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

A Tale ofLondon

byLordDunsany



"Come," said the Sultan to hishasheesh -eater in the very
furthestlands that knowBagdad , "dream to me now of
London."
And thehasheesh -eater made a low obeisance and seated
himselfcross-legged upon a purple cushion broidered with
goldenpoppies, on the floor, beside an ivory bowl where the
hasheeshwas, and having eaten liberally of thehasheesh
blinkedseven times and spoke thus:
"O Friend of God, know then thatLondon is the desiderate
town even of all Earth's cities. Its houses are of ebony
andcedar which they roof with thin copper plates that the
hand of Time turns green. They have golden balconies in
whichamethysts are where they sit and watch the sunset.
Musicians in the gloaming steal softly along the ways;
unheardtheir feet fall on the white sea-sand with which
thoseways are strewn, and in the darkness suddenly they
play on dulcimers and instruments with strings. Then are
theremurmurs in the balconies praising their skill, then
arethere bracelets cast down to them for reward and golden
necklacesand even pearls.
"Indeed but the city is fair; there is by the sandy ways
apaving all alabaster, and the lanterns along it are of
chrysoprase, all night long they shine green, but of
amethystare the lanterns of the balconies.
"As the musicians go along the ways dancers gather about
themand dance upon the alabasterpavings , for joy and not
for hire. Sometimes a window opens far up inan ebony
palaceand a wreath is cast down to a dancer or orchids
showeredupon them.
"Indeed of many cities have I dreamt but of none fairer,
throughmany marble metropolitan gateshasheesh has led me,
butLondonis its secret, the last gate of all; the ivory
bowl has nothing more to show. And indeed even now the imps
thatcrawl behind me and that will not let me be are
pluckingme by the elbow and bidding my spirit return, for
well they know that I have seen too much. `No, notLondon ,'
theysay; and therefore I will speak of some other city, a
cityof some less mysterious land, and anger not the imps
with forbidden things. I will speak ofPersepolis or famous
Thebes."
A shade of annoyance crossed the Sultan's face, a look of
thunderthat you had scarcely seen, but in those lands they
watchedhis visage well, and though his spirit was wandering
faraway and his eyes were bleared withhasheesh yet that