of the Iberian Hadas (that is, the Spanish Fays) to seek the fabulous Spice Islands. Once found, she hoped that they would become a foster homeland for her subjects, and indeed, for all the Fair People of the Middle Kingdom whose Era, she feared, was coming to its end. And it was. Their brilliant Art, their shining Beauty, their Power and their Glory were flickering and fading, like firefly lights against the dawn; for the Time of Man had begun. Man, the unbelieving and unbelievable. Man, who hates and fears himself and thus despises every living thing. Man, the hewer of trees and spoiler of streams; whose fields and roads and walls are of a straight, unnatural geometry; who taught the very beasts to be dumb; fierce, clever, heavy-treading Man, who with his weapons of forged iron had lately murdered, just for sport, what was believed to be the last, and irreplaceable, Dragon. Word of Savanelli’s success and of the Spanish exodus ran like fox fire across the dying Middle Kingdom. Somewhere in the West were golden beaches, deep green woods, still pools, dark caves, bottom- less rivers, topless mountains–a Fairyland!
人間、 他を信じず、 信用もできぬ生き物
人間、 みずからを憎み、 恐れる者
ゆえに、あらゆる生き物を軽蔑する者
人間、木を切り倒し
川の流れをだいなしにする者
その土地と道路と塀はまっすぐで
不自然な幾可学形をなす
人間、 動物たちに愚鈍になれと命ずる者
人間、 小利口で、 重々しげに歩く者
鉄の武器でかけがえのない最後の竜を
たんなる楽しみで殺してしまった者
コロン・サヴァネリの大陸発見とスペイン
の汚れなき人びとの新大陸への移住の話は、
きつね火のように死に瀕した中王国に広まっ
た。
西方のかなたに黄金色の砂浜、深い緑の森、
静かに波をたたえる池 暗い洞窟、底なしの
川、 天にまでとどく山がある妖精の国
だ!
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Man — who believes in nothing, trusts no one
Man — who hates and fears himself
And therefore despises every living thing
Man — who fells trees
And ruins the flow of rivers
Whose roads and fences and walls
Are straight and unnatural geometry
Man — who commands the animals to be dumb
Man — cunning yet heavy-footed
Who for mere sport killed with iron weapons
The last irreplaceable dragon
The news of Colon Savanelli’s discovery of the continent and the Spanish Fair People’s emigration to the New World spread like foxfire through the dying Middle Kingdom.
Far to the west — golden beaches, deep green forests, quietly rippling pools, dark caves, bottomless rivers, mountains reaching to the heavens — a Fairyland!
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