The sun., 1890-07-20

| The bauquets OF the Cyprlan king.
Old shapes OF song that do not die
| shall haunt the halls Of memory
| And though the Bow shall prelude clear
| shrill as the cong Of Gunnar's RpeAr
! There answer sobs from lutte and Tyre
That murmured OF The Worlds Desire.
| There lives no man but he hath seen
| The Worlds Desire the fairy queen
None but hath seen her to his cost
Not one but loves what he has ct
| None is there but hath heard her sing
Divlnely through his wandering;
Not ono but lie hath followed far
THO rortent OF the Bleeding Star;
Not but he hath chAnced to wake
Dreamed Of tho htar and found the Snake.
| Yet through his dreAmS . wandering IRE
sill, still she fits Tux WORLDS DEnREl
/ Across the wide backs OF the waves beneath
the mountains, and between the islands, a ship
cnme stealing from the dark into the dusk.
| and from tho dusk into the dawn. The ship
had only one mast. ono broad brown sail with
star embroidered on 1T In gold; her stem and
stern were built high and carved like birds
| beak; her prov was painted scarlet. and she
was driven by oars as well as by the western
wind.
A man stood alone on the half deck at the
bows. man who looked always forward
through the night, and the twilight, and the
clear morning. He was of no great stature.
but broad breasted and very wide-shouldered,
with many signs Of strength. He had blue
eyes, and dark curled locks falling beneath u
red cap such as sailors wear and over purple
cloak, fastened with brooch OF gold. There
were threads OF silver In his curls. and his
beard was fecked with white. His whole
heart was following his eyes, watching first
for the blaze o! the island beacons out Of the
darkness, and. later. for the smoke rising from
the far-or hills But he watched in vain: there
was neither light nor smoke on the gray peak
that lay clear against a field Of yellow sky.
There was no smoke. no fire. no sound Of
voices. nor cry of birds. The isle was deadly
still.
As they neared the coast. and neither heard
nor saw sign OF life. the mans face fell. The
gladness went out OF his eyes. his features
grew older with anxiety and doubt. and with
longings for tidings OF his home
No man ever loved his home more than he,
for this was Odysseus, the son OF Laertes- who
OF some Is called Ulysses-returned from his
unsung second wandering. The whole world
has heard the tale OF his first voyage. how he
was tossed for ten years on the sea after the
taking OF Troy. how he reached homo at last,
alone and disguised as beRRar how he found
violence In his house. how he slew his foes in
his own hall. and won his wife again. But even
in his own country he was not permitted TO
rest, for there was cur5e upon him and q
labor to be accomplished. He must wander
again till he reached tho land Of men who had
never tasted salt nor ever heard Of the salt
sea- There he must sacrifice to the Sea God.
and then at last set his face homeward. Now
he had endured that curse. he had fulfilled the
prophecy. he had angered. by misadventure.
the Goddess that was his friend. and after ad-
ventures that have never yet been told he had
arrival within n boWshOt of Ithaca
He came from strange countries-from the
Gates OF the Sun and the White Rock, from the
Passing Place OF Souls and the people OF
Dreams.
But he found his own isle more still and
strange by far. The realm OF Dreams was not
80 dumb. the Gates OF the Sun were not SO still.
as the shores OF the familiar island beneath
the rising dawn.
This story whereof the substance was set out
long ago by Rel the instructed Egyptian
priest. tells what he found there. and the tale
OF the last adventures OF Odysseus, Laertes's
son.
The ship ran on and won the well-Enown
haven sheltered from wind by two heal
lands OF sheer cliff. There she sailed straight
in, till the leaves OF the broad olive tree at the
head OF the inlet were tangled In her cordage
Then the Wanderer, without looking back or
saying one word OF farewell to his crew. caught
a bough OF the olive tree with his hand and
swung himself ashore. There he kneeed and
kissed the earth. and. covering his head within
his cloak. he prayed that he might find his
house at peace his wife dear and true and his
son worthy OF him.
But not one word of his prayer was to be
granted. The Gods give and take. but on the
earth the Gods cannot restore
When he rose from his knees he glanced
L. al Oh h,,k
ship In the haven nor any sign Of q sail on all
the seas.
And still the land was silent; not even the
wild birds cried q welcome.
The sun was hardly up,a men were scarce
awake, the .Wandersr said to himself; and he |
set stout heart to tho steep path leading, up
OF rock that divides the two masses OF the |
island a Up he climbed pqrp9bs;nG, b;IG as Of old to
swineherd, and learn from him tho tldinGs OF |
his home; on the brow brow Of a hiIl hS stopPsd 70
servant But the strong oak pSissde was
broken, no smoke came from the hole In the |
thstched roof. and. as ho approached, the dogs
stranger. The, very path to the house was
overgrown and dumb with grass: even a dogs |
keen ears could scarcely have heard foot
Tho door Of the swipehsyds hut was open:
a web ACROSS the SaeE
sstSrsd; m Then tho wSndersr ' shouted u at twles ISs
from the hill lie went In. hoping 10 And food
or perhaps spark OF fire sheltered under the
dry leaves, But all was vacant and cold as
death.
The Wanderer came forth into the warm sun
light, set his face to the hill again. and went on
his way to the city OF Ithaca.
He saw the sea IRON tho hilltop glitterinK
as, OF yore but there were no brown sails of
s should now now have wv waved with he whte @ corn sns
was green with tangled weeds. Half way
down tho rugged path WAS II grove oil alders,
an tho basin into which the water iioWei
from tie old fountain of tho .Nymphs But no
muillens were there with their pitchers: the
ba sin wa broken and green with mould tho
water slipned through the creyiGes and hurried
to the sea. ThorO were no oflorinGs OF way.
,Srer1 rags ana @ ESS6sSs PE thS o% well SnG on
been cold. The very ashes were covered with
grass. and branch Of ivy had hidden The
stone oi sacrifice.