Time and the Gods Part 6

And he that travelled to the End hath told that when the thunder was heard upon the road there arose the sound of the voices of all the priests as far as he could hear, crying:

"Hearken to Shilo"--"Hear Mush"--"Lo! Kynash"--"The voice of Sho"--"Mynarthitep is angry"--"Hear the word of Slig!"

And far away along the road one cried to the traveller that Sheenath stirred in his sleep.

O King this is very doleful. It is told that that traveller came at last to the utter End and there was a mighty gulf, and in the darkness at the bottom of the gulf one small G.o.d crept, no bigger than a hare, whose voice came crying in the cold:

"I know not."

And beyond the gulf was nought, only the small G.o.d crying.

And he that travelled to the End fled backwards for a great distance till he came to temples again, and entering one where a priest cried:

"This is the End," lay down and rested on a couch. There Yush sat silent, carved with an emerald tongue and two great eyes of sapphire, and there many rested and were happy. And an old priest, coming from comforting a child, came over to that traveller who had seen the End and said to him:

"This is Yush and this is the End of wisdom."

And the traveller answered:

"Yush is very peaceful and this indeed the End."

"O King, wouldst thou hear more?"

And the King said:

"I would hear all."

And the master prophet answered:

"There was also another prophet and his name was Shaun, who had such reverence for the G.o.ds of Old that he became able to discern their forms by starlight as they strode, unseen by others, among men. Each night did Shaun discern the forms of the G.o.ds and every day he taught concerning them, till men in Averon knew how the G.o.ds appeared all grey against the mountains, and how Rhoog was higher than Mount Scagadon, and how Skun was smaller, and how Asgool leaned forward as he strode, and how Trodath peered about him with small eyes. But one night as Shaun watched the G.o.ds of Old by starlight, he faintly discerned some other G.o.ds that sat far up the slopes of the mountains in the stillness behind the G.o.ds of Old. And the next day he hurled his robe away that he wore as Averon's prophet and said to his people:

"There be G.o.ds greater than the G.o.ds of Old, three G.o.ds seen faintly on the hills by starlight looking on Averon."

And Shaun set out and travelled many days and many people followed him.

And every night he saw more clearly the shapes of the three new G.o.ds who sat silent when the G.o.ds of Old were striding among men. On the higher slopes of the mountain Shaun stopped with all his people, and there they built a city and worshipped the G.o.ds, whom only Shaun could see, seated above them on the mountain. And Shaun taught how the G.o.ds were like grey streaks of light seen before dawn, and how the G.o.d on the right pointed upward toward the sky, and how the G.o.d on the left pointed downward toward the ground, but the G.o.d in the middle slept.

And in the city Shaun's followers built three temples. The one on the right was a temple for the young, and the one on the left a temple for the old, and the third was a temple for the old, and the third was a temple with doors closed and barred--therein none ever entered. One night as Shaun watched before the three G.o.ds sitting like pale light against the mountain, he saw on the mountain's summit two G.o.ds that spake together and pointed, mocking the G.o.ds of the hill, only he heard no sound. The next day Shaun set out and a few followed him to climb to the mountain's summit in the cold, to find the G.o.ds who were so great that they mocked at the silent three. And near the two G.o.ds they halted and built for themselves huts. Also they built a temple wherein the Two were carved by the hand of Shaun with their heads turned towards each other, with mockery on Their faces and Their fingers pointing, and beneath Them were carved the three G.o.ds of the hill as actors making sport. None remembered now Asgool, Trodath, Skun, and Rhoog, the G.o.ds of Old.

For many years Shaun and his few followers lived in their huts upon the mountain's summit worshipping G.o.ds that mocked, and every night Shaun saw the two G.o.ds by starlight as they laughed to one another in the silence. And Shaun grew old.

One night as his eyes were turned towards the Two, he saw across the mountains in the distance a great G.o.d seated in the plain and looming enormous to the sky, who looked with angry eyes towards the Two as they sat and mocked. Then said Shaun to his people, the few that had followed him thither:

"Alas that we may not rest, but beyond us in the plain sitteth the one true G.o.d and he is wroth with mocking. Let us therefore leave these two that sit and mock and let us find the truth in the worship of that greater G.o.d, who even though he kill shall yet not mock us."

But the people answered:

"Thou hast taken from us many G.o.ds and taught us now to worship G.o.ds that mock, and if there is laughter on their faces as we die, lo! thou alone canst see it, and we would rest."

But three men who had grown old with following followed still.

And down the steep mountain on the further side Shaun led them, saying:

"Now we shall surely know."

And the three old men answered:

"We shall know indeed, O last of all the prophets."

That night the two G.o.ds mocking at their worshippers mocked not at Shaun nor his three followers, who coming to the plain still travelled on till they came at last to a place where the eyes of Shaun at night could closely see the vast form of their G.o.d. And beyond them as far as the sky there lay a marsh. There they rested, building such shelters as they could, and said to one another:

"This is the End, for Shaun discerneth that there are no more G.o.ds, and before us lieth the marsh and old age hath come upon us."

And since they could not labour to build a temple, Shaun carved upon a rock all that he saw by starlight of the great G.o.d of the plain; so that if ever others forsook the G.o.ds of Old because they saw beyond them the Greater Three, and should thence come to knowledge of the Twain that mocked, and should yet persevere in wisdom till they saw by starlight him whom Shaun named the Ultimate G.o.d, they should still find there upon the rock what one had written concerning the end of search.

For three years Shaun carved upon the rock, and rising one night from carving, saying:

"Now is my labour done," saw in the distance four greater G.o.ds beyond the Ultimate G.o.d. Proudly in the distance beyond the marsh these G.o.ds were tramping together, taking no heed of the G.o.d upon the plain. Then said Shaun to his three followers:

"Alas that we know not yet, for there be G.o.ds beyond the marsh."

None would follow Shaun, for they said that old age must end all quests, and that they would rather wait there in the plain for Death than that he should pursue them across the marsh.

Then Shaun said farewell to his followers, saying:

"You have followed me well since ever we forsook the G.o.ds of Old to worship greater G.o.ds. Farewell. It may be that your prayers at evening shall avail when you pray to the G.o.d of the plain, but I must go onward, for there be G.o.ds beyond."

So Shaun went down into the marsh, and for three days struggled through it, and on the third night saw the four G.o.ds not very far away, yet could not discern Their faces. All the next day Shaun toiled on to see Their faces by starlight, but ere the night came up or one star shone, at set of sun, Shaun fell down before the feet of his four G.o.ds. The stars came out, and the faces of the four shone bright and clear, but Shaun saw them not, for the labour of toiling and seeing was over for Shaun; and lo! They were Asgool, Trodath, Skun, and Rhoog--The G.o.ds of Old.

Then said the King:

"It is well that the sorrow of search cometh only to the wise, for the wise are very few."

Also the King said:

"Tell me this thing, O prophet. Who are the true G.o.ds?"

The master prophet answered:

"Let the King command."

THE MEN OF YARNITH

The men of Yarnith hold that nothing began until Yarni Zai uplifted his hand. Yarni Zai, they say, has the form of a man but is greater and is a thing of rock. When he uplifted his hand all the rocks that wandered beneath the Dome, by which name they call the sky, gathered together around Yarni Zai.

Of the other worlds they say nought, but hold that the stars are the eyes of all the other G.o.ds that look on Yarni Zai and laugh, for they are all greater than he, though they have gathered no worlds around them.