1
“Y
OU
are sad!”! the Knight said, in ananxious tone: “let me sing you a song tocomfort you.”
*
“Is it very long?” Alice asked.“It’s long,” said the Knight, but it’s
very very
beautiful. The name of the song iscalled ‘The Book of the Beast.’ ”“Oh! how ugly” cried Alice.“Never mind,” said the mild creature.“
Some
people call it ‘Reason in Rhyme.’ ”“But which
is
the name of the song?”Alice said, trying not to seem too interested.“Ah, you don’t understand,” the Knightsaid, looking a little vexed. “That’s what thename is
called
. The name really
is
‘Ascension Day and Pentecost; with someProse Essays and an Epilogue,’ just as thetitle is ‘The Sword of Song’ you know, just inthe same way, just in the same way, just inthe same way . . .”Alice put her fingers in her ears and gavea little scream. “Oh, dear me! That’s
*
This passage is a parody on one in “Alicethrough the Looking-Glass.”
harder than ever!” she said to herself, andthen, looking determinedly intelligent: “So
that’s
what the song is called. I see. Butwhat
is
the song?”“You must be a perfect fool,” said theKnight, irritably. “The song is called‘Stout Doubt; or the Agnostic Anthology,’by the author of ‘Gas Manipulation,’ ‘Solu-tions,’ ‘The Management of Retorts,’ andother physical works of the first order—butthat’s only what it’s
called
, you know.”“Well, what
is
the song then?” saidAlice, who was by this time completely be-wildered.“If I wished to be obscure, child,” saidthe Knight, rather contemptuously, “I shouldtell you that the Name of the Title was ‘What aman of
95
ought to know,’ as endorsed byeminent divines, and that . . .” Seeing thatshe only begin to cry, he broke off and con-tinued in a gentler tone: “it
means
, my dear. . .” He stopped short, for she was takingno notice; but as her figure was bent by sobsinto something very like a note of in-terrogation: “You want to know what it
is
,
THE SWORD OF SONG
CALLED BY CHRISTIANS
THE BOOK OF THE BEAST
1904
TO MY OLD FRIEND AND COMRADE IN THE ART
BHIKKU ANANDA METTEYA
AND TO THOSE
FOOLS
WHO BY THEIR SHORT
-
SIGHTED STUPIDITY INATTEMPTING TO BOYCOTT THIS BOOK
HAVE WITLESSLY AIDED THE
CAUSE OF TRUTH
I DEDICATE THESE MY BEST WORDS
.
[This book is so full of recondite knowledge of various kinds that it seems quite ineffectiveto annotate every obscure passage. Where references and explanations can be concisely given thishas been done.]
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