THE GARDEN OF PARADISE [5]
on which was written the history of the phoenix; and her
eyes sparkled with joy. She then took the prince by the hand, and
led him into her palace, the walls of which were richly colored,
like a tulip-leaf when it is turned to the sun. The roof had the
appearance of an inverted flower, and the colors grew deeper and
brighter to the gazer. The prince walked to a window, and saw what
appeared to be the tree of knowledge of good and evil, with Adam and
Eve standing by, and the serpent near them. "I thought they were
banished from paradise," he said.
The princess smiled, and told him that time had engraved each
event on a window-pane in the form of a picture; but, unlike other
pictures, all that it represented lived and moved,- the leaves
rustled, and the persons went and came, as in a looking-glass. He
looked through another pane, and saw the ladder in Jacob's dream, on
which the angels were ascending and descending with outspread wings.
All that had ever happened in the world here lived and moved on the
panes of glass, in pictures such as time alone could produce. The
fairy now led the prince into a large, lofty room with transparent
walls, through which the light shone. Here were portraits, each one
appearing more beautiful than the other- millions of happy beings,
whose laughter and song mingled in one sweet melody: some of these
were in such an elevated position that they appeared smaller than
the smallest rosebud, or like pencil dots on paper. In the centre of
the hall stood a tree, with drooping branches, from which hung
golden apples, both great and small, looking like oranges amid the
green leaves. It was the tree of knowledge of good and evil, from
which Adam and Eve had plucked and eaten the forbidden fruit, and from
each leaf trickled a bright red dewdrop, as if the tree were weeping
tears of blood for their sin. "Let us now take the boat," said the
fairy: "a sail on the cool waters will refresh us. But we shall not
move from the spot, although the boat may rock on the swelling
water; the countries of the world will glide before us, but we shall
remain still."
It was indeed wonderful to behold. First came the lofty Alps,
snow-clad, and covered with clouds and dark pines. The horn resounded,
and the shepherds sang merrily in the valleys. The banana-trees bent
their drooping branches over the boat, black swans floated on the
water, and singular animals and flowers appeared on the distant shore.
New Holland, the fifth division of the world, now glided by, with
mountains in the background, looking blue in the distance. They
heard the song of the priests, and saw the wild dance of the savage to
the sound of the drums and trumpets of bone; the pyramids of Egypt
rising to the clouds; columns and sphinxes, overthrown and buried in
the sand, followed in their turn; while the northern lights flashed
out over the extinguished volcanoes of the north, in fireworks none
could imitate.
The prince was delighted, and yet he saw hundreds of other
wonderful things more than can be described. "Can I stay here
forever?" asked he.
"That depends upon yourself," replied the fairy. "If you do not,
like Adam, long for what is forbidden, you can remain here always."
"I should not touch the fruit on the tree of knowledge," said
the prince; there is abundance of fruit equally beautiful."
"Examine your own heart," said the princess, "and if you do not
feel sure of its strength, return with the East Wind who brought
you. He is about to fly back, and will not return here for a hundred
years. The time will not seem to you more than a hundred hours, yet
even that is a long time for temptation and resistance. Every evening,
when I leave you, I shall be obliged to say, 'Come with me,' and to
beckon to you with my hand. But you must not listen, nor move from
your place to follow me; for with every step you will find your
power to resist weaker. If once you attempted to follow me, you
would soon find yourself
eyes sparkled with joy. She then took the prince by the hand, and
led him into her palace, the walls of which were richly colored,
like a tulip-leaf when it is turned to the sun. The roof had the
appearance of an inverted flower, and the colors grew deeper and
brighter to the gazer. The prince walked to a window, and saw what
appeared to be the tree of knowledge of good and evil, with Adam and
Eve standing by, and the serpent near them. "I thought they were
banished from paradise," he said.
The princess smiled, and told him that time had engraved each
event on a window-pane in the form of a picture; but, unlike other
pictures, all that it represented lived and moved,- the leaves
rustled, and the persons went and came, as in a looking-glass. He
looked through another pane, and saw the ladder in Jacob's dream, on
which the angels were ascending and descending with outspread wings.
All that had ever happened in the world here lived and moved on the
panes of glass, in pictures such as time alone could produce. The
fairy now led the prince into a large, lofty room with transparent
walls, through which the light shone. Here were portraits, each one
appearing more beautiful than the other- millions of happy beings,
whose laughter and song mingled in one sweet melody: some of these
were in such an elevated position that they appeared smaller than
the smallest rosebud, or like pencil dots on paper. In the centre of
the hall stood a tree, with drooping branches, from which hung
golden apples, both great and small, looking like oranges amid the
green leaves. It was the tree of knowledge of good and evil, from
which Adam and Eve had plucked and eaten the forbidden fruit, and from
each leaf trickled a bright red dewdrop, as if the tree were weeping
tears of blood for their sin. "Let us now take the boat," said the
fairy: "a sail on the cool waters will refresh us. But we shall not
move from the spot, although the boat may rock on the swelling
water; the countries of the world will glide before us, but we shall
remain still."
It was indeed wonderful to behold. First came the lofty Alps,
snow-clad, and covered with clouds and dark pines. The horn resounded,
and the shepherds sang merrily in the valleys. The banana-trees bent
their drooping branches over the boat, black swans floated on the
water, and singular animals and flowers appeared on the distant shore.
New Holland, the fifth division of the world, now glided by, with
mountains in the background, looking blue in the distance. They
heard the song of the priests, and saw the wild dance of the savage to
the sound of the drums and trumpets of bone; the pyramids of Egypt
rising to the clouds; columns and sphinxes, overthrown and buried in
the sand, followed in their turn; while the northern lights flashed
out over the extinguished volcanoes of the north, in fireworks none
could imitate.
The prince was delighted, and yet he saw hundreds of other
wonderful things more than can be described. "Can I stay here
forever?" asked he.
"That depends upon yourself," replied the fairy. "If you do not,
like Adam, long for what is forbidden, you can remain here always."
"I should not touch the fruit on the tree of knowledge," said
the prince; there is abundance of fruit equally beautiful."
"Examine your own heart," said the princess, "and if you do not
feel sure of its strength, return with the East Wind who brought
you. He is about to fly back, and will not return here for a hundred
years. The time will not seem to you more than a hundred hours, yet
even that is a long time for temptation and resistance. Every evening,
when I leave you, I shall be obliged to say, 'Come with me,' and to
beckon to you with my hand. But you must not listen, nor move from
your place to follow me; for with every step you will find your
power to resist weaker. If once you attempted to follow me, you
would soon find yourself