The Gods of Pegana | Page 7

Go!"
Roon met the Worlds all in the morning of Things, before there was
light upon Pegana, and Roon danced before them in the Void, since
when they are never still, Roon sendeth all streams to the Sea, and all
the rivers to the soul of Slid.
Roon maketh the sign of Roon before the waters, and lo! they have left
the hills; and Roon hath spoken in the ear of the North Wind that he
may be still no more.
The footfall of Roon hath been heard at evening outside the houses of
men, and thenceforth comfort and abiding know them no more. Before
them stretcheth travel over all the lands, long miles, and never resting
between their homes and their graves--and all at the bidding of Roon.
The Mountains have set no limit against Roon nor all the seas a
boundary.
Whither Roon hath desired there must Roon's people go, and the worlds
and their streams and the winds.
I heard the whisper of Roon at evening, saying: "There are islands of
spices to the South," and the voice of Roon saying: "Go."
And Roon said: "There are a thousand home gods, the little gods that sit
before the hearth and mind the fire--there is one Roon."
Roon saith in a whisper, in a whisper when none heareth, when the sun
is low: "What doeth MANA-YOOD-SUSHAI?" Roon is no god that
thou mayest worship by thy hearth, nor will he be benignant to thy
home.
Offer to Roon thy toiling and thy speed, whose incense is the smoke of
the camp fire to the South, whose song is the sound of going, whose
temples stand beyond the farthest hills in his lands behind the East.
Yarinareth, Yarinareth, Yarinareth, which signifieth Beyond--these
words be carved in letters of gold upon the arch of the great portal of
the Temple of Roon that men have builded looking towards the East
upon the Sea, where Roon is carved as a giant trumpeter, with his
trumpet pointing towards the East beyond the Seas.
Whoso heareth his voice, the voice of Roon at evening, he at once

forsaketh the home gods that sit beside the hearth. These be the gods of
the hearth: Pitsu, who stroketh the cat; Hobith who calms the dog; and
Habaniah, the lord of glowing embers; and little Zumbiboo, the lord of
dust; and old Gribaun, who sits in the heart of the fire to turn the wood
to ash--all these be home gods, and live not in Pegana and be lesser
than Roon.
There is also Kilooloogung, the lord of arising smoke, who taketh the
smoke from the hearth and sendeth it to the sky, who is pleased if it
reacheth Pegana, so that the gods of Pegana, speaking to the gods, say:
"There is Kilooloogung doing the work on earth of Kilooloogung."
All these are gods so small that they be lesser than men, but pleasant
gods to have beside the hearth; and often men have prayed to
Kilooloogung, saying: "Thou whose smoke ascendeth to Pegana send
up with it our prayers, that the gods may hear." And Kilooloogung,
who is pleased that men should pray, stretches himself up all grey and
lean, with his arms above his head, and sendeth his servant the smoke
to seek Pegana, that the gods of Pegana may know that the people pray.
And Jabim is the Lord of broken things, who sitteth behind the house to
lament the things that are cast away. And there he sitteth lamenting the
broken things until the worlds be ended, or until someone cometh to
mend the broken things. Or sometimes he sitteth by the river's edge to
lament the forgotten things that drift upon it.
A kindly god is Jabim, whose heart is sore if anything be lost.
There is also Triboogie, the Lord of Dusk, whose children are the
shadows, who sitteth in a corner far off from Habaniah and speaketh to
none. But after Habaniah hath gone to sleep and old Gribaun hath
blinked a hundred times, until he forgetteth which be wood or ash, then
doth Triboogie send his children to run about the room and dance upon
the walls, but never disturb the silence.
But when there is light again upon the worlds, and dawn comes
dancing down the highway from Pegana, then does Triboogie retire
into his corner, with his children all around him, as though they had
never danced about the room. And the slaves of Habaniah and old
Gribaun come and awake them from their sleep upon the hearth, and
Pitsu strokes the cat, and Hobith calms the dog, and Kilooloogung
stretches aloft his arms towards Pegana, and Triboogie is very still, and
his children asleep.

And when it is dark, all in the hour of Triboogie, Hish