God said, “They are not sane; there is no sane man in Hell.”
And he told me to come further.
And I looked where I trod.
And we came where Hell opened into a plain, and a great house stood
there. Marble pillars upheld the roof, and white marble steps let up to
it. The wind of heaven blew through it. Only at the back hung a thick
curtain. Fair men and women there feasted at long tables. They danced,
and I saw the robes of women flutter in the air and heard the laugh of
strong men. What they feasted with was wine; they drew it from large
jars which stood somewhat in the background, and I saw the wine sparkle
as they drew it.
And I said to God, “I should like to go up and drink.” And God said,
“Wait.” And I saw men coming in to the Banquet House; they came in from
the back and lifted the corner of the curtain at the sides and crept in
quickly; and they let the curtain fall behind them; they bore great jars
they could hardly carry. And the men and women crowded round them, and
the new-comers opened their jars and gave them of the wine to drink;
and I saw that the women drank even more greedily than the men. And when
others had well drunken they set the jars among the old ones beside the
wall, and took their places at the table. And I saw that some of the
jars were very old and mildewed and dusty, but others had still drops of
new must on them and shone from the furnace.
And I said to God, “What is that?” For amid the sound of the singing,
and over the dancing of feet, and over the laughing across the wine-cups
I heard a cry.
And God said, “Stand a way off.”
And he took me where I saw both sides of the curtain. Behind the house
was the wine-press where the wine was made. I saw the grapes crushed,
and I heard them cry. I said, “Do not they on the other side hear it?”
God said, “The curtain is thick; they are feasting.”
And I said, “But the men who came in last. They saw?”
God said, “They let the curtain fall behind them--and they forget!”