"Lord Dunsany - Time And The Gods" - читать интересную книгу автора (Dunsany Lord)

wind to Them; and thus They gathered to Them all Their winds
and sent these four down into the low plains to find what
thing it was that called with the new cry, and to drive it
away from the gods.
Then all the winds harnessed up their clouds and drave
forth till they came to the great green valley that divides
the south in twain, and there found Slid with all his waves
about him. Then for a space Slid and the four winds
struggled with one another till the strength of the winds
was gone, and they limped back to the gods, their masters,
and said:
"We have met this new thing that has come upon the earth
and have striven against its armies, but could not drive
them forth; and the new thing is beautiful but very angry,
and is creeping towards the gods."
But Slid advanced and led his armies up the valley, and
inch by inch and mile by mile he conquered the lands of the
gods. Then from Their hills the gods sent down a great
array of cliffs against hard, red rocks, and bade them march
against Slid. And the cliffs marched down till they came
and stood before Slid and leaned their heads forward and
frowned and stood staunch to guard the lands of the gods
against the might of the sea, shutting Slid off from the
world. Then Slid sent some of his smaller waves to search
out what stood against him, and the cliffs shattered them.
But Slid went back and gathered together a hoard of his
greatest waves and hurled them against the cliffs, and the
cliffs shattered them. And again Slid called up out of his
deep a mighty array of waves and sent them roaring against
the guardians of the gods, and the red rocks frowned and
smote them. And once again Slid gathered his greater waves
and hurled them against the cliffs; and when the waves were
scattered like those before them the feet of the cliffs were
no longer standing firm, and their faces were scarred and
battered. Then into every cleft that stood in the rocks
Slid sent his hugest wave and others followed behind it, and
Slid himself seized hold of huge rocks with his claws and
tore them down and stamped them under his feet. And when
the tumult was over the sea had won, and over the broken
remnants of those red cliffs the armies of Slid marched on
and up the long green valley.
Then the gods heard Slid exulting far away and singing
songs of triumph over Their battered cliffs, and ever the
tramp of his armies sounded nearer and nearer in the
listening ears of the gods.
Then the gods called to Their downlands to save Their
world from Slid, and the downlands gathered themselves and
marched away, a great white line of gleaming cliffs, and
halted before Slid. Then Slid advanced no more and lulled
his legions, and while his waves were low he softly crooned