THE VISION AND THE ENIGMA of
175
mine own thoughts, and arrear-thoughts. Then, suddenly I hear a dog howl near me. Had I ever heard a dog howl thus? My thoughts ran back.
did
Yes!
When I was a child, in my most distant childhood Then did
hair bristling, night,
its
head upwards, trembling in the
when even dogs
So that
excited
it
And saw
hear a dog howl thus.
1
believe in ghosts
my
it
:
also,
stillest
wivh
mid
:
commiseration. For just then
wem
the full moon, silent as death, over the house; just then did it stand still, a glowing globe at rest on the flat roof, as if on
some one
s
property:
Thereby had the dog been terrified: for dogs believe in thieves and ghosts. And when I again heard such howling, then did it excite my commiseration once more.
Where was now
And
spider?
And the whispering? Had
the dwarf?
the
all
awakened? Twixt rugged rocks did
I
gateway? And the I dreamt? Had I
suddenly stand alone,
dreary in the dreariest moonlight.
But there
now
whining then did
And
it
man! And
lay a
did
had
cry:
what
verily,
see
it
there!
The dog
me coming
leaping, bristling,
then did
it
howl
again,
ever heard a dog cry so for help? saw, the like had I never seen. young
I
I
A
see, writhing, choking, quivering, with dis torted countenance, and with a heavy black serpent hanging out of his mouth.
shepherd did
Had
I
I
ever seen so
countenance?
He
much
loathing and pale horror on one to sleep? Then had the
had pernaps gone
there had it bitten itself fast. serpent crawled into his throat hand pulled at the serpent, and pulled: in vain! I
My
failed to pull the serpent out of his throat.
of me: Its
Then there cried out
Bite! Bite!
head
off
Bite!"
so cried
it
out of me;
my
horror,
my