The Washington times., 1920-02-01
She and Allan7esy &HRaer AaaSau

defy In my shrine At Paphos, and
Queen OF the breathing world, as
Isis IL Queen OF the world that 10
dead. Now because thou dfdst de-
spise me and pour contempt upon
my name, I smite thee with my
strength and lay curse upon
thee. II Is that thou shalt love
and desire this man who but now
has kissed thy feet. ever longing
till the worlds end TO kiss his lips
In payment. although thou art As
far above him as the moon thou
servest Is above the Nile. Think
not that thou shalt escape my
doom, for know that however
strong the spirit, here upon the
earth the flesh Is stronger sttil.
and OF all fiesh am the queen
Then she laughed softly and
smote me across the eyes with a
lock OF her scented haE and was
gone.
ALLAN, L awoke from my sleep
and q great trouble fell upon me.
for /, who had never loved before.
was now rent with a rage OF love
for this man, who. till that mo
ment. had been naught TO me but
as some beauteous image OF gold
and ivory. I longed for him. my
heart was racked with jealousy.
because of the Egyptian who ia.
vored him; AN eating flame pos
sessed my breast. I grew mad.
There in the shrine of Isis the
divine cast myself upon my
knees and cried to Aphrodite to
return and give me him ] sought.
for whose sake l would renounce
all else. though I must pour my
wisdom into his beauteous cup Of
emptiness. Yes. thus ! prayed and
lay upon the ground and wept.
until. outworn, once more sleep fell
upon me.
Then in the darkness OF the
holy place once more there came
q dream or vision, since before me
in her glory stood the goddess Isis.
crowned with the shape of the
young moon and holding In her
hand the jewelled sistrum that Ia
her symbol. from which came
music like to the melody of distant
bells. She gaZed at me. and In hei
great eyes were scorn and anger
40 Ayesha. she said I'm her
slow and solemn voice, 'Ayesha,
whom I, ISIS, had come to look
upon rather as sister than SER
want, since in none other of my
priestesses was such wisdom to be
found. and whom in a day to be |
had purpOsed to raise to the very
steps of my heavenly throne, thou
hast broke thine oath and here In
my shrine. itself hast worshipped
Aphrodite of the Greek who is
mine enemy. Yea, In the eternal
war between the spirit and the
flesh, thou hast chosen the part OF
flesh, Therefore ! hate thee and
add my doom to that which Aphro-
dite laid upon thee, which, hadst
thou prayed to me and not to her,
J would have lifted from thy heart.
This man whom thou hast chosen,
who has beauty and no more, thou
shalt love as the Pathian said.
More, thy love shall bring his
blood upon thy hands; nor mayest
thou follow him to the grave. For
/, will show thee the source Of life
and thou shalt drink of it to make
thyself more fair even than thou
art. and thus outpace thy rival.
and when he Is dead In a desolate
place thou shalt wait In grief and
solitude till he be born again and
find thee. Yet shall this be bat
the beginning Of thy sorrows, since
through all time thou shalt pursue
thy fate till at length thou canst
draw up this man to the height on
which thine own soul stands by
the ropes 6f love and loss and suf-
fering. Moreover, through 1t all
thou shalt despise .thyself, which
is mans or woman's hardest lot;
thou who having the rare feast of
spirit spread out before thee, hast
chosen to fill thyself from the
troughs Of flesh
"Now, Allan, in my dream I
made a proud answer to the god
dess. Mighty mistress Of many
forms who dost appear in all that
lives I said, hear me! An evil
fate has fallen upon me, but was
II I who chose that fate? Can the
leaf contend against the driving
gale? Can the falling stone turn
upward to the sky, or, when nature
draws 1t, can the tide cease to
flow? A goddess whom I have Of
Tended, that goddess whose strength
causes the whole world to be-. has
laid her curse upon me, and be-
cause have bent before the storm,
as bend I must or break, another
goddess whom I serve, thou thy
self, o Isis, hast added to the curse.
Where, then, is Justice, o Lady OF
the MoonT
"'Not here, woman. she answered.
Yet far away justice lives and