Time and the G.o.ds.

by Lord Dunsany [Edward J. M. D. Plunkett].

PREFACE

These tales are of the things that befell G.o.ds and men in Yarnith, Averon, and Zarkandhu, and in the other countries of my dreams.

PART I.

TIME AND THE G.o.dS

Once when the G.o.ds were young and only Their swarthy servant Time was without age, the G.o.ds lay sleeping by a broad river upon earth. There in a valley that from all the earth the G.o.ds had set apart for Their repose the G.o.ds 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 G.o.ds had dreamed it. All around, terrace by terrace, there went marble lawns well guarded by onyx lions and carved with effigies of all the G.o.ds 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 G.o.ds awoke and there stood Sardathrion. Not to common men have the G.o.ds given to walk Sardathrion's streets, and not to common eyes to see her fountains. Only to those to whom in lonely pa.s.ses in the night the G.o.ds have spoken, leaning through the stars, to those that have heard the voices of the G.o.ds 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 G.o.ds. For round the valley a great desert lies through which no common traveller may come, but those whom the G.o.ds 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 G.o.ds, till hidden in the desert's midst they find the valley at last and look with eyes upon Sardathrion.

In the desert beyond the valley grow a myriad thorns, and all pointing towards Sardathrion. So may many that the G.o.ds 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 G.o.ds 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 G.o.ds. 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 G.o.ds cool Their brows sometimes in the guise of men. None may ever hear the speech of the poets of that city, to whom the G.o.ds have spoken.

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.

Above the Twilight the G.o.ds 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 G.o.ds was to be done.

But often as they rested a moment from doing the work of the G.o.ds, 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."

Then the G.o.ds turned to do the work of the G.o.ds, 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 G.o.ds, yet he cast furtive glances at his masters, and the G.o.ds distrusted Time because he had known the worlds or ever the G.o.ds became.

One day when furtive Time had gone into the worlds to nimbly smite some city whereof the G.o.ds were weary, the G.o.ds above the twilight speaking to one another said:

"Surely we are the lords of Time and G.o.ds 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 G.o.ds were young, so are her streets to-day as a sign that we are the G.o.ds."

Suddenly the swart figure of Time stood up before the G.o.ds, with both hands dripping with blood and a red sword dangling idly from his fingers, and said:

"Sardathrion is gone! I have overthrown it!"

And the G.o.ds said:

"Sardathrion? Sardathrion, the marble city? Thou, thou hast overthrown it? Thou, the slave of the G.o.ds?"

And the oldest of the G.o.ds said:

"Sardathrion, Sardathrion, and is Sardathrion gone?"

And furtively Time looked him in the face and edged towards him fingering with his dripping fingers the hilt of his nimble sword.

Then the G.o.ds feared with a new fear that he that had overthrown Their city would one day slay the G.o.ds. And a new cry went wailing through the Twilight, the lament of the G.o.ds for Their dream city, crying:

"Tears may not bring again Sardathrion.

"But this the G.o.ds may do who have seen, and seen with unrelenting eyes, the sorrows of ten thousand worlds--thy G.o.ds may weep for thee.

"Tears may not bring again Sardathrion.

"Believe it not, Sardathrion, that ever thy G.o.ds sent this doom to thee; he that hath overthrown thee shall overthrow thy G.o.ds.

"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 G.o.ds, and thine onyx lions looming limb by limb from the dusk.

"How often have we sent our child the Dawn to play with thy fountain tops; how often hath Evening, loveliest of our G.o.ddesses, strayed long upon thy balconies.

"Let one fragment of thy marbles stand up above the dust for thine old G.o.ds to caress, as a man when all else is lost treasures one lock of the hair of his beloved.

"Sardathrion, the G.o.ds must kiss once more the place where thy streets were once.

"There were wonderful marbles in thy streets, Sardathrion."

"Sardathrion, Sardathrion, the G.o.ds weep for thee."

THE COMING OF THE SEA

Once there was no sea, and the G.o.ds went walking over the green plains of earth.

Upon an evening of the forgotten years the G.o.ds were seated on the hills, and all the little rivers of the world lay coiled at Their feet asleep, when Slid, the new G.o.d, striding through the stars, came suddenly upon earth lying in a corner of s.p.a.ce. 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 G.o.ds as They sat upon Their hilltops a new cry came crying over the green s.p.a.ces that lay below the hills, and the G.o.ds said:

"This is neither the cry of life nor yet the whisper of death. What is this new cry that the G.o.ds have never commanded, yet which comes to the ears of the G.o.ds?"

And the G.o.ds together shouting made the cry of the south, calling the south wind to them. And again the G.o.ds 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 G.o.ds.

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 s.p.a.ce Slid and the four winds struggled with one another till the strength of the winds was gone, and they limped back to the G.o.ds, their masters, and said:

"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 G.o.ds."

But Slid advanced and led his armies up the valley, and inch by inch and mile by mile he conquered the lands of the G.o.ds. Then from Their hills the G.o.ds sent down a great array of cliffs against 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 G.o.ds 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 h.o.a.rd 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 G.o.ds, 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.

Then the G.o.ds 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 G.o.ds.

Then the G.o.ds 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.