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THE SONGLESS COUNTRY
The poet came unto a great country in which there were no songs.
And he lamented gently for the nation that had not any little foolish
songs to sing to itself at evening.
And at last he said: "I will make for them myself some little foolish
songs so that they may be merry in the lanes and happy by the
fireside." And for some days he made for them aimless songs such
as maidens sing on the hills in the older happier countries.
Then he went to some of that nation as they sat weary with the
work of the day and said to them: "I have made you some aimless
songs out of the small unreasonable legends, that are somewhat akin
to the wind in the vales of my childhood; and you may care to sing
them in your disconsolate evenings."
And they said to him:
"If you think we have time for that sort of nonsense nowadays
you cannot know much of the progress of modern commerce."
And the poet wept for he said: "Alas! They are damned."
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