And the King said:
"Men have not written of this sea."
And the prophet answered:
"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 twilight4 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 inaccessible5 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 nought6 but a light, but the gods gave it.
"Led only by the light of this star the myriad7 prayers that thou shalt see all around thee fly to the Hall of the gods.
"Sighs shall waft8 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 drenched9 with tears flung over their rocks by the waves of the sea all driven by the sighs.
"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 eldest10 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 dangling11 from his fingers a dripping sword, and spattered with blood but empty shall stand the onyx chairs.
"There he sits on his master's throne dangling idly his sword, or with it flicking12 cruelly at the prayers of men that lie in a great heap bleeding at his feet.
"For a while, O King, the gods had sought to solve the riddles13 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."
Then the King spake dolefully in the Hall of Kings, and said:
"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 kindly14? 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 toiled15. 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 dominion16 still when at last I came to seek Them. O prophet, if this is not to be, make you a great dirge17 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 moth18 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 lament19 the day, or ever the great lights of heaven come blazing forth20 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 shudders21 at Their loss.
"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 scattering22 earthward out of both his hands the dust of forgetfulness over the fields of heroes and smitten23 Temples of the older gods."
But when the other prophets heard with what doleful words the King spake in the Hall they all cried out:
"It is not as Ulf has said but as I have said—and I."
Then the King pondered long, not speaking. But down in the city in a street between the houses stood grouped together they that were wont24 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:
"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 behold25 no more the wonder of the dance, and among ancient parchments, strange and wise, he shall forget the swirl26 of drapery when we swing together through the Dance of the Myriad Steps."
And with her were Silvern Fountain and Summer Lightning and Dream of the Sea, each lamenting27 that they should dance no more to please the eyes of the King.
And Intahn who had carried at the banquet for fifty years the goblet28 of the King set with its four sapphires30 each as large as an eye, said as he spread his hands towards the palace making the sign of farewell:
"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 cavern31 vaster than the Hall. Therein, curtained by the spider, repose32 the casks of wine that are wont to gladden the hearts of the Kings of Zarkandhu. In islands far to the eastward33 the vine, from whose heart this wine was long since wrung34, hath climbed aloft with many a clutching finger and beheld35 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 defenders36 were slain37 and her houses fired; and ever to the soul of that wine is added a more ardent38 fire as ever the years go by. Thither39 it was my pride to go before a banquet in the olden years, and coming up to bear in the sapphire29 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.
"And now the King seeks wisdom from his prophets while all the glory of the past and all the clattering40 splendour of today grows old, far down, forgotten beneath his feet."
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 herald41 unseen in the dark was speeding towards them.
After a long silence the King spake:
"Prophets of my Kingdom," he said, "you have not prophesied42 alike, and the words of each prophet condemn43 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 wondrous44 than prophecy."
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.
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.
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 maze45 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 ruby46 sea, and how it lay far off and under the south, guarded by jagged reefs whereon the sorrows of the world were wrecked47 and never came to the island. And how a low sunset always reddened the sea and lit the magic isle48 and never turned to night, and how someone sang always and endlessly to lure49 the soul of a King who might by enchantment50 pass the guarding reefs to find rest on the pearl island and not be troubled more, but only see sorrows on the outer reef battered51 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 doomed52 to fall to the earth again until at last….
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 chamber53, 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.
And the King said:
"Art thou, too, a prophet?"
And the figure answered:
"I am a prophet."
And the King said: "Knowest thou aught concerning the journey of the
King?" And the figure answered: "I know, but have never said."
And the King said: "Who art thou that knowest so much and has not told it?"
And he answered:
"I am The End."
Then the cloaked figure strode away from the palace; and the King, unseen by the guards, followed upon his journey.
THE END
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1
dedicated
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| adj.一心一意的；献身的；热诚的 | |
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2
rumour
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| n.谣言，谣传，传闻 | |
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3
mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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4
twilight
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| n.暮光，黄昏；暮年，晚期，衰落时期 | |
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5
inaccessible
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| adj.达不到的，难接近的 | |
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6
nought
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| n.／adj.无，零 | |
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7
myriad
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| adj.无数的；n.无数，极大数量 | |
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8
waft
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| v.飘浮，飘荡；n.一股；一阵微风；飘荡 | |
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9
drenched
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| adj.湿透的；充满的v.使湿透( drench的过去式和过去分词 )；在某人（某物）上大量使用（某液体） | |
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10
eldest
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| adj.最年长的，最年老的 | |
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11
dangling
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| 悬吊着( dangle的现在分词 )； 摆动不定； 用某事物诱惑…； 吊胃口 | |
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12
flicking
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| （尤指用手指或手快速地）轻击( flick的现在分词 )； （用…）轻挥； （快速地）按开关； 向…笑了一下（或瞥了一眼等） | |
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13
riddles
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| n.谜（语）( riddle的名词复数 )；猜不透的难题，难解之谜 | |
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14
kindly
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| adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地 | |
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15
toiled
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| 长时间或辛苦地工作( toil的过去式和过去分词 )； 艰难缓慢地移动，跋涉 | |
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16
dominion
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| n.统治，管辖，支配权；领土，版图 | |
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17
dirge
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| n.哀乐，挽歌，庄重悲哀的乐曲 | |
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18
moth
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| n.蛾，蛀虫 | |
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19
lament
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| n.悲叹，悔恨，恸哭；v.哀悼，悔恨，悲叹 | |
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20
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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21
shudders
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| n.颤动，打颤，战栗( shudder的名词复数 )v.战栗( shudder的第三人称单数 )；发抖；（机器、车辆等）突然震动；颤动 | |
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22
scattering
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| n.[物]散射；散乱，分散；在媒介质中的散播adj.散乱的；分散在不同范围的；广泛扩散的；（选票）数量分散的v.散射(scatter的ing形式)；散布；驱散 | |
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23
smitten
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| 猛打，重击，打击( smite的过去分词 ) | |
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24
wont
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| adj.习惯于；v.习惯；n.习惯 | |
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25
behold
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| v.看，注视，看到 | |
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26
swirl
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| v.(使)打漩，(使)涡卷；n.漩涡，螺旋形 | |
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27
lamenting
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| adj.悲伤的，悲哀的v.（为…）哀悼，痛哭，悲伤( lament的现在分词 ) | |
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28
goblet
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| n.高脚酒杯 | |
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29
sapphire
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| n.青玉，蓝宝石；adj.天蓝色的 | |
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30
sapphires
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| n.蓝宝石，钢玉宝石( sapphire的名词复数 )；蔚蓝色 | |
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31
cavern
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| n.洞穴，大山洞 | |
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32
repose
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| v.(使)休息；n.安息 | |
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33
eastward
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| adv.向东；adj.向东的；n.东方，东部 | |
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34
wrung
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| 绞( wring的过去式和过去分词 )； 握紧（尤指别人的手）； 把（湿衣服）拧干； 绞掉（水） | |
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35
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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36
defenders
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| n.防御者( defender的名词复数 )；守卫者；保护者；辩护者 | |
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37
slain
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| 杀死，宰杀，杀戮( slay的过去分词 )； (slay的过去分词) | |
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38
ardent
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| adj.热情的，热烈的，强烈的，烈性的 | |
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39
thither
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| adv.向那里；adj.在那边的，对岸的 | |
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40
clattering
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| 发出咔哒声（clatter的现在分词形式） | |
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41
herald
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| vt.预示...的来临，预告，宣布，欢迎 | |
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42
prophesied
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| v.预告，预言( prophesy的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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43
condemn
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| vt.谴责，指责；宣判(罪犯)，判刑 | |
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44
wondrous
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| adj.令人惊奇的，奇妙的；adv.惊人地；异乎寻常地；令人惊叹地 | |
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45
maze
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| n.迷宫，八阵图，混乱，迷惑 | |
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46
ruby
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| n.红宝石，红宝石色 | |
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47
wrecked
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| adj.失事的，遇难的 | |
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48
isle
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| n.小岛，岛 | |
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49
lure
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| n.吸引人的东西，诱惑物；vt.引诱，吸引 | |
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50
enchantment
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| n.迷惑，妖术，魅力 | |
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51
battered
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| adj.磨损的；v.连续猛击；磨损 | |
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52
doomed
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| 命定的 | |
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53
chamber
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| n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所 | |
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