The Goddess of Atvatabar
CHAPTER XXVIII.
THE GRAND TEMPLE OF HARIKAR.
Twelve of the most handsome priests and priestesses constituted theguard of twin-souls in waiting to the goddess, and these escorted herinto the grand court of the temple palace. Over a gigantic archwaywere sculptured the words "Dya Pateis omt Ami Cair," which meant "TwoBodies and One Soul." This was the motto of Egyplosis, the expressionof ideal friendship and indicative of a system of life the reverse ofthat of the outer world of Atvatabar, which had for its motto, "OneBody and Two Souls."
The architecture of the supernal palace was of amazing proportions andsolid grandeur. Its aggregation of temples was sculptured out of onemighty block of pale green marble. The vast quadrangle seemed atempest of imagination and art, whose temples, terraces and towerswere the expression of the infinite souls that formed them. The colorof the stone was beautifully relieved by broad bands of the vermilionmetal terrelium, that plated the walls with several parallel friezes,which lent an amazing splendor to the scene, and made us feel asthough we were entering some palace of eternity, where magnificencehas no end.
We had no time to examine the marvels spread before our delightedeyes, for, on the conclusion of our reception by the great officers ofthe palace, we were conducted to chambers set apart for our use, torest and refresh ourselves to witness the exercises attending theinstallation of a twin-soul on the following day.
The chief temple at Egyplosis was interiorly of semi-circular shape,like a Greek theatre, five hundred feet in width. It was covered likethe pantheon with a sculptured roof and dome of many-colored glass.The roof was one hundred and thirty feet above the lowest tier ofseats beneath or one hundred feet above the level of the highest seatsbeneath. The walls were laboriously sculptured dado and field andfrieze, with bas-reliefs of the same character as the golden throne ofthe gods that stood at the centre of the semi-circle.
The dado was thirty-two feet in height, on which were carved theemblems of every possible machine, implement or invention thatconferred supremacy over nature in idealized grandeur. Battles offlying wayleals and races of bockhockids were carved in grandconfusion. It was a splendid reunion of science and art.
Higher up the field space, which was fifty feet in height, was brokenby a gallery or cloister behind a tier of splendid pillars, themselvescarved with the emblems of art. The hidden wall, as well as thoseportions above and below the cloister between dado and frieze, werecovered with endless representations of the creations of art. Heroiceurythmic figures representing poetry, music, painting, architecture,etc., formed a mighty symposium.
Highest of all, the enormous frieze, fully sixteen feet in width, wasone mighty band of solid terrelium. This had been cast in plateshaving sculptured symbols in high relief of the sublime emblems ofHarikar, and portrayed scenes from the idealities and mysteries ofEgyplosis.
There were represented the fine and perfect figures of magicians inthe midst of their incantations, of sorcerers raising souls to lifeagain; there were visions of the sorcery of love in all its moods, andof the rapt practices of twin-souls generating a creative force inbatteries of spirit power.
Above all rose the dome whose lights were fadeless. The pavement ofthe temple had been chiselled in the form of a longitudinal hollowbasin, containing a series of wide terraces of polished stone, whereonwere placed divans of the richest upholstery. In each divan sat awinged twin-soul, priest and priestess, the devotees of hopeless love.On the throne itself sat Lyone, the supreme goddess, in the semi-nudesplendor of the pantheon, arranged with tiara and jewelled belt andflowing skirt of sea-green aquelium lace. She made a picture divinelyentrancing and noble. Supporting the throne was an immense pedestal ofpolished marble, fully one hundred feet in diameter and twenty feet inheight, which stood upon a wide and elevated pavement of solid silver,whereon the priests and priestesses officiated in the services to thegoddess. On crimson couches sat their majesties the king and queen ofAtvatabar, together with the great officers of the realm. Next to theroyal group myself and the officers and seamen of the _Polar King_occupied seats of honor. Behind, around and above us, filling theimmense temple, rose the concave mass of twin-souls numbering tenthousand individuals, each seated with counterpart soul.
As I gazed on those happy terraces of life, youth, love and beauty, Ifelt exhilarated with the sensations the scene gave rise to.
The garments of both priests and priestesses were fashioned in a stylesomewhat resembling the decorative dresses seen on Greek and Japanesevases, yet wholly original in design. In many cases the priestesseswere swathed in transparent tissues that revealed figures like paleolive gold within.
The grand sorcerer Charka and the grand sorceress Thoubool occupied aconspicuous divan upholstered with cloth of gold. The sorceress was agrand beauty, neither blond nor brunette, but her complexion would,chameleon-like, change from a rosy white to a clear golden hue. Herhair was bright copper, gleaming like strands of metal. Her eyeschanged color incessantly, being successively blue and black.
Her robe was a pale green silk, bound at the waist with a heavycincture of gold. She wore a necklace of many-colored gems.
The grand sorcerer wore a robe of moss-green velvet embroidered withappliqued white silk lace, resembling lotus bloom. Both wore diademsof emeralds. Other twin-souls were arrayed in equally splendid attire,and seated on couches whose upholstery accentuated or harmonized withtheir fair occupants. Whatever the color selected, I observed thateach twin-soul priest and priestess wore robes of a consanguineoushue, however the individual stuffs might vary in texture or quality. Ialso observed that in no case were the laws of taste in colorviolated, and unerring instinct had guided every priest and priestessin achieving the most piquant harmonies of color. With garments insimultaneous contrast each twin-soul sat on a couch upholstered infabrics in pure contrast of color.
How I wished some great painter of the outer world could transfer tocanvas that conflagration of beauty.
Several twin-souls, with garments that seemed beaten gold, reclined onblack velvet couches beside us. On an immense divan of white velvetnear by sat a group of priests and priestesses arrayed in stuffs thatwere the strangest tones of purple, brown, violet, green, and red. Atwin-soul in golden maize sat on a dark purple couch. A twin-soul inecru sat on a salmon-colored couch, while a twin-soul in myosotis bluereposed on a couch of the color of Australian gold. Celibates andvestals in russet robes luxuriated on couches of magnolia green.
It was evident their artists possessed a happy skill in creating suchharmonies of costume. Sculptor, upholsterer and _couturiere_ formedthe trinity of genius that wrought marvels of form and color.
Harikar, the Holy Soul, was the deity, who was symbolized by thegoddess, and ministered to by such a retinue of souls. No doubtHarikar was mightily pleased at such a tribute of wealth, love andbeauty. As far as an individual could appreciate such splendor, I musttestify it was an eminently thrilling oblation.
The votaries themselves were no solitary ascetics who practised heroicmortifications to obtain dominion over life or nature. Instead of thepale devotee who in other creed cultivates the desire to get away fromall things earthly, and whose every effort is to extinguish pleasurein life, every theopath of Harikar cultivated a Greek perfection ofbody, as well as a Gothic intensity of soul. By what powerfulincantation were the priests of Egyplosis able to overcome the law ofthe outer world, that all joy must be paid for in pain, and that thejoy was nearly always too dear at the price given?