the light of his farewells stays long upon lonely +hills, then I send forth my prayers to flutter upward to gods that are surely +smiling, and the gods hear my prayers. But, O King, boons sought out of due +time from the gods are never wholly to be desired, and, if They should grant to +thee to tarry on the earth, old age would trouble thee with burdens more and +more till thou wouldst become the driven slave of the hours in fetters that +none may break.” +</p> + +<p> +The King said: “They that have devised this burden of age may surely stay +it, pray therefore on the calmest evening of the year to the gods above the +twilight that I may tarry always on the earth and always young, while over my +head the scourges of the gods pass and alight not.” +</p> + +<p> +Then answered Yamen: “The King hath commanded, yet among the blessings of +the gods there always cries a curse. The great princes that make merry with the +King, who tell of the great deeds that the King wrought in the former time, +shall one by one grow old. And thou, O King, seated at the feast crying, +‘make merry’ and extolling the former time shall find about thee +white heads nodding in sleep, and men that are forgetting the former time. Then +one by one the names of those that sported with thee once called by the gods, +one by one the names of the singers that sing the songs thou lovest called by +the gods, lastly of those that chased the grey boar by night and took him in +Orghoom river—only the King. Then a new people that have not known the +old deeds of the King nor fought and chased with him, who dare not make merry +with the King as did his long dead princes. And all the while those princes +that are dead growing dearer and greater in thy memory, and all the while the +men that served thee then growing more small to thee. And all the old things +fading and new things arising which are not as the old things were, the world +changing yearly before thine eyes and the gardens of thy childhood overgrown. +Because thy childhood was in the olden years thou shalt love the olden years, +but ever the new years shall overthrow them and their customs, and not the will +of a King may stay the changes that the gods have planned for all the customs +of old. Ever thou shalt say ‘This was not so,’ and ever the new +custom shall prevail even against a King. When thou hast made merry a thousand +times thou shalt grow tired of making merry. At last thou shalt become weary of +the chase, and still old age shall not come near to thee to stifle desires that +have been too oft fulfilled; then, O King, thou shalt be a hunter yearning for +the chase but with nought to pursue that hath not been oft overcome. Old age +shall come not to bury thine ambitions in a time when there is nought for thee +to aspire to any more. Experience of many centuries shall make thee wise but +hard and very sad, and thou shalt be a mind apart from thy fellows and curse +them all for fools, and they shall not perceive thy wisdom because thy thoughts +are not their thoughts and the gods that they have made are not the gods of the +olden time. No solace shall thy wisdom bring thee but only an increasing +knowledge that thou knowest nought, and thou shalt feel as a wise man in a +world of fools, or else as a fool in a world of wise men, when all men feel so +sure and ever thy doubts increase. When all that spake with thee of thine old +deeds are dead, those that saw them not shall speak of them again to thee; till +one speaking to thee of thy deeds of valour add more than even a man should +when speaking to a King, and thou shalt suddenly doubt whether these great +deeds were; and there shall be none to tell thee, only the echoes of the voices +of the gods still singing in thine ears when long ago They called the princes +that were thy friends. And thou shalt hear the knowledge of the olden time most +wrongly told and afterwards forgotten. Then many prophets shall arise claiming +discovery of that old knowledge. Then thou shalt find that seeking knowledge is +vain, as the chase is vain, as making merry is vain, as all things are vain. +One day thou shalt find that it is vain to be a King. Greatly then will the +acclamations of the people weary thee, till the time when people grow aweary of +Kings. Then thou shalt know that thou hast been uprooted from thine olden time +and set to live in uncongenial years, and jests all new to royal ears shall +smite thee on the head like hailstones, when thou hast lost thy crown, when +those to whose grandsires thou hadst granted to bring them as children to kiss +the feet of the King shall mock at thee because thou hast not learnt to barter +with gold. +</p> + +<p> +“Not all the marvels of the future time shall atone to thee for those old +memories that glow warmer and brighter every year as they recede into the ages +that the gods have gathered. And always dreaming of thy long dead princes and +of the great Kings of other kingdoms in the olden time thou shalt fail to see +the grandeur to which a hurrying jesting people shall attain in that kingless +age. Lastly, O King, thou shalt perceive men changing in a way that thou shalt +not comprehend, knowing what thou canst not know, till thou shalt discover that +these are men no more and a new race holds dominion over the earth whose +forefathers were men. These shall speak to thee no more as they hurry upon a +quest that thou shalt never understand, and thou shalt know that thou canst no +longer take thy part in shaping destinies, but in a world of cities only pine +for air and the waving grass again and the sound of a wind in trees. Then even +this shall end with the shapes of the gods in the darkness gathering all lives +but thine, when the hills shall fling up earth’s long stored heat back to +the heavens again, when earth shall be old and cold, with nothing alive upon it +but one King.” +</p> + +<p> +Then said the King: “Pray to those hard gods still, for those that have +loved the earth with all its gardens and woods and singing streams will love +earth still when it is old and cold and with all its gardens gone and all the +purport of its being failed and nought but memories.” +</p> + +<h3>IX</h3> + +<p> +Then spake Paharn, a prophet of the land of Hurn. +</p> + +<p> +And Paharn said: +</p> + +<p> +“There was one man that knew, but he stands not here.” +</p> + +<p> +And the King said: +</p> + +<p> +“Is he further than my heralds might travel in the night if they went +upon fleet horses?” +</p> + +<p> +And the prophet answered: +</p> + +<p> +“He is no further than thy heralds may well travel in the night, but +further than they may return from in all the years. Out of this city there goes +a valley wandering through all the world and opens out at last on the green +land of Hurn. On the one side in the distance gleams the sea, and on the other +side a forest, black and ancient, darkens the fields of Hurn; beyond the forest +and the sea there is no more, saving the twilight and beyond that the gods. In +the mouth of the valley sleeps the village of Rhistaun. +</p> + +<p> +“Here I was born, and heard the murmur of the flocks and herds, and saw +the tall smoke standing between the sky and the still roofs of Rhistaun, and +learned that men might not go into the dark forest, and that beyond the forest +and the sea was nought saving the twilight, and beyond that the gods. Often +there came travellers from the world all down the winding valley, and spake +with strange speech in Rhistaun and returned again up the valley going back to +the world. Sometimes with bells and camels and men running on foot, Kings came +down the valley from the world, but always the travellers returned by the +valley again and none went further than the land of Hurn. +</p> + +<p> +“And Kithneb also was born in the land of Hurn and tended the flocks with +me, but Kithneb would not care to listen to the murmur of the flocks and herds +and see the tall smoke standing between the roofs and the sky, but needed to +know how far from Hurn it was that the world met the twilight, and how far +across the twilight sat the gods. +</p> + +<p> +“And often Kithneb dreamed as he tended the flocks and herds, and when +others slept he would wander near to the edge of the forest wherein men might +not go. And the elders of the land of Hurn reproved Kithneb when he dreamed; +yet Kithneb was still as other men and mingled with his fellows until the day +of which I will tell thee, O King. For Kithneb was aged about a score of years, +and he and I were sitting near the flocks, and he gazed long at the point where +the dark forest met the sea at the end of the land of Hurn. But when night +drove the twilight down under the forest we brought the flocks together to +Rhistaun, and I went up the street between the houses to see four princes that +had come down the valley from the world, and they were clad in blue and scarlet +and wore plumes upon their heads, and they gave us in exchange for our sheep +some gleaming stones which they told us were of great value on the word of +princes. And I sold them three sheep, and Darniag sold them eight. +</p> + +<p> +“But Kithneb came not with the others to the market place where the four +princes stood, but went alone across the fields to the edge of the forest. +</p> + +<p> +“And it was upon the next morning that the strange thing befell Kithneb; +for I saw him in the morning coming from the fields, and I hailed him with the +shepherd’s cry wherewith we shepherds call to one another, and he +answered not. Then I stopped and spake to him, and Kithneb said not a word till +I became angry and left him. +</p> + +<p> +“Then we spake together concerning Kithneb, and others had hailed him, +and he had not answered them, but to one he had said that he had heard the +voices of the gods speaking beyond the forest and so would never listen more to +the voices of men. +</p> + +<p> +“Then we said: ‘Kithneb is mad,’ and none hindered him. +</p> + +<p> +“Another took his place among the flocks, and Kithneb sat in the evenings +by the edge of the forest on the plain, alone. +</p> + +<p> +“So Kithneb spake to none for many days, but when any forced him to speak +he said that every evening he heard the gods when they came to sit in the +forest from over the twilight and sea, and that he would speak no more with +men. +</p> + +<p> +“But as the months went by, men in Rhistaun came to look on Kithneb as a +prophet, and we were wont to point to him when strangers came down the valley +from the world, saying: +</p> + +<p> +“‘Here in the land of Hurn we have a prophet such as you have not +among your cities, for he speaks at evening with the gods.’ +</p> + +<p> +“A year had passed over the silence of Kithneb when he came to me and +spake. And I bowed before him because we believed that he spake among the gods. +And Kithneb said: +</p> + +<p> +“‘I will speak to thee before the end because I am most lonely. For +how may I speak again with men and women in the little streets of Rhistaun +among the houses, when I have heard the voices of the gods singing above the +twilight? But I am more lonely than ever Rhistaun wots of, for this I tell +thee, <i>when I hear the gods I know not what They say</i>. Well indeed I know +the voice of each, for ever calling me away from contentment; well I know Their +voices as they call to my soul and trouble it; I know by Their tone when They +rejoice, and I know when They are sad, for even the gods feel sadness. I know +when over fallen cities of the past, and the curved white bones of heroes They +sing the dirges of the gods’ lament. But alas! Their words I know not, +and the wonderful strains of the melody of Their speech beat on my soul and +pass away unknown. +</p> + +<p> +“‘Therefore I travelled from the land of Hurn till I came to the +house of the prophet Arnin-Yo, and told him that I sought to find the meaning +of the gods; and Arnin-Yo told me to ask the shepherds concerning all the gods, +for what the shepherds knew it was meet for a man to know, and, beyond that, +knowledge turned into trouble. +</p> + +<p> +“‘But I told Arnin-Yo that I had heard myself the voices of the +gods and knew that They were there beyond the twilight and so could never more +bow down to the gods that the shepherds made from the red clay which they +scooped with their hands out of the hillside. +</p> + +<p> +“‘Then said Arnin-Yo to me: +</p> + +<p> +“‘Natheless forget that thou hast heard the gods and bow down again +to the gods of the red clay that the shepherds make, and find thereby the ease +that the shepherds find, and at last die, remembering devoutly the gods of the +red clay that the shepherds scooped with their hands out of the hill. For the +gifts of the gods that sit beyond the twilight and smile at the gods of clay, +are neither ease nor contentment.” +</p> + +<p> +“‘And I said: +</p> + +<p> +“‘The god that my mother made out of the red clay that she had got +from the hill, fashioning it with many arms and eyes as she sang me songs of +its power, and told me stories of its mystic birth, this god is lost and +broken; and ever in my ears is ringing the melody of the gods.” +</p> + +<p> +“‘And Arnin-Yo said: +</p> + +<p> +“‘If thou wouldst still seek knowledge know that only those that +come behind the gods may clearly know their meaning. And this thou canst only +do by taking ship and putting out to sea from the land of Hurn and sailing up +the coast towards the forest. There the sea cliffs turn to the left or +southward, and full upon them beats the twilight from over the sea, and there +thou mayest come round behind the forest. Here where the world’s edge +mingles with the twilight the gods come in the evening, and if thou canst come +behind Them thou shalt hear Their voices clear, beating full seaward and +filling all the twilight with sound of song, and thou shalt know the meaning of +the gods. But where the cliffs turn southward there sits behind the gods +Brimdono, the oldest whirlpool in the sea, roaring to guard his masters. Him +the gods have chained for ever to the floor of the twilit sea to guard the door +of the forest that lieth above the cliffs. Here, then, if thou canst hear the +voices of the gods as thou hast said, thou wilt know their meaning clear, but +this will profit thee little when Brimdono drags thee down and all thy +ship.’” +</p> + +<p> +“Thus spake Kithneb to me. +</p> + +<p> +“But I said: +</p> + +<p> +“‘O Kithneb, forget those whirlpool-guarded gods beyond the forest, +and if thy small god be lost thou shalt worship with me the small god that my +mother made. Thousands of years ago he conquered cities but is not any longer +an angry god. Pray to him, Kithneb, and he shall bring thee comfort and +increase to thy flocks and a mild spring, and at the last a quiet ending for +thy days.’ +</p> + +<p> +“But Kithneb heeded not, and only bade me find a fisher ship and men to +row it. So on the next day we put forth from the land of Hurn in a boat that +the fisher folk use. And with us came four of the fisher folk who rowed the +boat while I held the rudder, but Kithneb sat and spake not in the prow. And we +rowed westward up the coast till we came at evening where the cliffs turned +southward and the twilight gleamed upon them and the sea. +</p> + +<p> +“There we turned southwards and saw at once Brimdono. And as a man tears +the purple cloak of a king slain in battle to divide it with other +warriors,—Brimdono tore the sea. And ever around and around him with a +gnarled hand Brimdono whirled the sail of some adventurous ship, the trophy of +some calamity wrought in his greed for shipwreck long ago where he sat to guard +his masters from all who fare on the sea. And ever one far-reaching empty hand +swung up and down so that we durst go no nearer. +</p> + +<p> +“Only Kithneb neither saw Brimdono nor heard his roar, and when we would +go no further bade us lower a small boat with oars out of the ship. Into this +boat Kithneb descended, not heeding words from us, and onward rowed alone. A +cry of triumph over ships and men Brimdono uttered before him, but +Kithneb’s eyes were turned toward the forest as he came behind the gods. +Upon his face the twilight beat full from the haunts of evening to illumine the +smiles that grew about his eyes as he came behind the gods. Him that had found +the gods above Their twilit cliffs, him that had heard Their voices close at +last and knew Their meaning clear, him, from the cheerless world with its +doubtings and prophets that lie, from all hidden meanings, where truth rang +clear at last, Brimdono took.” +</p> + +<p> +But when Paharn ceased to speak, in the King’s ears the roar of Brimdono +exulting over ancient triumphs and the whelming of ships seemed still to ring. +</p> + +<h3>X</h3> + +<p> +Then Mohontis spake, the hermit prophet, who lived in the deep untravelled +woods that seclude Lake Ilana. +</p> + +<p> +“I dreamed that to the west of all the seas I saw by vision the mouth of +Munra-O, guarded by golden gates, and through the bars of the gates that guard +the mysterious river of Munra-O I saw the flashes of golden barques, wherein +the gods went up and down, and to and fro through the evening dusk. And I saw +that Munra-O was a river of dreams such as came through remembered gardens in +the night, to charm our infancy as we slept beneath the sloping gables of the +houses of long ago. And Munra-O rolled down her dreams from the unknown inner +land and slid them under the golden gates and out into the waste, unheeding +sea, till they beat far off upon low-lying shores and murmured songs of long +ago to the islands of the south, or shouted tumultuous paeans to the Northern +crags; or cried forlornly against rocks where no one came, dreams that might +not be dreamed. +</p> + +<p> +“Many gods there be, that through the dusk of an evening in the summer go +up and down this river. There I saw, in a high barque all of gold, gods of the +pomp of cities; there I saw gods of splendour, in boats bejewelled to the +keels; gods of magnificence and gods of power. I saw the dark ships and the +glint of steel of the gods whose trade was war, and I heard the melody of the +bells of silver arow in the rigging of harpstrings as the gods of melody went +sailing through the dusk on the river of Munra-O. Wonderful river of Munra-O! I +saw a grey ship with sails of the spider’s web all lit with dewdrop +lanterns, and on its prow was a scarlet cock with its wings spread far and wide +when the gods of the dawn sailed also on Munra-O. +</p> + +<p> +“Down this river it is the wont of the gods to carry the souls of men +eastward to where the world in the distance faces on Munra-O. Then I knew that +when the gods of the Pride of Power and gods of the Pomp of Cities went down +the river in their tall gold ships to take earthward other souls, swiftly adown +the river and between the ships had gone in this boat of birch bark the god +Tarn, the hunter, bearing my soul to the world. And I know now that he came +down the stream in the dusk keeping well to the middle, and that he moved +silently and swiftly among the ships, wielding a twin-bladed oar. I remember, +now, the yellow gleaming of the great boats of the gods of the Pomp of Cities, +and the huge prow above me of the gods of the Pride of Power, when Tarn, +dipping his right blade into the river, lifted his left blade high, and the +drops gleamed and fell. Thus Tarn the hunter took me to the world that faces +across the sea of the west on the gate of Munra-O. And so it was that there +grew upon me the glamour of the hunt, though I had forgotten Tarn, and took me +into mossy places and into dark woods, and I became the cousin of the wolf and +looked into the lynx’s eyes and knew the bear; and the birds called to me +with half-remembered notes, and there grew in me a deep love of great rivers +and of all western seas, and a distrust of cities, and all the while I had +forgotten Tarn. +</p> + +<p> +“I know not what high galleon shall come for thee, O King, nor what +rowers, clad with purple, shall row at the bidding of gods when thou goest back +with pomp to the river of Munra-O. But for me Tarn waits where the Seas of the +West break over the edge of the world, and, as the years pass over me and the +love of the chase sinks low, and as the glamour of the dark woods and mossy +places dies down in my soul, ever louder and louder lap the ripples against the +canoe of birch bark where, holding his twin-bladed oar, Tarn waits. +</p> + +<p> +“But when my soul hath no more knowledge of the woods nor kindred any +longer with the creatures of the dark, and when all that Tarn hath given it +shall be lost, then Tarn shall take me back over the western seas, where all +the remembered years lie floating idly aswing with the ebb and flow, to bring +me again to the river of Munra-O. Far up that river we shall haply chase those +creatures whose eyes are peering in the night as they prowl around the world, +for Tarn was ever a hunter.” +</p> + +<h3>XI</h3> + +<p> +Then Ulf spake, the prophet who in Sistrameides lives in a temple anciently +dedicated to the gods. Rumour hath guessed that there the gods walked once some +time towards evening. But Time whose hand is against the temples of the gods +hath dealt harshly with it and overturned its pillars and set upon its ruins +his sign and seal: now Ulf dwells there alone. And Ulf said, “There sets, +O King, a river outward from earth which meets with a mighty sea whose waters +roll through space and fling their billows on the shores of every star. These +are the river and the sea of the Tears of Men.” +</p> + +<p> +And the King said: +</p> + +<p> +“Men have not written of this sea.” +</p> + +<p> +And the prophet answered: +</p> + +<p> +“Have not tears enough burst in the night time out of sleeping cities? +Have not the sorrows of 10,000 homes sent streams into this river when twilight +fell and it was still and there was none to hear? Have there not been hopes, +and were they all fulfilled? Have there not been conquests and bitter defeats? +And have not flowers when spring was over died in the gardens of many children? +Tears enough, O King, tears enough have gone down out of earth to make such a +sea; and deep it is and wide and the gods know it and it flings its spray on +the shores of all the stars. Down this river and across this sea thou shalt +fare in a ship of sighs and all around thee over the sea shall fly the prayers +of men which rise on white wings higher than their sorrows. Sometimes perched +in the rigging, sometimes crying around thee, shall go the prayers that availed +not to stay thee in Zarkandhu. Far over the waters, and on the wings of the +prayers beats the light of an inaccessible star. No hand hath touched it, none +hath journeyed to it, it hath no substance, it is only a light, it is the star +of Hope, and it shines far over the sea and brightens the world. It is nought +but a light, but the gods gave it. +</p> + +<p> +“Led only by the light of this star the myriad prayers that thou shalt +see all around thee fly to the Hall of the gods. +</p> + +<p> +“Sighs shall waft thy ship of sighs over the sea of Tears. Thou shalt +pass by islands of laughter and lands of song lying low in the sea, and all of +them drenched with tears flung over their rocks by the waves of the sea all +driven by the sighs. +</p> + +<p> +“But at last thou shalt come with the prayers of men to the great Hall of +the gods where the chairs of the gods are carved of onyx grouped round the +golden throne of the eldest of the gods. And there, O King, hope not to find +the gods, but reclining upon the golden throne wearing a cloak of his +master’s thou shalt see the figure of Time with blood upon his hands, and +loosely dangling from his fingers a dripping sword, and spattered with blood +but empty shall stand the onyx chairs. +</p> + +<p> +“There he sits on his master’s throne dangling idly his sword, or +with it flicking cruelly at the prayers of men that lie in a great heap +bleeding at his feet. +</p> + +<p> +“For a while, O King, the gods had sought to solve the riddles of Time, +for a while They made him Their slave, and Time smiled and obeyed his masters, +for a while, O King, for a while. He that hath spared nothing hath not spared +the gods, nor yet shall he spare thee.” +</p> + +<p> +Then the King spake dolefully in the Hall of Kings, and said: +</p> + +<p> +“May I not find at last the gods, and must it be that I may not look in +Their faces at the last to see whether They be kindly? They that have sent me +on my earthward journey I would greet on my returning, if not as a King coming +again to his own city, yet as one who having been ordered had obeyed, and +obeying had merited something of those for whom he toiled. I would look Them in +Their faces, O prophet, and ask Them concerning many things and would know the +wherefore of much. I had hoped, O prophet, that those gods that had smiled upon +my childhood, Whose voices stirred at evening in gardens when I was young, +would hold dominion still when at last I came to seek Them. O prophet, if this +is not to be, make you a great dirge for my childhood’s gods and fashion +silver bells and, setting them mostly a-swing amidst such trees as grew in the +garden of my childhood, sing you this dirge in the dusk: and sing it when the +low moth flies up and down and the bat first comes peering from her home, sing +it when white mists come rising from the river, when smoke is pale and grey, +while flowers are yet closing, ere voices are yet hushed, sing it while all +things yet lament the day, or ever the great lights of heaven come blazing +forth and night with her splendours takes the place of day. For, if the old +gods die, let us lament Them or ever new knowledge comes, while all the world +still shudders at Their loss. +</p> + +<p> +“For at the last, O prophet, what is left? Only the gods of my childhood +dead, and only Time striding large and lonely through the spaces, chilling the +moon and paling the light of stars and scattering earthward out of both his +hands the dust of forgetfulness over the fields of heroes and smitten Temples +of the older gods.” +</p> + +<p> +But when the other prophets heard with what doleful words the King spake in the +Hall they all cried out: +</p> + +<p> +“It is not as Ulf has said but as I have said—and I.” +</p> + +<p> +Then the King pondered long, not speaking. But down in the city in a street +between the houses stood grouped together they that were wont to dance before +the King, and they that had borne his wine in jewelled cups. Long they had +tarried in the city hoping that the King might relent, and once again regard +them with kindly faces calling for wine and song. The next morning they were +all to set out in search of some new Kingdom, and they were peering between the +houses and up the long grey street to see for the last time the palace of King +Ebalon; and Pattering Leaves, the dancer, cried: +</p> + +<p> +“Not any more, not any more at all shall we drift up the carven hall to +dance before the King. He that now watches the magic of his prophets will +behold no more the wonder of the dance, and among ancient parchments, strange +and wise, he shall forget the swirl of drapery when we swing together through +the Dance of the Myriad Steps.” +</p> + +<p> +And with her were Silvern Fountain and Summer Lightning and Dream of the Sea, +each lamenting that they should dance no more to please the eyes of the King. +</p> + +<p> +And Intahn who had carried at the banquet for fifty years the goblet of the +King set with its four sapphires each as large as an eye, said as he spread his +hands towards the palace making the sign of farewell: +</p> + +<p> +“Not all the magic of prophecy nor yet foreseeing nor perceiving may +equal the power of wine. Through the small door in the King’s Hall one +goes by one hundred steps and many sloping corridors into the cool of the earth +where lies a cavern vaster than the Hall. Therein, curtained by the spider, +repose the casks of wine that are wont to gladden the hearts of the Kings of +Zarkandhu. In islands far to the eastward the vine, from whose heart this wine +was long since wrung, hath climbed aloft with many a clutching finger and +beheld the sea and ships of the olden time and men since dead, and gone down +into the earth again and been covered over with weeds. And green with the damp +of years there lie three casks that a city gave not up until all her defenders +were slain and her houses fired; and ever to the soul of that wine is added a +more ardent fire as ever the years go by. Thither it was my pride to go before +a banquet in the olden years, and coming up to bear in the sapphire goblet the +fire of the elder Kings and to watch the King’s eye flash and his face +grow nobler and more like his sires as he drank the gleaming wine. +</p> + +<p> +“And now the King seeks wisdom from his prophets while all the glory of +the past and all the clattering splendour of today grows old, far down, +forgotten beneath his feet.” +</p> + +<p> +And when he ceased the cupbearers and the women that danced looked long in +silence at the palace. Then one by one all made the farewell sign before they +turned to go, and as they did this a herald unseen in the dark was speeding +towards them. +</p> + +<p> +After a long silence the King spake: +</p> + +<p> +“Prophets of my Kingdom,” he said, “you have not prophesied +alike, and the words of each prophet condemn his fellows’ words so that +wisdom may not be discovered among prophets. But I command that none in my +Kingdom shall doubt that the earliest King of Zarkandhu stored wine beneath +this palace before the building of the city or ever the palace arose, and I +shall cause commands to be uttered for the making of a banquet at once within +this Hall, so that ye shall perceive that the power of my wine is greater than +all your spells, and dancing more wondrous than prophecy.” +</p> + +<p> +The dancers and the winebearers were summoned back, and as the night wore on a +banquet was spread and all the prophets bidden to be seated, Samahn, Ynath, +Monith, Ynar Thun, the prophet of Journeys, Zornadhu, Yamen, Paharn, Ilana, +Ulf, and one that had not spoken nor yet revealed his name, and who wore his +prophet’s cloak across his face. +</p> + +<p> +And the prophets feasted as they were commanded and spake as other men spake, +save he whose face was hidden, who neither ate nor spake. Once he put out his +hand from under his cloak and touched a blossom among the flowers upon the +table and the blossom fell. +</p> + +<p> +And Pattering Leaves came in and danced again, and the King smiled, and +Pattering Leaves was happy though she had not the wisdom of the prophets. And +in and out, in and out, in and out among the columns of the Hall went Summer +Lightning in the maze of the dance. And Silvern Fountain bowed before the King +and danced and danced and bowed again, and old Intahn went to and fro from the +cavern to the King gravely through the midst of the dancers but with kindly +eyes, and when the King had often drunk of the old wine of the elder Kings he +called for Dream of the Sea and bade her sing. And Dream of the Sea came +through the arches and sang of an island builded by magic out of pearls, that +lay set in a ruby sea, and how it lay far off and under the south, guarded by +jagged reefs whereon the sorrows of the world were wrecked and never came to +the island. And how a low sunset always reddened the sea and lit the magic isle +and never turned to night, and how someone sang always and endlessly to lure +the soul of a King who might by enchantment pass the guarding reefs to find +rest on the pearl island and not be troubled more, but only see sorrows on the +outer reef battered and broken. Then Soul of the South rose up and sang a song +of a fountain that ever sought to reach the sky and was ever doomed to fall to +the earth again until at last…. +</p> + +<div class="fig" style="width:100%;"> +<a name="illus09"></a> +<img src="images/fig09.jpg" width="420" height="600" alt="[Illustration: ]" /> +<p class="caption">Pattering Leaves Danced</p> +</div> + +<p> +Then whether it was the art of Pattering Leaves or the song of Dream of the +Sea, or whether it was the fire of the wine of the elder Kings, Ebalon bade +farewell kindly to the prophets when morning paled the stars. Then along the +torchlit corridors the King went to his chamber, and having shut the door in +the empty room, beheld suddenly a figure wearing the cloak of a prophet; and +the King perceived that it was he whose face was hidden at the banquet, who had +not revealed his name. +</p> + +<p> +And the King said: +</p> + +<p> +“Art thou, too, a prophet?” +</p> + +<p> +And the figure answered: +</p> + +<p> +“I am a prophet.” +</p> + +<p> +And the King said: “Knowest <i>thou</i> aught concerning the journey of +the King?” And the figure answered: “I know, but have never +said.” +</p> + +<p> +And the King said: “Who art thou that knowest so much and has not told +it?” +</p> + +<p> +And he answered: +</p> + +<p> +“I am <i>The End</i>.” +</p> + +<p> +Then the cloaked figure strode away from the palace; and the King, unseen by +the guards, followed upon his journey. +</p> + +<p class="center"> +THE END +</p> + +</div><!--end chapter--> + +<div style='display:block; margin-top:4em'>*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK TIME AND THE GODS ***</div> +<div style='text-align:left'> + +<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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