The Night Land

("Dearest, thine own feet tread the world at night--

Treading, as moon-flakes step across a dark--

Kissing the very dew to holier light ...

Thy Voice a song past mountains, which to hark

Frightens my soul with an utter lost delight.")

Now, one night, towards the end of the sixteenth hour, as I made ready

to sleep, there came all about me the thrilling of the aether, as

happened oft in those days; but the thrilling had a strange power in it;

and in my soul the voice of Naani sounded plain, all within and about

me. Yet, though I knew it to be the voice of Naani, I answered not

immediately; save to send the sure question of the Master-Word into the

night.

And, directly, I heard the answer, the Master-Word beating

steadily in the night; and I questioned Naani why she had speech with me

by the Instrument at that time, when all were sleeping, and the watch

set among the Monstruwacans; for they in the little Pyramid had their

sleep-time to commence at the eleventh hour; so that by this it was five

hours advanced towards the time of waking; and Naani should have slept;

nor have been abroad to the Tower of Observation, apart from her father.

For I supposed that she spoke by the Instrument, her voice sounding very

clear in my brain. Yet, to this question, she made no answer in kind;

but gave a certain thing into my spirit, which set me trembling; for she

said certain words, that began:"Dearest, thine own feet tread the world at night--

" And it well may be that she set me to tremble; for as the words grew

about me, there wakened a memory-dream how that I had made these same

words to Mirdath the Beautiful in the long-gone Eternity of this our

Age, when she had died and left me alone in all the world. And I was

weak a little with the tumult and force of my emotion; but in a moment I

called eagerly with my brain-elements to Naani to give some explaining

of this thing that she had spoken to the utter troubling of my heart.

Yet, once more she made no direct answer; but spoke the words again to

me across all the dark of the world. And it came to me suddenly, that it

was not Naani that spoke; but Mirdath the Beautiful, from out of all the

everlasting night. And I called: "Mirdath! Mirdath," with my

brain-elements, into the night; and lo! the far, faint voice spoke again

to my spirit through all the darkness of eternity, saying again those

words.