第1章

Theperiodinwhichthestoryof/TheWorld’sDesire/iscast，wasaperiodwhen，asMissBraddonremarksoftheageofthePlantagenets，“anythingmighthappen。“Recentdiscoveries，mainlybyDr。SchliemannandMr。FlindersPetrie，haveshownthattherereallywasmuchintercoursebetweenHeroicGreece，theGreeceoftheAchaeans，andtheEgyptoftheRamessids。Thisconnection，rumouredofinGreeklegends，isattestedbyEgyptianrelicsfoundinthegravesofMycenae，andbyveryancientLevantinepottery，foundincontemporarysitesinEgypt。HomerhimselfshowsusOdysseustellingafeigned，butobviouslynotimprobable，taleofanAchaeanraidonEgypt。MeanwhilethesojournoftheIsraelites，withtheirExodusfromthelandofbondage，thoughnotyetfoundtoberecordedontheEgyptianmonuments，wasprobablypartofthegreatcontemporarystiramongthepeoples。Theseevents，whichareonlyknownthroughHebrewtexts，musthavewornaverydifferentaspectintheeyesofEgyptians，andofpre-historicAchaeanobservers，hostileinfaithtotheChildrenofIsrael。ThetopichassincebeentreatedinfictionbyDr。Ebers，inhis/Joshua/。

Insuchatwilightage，fancyhasfreeplay，butitisacuriousfactthat，inthisromance，modernfancyhasaccidentallycoincidedwiththatofancientGreece。

Mostofthenovelwaswritten，andtheapparently“un-Greek“

marvelsattributedtoHelenhadbeenputonpaper，whenapartofFurtw？ngler’srecentgreatlexiconofMythologyappeared，withthearticleonHelen。Theauthorsof/TheWorld’sDesire/readitwithafeelingakintoamazement。TheirwildestinventionsabouttheDaughteroftheSwan，itseemed，hadparallelsintheobscurerlegendsofHellas。Thereactuallyisatradition，preservedbyEustathius，thatParisbeguiledHelenbymagicallyputtingontheaspectofMenelaus。ThereisamediaevalparallelinthestoryofUtherandYgerne，motherofArthur，andtheclassicalcaseofZeusandAmphitryonisfamiliar。Again，theblood-drippingrubyofHelen，inthetale，ismentionedbyServiusinhiscommentaryonVirgil(itwaspointedouttooneoftheauthorsbyMr。Mackail)。

ButwedidnotknowthattheStarofthestorywasactuallycalledthe“Star-stone“inancientGreekfable。ThemanyvoicesofHelenarealludedtobyHomerinthe/Odyssey/:shewasalsonamed/Echo/，inoldtradition。Toaddthatshecouldassumetheaspectofeveryman’sfirstlovewaseasy。Goetheintroducesthesamequalityinthefairwitchofhis/WalpurgisNacht/。ArespectableportraitofMeriamun’ssecretcounsellorexists，inpottery，intheBritishMuseum，though，asitchances，itwasnotdiscoveredbyusuntilafterthepublicationofthisromance。TheLaestrygonianoftheLastBattleisintroducedasapre-historicNorseman。Mr。Gladstone，wethink，wasperhapsthefirsttopointoutthattheLaestrygoniansofthe/Odyssey/，withtheirhomeonafiordintheLandoftheMidnightSun，wereprobablyderivedfromtravellers’talesoftheNorth，bornewiththeamberalongtheimmemorialSacredWay。TheMagicofMeriamunisinaccordancewithEgyptianideas；herresuscitationofthedeadwoman，Hataska，hasasingularparallelinReginaldScot’s/DiscoveryofWitchcraft/

(1584)，wherethespell“bythesilenceoftheNight“isnotwithoutpoetry。ThegeneralconceptionofHelenastheWorld’sDesire，IdealBeauty，hasbeendealtwithbyM。PauldeSt。

Victor，andMr。J。A。Symonds。Fortherest，somedetailsofbattle，andofwounds，whichmustseemvery“un-Greek“tocriticsignorantofGreekliterature，areborrowedfromHomer。

THEWORLD’SDESIRE

byH。RiderHaggardandAndrewLangComewithus，yewhoseheartsaresetOnthis，thePresenttoforget；

Comereadthethingswhereofyeknow/Theywerenot，andcouldnotbeso！/

Themurmurofthefallencreeds，Likewindsamongwind-shakenreedsAlongthebanksofholyNile，Shallechoinyourearsthewhile；

ThefablesoftheNorthandSouthShallmingleinamodernmouth；

ThefanciesoftheWestandEastShallflockandflitaboutthefeastLikedovesthatcooled，withwavingwing，ThebanquetsoftheCyprianking。

OldshapesofsongthatdonotdieShallhauntthehallsofmemory，AndthoughtheBowshallpreludeclearShrillasthesongofGunnar’sspear，ThereanswersobsfromluteandlyreThatmurmuredofTheWorld’sDesire。

TherelivesnomanbuthehathseenTheWorld’sDesire，thefairyqueen。

Nonebuthathseenhertohiscost，Notonebutloveswhathehaslost。

NoneistherebuthathheardhersingDivinelythroughhiswandering；

NotonebuthehasfollowedfarTheportentoftheBleedingStar；

Notonebuthehathchancedtowake，DreamedoftheStarandfoundtheSnake。

Yet，throughhisdreams，awanderingfire，Still，stillsheflits，THEWORLD’SDESIRE！

Acrossthewidebacksofthewaves，beneaththemountains，andbetweentheislands，ashipcamestealingfromthedarkintothedusk，andfromtheduskintothedawn。Theshiphadbutonemast，onebroadbrownsailwithastarembroideredonitingold；herstemandsternwerebuilthigh，andcurvedlikeabird’sbeak；herprowwaspaintedscarlet，andshewasdrivenbyoarsaswellasbythewesternwind。

Amanstoodaloneonthehalf-deckatthebows，amanwholookedalwaysforward，throughthenight，andthetwilight，andtheclearmorning。Hewasofnogreatstature，butbroad-breastedandverywide-

shouldered，withmanysignsofstrength。Hehadblueeyes，anddarkcurledlocksfallingbeneatharedcapsuchassailorswear，andoverapurplecloak，fastenedwithabroochofgold。Therewerethreadsofsilverinhiscurls，andhisbeardwasfleckedwithwhite。Hiswholeheartwasfollowinghiseyes，watchingfirstfortheblazeoftheislandbeaconsoutofthedarkness，and，later，forthesmokerisingfromthefar-offhills。Buthewatchedinvain；therewasneitherlightnorsmokeonthegreypeakthatlayclearagainstafieldofyellowsky。

Therewasnosmoke，nofire，nosoundofvoices，norcryofbirds。Theislewasdeadlystill。

Astheynearedthecoast，andneitherheardnorsawasignoflife，theman’sfacefell。Thegladnesswentoutofhiseyes，hisfeaturesgrewolderwithanxietyanddoubt，andwithlongingfortidingsofhishome。

Nomaneverlovedhishomemorethanhe，forthiswasOdysseus，thesonofLaertes——whomsomecallUlysses——returnedfromhisunsungsecondwandering。Thewholeworldhasheardthetaleofhisfirstvoyage，howhewastossedfortenyearsontheseaafterthetakingofTroy，howhereachedhomeatlast，aloneanddisguisedasabeggar；

howhefoundviolenceinhishouse，howheslewhisfoesinhisownhall，andwonhiswifeagain。Buteveninhisowncountryhewasnotpermittedtorest，fortherewasacurseuponhimandalabourtobeaccomplished。Hemustwanderagaintillhereachedthelandofmenwhohadnevertastedsalt，noreverheardofthesaltsea。TherehemustsacrificetotheSea-God，andthen，atlast，sethisfacehomewards。

Nowhehadenduredthatcurse，hehadfulfilledtheprophecy，hehadangered，bymisadventure，theGoddesswhowashisfriend，andafteradventuresthathaveneveryetbeentold，hehadarrivedwithinabowshotofIthaca。

Hecamefromstrangecountries，fromtheGatesoftheSunandfromWhiteRock，fromthePassingPlaceofSoulsandthepeopleofDreams。

Buthefoundhisownislemorestillandstrangebyfar。TherealmofDreamswasnotsodumb，theGatesoftheSunwerenotsostill，astheshoresofthefamiliarislandbeneaththerisingdawn。

Thisstory，whereofthesubstancewassetoutlongagobyRei，theinstructedEgyptianpriest，tellswhathefoundthere，andthetaleofthelastadventuresofOdysseus，Laertes’son。

Theshipranonandwonthewell-knownhaven，shelteredfromwindbytwoheadlandsofsheercliff。Thereshesailedstraightin，tilltheleavesofthebroadolivetreeattheheadoftheinletweretangledinhercordage。ThentheWanderer，withoutoncelookingback，orsayingonewordoffarewelltohiscrew，caughtaboughoftheolivetreewithhishand，andswunghimselfashore。Herehekneeled，andkissedtheearth，and，coveringhisheadwithinhiscloak，heprayedthathemightfindhishouseatpeace，hiswifedearandtrue，andhissonworthyofhim。

Butnotonewordofhisprayerwastobegranted。TheGodsgiveandtake，butontheearththeGodscannotrestore。

Whenherosefromhiskneesheglancedbackacrossthewaters，buttherewasnownoshipinthehaven，noranysignofasailupontheseas。

Andstillthelandwassilent；noteventhewildbirdscriedawelcome。

Thesunwashardlyup，menwerescarceawake，theWanderersaidtohimself；andhesetastouthearttothesteeppathleadingupthehill，overthewolds，andacrosstheridgeofrockthatdividesthetwomassesoftheisland。Upheclimbed，purposing，asofold，toseekthehouseofhisfaithfulservant，theswineherd，andlearnfromhimthetidingsofhishome。Onthebrowofahillhestoppedtorest，andlookeddownonthehouseoftheservant。Butthestrongoakpalisadewasbroken，nosmokecamefromtheholeinthethatchedroof，and，asheapproached，thedogsdidnotrunbarking，assheep-dogsdo，atthestranger。Theverypathtothehousewasovergrown，anddumbwithgrass；evenadog’skeenearscouldscarcelyhaveheardafootstep。

Thedooroftheswineherd’shutwasopen，butallwasdarkwithin。Thespidershadwovenaglitteringwebacrosstheemptyblackness，asignthatformanydaysnomanhadentered。ThentheWanderershoutedtwice，andthrice，buttheonlyanswerwasanechofromthehill。Hewentin，hopingtofindfood，orperhapsasparkoffireshelteredunderthedryleaves。Butallwasvacantandcoldasdeath。

TheWanderercameforthintothewarmsunlight，sethisfacetothehillagain，andwentonhiswaytothecityofIthaca。