THE EQUINOX 12. But in the very hour I beheld corruption. 13. Then I said: O my beloved, O Lord Adonai, I pray thee to loosen the coils of the serpent! 14. But she was closed fast upon me, so that my Force was stayed in its inception. 15. Also I prayed unto the Elephant God, the Lord of Be- ginnings, who breaketh down obstruction. 16. These gods came right quickly to mine aid. I beheld them; I joined myself unto them; I was lost in their vastness. 17. Then I beheld myself compassed about with the In- finite Circle of Emerald that encloseth the Universe. 18. O Snake of Emerald, Thou hast no time Past, no time ToCome. Verily Thou art not. 19. Thou art delicious beyond all taste and touch, Thou art not-to-be-beheld for glory, Thy voice is beyond the Speech and the Silence and the Speech therein, and Thy per- fume is of pure ambergris, that is not weighed against the finest gold of the fine gold. 20. Also Thy coils are of infinite range; the Heart that Thou dost encircle is an Universal Heart. 21. I, and Me, and Mine were sitting with lutes in the market-place of the great city, the city of the violets and the roses. 22. The night fell, and the music of the lutes was stilled. 23. The tempest arose, and the music of the lutes was stilled. 24. The hour passed, and the music of the lutes was stilled. 25. But Thou art Eternity and Space; Thou art Matter and Motion; and Thou art the negation of all these things. 26. For there is no Symbol of Thee. 78