Children’s Stories Oscar Wilde (classic books to read txt) 📖

“He combed out the soft fringes of his tunic with his long pointed nails. ‘The god is asleep,’ he murmured.

“ ‘Tell me on what couch, and I will watch by him,’ I answered.

“ ‘The god is at the feast,’ he cried.

“ ‘If the wine be sweet I will drink it with him, and if it be bitter I will drink it with him also,’ was my answer.

“He bowed his head in wonder, and, taking me by the hand, he raised me up, and led me into the temple.

“And in the first chamber I saw an idol seated on a throne of jasper bordered with great orient pearls. It was carved out of ebony, and in stature was of the stature of a man. On its forehead was a ruby, and thick oil dripped from its hair on to its thighs. Its feet were red with the blood of a newly-slain kid, and its loins girt with a copper belt that was studded with seven beryls.

“And I said to the priest, ‘Is this the god?’ And he answered me, ‘This is the god.’

“ ‘Show me the god,’ I cried, ‘or I will surely slay thee.’ And I touched his hand, and it became withered.

“And the priest besought me, saying, ‘Let my lord heal his servant, and I will show him the god.’

“So I breathed with my breath upon his hand, and it became whole again, and he trembled and led me into the second chamber, and I saw an idol standing on a lotus of jade hung with great emeralds. It was carved out of ivory, and in stature was twice the stature of a man. On its forehead was a chrysolite, and its breasts were smeared with myrrh and cinnamon. In one hand it held a crooked sceptre of jade, and in the other a round crystal. It ware buskins of brass, and its thick neck was circled with a circle of selenites.

“And I said to the priest, ‘Is this the god?’

“And he answered me, ‘This is the god.’

“ ‘Show me the god,’ I cried, ‘or I will surely slay thee.’ And I touched his eyes, and they became blind.

“And the priest besought me, saying, ‘Let my lord heal his servant, and I will show him the god.’

“So I breathed with my breath upon his eyes, and the sight came back to them, and he trembled again, and led me into the third chamber, and lo! there was no idol in it, nor image of any kind, but only a mirror of round metal set on an altar of stone.

“And I said to the priest, ‘Where is the god?’

“And he answered me: ‘There is no god but this mirror that thou seest, for this is the Mirror of Wisdom. And it reflecteth all things that are in heaven and on earth, save only the face of him who looketh into it. This it reflecteth not, so that he who looketh into it may be wise. Many other mirrors are there, but they are mirrors of Opinion. This only is the Mirror of Wisdom. And they who possess this mirror know everything, nor is there anything hidden from them. And they who possess it not have not Wisdom. Therefore is it the god, and we worship it.’ And I looked into the mirror, and it was even as he had said to me.

“And I did a strange thing, but what I did matters not, for in a valley that is but a day’s journey from this place have I hidden the Mirror of Wisdom. Do but suffer me to enter into thee again and be thy servant, and thou shalt be wiser than all the wise men, and Wisdom shall be thine. Suffer me to enter into thee, and none will be as wise as thou.”

But the young Fisherman laughed. “Love is better than Wisdom,” he cried, “and the little Mermaid loves me.”

“Nay, but there is nothing better than Wisdom,” said the Soul.

“Love is better,” answered the young Fisherman, and he plunged into the deep, and the Soul went weeping away over the marshes.

And after the second year was over, the Soul came down to the shore of the sea, and called to the young Fisherman, and he rose out of the deep and said, “Why dost thou call to me?”

And the Soul answered, “Come nearer, that I may speak with thee, for I have seen marvellous things.”

So he came nearer, and couched in the shallow water, and leaned his head upon his hand and listened.

And the Soul said to him, “When I left thee, I turned my face to the South and journeyed. From the South cometh everything that is precious. Six days I journeyed along the highways that lead to the city of Ashter, along the dusty red-dyed highways by which the pilgrims are wont to go did I journey, and on the morning of the seventh day I lifted up my eyes, and lo! the city lay at my feet, for it is in a valley.

“There are nine gates to this city, and in front of each gate stands a bronze horse that neighs when the Bedouins come down from the mountains. The walls are cased with copper, and the watchtowers on the walls are roofed with brass. In every tower stands an archer with a bow in his hand. At sunrise he strikes with an arrow on a gong, and at sunset he blows through a horn of horn.

“When I sought to enter, the guards stopped me and asked of me who I was. I made answer that I was a Dervish and on my way to the city of Mecca, where there was a green veil on which the Koran was embroidered in silver letters by the hands of the angels. They were filled with wonder, and entreated me to pass in.

“Inside it is even as a bazaar. Surely thou shouldst have been with me. Across the narrow streets the gay lanterns of