Page:Brazilian tales.djvu/106

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102
BRAZILIAN TALES

Ahasverus. I cannot.

Prometheus. You will be able to, when the conditions of life shall have changed. Then your retina will gaze upon the sun without peril, for in the man of the future will be concentrated all that is best in nature, energizing or subtle, scintillating or pure.

Ahasverus. Swear that you are not lying.

Prometheus. You will see whether I lie.

Ahasverus. Speak, speak on; tell me everything.

Prometheus. The description of life is not worth the sensation of life; you shall experience it deeply. The bosom of Abraham in your old Scriptures is nothing but this final, perfect world. There you will greet David and the prophets. There will you tell to the astounded listeners, not only the great events of the extinct world, but also the ills they will never know: sickness, old age, grief, egotism, hypo-