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BUILDING OF THE TOWER OF THE ENDING OF DAYS
When Kabok and his fears had rest the people sought a prophet who
should have no fear of Mung, whose hand was against the prophets.
And at last they found Yun-Ilara, who tended sheep and had no fear
of Mung, and the people brought him to the town that he might be
their prophet.
And Yun-Ilara builded a tower towards the sea that looked upon the
setting of the Sun. And he called it the Tower of the Ending of
Days.
And about the ending of the day would Yun-Ilara go up to his
tower's top and look towards the setting of the Sun to cry his
curses against Mung, crying: "O Mung! whose hand is against the
Sun, whom men abhor but worship because they fear thee, here stands
and speaks a man who fears thee not. Assassin lord of murder and
dark things, abhorrent, merciless, make thou the sign of Mung
against me when thou wilt, but until silence settles upon my lips,
because of the sign of Mung, I will curse Mung to his face." And
the people in the street below would gaze up with wonder towards
Yun-Ilara, who had no fear of Mung, and brought him gifts; only in
their homes after the falling of the night would they pray again
with reverence to Mung. But Mung said: "Shall a man curse a god?"
And still Mung came not nigh to Yun-Ilara as he cried his curses
against Mung from his tower towards the sea.
And Sish throughout the Worlds hurled Time away, and slew the
Hours that had served him well, and called up more out of the
timeless waste that lieth beyond the Worlds, and drave them forth
to assail all things. And Sish cast a whiteness over the hairs of
Yun-Ilara, and ivy about his tower, and weariness over his limbs,
for Mung passed by him still.
And when Sish became a god less durable to Yun-Ilara than ever
Mung hath been he ceased at last to cry from his tower's top his
curses against Mung whenever the sun went down, till there came
the day when weariness of the gift of Kib fell heavily upon
Yun-Ilara.
Then from the tower of the Ending of Days did Yun-Ilara cry out
thus to Mung, crying: "O Mung! O loveliest of the gods! O Mung,
most dearly to be desired! thy gift of Death is the heritage of
Man, with ease and rest and silence and returning to the Earth.
Kib giveth but toil and trouble; and Sish, he sendeth regrets with
each of his hours wherewith he assails the World. Yoharneth-Lahai
cometh nigh no more. I can no longer be glad with Limpang-Tung.
When the other gods forsake him a man hath only Mung."
But Mung said: "Shall a man curse a god?"
And every day and all night long did Yun-Ilara cry aloud: "Ah, now
for the hour of the mourning of many, and the pleasant garlands of
flowers and the tears, and the moist, dark earth. Ah, for repose
down underneath the grass, where the firm feet of the trees grip
hold upon the world, where never shall come the wind that now blows
through my bones, and the rain shall come warm and trickling, not
driven by storm, where is the easeful falling asunder of bone from
bone in the dark." Thus prayed Yun-Ilara, who had cursed in his
folly and youth, while never heeded Mung.
Still from a heap of bones that are Yun-Ilara still, lying about
the ruined base of the tower that once he builded, goes up a
shrill voice with the wind crying out for the mercy of Mung, if
any such there be.
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