"Lord Dunsany - Poltarnees, Beholder Of Ocean (2)" - читать интересную книгу автора (Dunsany Lord)

yearout of our happy kingdoms more and more of our men, and
stillwe know not the mystery of the Sea, and no devised
oath has brought one man back. Now thy daughter,Arizim , is
lovelierthan the sunlight, and lovelier than those stately
flowersofthine that stand so tall in her garden, and hath
moregrace and beauty than those strange birds that the
venturousfowlers bring in creakingwaggons out ofAsagehon ,
whose feathers are alternate purple and white. Now, he that
shalllove thy daughter,Hilnaric , whoever he shall be, is
theman to climbPoltarnees and return, as none hath ever
before, and tell us upon whatPoltarnees looks; for it may
bethat thy daughter is more beautiful than the Sea."
Then from his Seat of Council arose the King ofArizim .
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
agothat she was quite a small child with her hair still
unkemptand not yet attired in the manner of princesses, and
shewould go up into the wild woods unattended and come back
withher robes unseemly and all torn, and would not take
reproofwith humble spirit, but made grimaces even in my
marblecourt all set about with fountains."
Then said the King ofToldees :
"Let us watch more closely and let us see the Princess
Hilnaricin the season of the orchard-bloom when the great
birdsgo by that know the Sea, to rest in our inland places;
andif she be more beautiful than the sunrise over our
foldedkingdoms when all the orchards bloom, it may be that
sheis more beautiful than the Sea."
And the King ofArizim said:
"I fear this is terrible blasphemy, yet I will do as you
havedecided in council."
And the season of the orchard-bloom appeared. One night
theKing ofArizim called his daughter forth on to his outer
balcony of marble. And the moon was rising huge and round
andholy 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
theheads of all the fountains, and the grey columns broke
into fairy lights. And the moon left the dark ways of the
forestand lit the whole white palace and its fountains and
shoneon the forehead of the Princess, and the palace of
Arizimglowed afar, and the fountains became columns of
gleaming jewels and song. And the moon madea music at his
rising, but it fell a little short of mortal ears. And
Hilnaricstood there wondering, clad in white, with the
moonlightshining on her forehead; and watching her from the
shadowson the terrace stood the kings ofMondath and
Toldees. They said:
"She is more beautiful than the moonrise."