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THE NIGHT LAND


WILLIAM HOPE HODGSON


1912




THE DREAMS THAT ARE ONLY DREAMS


"This to be Love, that your spirit to live in a natural holiness with
the Beloved, and your bodies to be a sweet and natural delight that
shall be never lost of a lovely mystery.... And shame to be unborn, and
all things to go wholesome and proper, out of an utter greatness of
understanding; and the Man to be an Hero and a Child before the Woman;
and the Woman to be an Holy Light of the Spirit and an Utter Companion
and in the same time a glad Possession unto the Man.... And this doth be
Human Love...."

"...for this to be the especial glory of Love, that it doth make unto
all Sweetness and Greatness, and doth be a fire burning all Littleness;
so that did all in this world to have met The Beloved, then did
Wantonness be dead, and there to grow Gladness and Charity, dancing in
the years." I

MIRDATH THE BEAUTIFUL


    "And I cannot touch her face
    And I cannot touch her hair,
    And I kneel to empty shadows--
    Just memories of her grace;
    And her voice sings in the winds
    And in the sobs of dawn
    And among the flowers at night
    And from the brooks at sunrise
    And from the sea at sunset,
    And I answer with vain callings ..."

It was the Joy of the Sunset that brought us to speech. I was gone a
long way from my house, walking lonely-wise, and stopping often that I
view the piling upward of the Battlements of Evening, and to feel the
dear and strange gathering of the Dusk come over all the world about me. The last time that I paused, I was truly lost in a solemn joy of the
Glory of the Coming Night; and maybe I laughed a little in my throat,
standing there alone in the midst of the Dusk upon the World. And, lo! my content was answered out of the trees that bounded the country road
upon my right; and it was so as that some one had said: "And thou also!" in glad understanding, that I laughed again a little in my throat; as
though I had only a half-believing that any true human did answer my
laugh; but rather some sweet Delusion or Spirit that was tuned to my
mood. But she spoke and called me by my name; and when I had gone to the side
of the road, that I should see her somewhat, and discover whether I knew
her, I saw that she was surely that lady, who for her beauty was known
through all of that sweet County of Kent as Lady Mirdath the Beautiful;
and a near neighbour to me; for the Estates of her Guardian abounded
upon mine. Yet, until that time, I had never met her; for I had been so oft and
long abroad; and so much given to my Studies and my Exercises when at
home, that I had no further Knowledge of her than Rumour gave to me odd
time; and for the rest, I was well content; for as I have given hint, my
books held me, and likewise my Exercises; for I was always an athlete,
and never met the man so quick or so strong as I did be; save in some
fiction of a tale or in the mouth of a boaster. Now, I stood instantly with my hat in my hand; and answered her gentle
bantering so well as I might, the while that I peered intent and
wondering at her through the gloom; for truly Rumour had told no tale to
equal the beauty of this strange maid; who now stood jesting with so
sweet a spirit, and claiming kinship of Cousinhood with me, as was
truth, now that I did wake to think. And, truly, she made no ado; but named me frank by my lad's name, and
gave laughter and right to me to name her Mirdath, and nothing less or
more--at that time. And she bid me then to come up through the hedge,
and make use of a gap that was her own especial secret, as she
confessed, when she took odd leave with her maid to some country frolic,
drest as village maids; but not to deceive many, as I dare believe. And I came up through the gap in the hedge and stood beside her; and
tall she had seemed to me, when I looked up at her; and tall she was, in
truth; but indeed I was a great head taller. And she invited me then to
walk with her to the house, that I meet her Guardian and give word to my
sorrow that I had so long neglected to make call upon them; and truly
her eyes to shine with mischief and delight, as she named me so for my
amissness. But, indeed, she grew sober in a moment, and she set up her finger to me
to hush, as that she heard somewhat in the wood that lay all the way
upon our right. And, indeed, something I heard too; for there was surely
a rustling of the leaves, and anon a dead twig crackt with a sound clear
and sharp in the stillness. And immediately there came three men running out of the wood at me; and
I called to them sharply to keep off or beware of harm; and I put the
maid to my back with my left hand, and had my oak staff ready for my
use. But the three men gave out no word of reply; but ran in at me; and I saw
somewhat of the gleam of knives; and at that, I moved very glad and
brisk to the attack; and behind me there went shrill and sweet, the call
of a silver whistle; for the Maid was whistling for her dogs; and maybe
the call was also a signal to the men-servants of her house. Yet, truly, there was no use in help that was yet to come; for the need
did be then and instant; and I nowise loath to use my strength before
my sweet cousin. And I stepped forward, briskly, as I have told; and
the end of my staff I drove into the body of the left-ward man, so that
he dropped like a dead man. And I hit very sharply at the head of
another, and surely crackt it for him; for he made instantly upon the
earth; but the third man I met with my fist, and neither had he any
great need of a second blow; but went instant to join his companions,
and the fight thus to have ended before it was even proper begun, and I
laughing a little with a proper pride, to know the bewilderment that I
perceived in the way that the Lady Mirdath, my cousin, stood and
regarded me through the dusk of the hushed even. But, indeed, there was no time left to us, before there came bounding
up, three great boar-hounds, that had been loosed to her whistle; and
she had some ado to keep the brutes off me; and I then to beat them off
the men upon the earth, lest they maul them as they lay. And directly,
there was a noise of men shouting, and the light of lanthorns in the
night, and the footmen of the house to come running with lanthorns and
cudgels; and knew not whether to deal with me, or not, in the first
moment, even as the dogs; but when they saw the men upon the ground, and
learned my name and saw me proper, they kept well their distance and had
no lack of respect; but, indeed, my sweet cousin to have the most of
any; only that she showed no intent to keep distance of me; but to have
a new and deeper feeling of kinship than she at first had shown. And the men-servants asked what should be done with the foot-pads;
seeing that they were now recovering.