rain against its crystal walls, yet the souls of Merimna's heroes
were half aware of some sorrow far away as some sleeper feels that
some one is chilled and cold yet knows not in his sleep that it is
he. And they fretted a little in their starry home. Then unseen
there drifted earthward across the setting sun the souls of
Welleran, Soorenard, Mommolek, Rollory, Akanax, and young Iraine.
Already when they reached Merimna's ramparts it was just dark,
already the armies of the four Kings had begun to move, jingling,
down the deep ravine. But when the six warriors saw their city
again, so little changed after so many years, they looked towards
her with a longing that was nearer to tears than any that their
souls had known before, crying to her:

'O Merimna, our city: Merimna, our walled city.

'How beautiful thou art with all thy spires, Merimna. For thee we
left the earth, its kingdoms and little flowers, for thee we have
come away for awhile from Paradise.

'It is very difficult to draw away from the face of God--it is
like a warm fire, it is like dear sleep, it is like a great anthem,
yet there is a stillness all about it, a stillness full of lights.

'We have left Paradise for awhile for thee, Merimna.

'Many women have we loved, Merimna, but only one city.

'Behold now all the people dream, all our loved people. How
beautiful are dreams! In dreams the dead may live, even the long
dead and the very silent. Thy lights are all sunk low, they have