A House of Pomegranates by Oscar Wilde (free ebook novel .txt) 📖

sunset he set his face towards home,

weeping bitterly, for he knew what fate was in store for him.

 

But when he had reached the outskirts of the wood, he heard from a

thicket a cry as of some one in pain. And forgetting his own

sorrow he ran back to the place, and saw there a little Hare caught

in a trap that some hunter had set for it.

 

And the Star-Child had pity on it, and released it, and said to it,

‘I am myself but a slave, yet may I give thee thy freedom.’

 

And the Hare answered him, and said: ‘Surely thou hast given me

freedom, and what shall I give thee in return?’

 

And the Star-Child said to it, ‘I am seeking for a piece of white

gold, nor can I anywhere find it, and if I bring it not to my

master he will beat me.’

 

‘Come thou with me,’ said the Hare, ‘and I will lead thee to it,

for I know where it is hidden, and for what purpose.’

 

So the Star-Child went with the Hare, and lo! in the cleft of a

great oak-tree he saw the piece of white gold that he was seeking.

And he was filled with joy, and seized it, and said to the Hare,

‘The service that I did to thee thou hast rendered back again many

times over, and the kindness that I showed thee thou hast repaid a

hundred-fold.’

 

‘Nay,’ answered the Hare, ‘but as thou dealt with me, so I did deal

with thee,’ and it ran away swiftly, and the Star-Child went

towards the city.

 

Now at the gate of the city there was seated one who was a leper.

Over his face hung a cowl of grey linen, and through the eyelets

his eyes gleamed like red coals. And when he saw the Star-Child

coming, he struck upon a wooden bowl, and clattered his bell, and

called out to him, and said, ‘Give me a piece of money, or I must

die of hunger. For they have thrust me out of the city, and there

is no one who has pity on me.’

 

‘Alas!’ cried the Star-Child, ‘I have but one piece of money in my

wallet, and if I bring it not to my master he will beat me, for I

am his slave.’

 

But the leper entreated him, and prayed of him, till the Star-Child

had pity, and gave him the piece of white gold.

 

And when he came to the Magician’s house, the Magician opened to

him, and brought him in, and said to him, ‘Hast thou the piece of

white gold?’ And the Star-Child answered, ‘I have it not.’ So the

Magician fell upon him, and beat him, and set before him an empty

trencher, and said, ‘Eat,’ and an empty cup, and said, ‘Drink,’ and

flung him again into the dungeon.

 

And on the morrow the Magician came to him, and said, ‘If to-day

thou bringest me not the piece of yellow gold, I will surely keep

thee as my slave, and give thee three hundred stripes.’

 

So the Star-Child went to the wood, and all day long he searched

for the piece of yellow gold, but nowhere could he find it. And at

sunset he sat him down and began to weep, and as he was weeping

there came to him the little Hare that he had rescued from the

trap,

 

And the Hare said to him, ‘Why art thou weeping? And what dost

thou seek in the wood?’

 

And the Star-Child answered, ‘I am seeking for a piece of yellow

gold that is hidden here, and if I find it not my master will beat

me, and keep me as a slave.’

 

‘Follow me,’ cried the Hare, and it ran through the wood till it

came to a pool of water. And at the bottom of the pool the piece

of yellow gold was lying.

 

‘How shall I thank thee?’ said the Star-Child, ‘for lo! this is the

second time that you have succoured me.’

 

‘Nay, but thou hadst pity on me first,’ said the Hare, and it ran

away swiftly.

 

And the Star-Child took the piece of yellow gold, and put it in his

wallet, and hurried to the city. But the leper saw him coming, and

ran to meet him, and knelt down and cried, ‘Give me a piece of

money or I shall die of hunger.’

 

And the Star-Child said to him, ‘I have in my wallet but one piece

of yellow gold, and if I bring it not to my master he will beat me

and keep me as his slave.’

 

But the leper entreated him sore, so that the Star-Child had pity

on him, and gave him the piece of yellow gold.

 

And when he came to the Magician’s house, the Magician opened to

him, and brought him in, and said to him, ‘Hast thou the piece of

yellow gold?’ And the Star-Child said to him, ‘I have it not.’ So

the Magician fell upon him, and beat him, and loaded him with

chains, and cast him again into the dungeon.

 

And on the morrow the Magician came to him, and said, ‘If to-day

thou bringest me the piece of red gold I will set thee free, but if

thou bringest it not I will surely slay thee.’

 

So the Star-Child went to the wood, and all day long he searched

for the piece of red gold, but nowhere could he find it. And at

evening he sat him down and wept, and as he was weeping there came

to him the little Hare.

 

And the Hare said to him, ‘The piece of red gold that thou seekest

is in the cavern that is behind thee. Therefore weep no more but

be glad.’

 

‘How shall I reward thee?’ cried the Star-Child, ‘for lo! this is

the third time thou hast succoured me.’

 

‘Nay, but thou hadst pity on me first,’ said the Hare, and it ran

away swiftly.

 

And the Star-Child entered the cavern, and in its farthest corner

he found the piece of red gold. So he put it in his wallet, and

hurried to the city. And the leper seeing him coming, stood in the

centre of the road, and cried out, and said to him, ‘Give me the

piece of red money, or I must die,’ and the Star-Child had pity on

him again, and gave him the piece of red gold, saying, ‘Thy need is

greater than mine.’ Yet was his heart heavy, for he knew what evil

fate awaited him.

 

But lo! as he passed through the gate of the city, the guards bowed

down and made obeisance to him, saying, ‘How beautiful is our

lord!’ and a crowd of citizens followed him, and cried out, ‘Surely

there is none so beautiful in the whole world!’ so that the Star-Child wept, and said to himself, ‘They are mocking me, and making

light of my misery.’ And so large was the concourse of the people,

that he lost the threads of his way, and found himself at last in a

great square, in which there was a palace of a King.

 

And the gate of the palace opened, and the priests and the high

officers of the city ran forth to meet him, and they abased

themselves before him, and said, ‘Thou art our lord for whom we

have been waiting, and the son of our King.’

 

And the Star-Child answered them and said, ‘I am no king’s son, but

the child of a poor beggar-woman. And how say ye that I am

beautiful, for I know that I am evil to look at?’

 

Then he, whose armour was inlaid with gilt flowers, and on whose

helmet crouched a lion that had wings, held up a shield, and cried,

‘How saith my lord that he is not beautiful?’

 

And the Star-Child looked, and lo! his face was even as it had

been, and his comeliness had come back to him, and he saw that in

his eyes which he had not seen there before.

 

And the priests and the high officers knelt down and said to him,

‘It was prophesied of old that on this day should come he who was

to rule over us. Therefore, let our lord take this crown and this

sceptre, and be in his justice and mercy our King over us.’

 

But he said to them, ‘I am not worthy, for I have denied the mother

who bare me, nor may I rest till I have found her, and known her

forgiveness. Therefore, let me go, for I must wander again over

the world, and may not tarry here, though ye bring me the crown and

the sceptre.’ And as he spake he turned his face from them towards

the street that led to the gate of the city, and lo! amongst the

crowd that pressed round the soldiers, he saw the beggar-woman who

was his mother, and at her side stood the leper, who had sat by the

road.

 

And a cry of joy broke from his lips, and he ran over, and kneeling

down he kissed the wounds on his mother’s feet, and wet them with

his tears. He bowed his head in the dust, and sobbing, as one

whose heart might break, he said to her: ‘Mother, I denied thee in

the hour of my pride. Accept me in the hour of my humility.

Mother, I gave thee hatred. Do thou give me love. Mother, I

rejected thee. Receive thy child now.’ But the beggar-woman

answered him not a word.

 

And he reached out his hands, and clasped the white feet of the

leper, and said to him: ‘Thrice did I give thee of my mercy. Bid

my mother speak to me once.’ But the leper answered him not a

word.

 

And he sobbed again and said: ‘Mother, my suffering is greater

than I can bear. Give me thy forgiveness, and let me go back to

the forest.’ And the beggar-woman put her hand on his head, and

said to him, ‘Rise,’ and the leper put his hand on his head, and

said to him, ‘Rise,’ also.

 

And he rose up from his feet, and looked at them, and lo! they were

a King and a Queen.

 

And the Queen said to him, ‘This is thy father whom thou hast

succoured.’

 

And the King said, ‘This is thy mother whose feet thou hast washed

with thy tears.’ And they fell on his neck and kissed him, and

brought him into the palace and clothed him in fair raiment, and

set the crown upon his head, and the sceptre in his hand, and over

the city that stood by the river he ruled, and was its lord. Much

justice and mercy did he show to all, and the evil Magician he

banished, and to the Woodcutter and his wife he sent many rich

gifts, and to their children he gave high honour. Nor would he

suffer any to be cruel to bird or beast, but taught love and

loving-kindness and charity, and to the poor he gave bread, and to

the naked he gave raiment, and there was peace and plenty in the

land.

 

Yet ruled he not long, so great had been his suffering, and so

bitter the fire of his testing, for after the space of three years

he died. And he who came after him ruled evilly.

 

*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK, A HOUSE OF POMEGRANATES ***

 

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