下载辰思小说免费APP
CHAPTERXLI
IAMSENT
ThenIturnedandsaidtoEve,"Mother,onecouchnexttoLonaisempty:IknowIamunworthy,butmayInotsleepthisnightinyourchamberwithmydead？Willyounotpardonbothmycowardiceandmyself—confidence,andtakemein？
Igivemeup。Iamsickofmyself,andwouldfainsleepthesleep！"
"ThecouchnexttoLonaistheonealreadypreparedforyou,"sheanswered;"butsomethingwaitstobedoneereyousleep。"
"Iamready,"Ireplied。
"Howdoyouknowyoucandoit？"sheaskedwithasmile。
"Becauseyourequireit,"Ianswered。"Whatisit？"
SheturnedtoAdam:
"Isheforgiven,husband？"
"Frommyheart。"
"Thentellhimwhathehastodo。"
Adamturnedtohisdaughter。
"Givemethathand,Mara,mychild。"
Shehelditouttohiminherlap。Hetookittenderly。
"Letusgotothecottage,"hesaidtome;"thereIwillinstructyou。"
Aswewent,againaroseasuddenstormfulblast,mingledwithagreatflappingontheroof,butitdiedawayasbeforeinadeepmoan。
Whenthedoorofthedeath—chamberwasclosedbehindus,Adamseatedhimself,andIstoodbeforehim。
"Youwillremember,"hesaid,"how,afterleavingmydaughter\'shouse,youcametoadryrock,bearingthemarksofanancientcataract;youclimbedthatrock,andfoundasandydesert:gotothatrocknow,andfromitssummitwalkdeepintothedesert。Butgonotmanystepsereyouliedown,andlistenwithyourheadonthesand。Ifyouhearthemurmurofwaterbeneath,goalittlefarther,andlistenagain。Ifyoustillhearthesound,youareintherightdirection。Everyfewyardsyoumuststop,liedown,andhearken。If,listeningthus,atanytimeyouhearnosoundofwater,youareoutoftheway,andmusthearkenineverydirectionuntilyouhearitagain。Keepingwiththesound,andcarefulnottoretraceyoursteps,youwillsoonhearitlouder,andthegrowingsoundwillleadyoutowhereitisloudest:thatisthespotyouseek。TheredigwiththespadeIwillgiveyou,anddiguntilyoucometomoisture:initlaythehand,coverittothelevelofthedesert,andcomehome。——Butgivegoodheed,andcarrythehandwithcare。Neverlayitdown,inwhatplaceofseemingsafetysoever;
letnothingtouchit;stopnorturnasideforanyattempttobaryourway;neverlookbehindyou;speaktonoone,answernoone,walkstraighton。——Itisyetdark,andthemorningisfardistant,butyoumustsetoutatonce。"
Hegavemethehand,andbroughtmeaspade。
"Thisismygardeningspade,"hesaid;"withitIhavebroughtmanyalovelythingtothesun。"
Itookit,andwentoutintothenight。
Itwasverycold,andpitch—dark。Tofallwouldbeadreadthing,andthewayIhadtogowasadifficultoneeveninthebroadsunlight！ButIhadnotsetmyselfthetask,andtheminuteI
startedIlearnedthatIwaslefttonochance:apalelightbrokefromthegroundateverystep,andshowedmewherenexttosetmyfoot。ThroughtheheatherandthelowrocksIwalkedwithoutonceevenstumbling。Ifoundthebadburrowquitestill;notawavearose,notaheadappearedasIcrossedit。
Amooncame,andherselfshowedmetheeasyway:towardmorningIwasalmostoverthedrychannelsofthefirstbranchoftheriver—bed,andnotfar,Ijudged,fromMara\'scottage。
Themoonwasverylow,andthesunnotyetup,whenIsawbeforemeinthepath,herenarrowedbyrocks,afigurecoveredfromheadtofootaswithaveilofmoonlitmist。IkeptonmywayasifIsawnothing。Thefigurethrewasideitsveil。
"Haveyouforgottenmealready？"saidtheprincess——orwhatseemedshe。
Ineitherhesitatednoranswered;Iwalkedstraighton。
"Youmeantthentoleavemeinthathorriblesepulchre！DoyounotyetunderstandthatwhereIpleasetobe,thereIam？Takemyhand:
Iamaliveasyou！"
Iwasonthepointofsaying,"Givemeyourlefthand,"butbethoughtmyself,heldmypeace,andsteadilyadvanced。
"Givememyhand,"shesuddenlyshrieked,"orIwilltearyouinpieces:youaremine！"
Sheflungherselfuponme。Ishuddered,butdidnotfalter。Nothingtouchedme,andIsawhernomore。
Withmeasuredtreadalongthepath,fillingitforsomedistance,cameabodyofarmedmen。Iwalkedthroughthem——norknowwhethertheygavewaytome,orwerebodilessthings。Buttheyturnedandfollowedme;Iheardandfelttheirmarchatmyveryheels;butI
castnolookbehind,andthesoundoftheirstepsandtheclashoftheirarmourdiedaway。
Alittlefartheron,themoonbeingnowclosetothehorizonandthewayindeepshadow,Idescried,seatedwherethepathwassonarrowthatIcouldnotpassher,awomanwithmuffledface。
"Ah,"shesaid,"youarecomeatlast！Ihavewaitedhereforyouanhourormore！Youhavedonewell！Yourtrialisover。Myfathersentmetomeetyouthatyoumighthavealittlerestontheway。
Givemeyourcharge,andlayyourheadinmylap;Iwilltakegoodcareofbothuntilthesuniswellrisen。Iamnotbitternessalways,neithertoallmen！"
Herwordswereterriblewithtemptation,forIwasveryweary。Andwhatmorelikelytobetrue！IfIwere,throughslavishobediencetotheletterofthecommandandlackofpureinsight,totrampleundermyfeettheverypersonoftheLadyofSorrow！Myheartgrewfaintatthethought,thenbeatasifitwouldburstmybosom。
Neverthelessmywillhardeneditselfagainstmyheart,andmystepdidnotfalter。ItookmytonguebetweenmyteethlestIshouldunawaresanswer,andkeptonmyway。IfAdamhadsenther,hecouldnotcomplainthatIwouldnotheedher！NorwouldtheLadyofSorrowlovemethelessthatevenshehadnotbeenabletoturnmeaside！
JustereIreachedthephantom,shepulledthecoveringfromherface:greatindeedwasherloveliness,butthosewerenotMara\'seyes！noliecouldtrulyorforlongimitatethem！Iadvancedasifthethingwerenotthere,andmyfootfoundemptyroom。
IhadalmostreachedtheothersidewhenaShadow——IthinkitwasTheShadow,barredmyway。Heseemedtohaveahelmetuponhishead,butasIdrewcloserIperceiveditwastheheaditselfIsaw——sodistortedastobearbutadoubtfulresemblancetothehuman。A
coldwindsmoteme,dankandsickening——repulsiveastheairofacharnel—house;firmnessforsookmyjoints,andmylimbstrembledasiftheywoulddropinahelplessheap。Iseemedtopassthroughhim,butIthinknowthathepassedthroughme:foramomentIwasasoneofthedamned。Thenasoftwindlikethefirstbreathofanew—bornspringgreetedme,andbeforemearosethedawn。
MywaynowledmepastthedoorofMara\'scottage。Itstoodwideopen,anduponthetableIsawaloafofbreadandapitcherofwater。Inoraroundthecottagewasneitherhowlnorwail。
Icametotheprecipicethattestifiedtothevanishedriver。I
climbeditswornface,andwentonintothedesert。Thereatlast,aftermuchlisteningtoandfro,Ideterminedthespotwherethehiddenwaterwasloudest,hungLilith\'shandaboutmyneck,andbegantodig。Itwasalonglabour,forIhadtomakealargeholebecauseoftheloosenessofthesand;butatlengthIthrewupadampspadeful。Iflungthesexton—toolontheverge,andlaiddownthehand。Alittlewaterwasalreadyoozingfromunderitsfingers。I
sprangout,andmadehastetofillthegrave。Then,utterlyfatigued,Idroppedbesideit,andfellasleep。
CHAPTERXLII
ISLEEPTHESLEEP
WhenIwoke,thegroundwasmoistaboutme,andmytracktothegravewasgrowingaquicksand。Initsancientcoursetheriverwasswelling,andhadbeguntoshoveatitsburden。Soonitwouldberoaringdowntheprecipice,and,dividedinitsfall,rushingwithonebranchtoresubmergetheorchardvalley,withtheothertodrownperhapsthemonsterhorde,andbetweenthemtoisletheEvilWood。
Isetoutatonceonmyreturntothosewhosentme。
WhenIcametotheprecipice,Itookmywaybetwixtthebranches,forIwouldpassagainbythecottageofMara,lestsheshouldhavereturned:IlongedtoseeheroncemoreereIwenttosleep;andnowIknewwheretocrossthechannels,eveniftherivershouldhaveovertakenmeandfilledthem。ButwhenIreachedit,thedoorstoodopenstill;thebreadandthewaterwerestillonthetable;
anddeepsilencewaswithinandaroundit。Istoppedandcalledaloudatthedoor,butnovoicereplied,andIwentmyway。
Alittlefarther,Icamewheresatagrayheadedmanonthesand,weeping。
"Whatailsyou,sir？"Iasked。"Areyouforsaken？"
"Iweep,"heanswered,"becausetheywillnotletmedie。Ihavebeentothehouseofdeath,anditsmistress,notwithstandingmyyears,refusesme。Intercedeforme,sir,ifyouknowher,Iprayyou。"
"Nay,sir,"Ireplied,"thatIcannot;forsherefusesnonewhomitislawfulforhertoreceive。"
"Howknowyouthisofher？Youhaveneversoughtdeath！youaremuchtooyoungtodesireit！"
"Ifearyourwordsmayindicatethat,wereyouyoungagain,neitherwouldyoudesireit。"
"Indeed,youngsir,Iwouldnot！andcertainIamthatyoucannot。"
"Imaynotbeoldenoughtodesiretodie,butIamyoungenoughtodesiretoliveindeed！ThereforeIgonowtolearnifshewillatlengthtakemein。Youwishtodiebecauseyoudonotcaretolive:
shewillnotopenherdoortoyou,fornoonecandiewhodoesnotlongtolive。"
"Itillbecomesyouryouthtomockafriendlessoldman。Pray,ceaseyourriddles！"
"DidnotthentheMothertellyousomethingofthesamesort？"
"IntruthIbelieveshedid;butIgavelittleheedtoherexcuses。"
"Ah,then,sir,"Irejoined,"itisbuttooplainyouhavenotyetlearnedtodie,andIamheartilygrievedforyou。SuchhadItoobeenbutfortheLadyofSorrow。Iamindeedyoung,butIhaveweptmanytears;pardonme,therefore,ifIpresumetooffercounsel:——GototheLadyofSorrow,and`takewithbothhands\'*whatshewillgiveyou。Yonderlieshercottage。Sheisnotinitnow,butherdoorstandsopen,andthereisbreadandwateronhertable。Goin;
sitdown;eatofthebread;drinkofthewater;andwaitthereuntilsheappear。Thenaskcounselofher,forsheistrue,andherwisdomisgreat。"
Hefelltoweepingafresh,andIlefthimweeping。WhatIsaid,I
fearhedidnotheed。ButMarawouldfindhim！
Thesunwasdown,andthemoonunrisen,whenIreachedtheabodeofthemonsters,butitwasstillasastonetillIpassedover。ThenIheardanoiseofmanywaters,andagreatcrybehindme,butI
didnotturnmyhead。
EreIreachedthehouseofdeath,thecoldwasbitterandthedarknessdense;andthecoldandthedarknesswereone,andenteredintomybonestogether。ButthecandleofEve,shiningfromthewindow,guidedme,andkeptbothfrostandmurkfrommyheart。
Thedoorstoodopen,andthecottagelayempty。Isatdowndisconsolate。
AndasIsat,theregrewinmesuchasenseoflonelinessasneveryetinmywanderingshadIfelt。Thousandswerenearme,notonewaswithme！True,itwasIwhowasdead,notthey;but,whetherbytheirlifeorbymydeath,weweredivided！Theywerealive,butIwasnotdeadenougheventoknowthemalive:doubtWOULDcome。
Theywere,atbest,farfromme,andhelpersIhadnonetolaymebesidethem！
NeverbeforehadIknown,ortrulyimagineddesolation！InvainI
tookmyselftotask,sayingthesolitudewasbutaseeming:Iwasawake,andtheyslept——thatwasall！itwasonlythattheylaysostillanddidnotspeak！theywerewithmenow,andsoon,soonI
shouldbewiththem！
IdroppedAdam\'soldspade,andthedullsoundofitsfallontheclayfloorseemedreverberatedfromthechamberbeyond:achildishterrorseizedme;Isatandstaredatthecoffin—door。——ButfatherAdam,motherEve,sisterMarawouldsooncometome,andthen——
welcomethecoldworldandthewhiteneighbours！Iforgotmyfears,livedalittle,andlovedmydead。
Somethingdidmoveinthechamberofthedead！TherecamefromitwhatwasLIKEadim,far—offsound,yetwasnotwhatIknewassound。
Mysoulsprangintomyears。Wasitamerethrillofthedeadair,tooslighttobeheard,butquiveringineveryspiritualsense？I
KNEWwithouthearing,withoutfeelingit！
Thesomethingwascoming！itdrewnearer！Inthebosomofmydesertionawokeaninfanthope。Thenoiselessthrillreachedthecoffin—door——becamesound,andsmoteonmyear。
Thedoorbegantomove——withalow,softcreakingofitshinges。Itwasopening！Iceasedtolisten,andstaredexpectant。
Itopenedalittleway,andafacecameintotheopening。ItwasLona\'s。Itseyeswereclosed,butthefaceitselfwasuponme,andseemedtoseeme。ItwaswhiteasEve\'s,whiteasMara\'s,butdidnotshineliketheirfaces。Shespoke,andhervoicewaslikeasleepynight—windinthegrass。
"Areyoucoming,king？"itsaid。"Icannotrestuntilyouarewithme,glidingdowntherivertothegreatsea,andthebeautifuldream—land。Thesleepinessisfulloflovelythings:comeandseethem。"
"Ah,mydarling！"Icried。"HadIbutknown！——Ithoughtyouweredead！"
Shelayonmybosom——coldasicefrozentomarble。Shethrewherarms,sowhite,feeblyaboutme,andsighed——
"Carrymebacktomybed,king。Iwanttosleep。"
Iborehertothedeath—chamber,holdinghertightlestsheshoulddissolveoutofmyarms。UnawarethatIsaw,Icarriedherstraighttohercouch。
"Laymedown,"shesaid,"andcovermefromthewarmair;ithurts——alittle。Yourbedisthere,nexttomine。IshallseeyouwhenI
wake。"
Shewasalreadyasleep。Ithrewmyselfonmycouch——blessedasneverwasmanontheeveofhiswedding。
"Come,sweetcold,"Isaid,"andstillmyheartspeedily。"
Buttherecameinsteadaglimmeroflightinthechamber,andIsawthefaceofAdamapproaching。Hehadnotthecandle,yetIsawhim。
AtthesideofLona\'scouch,helookeddownonherwithaquestioningsmile,andthengreetedmeacrossit。
"Wehavebeentothetopofthehilltohearthewatersontheirway,"hesaid。"Theywillbeinthedenofthemonstersto—night。——
Butwhydidyounotawaitourreturn？"
"Mychildcouldnotsleep,"Ianswered。
"Sheisfastasleep！"herejoined。
"Yes,now！"Isaid;"butshewasawakewhenIlaidherdown。"
"Shewasasleepallthetime！"heinsisted。"Shewasperhapsdreamingaboutyou——andcametoyou？"
"Shedid。"
"Anddidyounotseethathereyeswereclosed？"
"NowIthinkofit,Idid。"
"Ifyouhadlookedereyoulaidherdown,youwouldhaveseenherasleeponthecouch。"
"Thatwouldhavebeenterrible！"
"Youwouldonlyhavefoundthatshewasnolongerinyourarms。"
"Thatwouldhavebeenworse！"
"Itis,perhaps,tothinkof;buttoseeitwouldnothavetroubledyou。"
"Dearfather,"Isaid,"howisitthatIamnotsleepy？IthoughtIshouldgotosleepliketheLittleOnesthemomentIlaidmyheaddown！"
"Yourhourisnotquitecome。Youmusthavefoodereyousleep。"
"Ah,Ioughtnottohavelaindownwithoutyourleave,forIcannotsleepwithoutyourhelp！Iwillgetupatonce！"
ButIfoundmyownweightmorethanIcouldmove。
"Thereisnoneed:wewillserveyouhere,"heanswered。"——Youdonotfeelcold,doyou？"
"Nottoocoldtoliestill,butperhapstoocoldtoeat！"
Hecametothesideofmycouch,bentoverme,andbreathedonmyheart。AtonceIwaswarm。
Asheleftme,Iheardavoice,andknewitwastheMother\'s。Shewassinging,andhersongwassweetandsoftandlow,andIthoughtshesatbymybedinthedark;butereitceased,hersongsoaredaloft,andseemedtocomefromthethroatofawoman—angel,highabovealltheregionoflarks,higherthanmanhadeveryetlifteduphisheart。Iheardeverywordshesang,butcouldkeeponlythis:——
"Manyawrong,anditscuringsong;
Manyaroad,andmanyaninn;
Roomtoroam,butonlyonehomeForalltheworldtowin！"
andIthoughtIhadheardthesongbefore。
Thenthethreecametomycouchtogether,bringingmebreadandwine,andIsatuptopartakeofit。Adamstoodononesideofme,EveandMaraontheother。
"Youaregoodindeed,fatherAdam,motherEve,sisterMara,"Isaid,"toreceiveme！InmysoulIamashamedandsorry！"
"Weknewyouwouldcomeagain！"answeredEve。
"Howcouldyouknowit？"Ireturned。
"BecauseherewasI,borntolookaftermybrothersandsisters！"
answeredMarawithasmile。
"Everycreaturemustonenightyieldhimselfandliedown,"answeredAdam:"hewasmadeforliberty,andmustnotbeleftaslave！"
"Itwillbelate,Ifear,ereallhavelaindown！"Isaid。
"Thereisnoearlyorlatehere,"herejoined。"Forhimthetruetimethenfirstbeginswholayshimselfdown。Menarenotcominghomefast;womenarecomingfaster。Adesert,wideanddreary,partshimwholiesdowntodiefromhimwholiesdowntolive。Theformermaywellmakehaste,buthereisnohaste。"
"Tooureyes,"saidEve,"youwerecomingallthetime:weknewMarawouldfindyou,andyoumustcome！"
"Howlongisitsincemyfatherlaydown？"Iasked。
"Ihavetoldyouthatyearsareofnoconsequenceinthishouse,"
answeredAdam;"wedonotheedthem。Yourfatherwillwakewhenhismorningcomes。Yourmother,nexttowhomyouarelying,————"
"Ah,then,itISmymother！"Iexclaimed。
"Yes——shewiththewoundedhand,"heassented;"——shewillbeupandawaylongereyourmorningisripe。"
"Iamsorry。"
"Ratherbeglad。"
"ItmustbeasightforGodHimselftoseesuchawomancomeawake！"
"ItisindeedasightforGod,asightthatmakesherMakerglad！
HeseesofthetravailofHissoul,andissatisfied！——Lookatheroncemore,andsleep。"
Helettheraysofhiscandlefallonherbeautifulface。
"Shelooksmuchyounger！"Isaid。
"SheISmuchyounger,"hereplied。"EvenLilithalreadybeginstolookyounger！"
Ilaydown,blissfullydrowsy。
"Butwhenyouseeyourmotheragain,"hecontinued,"youwillnotatfirstknowher。Shewillgoonsteadilygrowingyoungeruntilshereachestheperfectionofherwomanhood——asplendourbeyondforesight。Thenshewillopenhereyes,beholdononesideherhusband,ontheotherherson——andriseandleavethemtogotoafatherandabrothermoretoherthanthey。"
Iheardasoneinadream。Iwasverycold,butalreadythecoldcausedmenosuffering。Ifeltthemputonmethewhitegarmentofthedead。ThenIforgoteverything。Thenightaboutmewaspalewithsleepingfaces,butIwasasleepalso,norknewthatIslept。
CHAPTERXLIII
THEDREAMSTHATCAME
Igrewawareofexistence,awarealsooftheprofound,theinfinitecold。Iwasintenselyblessed——moreblessed,Iknow,thanmyheart,imagining,cannowrecall。Icouldnotthinkofwarmthwiththeleastsuggestionofpleasure。IknewthatIhadenjoyedit,butcouldnotrememberhow。Thecoldhadsoothedeverycare,dissolvedeverypain,comfortedeverysorrow。COMFORTED？Nay;sorrowwasswallowedupinthelifedrawingnightorestoreeverygoodandlovelythingahundredfold！Ilayatpeace,fullofthequietestexpectation,breathingthedampodoursofEarth\'sbountifulbosom,awareofthesoulsofprimroses,daisiesandsnowdrops,patientlywaitinginitfortheSpring。
Howconveythedelightofthatfrozen,yetconscioussleep！Ihadnomoretostandup！hadonlytoliestretchedoutandstill！HowcoldIwas,wordscannottell;yetIgrewcolderandcolder——andwelcomedthecoldyetmoreandmore。Igrewcontinuouslylessconsciousofmyself,continuouslymoreconsciousofbliss,unimaginableyetfelt。Ihadneithermadeitnorprayedforit:itwasmineinvirtueofexistence！andexistencewasmineinvirtueofaWillthatdweltinmine。
Thenthedreamsbegantoarrive——andcamecrowding。——Ilaynakedonasnowypeak。Thewhitemistheavedbelowmelikeabillowysea。
Thecoldmoonwasintheairwithme,andabovethemoonandmethecoldersky,inwhichthemoonandIdwelt。IwasAdam,waitingforGodtobreatheintomynostrilsthebreathoflife。——IwasnotAdam,butachildinthebosomofamotherwhitewitharadiantwhiteness。Iwasayouthonawhitehorse,leapingfromcloudtocloudofablueheaven,hastingcalmlytosomeblessedgoal。ForcenturiesIdreamed——orwasitchiliads？oronlyonelongnight？——Butwhyask？fortimehadnothingtodowithme;Iwasinthelandofthought——fartherin,higherupthanthesevendimensions,thetensenses:IthinkIwaswhereIam——intheheartofGod。——Idreamedawaydimcyclesinthecentreofameltingglacier,thespectralmoondrawingnearerandnearer,thewindandthewelterofatorrentgrowinginmyears。Ilayandheardthem:thewindandthewaterandthemoonsangapeacefulwaitingforaredemptiondrawingnigh。
Idreamedcycles,Isay,but,foraughtIkneworcantell,theywerethesolemn,鎜nianmarchofasecond,pregnantwitheternity。
Then,ofasudden,butnotoncetroublingmyconsciousbliss,allthewrongsIhadeverdone,fromfarbeyondmyearthlymemorydowntothepresentmoment,werewithme。FullyineverywronglivedtheconsciousI,confessing,abjuring,lamentingthedead,makingatonementwitheachpersonIhadinjured,hurt,oroffended。EveryhumansoultowhichIhadcausedatroubledthought,wasnowgrownunspeakablydeartome,andIhumbledmyselfbeforeit,agonisingtocastfrombetweenustheclingingoffence。IweptatthefeetofthemotherwhosecommandsIhadslighted;withbittershameI
confessedtomyfatherthatIhadtoldhimtwolies,andlongforgottenthem:nowforlonghadrememberedthem,andkepttheminmemorytocrushatlastathisfeet。IwastheeagerslaveofallwhomIhadthusoranyhowwronged。CountlessservicesIdevisedtorenderthem！ForthisoneIwouldbuildsuchahouseashadnevergrownfromtheground！forthatoneIwouldtrainsuchhorsesashadneveryetbeenseeninanyworld！ForathirdIwouldmakesuchagardenashadneverbloomed,hauntedwithstillpools,andalivewithrunningwaters！Iwouldwritesongstomaketheirheartsswell,andtalestomakethemglow！Iwouldturntheforcesoftheworldintosuchchannelsofinventionastomakethemlaughwiththejoyofwonder！Lovepossessedme！Lovewasmylife！Lovewastome,astohimthatmademe,allinall！
SuddenlyIfoundmyselfinasolidblackness,uponwhichtheghostoflightthatdwellsinthecavernsoftheeyescouldnotcastonefanciedglimmer。Butmyheart,whichfearednothingandhopedinfinitely,wasfullofpeace。Ilayimaginingwhatthelightwouldbewhenitcame,andwhatnewcreationitwouldbringwithit——when,suddenly,withoutconsciousvolition,Isatupandstaredaboutme。
Themoonwaslookinginatthelowest,horizontal,crypt—likewindowsofthedeath—chamber,herlonglightslanting,Ithought,acrossthefallen,butstillripeningsheavesoftheharvestofthegreathusbandman。——Butno;thatharvestwasgone！Gatheredin,orsweptawaybychaoticstorm,notasacredsheafwasthere！Mydeadweregone！Iwasalone！——IndesolationdreadlaydepthsyetdeeperthanIhadhithertoknown！——Hadthereneverbeenanyripeningdead？HadIbutdreamedthemandtheirloveliness？Whythenthesewalls？whytheemptycouches？No;theywereallup！theywereallabroadintheneweternalday,andhadforgottenme！Theyhadleftmebehind,andalone！Tenfoldmoreterriblewasthetombitsinhabitantsaway！
Thequietoneshadmademequietwiththeirpresence——hadpervadedmymindwiththeirblissfulpeace;nowIhadnofriend,andmyloverswerefarfromme！AmomentIsatandstaredhorror—stricken。Ihadbeenalonewiththemoononamountaintopinthesky;nowIwasalonewithherinahugecenotaph:shetoowasstaringabout,seekingherdeadwithghastlygaze！Isprangtomyfeet,andstaggeredfromthefearfulplace。
Thecottagewasempty。Iranoutintothenight。
Nomoonwasthere！EvenasIleftthechamber,acloudyramparthadrisenandcoveredher。Butabroadshimmercamefromfarovertheheath,mingledwithaghostlymurmuringmusic,asifthemoonwererainingalightthatplashedasitfell。Iranstumblingacrossthemoor,andfoundalovelylake,marginedwithreedsandrushes:themoonbehindthecloudwasgazinguponthemonsters\'den,fullofclearest,brightestwater,andverystill。——Butthemusicalmurmurwenton,fillingthequietair,anddrawingmeafterit。
Iwalkedroundtheborderofthelittlemere,andclimbedtherangeofhills。Whatasightrosetomyeyes！Thewholeexpansewhere,withhot,achingfeet,Ihadcrossedandrecrossedthedeep—scoredchannelsandravinesofthedryriver—bed,wasalivewithstreams,withtorrents,withstillpools——"ariverdeepandwide"！Howthemoonflashedonthewater！howthewateransweredthemoonwithflashesofitsown——whiteflashesbreakingeverywherefromitsrock—encounteredflow！Andagreatjubilantsongarosefromitsbosom,thesongofnew—bornliberty。Istoodamomentgazing,andmyheartalsobegantoexult:mylifewasnotallafailure！Ihadhelpedtosetthisriverfree！——Mydeadwerenotlost！Ihadbuttogoafterandfindthem！IwouldfollowandfollowuntilIcamewhithertheyhadgone！Ourmeetingmightbethousandsofyearsaway,butatlast——ATLASTIshouldholdthem！Whereforeelsedidthefloodsclaptheirhands？
