land, and yet methought I knew it from long ago. There I dwelt among the
graves, and dark faces were about me, and I wore That thou knowest for a
girdle. And the tombs of the rock wherein we dwelt were scored with the
writings of a dead tongue--the tongue of that land whence our fathers
came. We were all changed, yet the same, and once more the woman and I
struggled for the mastery, and though I seemed to conquer, yet a sea of
fire came over me, and I woke and I slept again.

"'Then confusion was piled upon confusion, nor can my memory hold all
that came to pass. For this game played itself afresh in lands, and
lives, and tongues without number. Only the last bout and the winner
were not revealed to me.

"'And in my dream I cried aloud to the protecting Gods to escape out of
the dream, and I sought for light that I might see whence these things
were. Then, as in a vision, the Past opened up its gates. It seemed that
upon a time, thousand, thousand ages agone, I and this man of my dream
had arisen from nothingness and looked in each other's eyes, and loved
with a love unspeakable, and vowed a vow that shall endure from time to
time and world to world. For we were not mortal then, but partook of the
nature of the Gods, being more fair and great than any of human kind,
and our happiness was the happiness of Heaven. But in our great joy we
hearkened to the Voice of the That thou knowest, of that Thing, Rei,
with which, against thy counsel, I have but lately dealt. The kiss of
our love awakened That which slept, the fire of our love warmed That
which was a-cold! We defied the holy Gods, worshipping them not, but
rather each the other, for we knew that as the Gods we were eternal. And
the Gods were angered against us and drew us up into their presence. And
while we trembled they spake as with a voice: