A Dreamers Tales | Page 3

would move restlessly for some hours, and at
last would rise suddenly, irresistibly up, setting his face to Poltarnees,
and would say, as is the custom of those lands when men part briefly,
"Till a man's heart remembereth," which means "Farewell for a while";
but those that loved him, seeing his eyes on Poltarnees, would answer
sadly, "Till the gods forget," which means "Farewell."
Now the king of Arizim had a daughter who played with the wild wood
flowers, and with the fountains in her father's court, and with the little

blue heaven-birds that came to her doorway in the winter to shelter
from the snow. And she was more beautiful than the wild wood flowers,
or than all the fountains in her father's court, or than the blue
heaven-birds in their full winter plumage when they shelter from the
snow. The old wise kings of Mondath and of Toldees saw her once as
she went lightly down the little paths of her garden, and turning their
gaze into the mists of thought, pondered the destiny of their Inner
Lands. And they watched her closely by the stately flowers, and
standing alone in the sunlight, and passing and repassing the strutting
purple birds that the king's fowlers had brought from Asagéhon. When
she was of the age of fifteen years the King of Mondath called a
council of kings. And there met with him the kings of Toldees and
Arizim. And the King of Mondath in his Council said:
"The call of the unappeased and hungry Sea (and at the word 'Sea' the
three kings bowed their heads) lures every year out of our happy
kingdoms more and more of our men, and still we know not the
mystery of the Sea, and no devised oath has brought one man back.
Now thy daughter, Arizim, is lovelier than the sunlight, and lovelier
than those stately flowers of thine that stand so tall in her garden, and
hath more grace and beauty than those strange birds that the venturous
fowlers bring in creaking wagons out of Asagéhon, whose feathers are
alternate purple and white. Now, he that shall love thy daughter,
Hilnaric, whoever he shall be, is the man to climb Poltarnees and return,
as none hath ever before, and tell us upon what Poltarnees looks; for it
may be that they daughter is more beautiful than the Sea."
Then from his Seat of Council arose the King of Arizim. 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 ago that she was quite a small child with her hair
still unkempt and not yet attired in the manner of princesses, and she
would go up into the wild woods unattended and come back with her
robes unseemly and all torn, and would not take reproof with a humble
spirit, but made grimaces even in my marble court all set about with
fountains."
Then said the King of Toldees:
"Let us watch more closely and let us see the Princess Hilnaric in the
season of the orchard-bloom when the great birds go by that know the

Sea, to rest in our inland places; and if she be more beautiful than the
sunrise over our folded kingdoms when all the orchards bloom, it may
be that she is more beautiful than the Sea."
And the King of Arizim said:
"I fear this is terrible blasphemy, yet will I do as you have decided in
council."
And the season of the orchard-bloom appeared. One night the King of
Arizim called his daughter forth on his outer balcony of marble. And
the moon was rising huge and round and holy 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 the heads of all the fountains, and the grey columns broke into
fairy lights. And the moon left the dark ways of the forest and lit the
whole white palace and its fountains and shone on the forehead of the
Princess, and the palace of Arizim glowed afar, and the fountains
became columns of gleaming jewels and song. And the moon made a
music at its rising, but it fell a little short of mortal ears. And Hilnaric
stood there wondering, clad in white, with the moonlight shining on her
forehead; and watching her from the shadows on the terrace stood the
kings of Mondath and Toldees. They said.
"She is more beautiful than the moonrise." And the season of the
orchard-bloom appeared. One night the King of Arizim called his
daughter forth on his outer balcony