THE VISION AND THE VOICE
(There were two voices in all this Cry, one behind the other
—or, one was the speech, and the other the meaning. And
the voice that was the speech was simply a roaring, one tre-
mendous noise, like a mixture of thunder and water-falls and
wild beasts and bands and artillery. And yet it was articulate,
though I cannot tell you what a single word was. But the
meaning of the voice—the second voice—was quite silent, and
put the ideas directly into the brain of the Seer, as if by
touch. It is not certain whether the mill-stones and the
sword-strokes that rained upon him were not these very
sounds and ideas.)
THE CrY OF THE 24TH AETHYR, WHICH IS CALLED NIA
An angel comes forward into the stone like a warrior clad
in chain-armour. Upon his head are plumes of gray, spread
out like the fan ofa peacock. About his feet a great army of
scorpions and dogs, lions, elephants, and many other wild
beasts. He stretches forth his arms to heaven and cries; In
the crackling of the lightning, in the rolling of the thunder, in
the clashing of the swords and the hurling of the arrows: be
thy name exalted!
Streams of fire come out of the heavens, a pale brilliant
blue, like plumes. And they gather themselves and settle
upon his lips. His lips are redder than roses, and the blue
plumes gather themselves into a blue rose, and from beneath
the petals of the rose come brightly coloured humming-birds,
and dew falls from the rose—honey-coloured dew. I stand in
the shower of it.
And a voice proceeds from the rose: Come away! Our
chariot is drawn by doves. Of mother-of-pearl and ivory is
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