Phaeton 39
I could not bear the weight of the air. Let us soar
higher, ever higher! I increased the speed.
“Fierce frenzy! Fierce folly! Fierce, fierce, frenzied
folly | ”’
“© Thou tortured shriek of the storm, that art
whirled up through the leaves of the woods! I
adore Thee, Evoe! I adore Thee, I AO!”
And I felt that we were borne on some tremendous
tempest. The earth dropped from beneath us like a
stone into blind nothingness. We were free, free for
ever, from the fetters of our birth !
“Soar swifter! Soar swifter! Soar, soar swifter,
swifter |” ,
Before us, high in the pale gray, stood Jupiter, a
four-square sapphire spark.
“O Thou bright star of the morning, that art
set betwixt the breasts of the Night! I adore
Thee, Evoe! I adore Thee, I A O!”.
I shouted back. |
“Star seekers! Star finders! Twin stars, silver
shining | ”’
Up, still up, I drove. There hung a mass of thunder-
cloud between me and the dawn. Damn it, how dared
it! It had no business to be there. I must rise over it,
trample it under my feet.
“Q Thou purple breast of the storm, that art
scarred by the teeth of the lightning! I adore
Thee, Evoe! I adore Thee, I A O!”
Frail waifs of mist beset us. I had understood Lou’s
joy in the cloud. It was I that was wrong. I had not
had enough cocaine to be able to accept everything
as infinite ecstasy. Her love carried me out of myself
up to her triumphal passion. I understood the mist.
D.D.F. D