[3]

* Te ostende, Abraxa, ut-brikáis. Te ostende, Abraxa, ut-brikáis. Te ostende, Abraxa, ut-brikáis.

Hey, lo, yarandel, ingle brightest, send me manhood, quenching mind and selfhood. Hey, lo, yarandel, ingle brightest, send me manhood, quenching mind and selfhood. Hey, lo, yarandel, ingle brightest, send me manhood, quenching mind and selfhood.

Ha, a dreamadream haha! Ha, a dreamadream haha! Ha, a dreamadream haha!

   Invariably is that individual's perspicacity accounted improvidential regarding what is perceived by creatures with intuition illuminated as being the pluterpropriate object of terrestrial essence who by reason of congenital oblivity or infecundity of mentation postnatal both cases in ultimate infelicity equal is ignorant of the necessity of inquiring indiscriminately omnivorent into the nature of the components of the mentation superscript constituent of his brevitemporaneity immemorial. For who exists who in contemplation has his nature cognized but is conscious that just as omitting the elaboration of all labors principal of the novemenstrual ventriference is no mortal novel impared similarly is of conscience absent the ingenuous alimentation sempitemporal mentiscience of introspection towards efflorescence directed no concrescence possible existence contrary denominating vivid mortification?

   It is not why perforce we shall be astonished, as the best historians relate, that among the sages, who nothing that was not in man's mind excessive excised, the vice of compulsory education shall have been highly disdained. Not to speak of morals, churchyards, wedding chambers, phrase-craves; the greatest masters have sedulously struck down the divers methods by which the quick and the intact forfeited health, whether the malady had been the unremembering twittering or lewd blind-coddled faith. Certainly in all such work which to awakening from surdity pertains manifestation should of tutors be multiplicate and therefore a plan was by them adopted whereby somnolence was far from all persequent essayers removed if patient in the alldarkest of woeful hours they chiefly aspired and not solely for the cupidity of piety but mainly for their being subsequently gainfreed variously and often not even visibly to appear that an inextinguishable enlightenment be provided.

   So some child that forwandered was to lorehouse came; sixteen summers had he. Of that house was Semsel lord. Wise he wone there, outwit wielding, to gangrels needfaring wisdom giving. Sore he saw that child had swonken, by brathsome thoughts umbeset. Ruth then felt he that this wanderer tholed, and bethought him then how him might he help. As field he saw him, fallow lying, by swartswathed lift oversettled. With weedworts foulsome was he forgrown. Seed then sowed he, lorehoard unlocking, of church or cheaping little recking, worldwisdom and wordcraft thus wise to waken.

   And whiles that goodly norrice strove this learnigknight to yken it happened that of his quainces one most dear forleft him, and this learningknight by cause that he was sore afflicted the heart within him grew passing cold. And then it was as his flourishing were cankered so that about him his counselors avaied that he should make cheer but for all that was he malencolient nor would he join them ne hark. And so there were engendered within him sundry things strange to tell, and passing from the house of that goodly norrice he travelled through divers lands wherein he countered with ledes of uncouth speech, coming weary at last peradventure to a castle whereof the seneschal would appoint him to service of his lord.

   And in this castle was a tavern where was set a marbrin board wondrous to see which was of Lumbardie. And folk there drank of a marvellous bever which is like unto beer, but that it is made of wheaten grain of Ethiopes which the milner mills into flour and therewith fodders a silvern cow, wrought by magic and smith craft as it were living. But from this cow a milker milks that bever which straightway folk drink of naps designed of elven craft, for that they are daintful as of faerie. And by cause of this brewage are the leeds of that land made wode and worksome and to jabber as though enchanted by grammery.

   Now let us speak of that swain which was come to that place to the intent to be succoured an he might. Now this swain hight Leandre was of dark mien for that he was of a house which erewhile came of Parce. And he was ever wont to tarry long achamp as one in reverie, for he was passing strange and pensiful, wherefore it was held that he was afaited of chantery. But he was right scholarly and howbeit was come by travail to the castle of which that goodly seneschal that was chiefest of knights that served that lord and truest of word, and he bade young Leandre which afore wandered serve his lord also. Then was young Leandre moved of heart for that he perceived the seneschal was an honourable and puissant knight, and wondering at the marvellous castle wherein was almary plentivous, he bethought him how he might be prenticed to his steward. Doom drove him, dear there he dreed, wordhoard's ward, weird biding. In burg's belly burdens all he bare, six summers lore learned he, sweven swebbing.

   But was young Sitabook becalmed by his stay in the City of Learning? No, for indeed was he housed there on the mire of Unease. And was he able to cast off the crown Nod which was put on his brow? No, nor was he ever like to, for it was fixed there by the hand of its maker, whose name is Glad-of-Thinking. Wherefore in this plight was he greatly distressed in mind; and therefore, when the whores Brookhemp and Swift-to-Pleasure haply came to him he took their hands. But why did young Sitabook not forquit them? Alas, poor youth! his error he could not by any means see himself, and he lusted after them withal. So he was led by those whores Brookhemp and Swift-to-Pleasure into a dark room which was called Forgetfulness, and in it was a table on which were four platters of bone with these words graven on them, Sorrow and Bellygroaning and Emptyvisions and Walkarut, upon which he lavishly ate that provender called Wretchedness that is heavy which but filleth not.

   Dear reader: I have ever had pleasure in recording for posterity the spontaneous illuminations of my mind, meditation on which reflected flashes of inner light, I have often remark'd, tho' it seems a curious thing, is more profitable than any such on the dimm'd light of any public dogmas. Imagining it may, further, be equally profitable to you, who have yet known only by rumor or the notes of distant forebears the particulars related above, viz., the circumstances of my early life, and finding myself sudden inheritor to several days' leisure, I sit down to write them for you.

   In the fourth month of '07, being unhappy, and refusing further to cohabit with my some time love, it being clear that it was no more gainful to either, and further destructive of my health, it struck me strongly as wisdom to return to the house of my father. There I return'd to my studies, having been bookish from the first, and proposed, while engaged in such labors as were agreeable to both, to commence the habit so long neglected of reading and writing; for the incident preceding convinced me that nothing was useful which did not serve to waken me.

   For of what use are all pleasures and occupations, if they do not call us to a higher life? Dissipations and sleep are esteemed as sweetest wine, while that inner stream of wakefulness, which runs clear and silent through the fallow fields of our flesh, is called bitter. I have read in a Chinese book that "the snow goose need not bathe to make itself white." We know not much about that.

   But who should come to see me one day but a true Chinese or Hindoo man -- he had so suitable and poetic a name, that I am sorry I cannot print it here, -- an incense roller and book vendor, who can read fifteen books in one day, and who made his last supper on a head of kale which he grew himself. He, too, has heard of the Hindoos, whose Geeta an incense vendor who employed him read him in the original. A more simple and sattvic man I have not seen, about twenty-eight, whom an innocent abstemiousness, the light of whose gentle virtue has seldom struck our townsmen's eyes, has bestowed a sagely glow upon. 

   But when Ardakhoreh was thirty years old he left his father's home and the chamber of that home, and went into the academy. There he enjoyed his intellect and his studies' plenitude and for three months he did not tire of it. But that winter a change came over his heart, and one morning he rose with the dawn, stepped before his carriage, and cried to it thus:

   "You great car, great would my happiness be if I had not daily in you to ride!

   "For three months I have wasted my days: for I have tired of these lies and of pages' turning, and have seen the sages to be dung-beetles and vermin, and know their knowledge to fodder swine.

   "But I get into you every morning, turn in papers when due, and am graded for it.

   "Behold, I am weary of my thralldom, and this striving after money; this venom I must outretch to be released of it.

   "I would move away and grow earthfruit, until ways of these men should not begrime me, and bore me with riches."

   Thus in wordsscience Ardakhoreh ceased to find wonder.

   But all his boasts passed and slept, and in the midst of his vehemence and jeers the clear voice of his conscience spoke, ignoréd it called, and for shame he blushed. And it said to him how, in studying tongues, it beseemed him best to soften his words, overblown, and still his heart, until he passed out to regions where he may as he might, and there grow in gardens garlic and vines and the rest of it.

   So, lately, some procrustean came to his senses, swearing a whole -- or rather a bit, -- who ere had unfavorable lot. A fellow often down, against the world, now refrained gentlemanly -- unlike him -- to find cause of morning there.

  Dum. Dumdum. Dumdm. Dum... dm.

  Hmmmmmmm...

(I had loftier designs for this; but lack of adequate time, skill, and knowledge kept it closer to imitation than to emulation. Oh well!)