The Twilight of the Gods, and Other Tales | Page 9

thunderbolt. Apollo
spoke handsomely of Homer, yet evidently esteemed the Iliad and
Odyssey but lightly in comparison with the blind bard's hymn to
himself. Ceres candidly admitted that her mind was a complete blank
on the subject of the Eleusinian mysteries. Aphrodite's dress was
admirable for summer, but in winter seemed obstinate conservatism;
and why should Pallas make herself a fright with her Gorgon helmet,
now that it no longer frightened anybody? Where Elenko would fain
have adored she found herself tolerating, excusing, condescending.
How many Elenkos are even now tenderly nursing ancient creeds,
whose main virtue is the virtue of their professors!
One autumn night all the principal gods were assembled under
Prometheus's roof, doing justice to the figs and mulberries, and wine
cooled with Taygetan snow. The guests were more than usually
despondent. Prometheus was moody and abstracted, his breast seemed
labouring with thought. "So looked my Pythoness," whispered Apollo
to his neighbour, "when about to deliver an oracle."
And the oracle came--in lyric verse, not to infringe any patent of
Apollo's--
When o'er the towers of Constantine An Orient Moon begins to shine,
Waning nor waxing aught, and bright In daytide as in deep of night:

Then, though the fane be brought To wreck, the God shall find,
Enthroned in human thought, A temple in the mind.
"And what becomes of us while this prodigious moonshine is
concocting?" demanded Zeus, who had become the most sceptical of
any of the gods.
"Go to Elysium," suggested Prometheus.
"There's an idea!" cried Zeus and Pallas together.
"To Elysium! to Elysium!" exclaimed the other gods, and all rose
tumultuously, saving two.
"I go not," said Eros, "for where Love is, there is Elysium. And yonder
rising moon tells me that my hour is come." And he flitted forth.
"Neither go I," said an old blind god, "for where Plutus is, Elysium is
not. Moreover, mankind would follow after me. But I too must away.
Strange that I should have abode so long under the roof of a pair of
perfect virtue." And he tottered out.
But the other gods swept forth into the moonlight, and were seen no
more. And Prometheus picked up the forsaken sandals of Hermes, and
bound them on his own feet, and grasped Elenko, and they rose up by a
dizzy flight to empty heaven. All was silent in those immense courts,
vacant of everything save here and there some rusty thunderbolt or
mouldering crumb of ambrosia. Above, around, below, beyond sight,
beyond thought, stretched the still deeps of aether, blazing with
innumerable worlds. Eye could rove nowhither without beholding a star,
nor could star be beheld from which the Gods' hall, with all its vastness,
would not have been utterly invisible. Elenko leaned over the
battlements, and watched the racing meteors. Prometheus stood by her,
and pointed out in the immeasurable distance the little speck of shining
dust from which they had flown.
"There? or here?" he asked.

"There!" said Elenko.

THE POTION OF LAO-TSZE
And there the body lay, age after age, Mute, breathing, beating, warm,
and undecaying, Like one asleep in a green hermitage, With gentle
sleep about its eyelids playing, And living in its dreams beyond the
rage Of death or life; while they were still arraying In liveries ever new
the rapid, blind, And fleeting generations of mankind.
In the days of the Tang dynasty China was long happy under the
sceptre of a good Emperor, named Sin-Woo. He had overcome the
enemies of the land, confirmed the friendship of its allies, augmented
the wealth of the rich, and mitigated the wretchedness of the poor. But
most especially was he admired and beloved for his persecution of the
impious sect of Lao-tsze, which he had well-nigh exterminated.
It was but natural that such an Emperor should congratulate himself
upon his goodness and worth; yet, as no human bliss is perfect, sorrow
could not fail to enter his mind.
"It is grievous to reflect," said he to his courtiers, "that if, as ye all
affirm, there hath not been any Emperor of equal merit with myself
before my time, neither will any such arise after me, my subjects must
inevitably be sufferers by my death."
To which the courtiers unanimously responded, "O Emperor, live for
ever!"
"Happy thought!" exclaimed the Emperor; "but wherewithal shall it be
executed?"
The Prime Minister looked at the Chancellor, the Chancellor looked at
the Treasurer, the Treasurer looked at the Chamberlain, the
Chamberlain looked at the Principal Bonze, the Principal Bonze looked
at the Second Bonze, who, to his great surprise, looked at him in return.

"When the turn comes to me," murmured the inferior functionary, "I
would say somewhat."
"Speak!" commanded the Emperor.
"O Uncle of the stars," said the Bonze, "there are those in your
Majesty's dominions