Скорбь сатаны/The Tribulation of Satan (Мари Корелли). Страница 271 из 279

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"

Onward

Amiel

!

"

said

the

great

sad

Voice

again

--

"

Onward

where

never

man

hath

trod

--

steer

on

to

the

world

's

end

!

"

The

crowd

of

weird

and

terrible

faces

grew

denser

--

the

flaming

and

darkening

of

wings

became

thicker

than

driving

storm-clouds

rent

by

lightning

--

wailing

cries

,

groans

and

dreary

sounds

of

sobbing

echoed

about

me

on

all

sides

,

...

again

the

shattering

ice

roared

like

an

earthquake

under

the

waters

,

...

and

,

unhindered

by

her

frozen

prison-walls

,

the

ship

moved

on

!

Dizzily

,

and

as

one

in

a

mad

dream

I

saw

the

great

glittering

bergs

rock

and

bend

forward

--

the

massive

ice-city

shook

to

its

foundations

,

...

glistening

pinnacles

dropped

and

vanished

,

...

towers

lurched

over

,

broke

and

plunged

into

the

sea

--

huge

mountains

of

ice

split

up

like

fine

glass

,

yawning

asunder

with

a

green

glare

in

the

moonlight

as

the

'

Flame

'

propelled

,

so

it

seemed

,

by

the

demon-wings

of

her

terrific

crew

,

cut

through

the

frozen

passage

with

the

sharpness

of

a

sword

and

the

swiftness

of

an

arrow

!

Whither

were

we

bound

?

I

dared

not

think

--

I

deemed

myself

dead

.

The

world

I

saw

was

not

the

world

I

knew

--

I

believed

I

was

in

some

spirit-land

beyond

the

grave

,

whose

secrets

I

should

presently

realize

perchance

too

well

!

On

--

on

we

went

--

I

keeping

my

strained

sight

fixed

for

the

most

part

on

the

supreme

Shape

that

always

confronted

me

--

that

Angel-Foe

whose

eyes

were

wild

with

an

eternity

of

sorrows

!

Face

to

face

with

such

an

Immortal

Despair

,

I

stood

confounded

and

slain

forever

in

my

own

regard

--

a

worthless

atom

,

meriting

naught

but

annihilation

.

The

wailing

cries

and

groans

had

ceased

--

and

we

sped

on

in

an

awful

silence

--

while

countless

tragedies

--

unnameable

histories

--

were

urged

upon

me

in

the

dumb

eloquence

of

the

dreary

faces

round

me

,

and

the

expressive

teaching

of

their

terrific

eyes

!

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Soon

the

barriers

of

ice

were

passed

--

and

the

'

Flame

'

floated

out

beyond

them

into

a

warm

inland

sea

,

calm

as

a

lake

,

and

bright

as

silver

in

the

broad

radiance

of

the

moon

.

On

either

side

were

undulating

shores

,

rich

with

lofty

and

luxuriant

verdure

--

I

saw

the

distant

hazy

outline

of

dusky

purple

hills

--

I

heard

the

little

waves

plashing

against

hidden

rocks

,

and

murmuring

upon

the

sand

.

Delicious

odours

filled

the

air

;

--

a

gentle

breeze

blew

,

...

was

this

the

lost

Paradise

?

--

this

semi-tropic

zone

concealed

behind

a

continent

of

ice

and

snow

?

Suddenly

,

from

the

tops

of

the

dark

branching

trees

,

came

floating

the

sound

of

a

bird

's

singing

--

and

so

sweet

was

the

song

,

so

heart-whole

was

the

melody

,

that

my

aching

eyes

filled

with

tears

.

Beautiful

memories

rushed

upon

me

--

the

value

and

graciousness

of

life

--

life

on

the

kindly

sunlit

earth

--

seemed

very

dear

to

my

soul

!

Life

's

opportunities

--

its

joys

,

its

wonders

,

its

blessings

,

all

showered

down

upon

a

thankless

race

by

a

loving

Creator

--

these

appeared

to

me

all

at

once

as

marvellous

!

Oh

for

another

chance

of

such

life

!

--

to

redeem

the

past

--

to

gather

up

the

wasted

gems

of

lost

moments

--

to

live

as

a

man

should

live

,

in

accordance

with

the

will

of

God

,

and

in

brotherhood

with

his

fellow-men

!

...

The

unknown

bird

sang

on

in

a

cadence

like

that

of

a

mavis

in

spring

,

only

more

tunefully

--

surely

no

other

woodland

songster

ever

sang

half

so

well

!

And

as

its

dulcet

notes

dropped

roundly

one

by

one

upon

the

mystic

silence

,

I

saw

a

pale

Creature

move

out

from

amid

the

shadowing

of

black

and

scarlet

wings

--

a

white

woman-shape

,

clothed

in

her

own

long

hair

.

She

glided

to

the

vessel

's

edge

,

and

there

she

leaned

,

with

anguished

face

upturned

--

it

was

the

face

of

Sibyl

!

And

even

while

I

looked

upon

her

,

she

cast

herself

wildly

down

upon

the

deck

and

wept

!

My

soul

was

stirred

within

me

,

...

I

saw

in

very

truth

all

that

she

might

have

been

--

I

realized

what

an

angel

a

little

guiding

love

and

patience

might

have

made

her

,

...

and

at

last

I

pitied

her

!

I

never

pitied

her

before

!

And

now

many

familiar

faces

shone

upon

me

like

white

stars

in

a

mist

of

rain

--

all

faces

of

the

dead

--

all

marked

with

unquenchable

remorse

and

sorrow

.

One

figure

passed

before

me

drearily

,

in

fetters

glistening

with

a

weight

of

gold

--

I

knew

him

for

my

college-friend

of

olden

days

;

another

,

crouching

on

the

ground

in

fear

,

I

recognised

as

him

who

had

staked

his

last

possession

at

play

,

even

to

his

immortal

soul

--

I

even

saw

my

father

's

face

,

worn

and

aghast

with

grief

,

and

trembled

lest

the

sacred

beauty

of

Her

who

had

died

to

give

me

birth

,

should

find

a

place

among

these

direful

horrors

.

But

no

!

--

thank

God

I

never

saw

her

!

--

--

her

spirit

had

not

lost

its

way

to

Heaven

!

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Again

my

eyes

reverted

to

the

Mover

of

this

mystic

scene

--

that

Fallen

Splendour

whose

majestic

shape

now

seemed

to

fill

both

earth

and

sky

.

A

fiery

glory

blazed

about

him

,

...

he

raised

his

hand

,

...

the

ship

stopped

--

and

the

dark

Steersman

rested

motionless

on

the

wheel

.

Round

us

the

moonlit

landscape

was

spread

like

a

glittering

dream

of

fairyland

--

and

still

the

unknown

bird

of

God

sang

on

with

such

entrancing

tenderness

as

must

have

soothed

hell

's

tortured

souls

.

"

Lo

,

here

we

pause

!

"

said

the

commanding

Voice

--

"

Here

,

where

the

distorted

shape

of

Man

hath

never

cast

a

shadow

!

--

here

--

where

the

arrogant

mind

of

Man

hath

never

conceived

a

sin

!

--

here

,

where

the

godless

greed

of

Man

hath

never

defaced

a

beauty

,

or

slain

a

woodland

thing

!

--

here

,

the

last

spot

on

earth

left

untainted

by

Man

's

presence

!

Here

is

the

world

's

end

!

--

when

this

land

is

found

,

and

these

shores

profaned

--

when

Mammon

plants

its

foot

upon

this

soil

--

then

dawns

the

Judgment-Day

!

But

,

until

then

,

...

here

,

where

only

God

doth

work

perfection

,

angels

may

look

down

undismayed

,

and

even

fiends

find

rest

!

"

A

solemn

sound

of

music

surged

upon

the

air

--

and

I

who

had

been

as

one

in

chains

,

bound

by

invisible

bonds

and

unable

to

stir

,

was

suddenly

liberated

.

Fully

conscious

of

freedom

I

still

faced

the

dark

gigantic

figure

of

my

Foe

--

for

his

luminous

eyes

were

now

upon

me

,

and

his

penetrating

voice

addressed

me

only

.

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