Yet, when the
dead Youths had been brought in, many had ceased to look out for a time
and had turned to questioning, and some had made inspection that they
might know which had come back, and which lay out there where the Giants
had slain them, or went forward to more dreadful matters. But who of those that were abroad, were slain, or still went onward, we
had but indifferent knowledge; though the men of the Ten-thousand knew
somewhat, having had speech with the wounded Youths, ere they slew them. And, as may be thought, these men were sorely questioned by the Mothers
and the Fathers of those Youths that were not accounted of; yet I doubt
that few had much knowledge wherewith to console them. Now there was presently, in the Garden of Silence, which was the
lowermost of all the Underground Fields, the Ending of those seventeen
hundred heroes, and of the Youths that they saved and slew. And the
Garden was a great country, and an hundred miles every way, and the roof
thereof was three great miles above, and shaped to a mighty dome; as it
had been that the Builders and Makers thereof did remember in their
spirits the visible sky of this our present age. And the making of that Country was all set out in a single History of
seven thousand and seventy Volumes. And there were likewise seven
thousand and seventy years spent to the making of that Country; so that
there had unremembered generations lived and laboured and died, and seen
not the end of their labour. And Love had shaped it and hallowed it; so
that of all the wonders of the world, there has been none that shall
ever come anigh to that Country of Silence--an hundred miles every way
of Silence to the Dead. And there were in that roof seven moons set in a mighty circle, and lit
by the Earth-Current; and the circle was sixty miles across, so that all
that Country of Quiet was visible; yet to no great glare, but a sweet
and holy light; so that I did always feel in my heart that a man might
weep there, and be unashamed. And in the midst of that silent Country, there was a great hill, and
upon the hill a vast Dome. And the Dome was full of a Light that might
be seen in all that Country, which was the Garden of Silence. And
beneath the Dome was the "Crack," and within it the glory of the
Earth-Current, from which all had life and light and safety. And in the
Dome, at the North, there was a gateway; and a narrow road went upward
to the gateway; and the Road was named The Last Road; and the Gateway
was named by no name, but known to all as The Gateway. And there were in that mighty Country, long roadways, and hidden methods
to help travel; and constant temples of rest along the miles; and
groves; and the charm of water, falling. And everywhere the Statues of
Memory, and the Tablets of Memory; and the whole of that Great
Underground Country full of an echo of Eternity and of Memory and Love
and Greatness; so that to walk alone in that Land was to grow back to
the wonder and mystery of Childhood; and presently to go upwards again
to the Cities of the Mighty Pyramid, purified and sweetened of soul and
mind. And in my boyhood, I have wandered oft a week of days in that Country of
Silence, and had my food with me, and slept quietly amid the memories;
and gone on again, wrapped about with the quiet of the Everlasting. And
the man-soul within would be drawn mightily to those places where the
Great Ones of the past Eternity of the World had their Memory named; but
there was that within me which ever drew me, in the ending, to the Hills
of the Babes; those little hills where might be heard amid the
lonesomeness of an utter quiet, a strange and wondrous echo, as of a
little child calling over the hills. But how this was I know not, save
by the sweet cunning of some dead Maker in the forgotten years. And here, mayhaps by reason of this Voice of Pathos, were to be found
the countless Tokens of Memory to all the babes of the Mighty Pyramid,
through a thousand ages. And, odd whiles, would I come upon some
Mother, sitting there lonely, or mayhaps companied by others. And by
this little telling shall you know somewhat of the quietness and the
wonder and the holiness of that great Country hallowed to all Memory and
to Eternity and to our Dead. And it was here, into the Country of Silence, that they brought down the
Dead to their Burial. And there came down into the Country of Silence,
maybe an Hundred Million, out of the Cities of the Pyramid, to be
present, and to do Honour. Now they that had charge of the Dead, did lay them upon the road which
ran up unto The Gateway, even that same road which was named The Last
Road. And the Road moved upwards slowly with the Dead; and the Dead went
inward through The Gateway; first the poor Youths, and afterward they
that had given up life that they might save them. And as the Dead went upwards, there was a very great Silence over all
the miles of the Country of Silence. But in a little while there came
from afar off, a sound as of a wind wailing; and it came onwards out of
the distance, and passed over the Hills of the Babes, which were a great
way off. And so came anigh to the place where I stood. Even as the
blowing of a sorrowful wind did it come; and I knew that all the great
multitudes did sing quietly; and the singing passed onwards, and left
behind it an utter silence; even as the wind doth rustle the corn, and
pass onwards, and all fall to a greater seeming quietness than before. And the Dead passed inward through The Gateway, into the great light and
silence of the Dome; and came out no more. And again from beyond the far Hills of the Babes there was that sound of
the millions singing; and there rose up out of the earth beneath, the
voices of the underground organs; and the noise of the sorrow passed
over me, and went again into the distance, and left all hushed. And lo! as there passed inward to the silence of the Dome the last of
those dead Heroes, there came again the sound from beyond the Hills of
the Babes; and as it came more nigh, I knew that it was the Song of
Honour, loud and triumphant, and sung by countless multitudes. And the
Voices of the Organs rose up into thunder from the deep earth. And there
was a great Honour done to the glory of the Dead. And afterwards, once
more a silence. Then did the Peoples of the Cities arrange themselves so that from every
city whence had come a Hero, were the People of that City gathered
together. And when they were so gathered, they set up Tokens of Memory
to the Dead of their City. But afterwards did charge Artists to the
making of sculpture great and beautiful to that same end; and now did
but place Tablets against that time. And afterwards the People did wander over that Country of Silence, and
made visit and honour to their Ancestors, if such were deserving.