Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-10-24
XIV.
On the Sea-Alp-Late Autumn.

On the Sed-alp -IIdtS "A Autumn
/ drive the workmen, drive. drive. Despite
the double pay that l give them they grum-
BILE. We have no slaves any more, out III
their place are socialists and anarchists. III
is necessary that some great ruler snail De-
come a little Ike Nero again.
begin again to make the night my day.
The light of the sun is too yellow, too
coarse. too common. 1t shines on too much
misery that shrieks constantly toward the
heaven. Can you not hear how it peals
from the depth? l hear it constantly.
wonder does my noble adjutant report
my doings to the royal court marshal or
perhaps direct to the king? Probably And
what does he report? That l intend to be
king some day despite that signature under
the secret document that they cheated me
into signing.
/ will tell the nation that. For I shall
speak to the nation, the whole nation! The
whole nation would arse for me and for
my right; it would believe in me, would
love NE again. But the king still lives
Yesterday l climbed the path that leads
to the White Emperor Meadow, and with
out my adiutant. 1T was wild autumn
weather. Scarcely had 1 begun my climb
before mists arose, thick as the smoke
of a vast conflagration. The clouds bill
lowed around like the storm scourged
waves of a phantom sea. / had to grope
with my feet. feel with my hands, on one
side the naked steep wall and on the other
the sheer abyss. And the path was so mar
row.
l could not turn. would not stand still,
had to go forward. And the storm tore at
me and tried to pull me down.
But | withstood.
Suddenly a bowling blast tore the mists
apart And close in front of me l saw the
rock over the chasm where my father had
chung through night of storm My father
had withstand the kings Now | that
was his true son. would Withstand it too.
And If / withstood it. then
Following the Godlike thought I had the
rock In my embrace the next moment, let
the storm seize me and hurl me from the
path, hung between heaven and earth. hung
over the abyss, while it grew darker and
darker, while the black night crept in
through the raging tempest.
If my arms remained strong If l did not
let go of the rock, if l withstood the kings
test, it would be celestial sign that the
crown hung over my head and would sink
on my brow.
Time passed and I began to count the
minutes: one-two-three-it lasted an
eternity before l had counted sixty. But
my arms must remain strong.
l closed my eyes and time passed l felt
myself weakening, and l had to remain
strong. My limbs quivered as in fit. my
arms became lame. my hands tried to open.
But my will was mighter than my human
weakness. and l held both hands locked
around the rock.
lIlen Il was as II l f;tu running streams
of fire in my veins instead of blood. They
poured into my bra in and burned it up.
They sprang out of my feet that dangled
over the chasIn. They poured out of my
eyes that L could not open any more. And
time passed.
Then came frghtful moment: / felt
that my strength my will, had reached the
end. and that l. not the true son of my
father. would crash into the depths.
In the same moment just as my hands
were loosening-my closed eyes were daz-
zled by binding glare: the rising sun.
l had hung all night over the abyss be-
tween heaven and earth; my mighty will
had given me the power to do something
superhuman, to withstand the kings test.
The crown of my brother hangs over my
head and will settle on my brow. l will
make my land great, my nation happy
l swung myself over the edge and back to
the path. Then my sense passed.
My adjutant found me and carried me-all
alone--in his arms to the house. l dreamed
in my Swoon that / heard voices And one
voice said that the prince had lost his way
and barely saved himself from falling into
the abyss by selling a rock from which
terrible position he had been saved within
few moments by his adjutant who had
followed him secretly.
Within few moments, What strange
dreams one has.
Much is being whispered in the news
pap'rs about his majesty the king. There
are tints of great nervousness. with grow
ing Insomnia That is bad
Lately an issue was confiscatcd because
1t spoke of the kings WEAKNESS. Since a
king may not be weary, such an utterance
is ike high treason.
Many papers are kept away from me-
too. l know why. Because they mention
my name again and again. That. also IS
high treason. l hear that legends are be-
ing told about my life in this Alpine wilder
ness. That is good. y monarch must be Il
legendary figure for his people. can UNI
derstand the Caes ir4 who appraised them
selves 10 gods. What was the result? TEN
Pies Were built In heir honor, columns were
erected even the Roman senate showed
them the honorS due to immortals, and the
nations of the earth crawled before them
Only so can the viii Of a ruler become the
highest law, Gods own law.
Since ! spent the night hanging over the
abyss | feel myself lifted to sunny heights