496 – The Gods of Pegana, Part 2

Hey, so if you're listening to Sleepy, I know that you love podcasts that help you go to bed and get a great night's rest. Well, if you're looking for even more snoozy content, I highly encourage you to check out the podcast, Nothing Much Happens, by a sleep co-conspirator of mine named Catherine Nikolai. She shares these original, mindfully crafted, conflict-free literature designed to lull you into a restful slumber. for over six years katherine has been helping listeners find peace and rest through her soothing stories the show has over 150 million downloads and it basically is a grown-up version of mr roger's neighborhood filled with interconnected stories that soothe and calm you it is a fantastic show and she puts so much work into making stories that are specifically crafted to put you to bed so definitely go check out her show nothing much happens you can find nothing much happens anywhere where you get your podcasts. Sweet dreams. Hey, my name's Otis Gray, and you're listening to Sleepy. A podcast where I read old books to help you get to sleep, and this is a midweek short story for you. Part two, following part one from this past Sunday. Well tonight I have part two of a really really wonderful novella little story series by Lord Dunseney. So hopefully you just fall asleep before I even start this reading. but in case you want to hear the first part of it, then go to the last episode, which is part one of The Gods of Baganja, and then you can listen to this one for the next part. I'll read the last part next week. But before we get to this bedtime reading, I just want to generally thank all of our patrons on patreon.com, which is a website that allows you to just be a part of making the stuff that you like. So if you like sleepy, maybe it's helped you get a better night's rest. You can join the many, many sleepy listeners who are a part of making this show on Patreon. and um you can do that by donating a dollar two dollars five dollars um most people uh donate two dollars which gets you an ad-free version of sleepy and um five dollars gets you access to our poetry feed with over 50 episodes you've never heard before um but even a dollar really means a lot to me. And no matter how much you donate, even if it's a dollar, I'll read your name in the opening credits of our next Sunday show after you do. So if you would like to be a part of making this show directly, you can do that by going to patreon.com slash sleepy radio. Thank you. and as always the music you're hearing is by my good friend James Lepkowski and the cover art for Sleepy is by Gracie Kanan so like I said before tonight is it's from a I guess novella called The Gods of Pagania or Gods of Pagana by Lord Dunsany. And it is a really fantastic story of the creation of the worlds. And it's a story of all the gods that are present in space and time and like how they came to be and kind of the drama and relationships between the gods, very much like Greek mythology. It's just deep lore and history, and it's all completely made up by Lord Dunsone, and it's really fantastic. For me, it definitely scratches the same itch that the Greek mythology does, and um yeah so tonight is part two of three we started this last week and um next week will be the final reading of this series but tonight I hope you can sleep so soundly to part two of the gods of Baganja by Laura Dunstine and now is the time for you to fluff up your pillow just how you like it feel yourself mill into your bed get real comfortable close your eyes and let me read to you The Gods of Pagania, Part 2 The Revolt of the Home Gods There be three broad rivers of the plain, born before a memory or fable, whose mothers are three gray peaks, and whose father was the storm. Their names were Aimez, Zaynez, and Segestrian. and Amaz is the joy of the lowing herds and Zanez hath bowed his neck to the yoke of man and carries the timber from the forest far up below the mountain and Seagastrian sings old songs to the shepherd boys singing of his childhood in a lone ravine and of how he once sprang down the mountainsides and far away into the plain to see the world and of how one day at last he will find the sea. These be the rivers of the plain wherein the plain rejoices. But old men tell whose fathers heard it from the ancients how once the lords of the three rivers of the plain rebelled against the law of the worlds and passed beyond their boundaries and joined together and whelmed cities and slew men saying we now play the game of the gods and slay men for our pleasure and we be greater than the gods of Bagania and all the plain was flooded to the hills and Aimez, Zanes and Sigastrian sat upon the mountains and spread their hands over the rivers that rebelled by their command. But the prayer of men going upward found Pagania and cried in the ear of the gods, There be three home gods who slay us for their pleasure and say they be mightier than Pagania's gods and play their game with men. Then were all the gods of Bagania very wroth, but they could not whelm the lords of the three rivers, because being home gods, though small, they were immortal. And still, the home gods spread their hands across their rivers, with their fingers wide apart, and the waters rose, and rose, and the voice of their torrent grew louder, crying, Are we not Imes, Zainas, and Sigastrian? Then Mung went down into a waste of Afrik, and came upon the drow Umbul, as he sat in the desert upon iron rocks, clawing with miserly grasp at the bones of men, breathing hot and mung stood before him as his dry sides heaved and never as they sank his hot breath blasted dry sticks and bones Then Mung said, Friend of Mung, go, thou, and grin before the faces of Aimez, Zaynez, and Sigastrian, till they see whether it be wise to rebel against the gods of Bagania. And Umbul answered, I am the beast of Mung. And Umbul came and crouched upon a hill upon the other side of the waters and grinned across them at the rebellious home gods. And whenever Aimez, Zanez, and Sagastrian stretched out their hands over their rivers, they saw before their faces the grinning of Umbul. And because the grinning was like death in a hot and hideous land therefore they turned away and spread their hands no more over their rivers and the waters sank and sank. But when Umbul had grinned for thirty days the waters fell back into the riverbeds and the lords of the rivers slunk away back to their homes. Still, Humble sat and grinned. Then, Aimez sought to hide himself in a great pool beneath a rock and Zanez crept into the middle of a wood and Seagastrian lay and panted on the sand. Still, Humble sat and grinned. And Aimez grew lean and was forgotten, so that the men of the plain would say, Here once was Aimez, and Zainaz, scarce had strength to lead his river to the sea. and as Sigastrian lay and panted a man stepped over his stream and Sigastrian said It is the foot of a man that has passed across my neck and I have sought to be greater than the gods of Pagania. Then said the gods of Pagania It is enough We are the gods of Pagania and none are equal. Then Hmong sent Umbul back to his waste in Afrik to breathe again upon the rocks and part the desert and to sear the memory of Afrik into the brains of all who ever bring their bones away. And Aimez, Zainaz, and Sigastrian sang again and walked once more in their accustomed haunts and played the game of life and death with fishes and frogs and never essayed to play any more with men as do the gods of Pagania. Of Dara's Hand, whose eyes regard the end. Sitting above the lives of the people and looking, doth does Razan see that which is to be. The god of destiny is Darazan, upon whom have looked the eyes of Darazan, he goeth forward to an end that not may stay. He becometh the arrow from the bow of Dara's hand Hurled forward at a mark he may not see To the goal of Dara's hand Beyond thinking of men Beyond the sight of all the other gods Regard the eyes of Dara's hand He hath chosen his servants and them doth the destiny God drive onward where he will who, knowing not whither, nor even knowing why feel only his scourge behind them or hear his cry before There is something that Darazhan would fain achieve and therefore hath he set the people striving with none to cease or rest in all the worlds. But the gods of Paganja, speaking to the gods, say, What is it that Dara's hand would fain achieve? It hath been written and said that not only the destinies of men are the care of Dara's hand, but even the gods of Paganja be not unconcerned by his will. All the gods of Paganja have felt a fear for they have seen a look in the eyes of Drauzan that regardeth beyond the gods. The reason and purpose of the worlds is that there should be life upon the worlds and life is the instrument of Dara's hand wherewith he would achieve his end. Therefore the worlds go on and the rivers run to the sea and life ariseth and flieth even in all the worlds and the gods of Baganja do the work of the gods and all for Dara's hand. But when the end of Draazan hath been achieved, there will be need no longer of life upon the worlds, nor any more a game for the small gods to play. then will Cib tiptoe gently across Pagania to the resting place in highest Pagania of Mani Yudzishai and touching reverently his hand the hand that wrought the gods say Mani Yudzishai thou hast rested long and Mani Yudzishai shall say not so for I have rested but for fifty eons of the gods of each of them scarce more than ten million mortal years of the worlds that ye have made then shall the gods be afraid when they find that Manon knoweth that they have made worlds while he rested and they shall answer Nay, but the worlds came all of themselves. Then, Manayutsu-shai, as one who would have done with an irksome matter, will lightly wave his hand, the hand that wrought the gods, and there shall be gods no more. When there shall be three moons towards the north above the star of the abiding three moons that neither wax nor wane but regard towards the north or when the comet ceaseth from his seeking and stand still not any longer moving among the worlds but tarrying as one who rests after the end of search then shall arise from resting because it is the end the greater one who rested of old time even Manahutsu Shai then shall the times that would be times no more and it may be that the old dead days shall return from beyond the rim and we who have wept for them shall see those days again as one who returning from long travel to his home comes suddenly on dear remembered things for none shall know of mana who hath rested for so long whether he be a harsh or merciful god it may be that he shall have mercy and that these things shall be The Eye in the Waste There lie seven deserts beyond Badrahan, which is the city of the caravan's end. none goeth beyond in the first desert lie the tracks of mighty travelers outward from Badrahan and some returning and in the second lie only outward tracks and none return the third is a desert untrodden by the feet of men the fourth is the desert of sand and the fifth is the desert of dust and the sixth is the desert of stones and the seventh is the desert of deserts. In the midst of the last of the deserts that lie beyond Badrahan in the center of the desert of deserts standeth the image that hath been hewn of old out of the living hill whose name is Ranada the eye in the waist about the base of Ronarada is carved in mystic letters that are vaster than the beds of streams these words to the god who knows now beyond the second desert there are no tracks and there is no water in all the seven deserts that lie beyond Badrhon. Therefore came no man thither to hew that statue from the living hills, and Ranarada was wrought by the hands of gods. Men tell in Badrhon, where the caravans end and all the drivers of the camels rest, how once the gods hewed Ranarada from the living hill, hammering all night long beyond the deserts. Moreover, they say that Ranarada is carved in the likeness of the god Hujrazi who hath found the secret of Mani Yitzhashai and knoweth the wherefore of the making of the gods. They say the Hujrazi stands all alone in Pagania and speaks to none because he knows what is hidden from the gods. Therefore the gods have made his image in a lonely land as one who thinks and is silent the eye in the waist. They say the Hujra's eye had heard the murmurs of Mani Yusishai as he muttered to himself and gleaned the meaning. and knew, and that he was the god of mirth and abundant joy, but became from the moment of his knowing a mirthless god, even as his image, which regards the deserts beyond the track of man. But the camel drivers, as they sit and listen to the tales of the old men in the marketplace of Badran at evening while the camels rest, say If Ujizai is so very wise and yet is sad let us drink wine and banish wisdom to the wastes that lie beyond Badran Therefore is there feasting and laughter all night long in the city where the caravans end All this the camel drivers tell When the caravans come in from Badrán But who shall credit tales that camel drivers have heard From aged men in so remote a city Of the thing that is neither God nor beast Seeing that wisdom Is not in cities Nor happiness in wisdom And because Yadin the prophet Was doomed by the gods Ere he was born to go in search of wisdom He followed the caravans To Badrhan There in the evening Where the camels rest When the wind of the day ebbs out into the desert, sighing amid the palms, its last farewells and leaving the caravan still. He sent his prayer with the wind to drift into the desert, calling to Ujizai. Then down the wind his prayer went calling. Why do the gods endure and play their game with men? Why doth not Skarl forsake his drumming, and Mana cease to rest, and the echo of seven deserts answered, Who knows, who knows? But out in the waste, beyond the seven deserts, where Ranarada looms enormous in the dusk, at evening his prayer was heard, and from the rim of the waste whither had gone his prayer. came three flamingos flying, and their voices said, Going south, going south, at every stroke of their wings. But as they passed by the prophet, they seemed so cool and free, and the desert so blinding and hot, that he stretched up his arms towards them. Then it seemed happy to fly, and pleasant to follow behind great white wings. And he was with the three flamingos up in the cool above the desert. And the voices cried before him, going south, going south. And the desert below him mumbled, who knows, who knows. Sometimes the earth stretched up towards them with peaks of mountains. Sometimes it fell away in steep ravines. Blue rivers sang to them as they passed above them, or very faintly came the song of breezes and lone orchards, and far away the sea sang mighty dirges of old forsaken isles. But it seemed that in all the world there was nothing only to be going south. It seemed that somewhere the south was calling to her own and that they were going south. But when the prophet saw that they had passed above the edge of earth and that far away to the north of them lay the moon, He perceived that he was following no mortal birds, but some strange messengers of Ujrazai, whose nest had lain in one of Paganya's veils, below the mountains, whereon sit the gods. still they went south passing by all the worlds and leaving them to the north till only Araxes Zadrus and Heraglion lay still to the south of them where Great and Ghazi seemed only a point of light and Yo and Mindo could be seen no more Still they went south Till they passed below the south And came to the rim of the world There, there is neither south Nor east nor west But only north and beyond There is only north of it Where lie the worlds And beyond it Where lies the silence and the rim is a mass of rocks that were never used by the gods when they made the world and on it sat Trugul Trugul is the thing that is neither god nor beast who neither howls nor breathes, only it turns over the leaves of a great book, black and white, black and white forever until the end. And all that is to be written in the book is also all that was. When it turneth a black page it is night and when it turneth a white page it is day. Because it is written that there are gods there are the gods. Also there is writing about thee and me until the page where our names no more are written. Then as the prophet watched it, Trugul turned a page, a black one, and night was over, and day shone on the worlds. Trugul is the thing that men in many countries have called by many names. It is the thing that sits behind the gods, whose book is the scheme of things. but when Yedin saw that old remembered days were hidden away with the part that it had turned and knew that upon one whose name is writ no more the last page had turned for over a thousand pages back then did he utter his prayer and the fact of Chagul who only turns the pages and never answers prayer he prayed in the face of Trigul only turn back thy pages to the name of one which is written no more and far away upon a place named earth shall rise the prayers of a little people that acclaim the name of Trigul for there is indeed far off a place called earth where men shall pray to Trigul Then spake Dragul, who turns the pages and never answers prayer, and his voice was like the murmurs of the waste at night, when echoes have been lost. Though the whirlwind of the south should tug with its claws at a page that hath been turned, yet shall he not be able to ever turn it back. Then because of the words in the book that said that it should be so, Yadin found himself lying in the desert where one gave him water, and afterwards carried him on a camel into Badrhon. There some said that he had but dreamed when thirst seized him While he wandered among the rocks in the desert But certain aged men of Badraham say that indeed There sitteth somewhere a thing that is called Tregul That is neither god nor beast That turneth the leaves of a book, black and white black and white until he come to the words my dune is on which means the end forever and the book and gods and worlds shall be no more Yonah the Prophet Yonah was the first among prophets who uttered unto men. There are the words of Yonah, the first among all prophets. There be gods upon Paganah. Upon a night I slept, and in my sleep Paganah came very near, and Paganah was full of gods. I saw the gods besides me, as one might see wanted things. Only I saw not Maniutsu Shai. And in that hour, in the hour of my sleep, I knew. And the end, and the beginning of my knowing, and all of my knowing that there was, was this, that man knoweth not. Seek thou to find at night the utter edge of the darkness, or seek to find the birthplace of the rainbow where he leapeth upward from the hills. Only seek not concerning the wherefore of the making of the gods. The gods have set a brightness upon the farther side of the things to come, that they may appear more felicitous to men than the things that are. To the gods the things to come are but as the things that are, and nothing altereth in Pagania. The gods, although not merciful, are not ferocious gods. They are the destroyers of the days that were, but they set a glory about the days to be. Man must endure the days that are, but the gods have left him his ignorance as a solace. Seek not to know, thy seeking will weary thee. and thou wilt return much worn to rest at last about the place for whence thou settest out upon thy seeking seek not to know even I, Yonah, the oldest prophet burdened with wisdom of great years and worn with seeking know only that man knoweth not once I set out seeking to know all things. Now I know one thing only, and soon the years will carry me away. The path of my seeking that leadeth to seeking again must be trodden by very many more when Yonah is no longer even Yonah. Set not thy foot upon that path. Seek not to know. these be the words of Yonath Yon the prophet when the years had carried away Yonath and Yonath was dead there was no longer a prophet among men and still men sought to know therefore they said unto Yag be thou our prophet and know all things and tell us concerning the wherefore of it all and Yag said I know all things and men were pleased and Yag said of the beginning that it was in Yag's own garden and of the end that it was in the sight of Yag. And men forgot Yag. One day, Yag saw Mung behind the hills, making the sign of Mung. And Yag was Yag no more. thank you for listening to sleepy good night Thank you.