The weird of the wanderer Being the papyrus records of some incidents in one of the previous lives of Mr. Nicholas Crabbe
Eros, the oldest and youngest of all gods, hath willingly tamed himself
so far and for this occasion only to go before me and before Queen
Helen in the way. For which cause, then, this is my wish, which thou
already hast confirmed to me by thine irrevocable nod. I wish to go
away at once, and in peace, from this blooming peak of Olympos, with
Queen Helen my unsullied wife, and with my gear, that we may live once
more among earth-trampling men, among whom we shall not be the least,
seeing that we are immortal and have the secret wisdom of the gods. And
I have found the kingdom of Moxoene by the Thospitian Sea, where I wish
to dwell. Now, then, send me on my way, giving me good fortune, that
I may take my noble wife to the beautiful home which I shall make for
her. But ye, blessed gods, be pleased to abide here, all of you, making
glad your own blooming wives and children, and enjoying all sorts of
delicious delights.”
Thus I spoke. And my heart and lordly mind were exultant in my breast.
For immense confusion and hubbub arose among the immortal gods; and
the two jealous queens (the most righteous of goddesses), thoroughly
exasperated by the wily and audacious mildness of my contemptuous
words, bridled and sniffed, tossing their heads and beating their fat
knees, glancing this way and that, madly, and saying that so many rash
things had never been said before for them to sit there and hear.
But wing-footed Hermes, my grandsire, said: “Let him go where he will,
this much-enduring much-contriving Odysseys who is surely Peer of Zeys
in counsel, and Queen Helen who is indubitably the loveliest of mortals
or immortals: for my rede is that my child deserves to be satisfied.
But I myself will never be very far away from him in Moxoene; and, when
ye gods by chance shall want a messenger, take blooming Iris of the
rainbow.”
But bravely-steadfast Herakles said: “Let him go where he will, this
hero Odysseys, and Queen Helen the most faithful of wives: for they
ought to have some happiness after so much ill. But I myself will be at
their call, whenever they ask for a champion.”
But in like manner also spoke my own cousin Perseys of the sea, the
most renowned of heroes. And all the important gods and goddesses
signified approval in the customary manner.
But Eros leaped up, blindfolded, naked, like a young and ruddy flame;
and he said: “Oh, let them go where they will. But thou, O Great Zeys,
whom I not seldom have wounded, be ware that I will not desert such
true lovers as these. And, if thou keepest me here, thou wilt keep no
more of me than my body. But I will make me a nest in their hearts for
ever and ever. For I know where I am a welcome guest, and where I am
unwelcome, and where I am treated simply as a blooming pastime with
childish play, and where with due worship and honour.”
Then, the Father and King of gods and men drew down his immortal
eyebrows: for the matter was an extremely grave one; and he gave
judgment, saying: “Let us by any means secure a quiet life. And,
forasmuch as King Odysseys desireth to leave us peaceably, retiring to
an earthly kingdom with his dear wife and his proper paraphernalia, let
him go to Moxoene thus. And let them have all health and comfort in
their going. It pleaseth us; and, so, of our own free will, we command
that it shall be done.”
Therefore, when Morning donned her saffron robes, and ascended from
bathing in the streams of ocean, to give light to immortals and
mortals, then, all the divine ones (save the two blameless queens),
having loaded my chariot with sweet gifts, came gateward to speed us on
our way. But Aphrodite the lady of the dog-star (the most righteous of
goddesses) pettishly called for her son, holding him between her knees
for once, and caressing his ruddy young neck, with malicious intent to
prevent him from going with us.
But then, indeed, a marvellous portent was manifested.
For my gigantic silver-shining chariot, inlaid with crabs and moons
in mother-of-pearl, stood in the gateway of lofty Olympos loaded
with my gear. And, poised on the front of its rail, was the silver
image of Love, larger than life, blindfolded, naked, most alluringly
proportioned, with his well-winged arms spread abroad in the very act
of taking flight; and his reins were girded with the silver chain, of
which the taslets dangled behind down to the rail of the chariot. But,
when Queen Helen saw that invidious hag detaining our charioteer out
of jealousy, then, she looked at me sadly, letting fall a round tear,
not knowing how we should go. To whom I spoke unwinged words, saying
very firmly: “Mount, my child, nor be affrighted with any amazement
whatever: for dreadful among mortals and immortals is the wrath of a
suppliant. And we, indeed, are the suppliants of Love.”
Thus I spoke: but we two mounted in turn; and Queen Helen pulled the
chain, having confidence in the promise of the god. And, as she worked
the magic inchantment, both our hearts glowed with undying fire. And
we saw young and ruddy Eros, clasped between his wretched mother’s
knees, become suddenly white and rigid: but he himself came; and the
silver image of Love lived, and was Love, bursting into ardent life,
and flying away with us, leaving no more than the wraith of Love with
Aphrodite (most righteous of goddesses) howling on lofty Olympos.
Thus, then, I left the abodes of the immortals, coming to rule my
kingdom of Moxoene on the grain-giving earth.
FOOTNOTES:
[65] I do hope and trust, and (in fact) I believe that he means
“hedgehogs”: though I confess that I myself never derived much real
sport from the chase of those beasts. Perhaps “porpentines” would be a
more exact rendering. A. H.
THE THIRTY-THIRD PAPYRUS
Now the deeds which I have done and the wiles which I have wrought, in
my kingdom of Moxoene, are on this wise. And, seeing that they are both
great and numerous, I will have them fairly written out by the hand of
Empedokles son of Polypemon, my scribe, on one-and-twenty new rolls of
fine papyrus, and sealed with my kingly sigil.
On the first roll, it shall be written of my coming with Queen Helen to
Moxoene, flying out of the open heaven in my silver-shining chariot,
having a glorious sheen like the moon. And, when the people saw us,
they received us with gladness and piety and exquisite sacrifices: for,
though we scintillated with truly godly splendour, and appeared to be
of very much more than mortal stature, yet we were benign of aspect and
not terrible; and the tribes (also) of the country are not slavish or
timid by nature, but brave and strong, and of an upright ingenious mind.
On the second roll, it shall be written of the stablishing of my
kingdom. For, when the news of my coming went abroad, then, the chiefs
of the fifteen tribes between the Great River[66] and River Araxes
and Media Atropatene with Assyria and Mesopotamia came, of their own
free will, to pay homage to me, swearing faithful allegiance. And these
were the fifteen princes of the fifteen tribes of Akilisene and Derxene
and Phasianene and Bagravandene and Dasranalene and Khorzianene and
Balabitene and Astianene and Anzitene and Sophene and Arzanene and
Gordavanene and Arapakitene and Thositene and Moxoene.
On the third roll, it shall be written of the constitution of my
kingdom as a limited theocracy: for I, the king, and Helen, the queen,
accept the obedience and the worship of the nation, as god and goddess
of Moxoene, for the present and in the absence of anything better.
Here, also, it shall be written of the manner of the said obedience and
worship: of the language of Moxoene: of my kingly name Balthazar, and
the signification of the same.
On the fourth roll, it shall be written of the _Sacred Lavation_ and of
_The Spell of The Three Who are One_, a most efficacious mighty magic
inchantment, which, in the very beginning, I wrought upon the persons
of all and singular my subjects, in my Thospitian Sea, will-he nill-he:
with the names and histories of the two of evil mind who repudiated it,
whom a flying dragon ate that same afternoon.[67]
On the fifth roll, it shall be written of the mysteries, which I study
and cause to be studied by the few who are worthy; and of the altar, of
sunstone and moonstone, to Mithra, Unconquered Father of Fathers, which
I set up in my palace for myself and my own, whereat I myself minister
as mysteriarch among my sons.
On the sixth roll, it shall be written of the fair children borne to me
by Queen Helen, my beloved wife and true: to wit, my darling Diyllos
(superb and glancing-eyed like my friend Diokles) born under the Moon
and the Crab, and my very dear son Nikolaos born under Hermes and The
Virgin, and my twin-son Haliastos and my twin-daughter Halianthe born
under Oyranos and The Waterman; and of the _Sacred Lavation_ and _The
Spell of The Three Who are One_, which I wrought upon them all at birth.
On the seventh roll, it shall be written of Queen Helen, my meet help
and my heart’s constant joy: of all the deeds which she (the divine
one of goddesses) has done for the women and children of my kingdom,
teaching them the arts of love, obedience, service, housewifery,
comforting them in sorrow. Here, also, shall be written of my sweet
daughter Silver Halianthe, my sea-flower, who (having been born in my
galley on my Thospitian Sea, and having been bred by Queen Helen) has
become her golden mother’s second self.
On the eighth roll, it shall be written of my friend glancing-eyed
Diokles, and of my own cousin Perseys of the sea (the most renowned of
heroes), who came to my kingdom while my sons were young, to teach them
all those things which the sons of heroes and of kings must know, and
to show them what the sons of heroes and of kings must be.
On the ninth roll, it shall be written of Hermes the Helper and of
Eros the Great Inchanter, and of my two faithful slaves Neandros and
Thalos. Here, shall be written of the mighty magic which Eros taught to
ingenious Neandros my slave, and to my dear son Haliastos desiring it,
so that they found out wells of fragrant oil wherein pitch beautifully
floats, and also wells of limpid water, for the magic instruments which
they make, wherewith they cut the air into compact blocks, storing
the same in the secret parts of chariots (which, also, they make), so
that the said chariots, fish-shaped, run on the earth, or fly in the
air, or swim in and on the sea, more swiftly than a bird or a thought,
having no sails nor oars nor even horses to draw them. And with these
I win great victories over hairy barbarians, even over the Parthians
with their blooming elephants. And here, also, shall be written of the
wisdom unspeakable which Hermes taught to ingenious Thalos my slave,
and to my strange and very dear son Nikolaos desiring it: so that I
placed them over my royal college of mages seeking wisdom, which I
stablished on the peak above my Thospitian Sea.
On the tenth roll, it shall be written of the death of my darling son
Diyllos, in my war with the Kilikian pirates, in the moment of victory
with his circle of dead about him as high as the well-folded tablets
of his breast. Herakles lighted his funeral-pyre, heaped with his
chariots, his arms, his trophies, and a few of his toys. I could not
burn my own work, the most beautiful body of my son. I preserve it,
using the best of all my magic art, so that it will be sweet and fresh
for me for ever and ever. Here, also, shall be written of the fair and
kingly crypt, where I have hidden that vesture of my darling son, with
my private treasures; and of my daily visit to look upon him.
On the eleventh roll, it shall be written of the embassador who came
from Cæsar Augustus, demanding my submission, requiring me to send