"Dunsany, Lord - Poltarnees, Beholder of Ocean" - читать интересную книгу автора (Dunsany Lord)

year out of our happy kingdoms more and more of our men, and
still we know not the mystery of the Sea, and no devised
oath has brought one man back. Now thy daughter, Arizim, is
lovelier than the sunlight, and lovelier than those stately
flowers of thine that stand so tall in her garden, and hath
more grace and beauty than those strange birds that the
venturous fowlers bring in creaking waggons out of Asagehon,
whose feathers are alternate purple and white. Now, he that
shall love thy daughter, Hilnaric, whoever he shall be, is
the man to climb Poltarnees and return, as none hath ever
before, and tell us upon what Poltarnees looks; for it may
be that thy daughter is more beautiful than the Sea."
Then from his Seat of Council arose the King of Arizim.
He said: "I fear that thou hast spoken blasphemy against the
Sea, and I have a dread that ill will come of it. Indeed I
had not thought she was so fair. It is such a short while
ago that she was quite a small child with her hair still
unkempt and not yet attired in the manner of princesses, and
she would go up into the wild woods unattended and come back
with her robes unseemly and all torn, and would not take
reproof with humble spirit, but made grimaces even in my
marble court all set about with fountains."
Then said the King of Toldees:
"Let us watch more closely and let us see the Princess
Hilnaric in the season of the orchard-bloom when the great
birds go by that know the Sea, to rest in our inland places;
and if she be more beautiful than the sunrise over our
folded kingdoms when all the orchards bloom, it may be that
she is more beautiful than the Sea."
And the King of Arizim said:
"I fear this is terrible blasphemy, yet I will do as you
have decided in council."
And the season of the orchard-bloom appeared. One night
the King of Arizim called his daughter forth on to his outer
balcony of marble. And the moon was rising huge and round
and holy over dark woods, and all the fountains were singing
to the night. And the moon touched the marble palace
gables, and they glowed in the land. And the moon touched
the heads of all the fountains, and the grey columns broke
into fairy lights. And the moon left the dark ways of the
forest and lit the whole white palace and its fountains and
shone on the forehead of the Princess, and the palace of
Arizim glowed afar, and the fountains became columns of
gleaming jewels and song. And the moon made a music at his
rising, but it fell a little short of mortal ears. And
Hilnaric stood there wondering, clad in white, with the
moonlight shining on her forehead; and watching her from the
shadows on the terrace stood the kings of Mondath and
Toldees. They said:
"She is more beautiful than the moonrise."