第11章 THREE DREAMS IN A DESERT(3)

And she said, "I will carry him so--with one arm, and with the other I will fight the water."He said, "Lay him down on the ground.When you are in the water you will forget to fight, you will think only of him.Lay him down." He said, "He will not die.When he finds you have left him alone he will open his wings and fly.He will be in the Land of Freedom before you.Those who reach the Land of Freedom, the first hand they see stretching down the bank to help them shall be Love's.He will be a man then, not a child.In your breast he cannot thrive; put him down that he may grow."And she took her bosom from his mouth, and he bit her, so that the blood ran down on to the ground.And she laid him down on the earth; and she covered her wound.And she bent and stroked his wings.And I saw the hair on her forehead turned white as snow, and she had changed from youth to age.

And she stood far off on the bank of the river.And she said, "For what do I go to this far land which no one has ever reached? Oh, I am alone! I am utterly alone!"And Reason, that old man, said to her, "Silence! What do you hear?"And she listened intently, and she said, "I hear a sound of feet, a thousand times ten thousand and thousands of thousands, and they beat this way!"He said, "They are the feet of those that shall follow you.Lead on! make a track to the water's edge! Where you stand now, the ground will be beaten flat by ten thousand times ten thousand feet." And he said, "Have you seen the locusts how they cross a stream? First one comes down to the water-edge, and it is swept away, and then another comes and then another, and then another, and at last with their bodies piled up a bridge is built and the rest pass over."She said, "And, of those that come first, some are swept away, and are heard of no more; their bodies do not even build the bridge?""And are swept away, and are heard of no more--and what of that?" he said.

"And what of that--" she said.

"They make a track to the water's edge."

"They make a track to the water's edge--." And she said, "Over that bridge which shall be built with our bodies, who will pass?"He said, "The entire human race."

And the woman grasped her staff.

And I saw her turn down that dark path to the river.

And I awoke; and all about me was the yellow afternoon light: the sinking sun lit up the fingers of the milk bushes; and my horse stood by me quietly feeding.And I turned on my side, and I watched the ants run by thousands in the red sand.I thought I would go on my way now--the afternoon was cooler.Then a drowsiness crept over me again, and I laid back my head and fell asleep.

And I dreamed a dream.

I dreamed I saw a land.And on the hills walked brave women and brave men, hand in hand.And they looked into each other's eyes, and they were not afraid.

And I saw the women also hold each other's hands.

And I said to him beside me, "What place is this?"And he said, "This is heaven."

And I said, "Where is it?"

And he answered, "On earth."

And I said, "When shall these things be?"And he answered, "IN THE FUTURE."

And I awoke, and all about me was the sunset light; and on the low hills the sun lay, and a delicious coolness had crept over everything; and the ants were going slowly home.And I walked towards my horse, who stood quietly feeding.Then the sun passed down behind the hills; but I knew that the next day he would arise again.