第23章 THE FISHERMAN AND HIS SOUL(10)

And the young Fisherman rose up and crept towards the room of the merchant,and over the feet of the merchant there was lying a curved sword,and the tray by the side of the merchant held nine purses of gold.And he reached out his hand and touched the sword,and when he touched it the merchant started and awoke,and leaping up seized himself the sword and cried to the young Fisherman,'Dost thou return evil for good,and pay with the shedding of blood for the kindness that I have shown thee?'

And his Soul said to the young Fisherman,'Strike him,'and he struck him so that he swooned and he seized then the nine purses of gold,and fled hastily through the garden of pomegranates,and set his face to the star that is the star of morning.

And when they had gone a league from the city,the young Fisherman beat his breast,and said to his Soul,'Why didst thou bid me slay the merchant and take his gold?Surely thou art evil.'

But his Soul answered him,'Be at peace,be at peace.'

'Nay,'cried the young Fisherman,'I may not be at peace,for all that thou hast made me to do I hate.Thee also I hate,and I bid thee tell me wherefore thou hast wrought with me in this wise.'

And his Soul answered him,'When thou didst send me forth into the world thou gavest me no heart,so I learned to do all these things and love them.'

'What sayest thou?'murmured the young Fisherman.

'Thou knowest,'answered his Soul,'thou knowest it well.Hast thou forgotten that thou gavest me no heart?I trow not.And so trouble not thyself nor me,but be at peace,for there is no pain that thou shalt not give away,nor any pleasure that thou shalt not receive.'

And when the young Fisherman heard these words he trembled and said to his Soul,'Nay,but thou art evil,and hast made me forget my love,and hast tempted me with temptations,and hast set my feet in the ways of sin.'

And his Soul answered him,'Thou hast not forgotten that when thou didst send me forth into the world thou gavest me no heart.Come,let us go to another city,and make merry,for we have nine purses of gold.'

But the young Fisherman took the nine purses of gold,and flung them down,and trampled on them.

'Nay,'he cried,'but I will have nought to do with thee,nor will I journey with thee anywhere,but even as I sent thee away before,so will I send thee away now,for thou hast wrought me no good.'

And he turned his back to the moon,and with the little knife that had the handle of green viper's skin he strove to cut from his feet that shadow of the body which is the body of the Soul.

Yet his Soul stirred not from him,nor paid heed to his command,but said to him,'The spell that the Witch told thee avails thee no more,for I may not leave thee,nor mayest thou drive me forth.

Once in his life may a man send his Soul away,but he who receiveth back his Soul must keep it with him for ever,and this is his punishment and his reward.'

And the young Fisherman grew pale and clenched his hands and cried,'She was a false Witch in that she told me not that.'

'Nay,'answered his Soul,'but she was true to Him she worships,and whose servant she will be ever.'

And when the young Fisherman knew that he could no longer get rid of his Soul,and that it was an evil Soul and would abide with him always,he fell upon the ground weeping bitterly.

And when it was day the young Fisherman rose up and said to his Soul,'I will bind my hands that I may not do thy bidding,and close my lips that I may not speak thy words,and I will return to the place where she whom I love has her dwelling.Even to the sea will I return,and to the little bay where she is wont to sing,and I will call to her and tell her the evil I have done and the evil thou hast wrought on me.'

And his Soul tempted him and said,'Who is thy love,that thou shouldst return to her?The world has many fairer than she is.

There are the dancing-girls of Samaris who dance in the manner of all kinds of birds and beasts.Their feet are painted with henna,and in their hands they have little copper bells.They laugh while they dance,and their laughter is as clear as the laughter of water.Come with me and I will show them to thee.For what is this trouble of thine about the things of sin?Is that which is pleasant to eat not made for the eater?Is there poison in that which is sweet to drink?Trouble not thyself,but come with me to another city.There is a little city hard by in which there is a garden of tulip-trees.And there dwell in this comely garden white peacocks and peacocks that have blue breasts.Their tails when they spread them to the sun are like disks of ivory and like gilt disks.And she who feeds them dances for their pleasure,and sometimes she dances on her hands and at other times she dances with her feet.Her eyes are coloured with stibium,and her nostrils are shaped like the wings of a swallow.From a hook in one of her nostrils hangs a flower that is carved out of a pearl.

She laughs while she dances,and the silver rings that are about her ankles tinkle like bells of silver.And so trouble not thyself any more,but come with me to this city.'

But the young Fisherman answered not his Soul,but closed his lips with the seal of silence and with a tight cord bound his hands,and journeyed back to the place from which he had come,even to the little bay where his love had been wont to sing.And ever did his Soul tempt him by the way,but he made it no answer,nor would he do any of the wickedness that it sought to make him to do,so great was the power of the love that was within him.

And when he had reached the shore of the sea,he loosed the cord from his hands,and took the seal of silence from his lips,and called to the little Mermaid.But she came not to his call,though he called to her all day long and besought her.

And his Soul mocked him and said,'Surely thou hast but little joy out of thy love.Thou art as one who in time of death pours water into a broken vessel.Thou givest away what thou hast,and nought is given to thee in return.It were better for thee to come with me,for I know where the Valley of Pleasure lies,and what things are wrought there.'