"Dunsany, Lord - A Tale Of London" - читать интересную книгу автора (Dunsany Lord)

A Tale of London

by Lord Dunsany




"Come," said the Sultan to his hasheesh-eater in the very
furthest lands that know Bagdad, "dream to me now of
London."
And the hasheesh-eater made a low obeisance and seated
himself cross-legged upon a purple cushion broidered with
golden poppies, on the floor, beside an ivory bowl where the
hasheesh was, and having eaten liberally of the hasheesh
blinked seven times and spoke thus:
"O Friend of God, know then that London is the desiderate
town even of all Earth's cities. Its houses are of ebony
and cedar which they roof with thin copper plates that the
hand of Time turns green. They have golden balconies in
which amethysts are where they sit and watch the sunset.
Musicians in the gloaming steal softly along the ways;
unheard their feet fall on the white sea-sand with which
those ways are strewn, and in the darkness suddenly they
play on dulcimers and instruments with strings. Then are
there murmurs in the balconies praising their skill, then
are there bracelets cast down to them for reward and golden
necklaces and even pearls.
"Indeed but the city is fair; there is by the sandy ways
a paving all alabaster, and the lanterns along it are of
chrysoprase, all night long they shine green, but of
amethyst are the lanterns of the balconies.
"As the musicians go along the ways dancers gather about
them and dance upon the alabaster pavings, for joy and not
for hire. Sometimes a window opens far up in an ebony
palace and a wreath is cast down to a dancer or orchids
showered upon them.
"Indeed of many cities have I dreamt but of none fairer,
through many marble metropolitan gates hasheesh has led me,
but London is its secret, the last gate of all; the ivory
bowl has nothing more to show. And indeed even now the imps
that crawl behind me and that will not let me be are
plucking me by the elbow and bidding my spirit return, for
well they know that I have seen too much. `No, not London,'
they say; and therefore I will speak of some other city, a
city of some less mysterious land, and anger not the imps
with forbidden things. I will speak of Persepolis or famous
Thebes."
A shade of annoyance crossed the Sultan's face, a look of
thunder that you had scarcely seen, but in those lands they