; a day seemeth a
year, and a year but a day.
Rise, wet thy feet,[18] and onward let us go to Stainer's fount.[19]
There to calm our thirst before singing to our Maker's praise.
And even as that sweet source ever flows,
So may our lives flow to the end of time, as constant and as bright.
Then come to my arms, and twine thyself about me, and I will support
thee with strength and power, as the Mountain Supporter[20] sustains the
air-suspended cities of Montalluyah.
* * * * *
EXPLANATION OF CERTAIN TERMS USED IN THE
PRECEDING SONG OF ADMIRATION.
1. Lertees.--A lovely mountain spangled with transparent
stones, which is so resplendent at sunrise that none can look at it
without putting gauze before the eyes. Many of the stones were used to
ornament the Mountain Supporter.
2. Zacostees.--Precious stones found near the tomb of a
celebrated and beautiful woman, named Zacosta, whose loveliness,
goodness, and varied talents, created for her many bitter enemies, and
exposed her to cruel persecutions. She died heart-broken, and her tears
are said to have been petrified into these precious stones called
Zacostees which are greatly prized as ornaments for turbans and for
ladies' bosoms.
Though reviled and persecuted, Zacosta suffered without a murmur, and
rose superior to oft-renewed temptations, and to the bitter taunts of
the many incarnate evil spirits who called her an idiot simply because,
lovely and accomplished as she was, she patiently bore privations and
sufferings when many were ready to pour riches into her lap. To the last
she resisted the tempter, however fascinating the form he took, and
never lost faith to the day when she calmly closed a life in which she
had so greatly suffered.
The legend adds that Zacosta was wafted by angels to one of the
celestial stars, there to dwell in love, peace, and joy, and that she
daily prays for the alleviation of the sufferings of her persecutors,
doomed to pass through bitter ordeals, so pure and magnanimous is her
spirit.
It should be added, that according to the prevalent belief, the higher
order of spirits, those of the truly good, blessed in their own
celestial spheres with every joy, occupy themselves by seeking to
benefit others in the nether worlds. Their prayers are necessarily
unselfish, unless we regard as selfish the joys, to them great indeed,
which result from the delight of doing good.
One of the leading princip
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