Mardi And A Voyage Thither Vol Ii Of Ii

Author : Herman Melville
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 260 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (1 download)

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Download or read book Mardi written by Herman Melville and published by . This book was released on 2021-02-18 with total page 260 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: We were now voyaging straight for Maramma; where lived and reigned, in mystery, the HighPontiff of the adjoining isles: prince, priest, and god, in his own proper person: great lord paramountover many kings in Mardi; his hands full of scepters and crosiers.Soon, rounding a lofty and insulated shore, the great central peak of the island came in sight;domineering over the neighboring hills; the same aspiring pinnacle, descried in drawing near thearchipelago in the Chamois."Tall Peak of Ofo!" cried Babbalanja, "how comes it that thy shadow so broods over Mardi;flinging new shades upon spots already shaded by the hill-sides; shade upon shade!""Yet, so it is," said Yoomy, sadly, "that where that shadow falls, gay flowers refuse to spring; andmen long dwelling therein become shady of face and of soul. 'Hast thou come from out the shadowsof Ofo?' inquires the stranger, of one with a clouded brow.""It was by this same peak," said Mohi, "that the nimble god Roo, a great sinner above, camedown from the skies, a very long time ago. Three skips and a jump, and he landed on the plain. Butalas, poor Roo! though easy the descent, there was no climbing back.""No wonder, then," said Babbalanja, "that the peak is inaccessible to man. Though, with a strangeinfatuation, many still make pilgrimages thereto; and wearily climb and climb, till slipping from therocks, they fall headlong backward, and oftentimes perish at its base.""Ay," said Mohi, "in vain, on all sides of the Peak, various paths are tried; in vain new ones are cutthrough the cliffs and the brambles: - Ofo yet remains inaccessible.""Nevertheless," said Babbalanja, "by some it is believed, that those, who by dint of hard strugglingclimb so high as to become invisible from the plain; that these have attained the summit; thoughothers much doubt, whether their becoming invisible is not because of their having fallen, andperished by the way.""And wherefore," said Media, "do you mortals undertake the ascent at all? why not be content onthe plain? and even if attainable, what would you do upon that lofty, clouded summit? Or how canyou hope to breathe that rarefied air, unfitted for your human lungs?""True, my lord," said Babbalanja; "and Bardianna asserts that the plain alone was intended forman; who should be content to dwell under the shade of its groves, though the roots thereofdescend into the darkness of the earth. But, my lord, you well know, that there are those in Mardi, who secretly regard all stories connected with this peak, as inventions of the people of Maramma.They deny that any thing is to be gained by making a pilgrimage thereto. And for warranty, theyappeal to the sayings of the great prophet Alm