and life, there they found a child, a child who was as
tender and beautiful as a rosebud in the moonlight, a little child born
to poor people, and other poor folk stood round and offered the very
last of their possessions, and were full of joy.

Dusky Balthasar peered inside. Had he ever seen eyes shine as in this
shepherd's cave? It seemed to him that he saw a new light and a new
life there; but he could not understand it. And in the air he heard a
strange song, more a suggestion than words: "You will be blessed! You
will live for ever!"

The strangers hearkened. What was that? You will be blessed, and you
will live for ever! For us happiness is to be found only in
non-existence. At sight of this new-born infant the idea of immortal
life came to them for the first time.

They offered the poor mother precious jewels, and their hearts were
glad and happy and strange within them. Formerly these princes and
wise men had only found pleasure in receiving, now they found it in
giving. Formerly Balthasar had been all sufficient unto himself, he
had woven his thoughts in entire loneliness, had despised the rest of
the world, and had only cared for himself. And suddenly there came to
him this joy in the joy of poor men, and this suffering at their
suffering! He shivered in his silken cloak, and when he took it off
and wrapped it about the child he was warm.

They all offered gifts, precious gold and rich perfumes and healing
ointments. But they were ashamed of their gifts beside the royal
offerings of the shepherds, who, though it was not much, brought all
that they possessed.

Balthasar in his joy wished to hasten to Jerusalem in order to tell
Herod: I have not yet found the King of the Jews, but I have found a
poor child and whoever looks upon him is happy, he knows not why. Now
kings are not so anxious to be happy; they prefer to be powerful. A
youth came forward from the back of the cave and said to Balthasar: "Do
you know the man to whom you would go? Why, he would strangle the
Emperor Tiberius if he could. Be silent, then, about a helpless child
who is loved by the people as a prince."

"Oh, child!" said Balthasar, "you have the misfortune to be the
people's favourite. Therefore the great hate thee."

"Stranger, go not to Jerusalem. Say nothing of the child."

The strangers did not feel at ease in a land which had an emperor and a
king, neither of whom was the right ruler! And so they mounted