In the heel of the wind-bit pier,

Where the twisted weed was piled,

She came to the life she had missed by an hour,

For she came to a little child.

She laid it into her breast,

And back to her mother she came,

But it would not feed and it would not heed,
Though she gave it her own child's name.

And the dead child dripped on her breast,
And her own in the shroud lay stark;
And 'God forgive us, mother,' she said,
'We let it die in the dark!'

Read here,

EVARRA AND HIS GODS

This is the story of Evarra-man—
Maker of Gods in lands beyond the sea.
Because the city gave him of her gold,
Because the caravans brought turquoises,

Because his life was sheltered by the King,

So that no man should maim him, none should

steal,

Or break his rest with babble in the streets

When he was weary after toil, he made
An image of his God in gold and pearl,
With turquoise diadem and human eyes,
A wonder in the sunshine, known afar

And worshipped by the King; but, drunk with pride,

Because the city bowed to him for God,

He wrote above the shrine: 'Thus Gods are made,

'And whoso makes them otherwise shall die.

And all the city praised him.

Then he died.

Read here the story of Evarra—man—
Maker of Gods in lands beyond the sea.

Because the city had no wealth to give,
Because the caravans were spoiled afar,
Because his life was threatened by the King,
So that all men despised him in the streets,
He hewed the living rock, with sweat and tears,
And reared a God against the morning-gold,

A terror in the sunshine, seen afar,

And worshipped by the King; but, drunk with pride,

Because the city fawned to bring him back,

He carved upon the plinth: 'Thus Gods are made,

'And whoso makes them otherwise shall die.'

And all the people praised him.

died.

Then he

Read here the story of Evarra-man—
Maker of Gods in lands beyond the sea.
Because he lived among a simple folk,

Because his village was between the hills,

Because he smeared his cheeks with blood of ewes, He cut an idol from a fallen pine,

Smeared blood upon its cheeks, and wedged a shell

G

Above its brows for eyes, and gave it hair
Of trailing moss, and plaited straw for crown.
And all the village praised him for this craft,
And brought him butter, honey, milk, and curds.
Wherefore, because the shoutings drove him mad,
He scratched upon that log: 'Thus Gods are made,
'And whoso makes them otherwise shall die.
And all the people praised him. . . . Then he
died.

Read here the story of Evarra—man

Maker of Gods in lands beyond the sea.

Because his God decreed one clot of blood

Should swerve one hair's-breadth from the pulse's

path,

And chafe his brain, Evarra mowed alone,
Rag-wrapped, among the cattle in the fields,
Counting his fingers, jesting with the trees,
And mocking at the mist, until his God
Drove him to labour. Out of dung and horns
Dropped in the mire he made a monstrous God,
Abhorrent, shapeless, crowned with plaintain tufts,
And when the cattle lowed at twilight time,
He dreamed it was the clamour of lost crowds,

And howled among the beasts: 'Thus Gods are

made,

'And whoso makes them otherwise shall die.'

Yet at the last he came to Paradise,

And found his own four Gods, and that he wrote; And marvelled, being very near to God,

What oaf on earth had made his toil God's law,

Till God said mocking: 'Mock not.

thine.'

These be

Then cried Evarra: 'I have sinned!'-'Not so.

'If thou hadst written otherwise, thy Gods

'Had rested in the mountain and the mine,

'And I were poorer by four wondrous Gods,
'And thy more wondrous law, Evarra.
'Servant of shouting crowds and lowing kine.'

Thine,

Thereat, with laughing mouth, but tear-wet eyes,

Evarra cast his Gods from Paradise.

This is the story of Evarra-man—

Maker of Gods in lands beyond the sea.