"Stephen Lawhead - Byzantium" - читать интересную книгу автора (Lawhead Stephen)

PART ONE




God be with thee on every' hill, Jesu be with thee in every pass,


Spirit be with thee on every stream, Headland, ridge, and field; Each


sea an) land, each moor and meadow Each lying down, each rising up, In


wave trough, on billow crest, Each step of the journey thou goest.




1




I sawByzantiumin a dream, and knew that I would die there. That vast


City seemed to me a living thing: a great golden lion, or a crested


serpent coiled upon a rock, beautiful and deadly. With trembling steps


I walked alone to embrace the beast, fear turning my bones to water. I


heard no sound save the beating of my own heart and the slow, hissing


breath of the creature. As I drew near, the half-lidded eye opened,


and the beast awoke. The fearful head rose; the mouth gaped open. A


sound like the howl of wind across a winter sky tore the heavens and
shook the earth, and a blast of foul breath struck me, withering the


very flesh.