The Land of the Blue FlowerBurnett, Frances Hodgson
Science
The Land of the Blue Flower
Burnett, Frances Hodgson
Fairy tales
The sky was dark blue now and lit by a myriad stars, and all was so
still that the world seemed thousands of miles away, and ugliness and
squalor and people who quarreled seemed things which were not true. A
sweet cool wind blew about them as the Ancient One took King Amor from
the folds of his gray robe and laid him on the carpet of scented moss.
"The stars are very near," he said. "Waken, young King, and see how near
they are and know they are your brothers. Your brother the wind is
bringing to you the breath of your brothers the trees. You are at home."
Then King Amor opened his eyes, and when he saw the stars in the dark
blueness above him he smiled, and though he was not yet a whole day old
he threw up his small hand and it touched his forehead.
"Like a King and a soldier he salutes them," said the Ancient One;
"though he does not know he did it."
The castle was huge and splendid though it had been deserted for a
hundred years. For three generations the royal owners had not cared to
look out on the world from high places. They knew nothing of the wind
and the trees and the stars; they lived on the plains in their cities,
and hunted and rioted and levied heavy taxes on their wretched people.
And the castle had lived through its summers and winters alone. It had
battlements and towers which stood out clear against the sky, and there
was a great banquet hall and chambers for hundreds of guests, and rooms
for a thousand men at arms, and the courtyard was big enough to hold a
tournament in.
In the midst of its space and splendor the little King Amor lived alone
but for the companionship of the Ancient One and a servant as old as
himself. But they knew a secret which had kept them young in spite of
the years they had passed through. They knew that they were the brothers
of all things in the world, and that the man who never knows an angered
or evil thought can never know a foe. They were strong and straight and
wise, and the wildest creature stopped to give them greeting as it
passed, and they understood its language when it spoke. Because they
held no dark thoughts in their minds they knew no fear, and because they
knew no fear the wild creatures knew none and the speech of each was
clear to the other.
Each morning they went out on the battlements at dawn to see the
splendid sun rise slowly out of the purple sea. One of the very first
things the child King Amor remembered in his life--and he remembered it
always--was a dawning day when the Ancient One wakened him gently, and
folding him in his long gray robe carried him up the winding and narrow
stone stairway, until at last they stepped forth on the top of the huge
castle which seemed to the little creature to be so high that it was
quite close to the wonderful sky itself.
"The sun is going to rise and wake the world," said the Ancient One.
"Young King, watch the wonder of it."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account