B: "Well then, perhaps the wealthy proprietor of the palace abused
his might and compelled you to do certain disagreeable things which
were unjustifiable?"
A: "Not in the least, for Astkchicka was sole mistress and
administrator of the palace."
B: "There now remains but one supposition, viz., that she united such
people as would naturally perfectly hate one another?"
A: "Why, not at all, we all gathered around her in the mighty name
of love."
B: "Ah, aha, I understand the matter," the old man unexpectedly broke
out, "you came together over there in the name of love and it is most
strikingly evident that there is some defect about your love."
A: "Thou art wrong, old man," energetically rang out of Roussoudanna's
mouth as she suddenly interrupted him. "I can bear witness and prove
that nobody ever and so strongly loved his dear ones as I loved my
excellent darling Naboukodonozor!"
The grave hermit glanced at her quite differently--yes,
suspiciously. "My child," was his brief reply, "that which the idol
worshippers falsely call love, is by no means that holy feeling which
we understand under that term. Their love is one of those innumerable
examples of self-worship and vanity."
Roussoudanna's face was all red from blushing, while her eyes were
filled with tears.
"Oh no, that cannot be so," she exclaimed with a trembling voice,
"with the greatest joy would I suffer any possible privations,
every imaginable torture, in order to give him pleasure and satisfy
his desires."
The hermit sighed deeply. "Is it possible then," he said with a
doubtful, inquiring tone, "if thou dost indeed truly love thy fellow
men and women, that nobody in this wide world is either capable or
strong enough to put an end to thy unhappiness? Relate to me now
what the real source of thy misfortune came from and in what manner
it was able to assume such tremendous dimensions."
"Naboukodonozor, whom I love more than anybody or anything in the
world, got to loving another woman!"
"Well, what of it?" quietly asked the old man, "is this the only
cause of thy great sorrow? How can one call it unhappiness if this
made his fortune and rendered him contented?"
"Some would have thought that she might like such a course of events
instead of regretting it."
"What is the matter with thee, O wise hermit?" She was perfectly
overwhelmed with joy!
"Now, my dear woman, rely ye simply on me, for I will undertake to
explain it all right to thee, as for me, it was a source of sorrow
and doubt."
"O thou remarkable man, dost thou really not understand that for me
this circumstance was worse than all the tortures of poison?"
"But thou only just a short time ago didst assure me that the very
height of happiness for thee was to stand every privation, nay, all
sufferings, simply in order to give him pleasure and act in accordance
with his wishes and aims."
Thereupon the hermit again opened his mouth and sang songs of praise
and thankfulness unto God, the Almighty Master of Heaven and earth; and
see! his happiness was founded on love, but on love to a being, a being
which was perfect. He always submitted his love to the righteous laws
of God; this was not a senseless inspiration, but an action free of
any earthly, foolish bonds, of elevated and religious aims and seeking
nothing but rest and comfort for the moment--going always by the road
of honesty, truth and veneration of all that is upright and good!
His love was trying to perfect itself, approach if possible that
greatest example of utmost perfection which was shown to us by our
Lord Jesus Christ.
"Happiness is a sweet, sweet little flower," said he, "which is quite
unable to grow among unrighteousness, unfairness and wilfulness--only
by the lawful way of Christian love to God, veneration and love to his
neighbors, can he strive to live properly and give those magnificent
fragrant flowers, for which you are all constantly looking and which
you are as yet unable to find. Following out the orders of my God it
will be easy to find happiness, for His perfect and most merciful
laws restrain the will of the individual man only there, where it
proves necessary for his thrift and condition in general. Thou, it is
true, didst live in a fairy-land palace, from which all illnesses,
needs, worries, and labors had been excluded. You did not fear nor
obey any legal authorities, nor laws, nor customs. It was love that
firmly united you all. Well, tell me then, were you indeed happy
and successful?"
"Oh! no, not at all!" answered Roussoudanna. And once more the old
man tenderly addressed her and convinced Roussoudanna, baptized her,
and taking a staff, at the top of which a cross was reproduced, he went
off with her to the fairy-land palace. Reaching the rivulet they beheld
Nebrotk gathering the necessary fruit. With despair and terror did he
inform them that Astkchicka now considered Naboukodonozor her husband,
while he was forced to serve his rival and nobody paid any attention
to--yes, had utterly forgotten the existence of Roussoudanna. Then she
asked him to sit down and told the inhabitant of the castle all that
had happened to her, and in her young voice the speech about perfect
endless and eternal love sounded still more convincing. Love is eternal
when it is well planned and arranged, it is endless if free of sin
and perfect if subjected to the almighty laws of the eternal God,
Father of Heaven and earth.
All were deeply impressed, and now the hermit continued the speech and
told them about the all-powerful strength of God, before whose serene
appearance all false, worthless gods take to flight, and about His
extreme wisdom and knowledge, rapidity of decision, mercifulness and
righteousness, and see! Nebrotk immediately wished to be converted
and baptized. At the end of his powerful and persuasive discourse,
the old man simply touched the fairy-land palace with his staff and
in a few seconds it completely disappeared like an apparition. Then
he instructed Nebrotk and Roussoudanna in real Christian love and
in the obligations of married life and then performed for both the
wedding ceremony, and having fervently prayed to the Creator they all
together went to work erecting a perfectly new log house for the young
married couple, in which the happy mortals passed many blissful years,
writing down the stories and tales of the various travellers. Some
of them I shall perhaps tell you of another time. To my sorrow my
memory did not preserve that artistic, yes, clever way of relating,
which this little collection of legends more and more clearly explains
to one--bringing us over and over again to the great truth.
"Happiness is within us." The imperfection of Nebrotk and Roussoudanna
came at first from the imperfection of their mutual love, which loves
itself as much as the beloved. Then, however, gradually as they were
taught to love their neighbor more than themselves, yes to love him so
much as not to offend each other and not grumble and growl over little
defects and mishaps which regarded their personalities alone and from
which the neighbors should not suffer, did they teach themselves and
conceive how well it was to rejoice over the blissfulness of others,
to think only about others, to wish to seek pleasure and happiness only
for others and to put all their energy and delight in the contentment
and comfort of others; this great happiness finally made its beneficent
way into their souls and admitting everything they said.
"Happiness is within us--" and then they needed no more fairy-land
castle, from which all cares, illnesses, needs, and labors were
banished. They found time and also strength to live an actual and true
life among all its turmoils and difficulties, to know how to guarantee
one's shining happiness, and then they heard not the fairy-land
song of the flowers, the fragrant song of the youngsters saved by
them for a joyful, diligent, and Christian life, and they rejoiced
in the song of thankful young people, who by their example of love,
had been saved from many a sorrow and suffering. These young people
had thoroughly learned how to live a happy life and this chorus did
not stop as long as they lived on earth.