Three short works / The Dance of Death, the Legend of Saint Julian the Hospitaller, a Simple Soul.

dventurers who were pa

and to the sight of dying men. The wind tanned his skin. His limbs became hardened through contact with armour

d climb the walls of a citadel with a knotted rope, at night, rocked by the storm, while spa

g his mace, he rid himself of fourteen horsemen. He defeated all those who came forward to fight h

ows, and aged men. When he caught sight of one of the latter walking ahead of him, he

es, peasant rebels, and penniless bastards; he then organized an army

nted on red asses and armed with shields made of hippopotamus hide, against gold-coloured Indians who wielded great, shining swords above their heads. He conquered the Troglodytes and the cannibals. He travelled through regions so torrid that the

. Also, if a monarch behaved badly, he would arrive on the scene and rebuke him. He freed nations. He rescued que

by her, whom he brought up in the teachings of Christ. But the Caliph, feigning that he wished to become converted, made him a visit, and brought with him a numerou

s, laid siege to the city, slew the Caliph, chopped off his

ed him three quarters of his fortune, and on meeting a second refusal, proposed to share his kingdom with his benefactor. But Julian only thanked him for it, and the Emperor felt like weeping with vex

ips. Her curls were caught in the jewels of her half-opened bodice, and the gr

uite plump, but her

ed, all the more since he h

she had inherited from her mother; and when the rejoicings were over, he de

n white marble, erected on a promon

tle spread a fan-shaped forest. The sky was always blue, and the trees were swayed in turn

f the walls. High, reed-like columns supported the ceili

tooned partitions and a great profusion of architectural fancies; and everywhere reigned a

e remained idle, receiving every day a throng of subjects who ca

t in pursuit of ostriches and gazelles, hide among the bamboos to watch for leopards, ride through forests filled with rhinoceroses, clim

s; by merely extending his arm, he was able to kill them; or else they filed past him, in pairs, by order of

nerring arrows at them; then came others a

ind of penance he might possibly avert the threatened misfortune; it seemed to him that the fate of his parents depended on his

, his wife had dancers and

t themselves in the water, which was as clear as the sky. Often she playfully threw flowers at him or nestling at his feet, she played

burst into tears; but at last, one

dead; and even if he should ever see them again, through what chance, to what end, would h

iled, but he could not bring

kneel in prayer, he heard the yelping of a fox and light footsteps under the window; and he thought he

appeared

uoth he, "and I shall

ould happen. But he reassured her and de

that two strangers desired, in the absence of the

tered the room; their coarse garments were c

leaned out of the bed to listen to them. But after glancing at each other, the

es!" s

hey ex

they sat themselves down

show the young wife that

e had on his body. Then she jumped out of bed, calle

ely eat, and she observed surreptitiously how their

she answered each one of them, but she was careful n

hateau; and had wandered for several years, fol

that now their purse was quite empty and they were obliged to beg. But what did it matter, since they were about to clasp again the

d the old man, after examining the walls, inquired why

father," s

the hermit had spoken to her. The glory of their son was undoubtedly only the dawn of eternal splen

ot lost her hair, and bands of snowy whiteness framed her cheeks; and the

them in her bed and closed the curtains; and they both fell asl

ked nervously through the forest, enjoying the velvet

pools for grass. A great stillness reigned everywhere, and he failed to see any of the beasts that only a moment ago were prowling around the castle. As he walked on, the woods grew thicker, and the

ld boar. Julian did not have time to stretch his bow, and he bewailed the fact as if it were s

is way. He trotted along, always keeping at the same distance, pausing now and then t

s; bones and skeletons covered the ground, and here and there some mouldy crosses stood desolate. But presently, shapes moved in the darkness of the tombs, and from them came panting, wild-eyed hyenas. They appro

is hoofs. Julian thrust his lance between his dewlaps. But his weapon snapped as if the beast were made of br

he forest. The woods were a tangle of creeping plants that he had to cut with his sword, and while he was thus engage

tween the branches, appeared great, fiery sparks as if the sky were raining all its stars upo

ked like white butterflies. He threw stones at them; but the missiles did not strike, and fell to the

ll height. And Julian remained among them, transfixed with terror and absolutely unable to move. By a supreme effort of his will-power, he t

serpent crawled through the grass; while the panther, arching its back, advanced with velvety footfalls and long strides. Julian walked as sl

t his heels, and the wolf scratched the palms of his hands with the hairs of his snout. The monkeys pinched him and made faces, the weasel toll

revenge, and Julian, who was deafened by the buzzing of the insects, bruised by the wings and tails of the birds, choked by the st

ocks responded; it was day; and Julian recognised

stubble-field. He unfastened his cloak and threw it over them like a net. When h

thers. The thirst for carnage stirred afresh within h

e staircase, the memory of his beloved wife softened his heart. No doubt she was asleep, and he

ered with dishes. "She must have eaten," he thought; so he advanced cautiously towards the bed which was concealed by the darkness in the back of the room. When

hair which seemed to be very long. In order to convince himself that he was mistaken, he once more passed his hand slo

them with his drawn dagger, foaming, stamping and

d as they grew fainter, another voice, coming from far away, seemed to continue them. Uncertain at first, this plaintive voice came near

saw the spectre of his wife standing at

she understood what had happened and fled in horror, le

ing wounds in their breasts; and their faces, the expression of which wa

tion of the stained window, which just then was struck by the sun, lighted up the bloody spots and appeared to scatter them around the whole room. Julian walk

side of the bed, where the other corpse lay, but the face was partly hidden by bands of white hair. Julian slipped his finger beneath them and raised the head, holdi

her first not to answer him, not to approach him, not even to look at him, and to obey,

ce with the written instructions he ha

y goods, without keeping even his clothes or his sa

his crime, and accordingly she must pray for hi

e. A monk wearing a hood that covered his head followed the procession alone, for nobody dared to speak to him

d leading into the mountains. He looked back