Dreams | Page 4

from the wing of Truth.
And it shall come to pass," said the old man, raising himself
prophetically and pointing with his finger to the sky, "it shall come to
pass, that when enough of those silver feathers shall have been gathered
by the hands of men, and shall have been woven into a cord, and the
cord into a net, that in that net Truth may be captured. Nothing but
Truth can hold Truth."
The hunter arose. "I will go," he said.
But wisdom detained him.
"Mark you well--who leaves these valleys never returns to them.
Though he should weep tears of blood seven days and nights upon the
confines, he can never put his foot across them. Left--they are left
forever. Upon the road which you would travel there is no reward
offered. Who goes, goes freely--for the great love that is in him. The
work is his reward."
"I go" said the hunter; "but upon the mountains, tell me, which path
shall I take?"

"I am the child of The-Accumulated-Knowledge-of-Ages," said the
man; "I can walk only where many men have trodden. On these
mountains few feet have passed; each man strikes out a path for himself.
He goes at his own peril: my voice he hears no more. I may follow after
him, but cannot go before him."
Then Knowledge vanished.
And the hunter turned. He went to his cage, and with his hands broke
down the bars, and the jagged iron tore his flesh. It is sometimes easier
to build than to break.
One by one he took his plumed birds and let them fly. But when he
came to his dark-plumed bird he held it, and looked into its beautiful
eyes, and the bird uttered its low, deep cry--"Immortality!"
And he said quickly: "I cannot part with it. It is not heavy; it eats no
food. I will hide it in my breast; I will take it with me." And he buried it
there and covered it over with his cloak.
But the thing he had hidden grew heavier, heavier, heavier--till it lay on
his breast like lead. He could not move with it. He could not leave
those valleys with it. Then again he took it out and looked at it.
"Oh, my beautiful! my heart's own!" he cried, "may I not keep you?"
He opened his hands sadly.
"Go!" he said. "It may happen that in Truth's song one note is like
yours; but I shall never hear it."
Sadly he opened his hand, and the bird flew from him forever.
Then from the shuttle of Imagination he took the thread of his wishes,
and threw it on the ground; and the empty shuttle he put into his breast,
for the thread was made in those valleys, but the shuttle came from an
unknown country. He turned to go, but now the people came about him,
howling.

"Fool, hound, demented lunatic!" they cried. "How dared you break
your cage and let the birds fly?'
The hunter spoke; but they would not hear him.
"Truth! who is she? Can you eat her? can you drink her? Who has ever
seen her? Your birds were real: all could hear them sing! Oh, fool! vile
reptile! atheist!" they cried, "you pollute the air."
"Come, let us take up stones and stone him," cried some.
"What affair is it of ours?" said others. "Let the idiot go," and went
away. But the rest gathered up stones and mud and threw at him. At last,
when he was bruised and cut, the hunter crept away into the woods.
And it was evening about him.
He wandered on and on, and the shade grew deeper. He was on the
borders now of the land where it is always night. Then he stepped into
it, and there was no light there. With his hands he groped; but each
branch as he touched it broke off, and the earth was covered with
cinders. At every step his foot sank in, and a fine cloud of impalpable
ashes flew up into his face; and it was dark. So he sat down upon a
stone and buried his face in his hands, to wait in the Land of Negation
and Denial till the light came.
And it was night in his heart also.
Then from the marshes to his right and left cold mists arose and closed
about him. A fine, imperceptible rain fell in the dark, and great drops
gathered on his hair and clothes. His heart beat slowly, and a numbness
crept through all his limbs. Then, looking up, two merry wisp lights
came dancing. He lifted his head to look at them. Nearer, nearer they
came. So warm, so bright, they danced like stars of fire. They stood
before him at