large/803/time_and_gods_librivox_64kb_mp3/timeandthegods_16_dunsany_64kb_45
large/803/time_and_gods_librivox_64kb_mp3/timeandthegods_16_dunsany_64kb
English
803
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. THITHER IT IS 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 WATCH THE KING'S EYE FLASH AND HIS FACE GROW NOBLER AND MORE LIKE HIS SIRE'S AS HE DRANK THE GLEAMING WINE
its four sapphires 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 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. HE 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 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 ZARKANDU 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 TO 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
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