"Dunsany, Lord - Fifty-one Tales" - читать интересную книгу автора (Dunsany Lord)

The Latest Thing




I saw an unclean-feeder by the banks of the river of Time.
He crouched by orchards numerous with apples in a happy land
of flowers; colossal barns stood near which the ancients had
stored with grain, and the sun was golden on serene far
hills behind the level lands. But his back was to all these
things. He crouched and watched the river. And whatever
the river chanced to send him down the unclean-feeder
clutched at greedily with his arms, wading out into the
water.
Now there were in those days, and indeed still are,
certain uncleanly cities upon the river of Time; and from
them fearfully nameless things came floating shapelessly
by. And whenever the odor of these came down the river
before them the unclean-feeder plunged into the dirty water
and stood far out, expectant. And if he opened his mouth
one saw these things on his lips.
Indeed from the upper reaches there came down sometimes
the fallen rhododendron's petal, sometimes a rose; but they
were useless to the unclean-feeder, and when he saw them he
growled.
A poet walked beside the river's bank; his head was
lifted and his look was afar; I think he saw the sea, and
the hills of Fate from which the river ran. I saw the
unclean-feeder standing voracious, up to his waist in that
evil-smelling river.
"Look," I said to the poet.
"The current will sweep him away," the poet said.
"But those cities that poison the river," I said to him.
He answered: "Whenever the centuries melt on the hills of
Fate the river terribly floods."













The Demagogue
and the Demi-monde