The lame1 boy Sarnidac tended sheep on a hill to the southward of the city. Sarnidac was a dwarf2 and greatly derided3 in the city. For the women said:
"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."
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 rim4 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.
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.
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.
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:
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 crest5 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 upwards6, 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.
This the gods did, for They were not born men who strode that day so strangely away from earth.
But I, when I saw this thing, when already three had passed me, leaving earth, cried out before the fourth:
'Gods of my childhood, guardians7 of little homes, whither are ye going, leaving the round earth to swim alone and forgotten in so great a waste of sky?'
And one answered:
'Heresy8 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 ivy9 meet within the shrines10 of the temples of the gods of old.'
And I left that place as a man leaves fire by night, and going plainwards down the white road that the gods spurned11 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:
'From yonder hilltop the gods are leaving earth.'
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:
'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 squeal12 upon Your altars.'
And I said:—
'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 lurks13 the dark eclipse, and there are stored all snows and hails and lightnings that shall vex14 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?'
But the gods bent15 straight forward, and trampled16 through the sky and looked not to the right nor left nor downwards17, nor ever heeded18 my prayer.
And one cried out hoping yet to stay the gods, though nearly all were gone, saying:—
'O gods, rob not the earth of the dim hush19 that hangs round all Your temples, bereave20 not all the world of old romance, take not the glamour21 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 antiquity22, and You shall have wrenched23 out hope from the dim future. There shall be no strange cries at night time half understood, nor songs in the twilight24, 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 enchantment25 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.
'Sing a lamentation26, 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.'
Then when our prayers were ended and our tears shed, we beheld27 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 deigned28 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 haven29 for our prayers. Smaller than men now seemed the figures that had loomed30 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 deigning31 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.
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 herded32 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 hurdles33 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.
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 azure34 windows They have set lights that lost prayers swarming35 upwards may come to them like moths36 and at last find haven and light far up above the evening and the stillness where sit the gods.
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.
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1
lame
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| adj.跛的，(辩解、论据等)无说服力的 | |
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2
dwarf
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| n.矮子，侏儒，矮小的动植物；vt.使…矮小 | |
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3
derided
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| v.取笑，嘲笑( deride的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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4
rim
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| n.(圆物的)边，轮缘；边界 | |
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5
crest
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| n.顶点；饰章；羽冠；vt.达到顶点；vi.形成浪尖 | |
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6
upwards
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| adv.向上，在更高处...以上 | |
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7
guardians
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| 监护人( guardian的名词复数 )； 保护者，维护者 | |
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8
heresy
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| n.异端邪说；异教 | |
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ivy
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| n.常青藤，常春藤 | |
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10
shrines
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| 圣地，圣坛，神圣场所( shrine的名词复数 ) | |
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11
spurned
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| v.一脚踢开，拒绝接受( spurn的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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12
squeal
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| v.发出长而尖的声音；n.长而尖的声音 | |
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13
lurks
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| n.潜在，潜伏；（lurk的复数形式）vi.潜伏，埋伏（lurk的第三人称单数形式） | |
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14
vex
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| vt.使烦恼，使苦恼 | |
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15
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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16
trampled
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| 踩( trample的过去式和过去分词 )； 践踏； 无视； 侵犯 | |
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17
downwards
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| adj./adv.向下的（地），下行的（地） | |
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18
heeded
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| v.听某人的劝告，听从( heed的过去式和过去分词 )；变平，使（某物）变平( flatten的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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19
hush
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| int.嘘，别出声；n.沉默，静寂；v.使安静 | |
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20
bereave
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| v.使痛失(亲人等)，剥夺，使丧失 | |
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21
glamour
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| n.魔力，魅力；vt.迷住 | |
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22
antiquity
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| n.古老；高龄；古物，古迹 | |
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23
wrenched
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| v.（猛力地）扭( wrench的过去式和过去分词 )；扭伤；使感到痛苦；使悲痛 | |
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24
twilight
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| n.暮光，黄昏；暮年，晚期，衰落时期 | |
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25
enchantment
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| n.迷惑，妖术，魅力 | |
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26
lamentation
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| n.悲叹，哀悼 | |
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27
beheld
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| v.看，注视( behold的过去式和过去分词 )；瞧；看呀；（叙述中用于引出某人意外的出现）哎哟 | |
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28
deigned
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| v.屈尊，俯就( deign的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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29
haven
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| n.安全的地方，避难所，庇护所 | |
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30
loomed
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| v.隐约出现，阴森地逼近( loom的过去式和过去分词 )；隐约出现，阴森地逼近 | |
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31
deigning
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| v.屈尊，俯就( deign的现在分词 ) | |
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32
herded
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| 群集，纠结( herd的过去式和过去分词 )； 放牧； （使）向…移动 | |
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33
hurdles
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| n.障碍( hurdle的名词复数 )；跳栏；（供人或马跳跃的）栏架；跨栏赛 | |
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34
azure
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| adj.天蓝色的，蔚蓝色的 | |
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35
swarming
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| 密集( swarm的现在分词 )； 云集； 成群地移动； 蜜蜂或其他飞行昆虫成群地飞来飞去 | |
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36
moths
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| n.蛾( moth的名词复数 ) | |
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