登陆注册
5381600000101

第101章

And as we went we became sensible of a wild and splendid exhilaration, of a glorious sense of such a fierce intensity of Life that the most buoyant moments of our strength seemed flat and tame and feeble beside it.It was the mere effluvium of the flame, the subtle ether that it cast off as it passed, working on us, and making us feel strong as giants and swift as eagles.We reached the head of the cave, and gazed at each other in the glorious glow, and laughed aloudeven Job laughed, and he had not laughed for a weekin the lightness of our hearts and the divine intoxication of our brains.I know that I felt as though all the varied genius of which the human intellect is capable had descended upon me.I could have spoken in blank verse of Shakespearian beauty, all sorts of great ideas flashed through my mind; it was as though the bonds of my flesh had been loosened, and left the spirit free to soar to the empyrean of its native power.The sensations that poured in upon me are indescribable.I seemed to live more keenly, to reach to a higher joy, and sip the goblet of a subtler thought than ever it had been my lot to do before.Iwas another and most glorified self, and all the avenues of the Possible were for a space laid open to the footsteps of the Real.Then, suddenly, while Irejoiced in this splendid vigor of a new-found self, from far, far away there came a dreadful muttering noise, that grew and grew to a crash and a roar, which combined in itself all that is terrible and yet splendid in the possibilities of sound.Nearer it came, and nearer yet, till it was close upon us, rolling down like all the thunder-wheels of heaven behind the horses of the lightning.On it came, and with it came the glorious blinding cloud of many-colored light, and stood before us for a space, turning, as it seemed to us, slowly round and round, and then, accompanied by its attendant pomp of sound, passed away I know not whither.

So astonishing was the wondrous sight that one and all of us, save _i_ She _i_ , who stood up and stretched her hands towards the fire, sank down before it, and hid our faces in the sand.

When it was gone, Ayesha spoke."Now, Kallikrates,"she said, "the mighty moment is at hand.When the great flame comes again thou must stand in it.First throw aside thy garments, for it will burn them, though thee it will not hurt.Thou must stand in the flame while thy senses will endure, and when it embraces thee suck the fire down into thy very heart, and let it leap and play around thy every part, so that thou lose no moiety of its virtue.Hearest thou me, Kallikrates?""I hear thee, Ayesha," answered Leo, "but, of a truthI am no cowardbut I doubt me of that raging flame.

How know I that it will not utterly destroy me, so that I lose myself and lose thee also? Nevertheless will I do it," he added.

Ayesha thought for a minute, and then said, "It is not wonderful that thou shouldst doubt.Tell me, Kallikrates, if thou seest me stand in the flame and come forth unharmed, wilt thou enter also?'

"Yes," he answered, "I will enter, even if it slay me.

I have said that I will enter now."

"And that will I also," I cried.

"What, my Holly!" she laughed aloud; "methought that thou wouldst naught of length of days.Why, how is this?""Nay, I know not," I answered, "but there is that in my heart that calleth to me to taste of the flame, and live.""It is well," she said."Thou art not altogether lost in folly.See now; I will for the second time bathe me in this living bath.Fain would I add to my beauty and my length of days if that be possible.If it be not possible, at the least it cannot harm me.

"Also," she continued, after a momentary pause, "is there another and a deeper cause why I would once again dip me in the flame.When first I tasted of its virtue full was my heart of passion and of hatred of that Egyptian Amenartas, and therefore, despite my strivings to be rid thereof, have passion and hatred been stamped upon my soul from that sad hour to this.

But now it is otherwise.Now is my mood a happy mood, and filled am I with the purest part of thought, and so would I ever be.Therefore, Kallikrates, will Ionce more wash and make me pure and clean, and yet more fit for thee.Therefore also, when thou dost in turn stand in the fire, empty all thy heart of evil, and let sweet contentment hold the balance of thy mind.Shake loose thy spirit's wings, and take thy stand upon the utter verge of holy contemplation; ay, dream upon thy mother's kiss, and turn thee towards the vision of the highest good that hath ever swept on silver wings across the silence of thy dreams.For from the germ of what thou art in that dread moment shall grow the fruit of what thou shalt be for all unreckoned time.

"Now prepare thee, prepare! even as though thy last hour were at hand, and thou wast about to cross to the land of shadows, and not through the gates of glory into the realms of Life made beautiful.Prepare, I say!"

同类推荐
  • 作邑自箴

    作邑自箴

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 周易禅解

    周易禅解

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • THE SECRET AGENT

    THE SECRET AGENT

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 海角遗编

    海角遗编

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 羯鼓录

    羯鼓录

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 诸法无诤三昧法门

    诸法无诤三昧法门

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 江楼晚眺,景物鲜奇

    江楼晚眺,景物鲜奇

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 布景集

    布景集

    “这个世界小得就像一个街的布景。”在这巨大的虚假的存在里,我们无需理解自己是谁,我们是剧情需要的楚门。《布景集》是黄立宇近年创作的散文作品集,收录其创作的散文作品四十余篇,共分八个部分,从不同时间不同角度叙述所见所思,描绘沉浮往事。
  • 中国年度优秀散文诗·2017卷

    中国年度优秀散文诗·2017卷

    本书是新华社关于十九大的新闻报道精选集,是一本客观、全面、权威的新闻报道集,所有文章均已公开发表,作者全部为新华社记者。全书共分为六篇,分别是“第一篇不忘初心牢记使命”“第二篇高举旗帜共铸辉煌”“第三篇凝聚力量共绘蓝图”“第四篇团结务实谱写新曲” “第五篇砥砺奋进成就辉煌”“第六篇盛世盛会全球聚焦”。全书体例完备,观点准确,内容权威,可以作为广大干部群众了解十九大的参考读物。
  • 真人不露相

    真人不露相

    顾裳一直想不通为何每次骂陆家人他就不悦,尤其在骂前未婚夫陆三时他脸色更为难看,某一日她突然悟了。顾裳:“我终于想通为何陆三不惜以卑鄙手段也要达到退亲目的了。”某男:“难道不是你一直认为的他想娶高门女?”顾裳:“非也,与他郎情妹意、爱到听不得别人说对方半点不是的人其实是你。”总结:其实就是一对解了婚约的前未婚夫妻路上遇到,结果因互不认识而导致糗事百出的欢喜冤家的故事。
  • 大药叉女欢喜母并爱子成就法

    大药叉女欢喜母并爱子成就法

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 南水北往

    南水北往

    韩燕玲慢慢走到那块写着韩家洲三个大字的青石头旁,回望渐渐明亮起来的九里坪移民新村,以及新村后面那些起起伏伏的山峦。韩燕玲觉得,九里坪其实也很美,跟故乡韩家洲一样既有壮美也有秀美。仅从道路交通的方便而言,这里不失为一块风水宝地。如果不是这次奶奶不见了,我会这样用全部心思看待九里坪吗?莫非奶奶是要我回来,找她的同时,也找一找迷失的人心,包括我自己这颗迷失的心?
  • 石城山志

    石城山志

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 亲爱的自己,亲爱的你

    亲爱的自己,亲爱的你

    毛线知道,找个人结婚很容易,可是找个彼此相爱的人共度一生很难。在遇到杜云之前,她经历了7次恋爱,还有一次骗婚下的闪婚闪离,身心俱疲,万念成空。直到遇见了杜云,她以为这次终于找到了对的人,可以修成正果,然而,现实的残酷接踵而来,第一次见家长,杜云妈妈出手来了一招下马威,将毛线的那一点心动之火彻底浇灭,就算不舍,也毅然决定放手。可面对杜云一次又一次的温柔以对,毛线陷入了两难之间。杜母的阻挠,前女友的挑衅,家庭的变故,女学生的嫉妒,闺蜜的误会……毛线用一个新时代大龄剩女的坚忍不拔,将所有的困难一一化解,同时也清楚的知道了自己最终想要的是什么。当繁华落尽,原来,你在这里,原来,你从未离去。
  • 那天,九个孩子不见了

    那天,九个孩子不见了

    在一个晴朗的冬日午后,克莱顿镇的九名孩子连同他们的校车司机都失踪了。这些孩子每天都要乘校车前往湖景镇的地区学校,他们就像是人间蒸发了一样。其实,克莱顿镇上那些心烦意乱的人在事件发生后都这么猜想,一时想不通的也觉得这种说法有道理。当然,九个孩子、一个大人、一辆车特别是校车的失踪跟什么外太空、超自然的现象没什么关系,这是别有用心之人的“杰作”。