Anthem by Ayn Rand

Author's Foreword
F.1This story was written in 1937.
F.2I have edited it for this publication but have confined the editin! to
its style" I have reworded so#e passa!es and cut out so#e e$cessive
lan!ua!e. %o idea or incident was added or o#itted" the the#e content and
structure are untouched. The story re#ains as it was. I have lifted its
face but not its spine or spirit" these did not need liftin!.
F.3&o#e of those who read the story when it was first written told #e
that I was unfair to the ideals of collectivis#" this was not they said
what collectivis# preaches or intends" collectivists do not #ean or
advocate such thin!s" nobody advocates the#.
F.'I shall #erely point out that the slo!an ()roduction for use and not
for profit( is now accepted by #ost #en as co##onplace and a co##onplace
statin! a proper desirable !oal. If any intelli!ible #eanin! can be
discerned in that slo!an at all what is it if not the idea that the
#otive of a #an's wor* #ust be the needs of others not his own need
desire or !ain+
F.,-o#pulsory labor conscription is now practiced or advocated in every
country on earth. .hat is it based on if not the idea that the state is
best /ualified to decide where a #an can be useful to others such
usefulness bein! the only consideration and that his own ai#s desires
or happiness should be i!nored as of no i#portance+
F.0.e have -ouncils of 1ocations -ouncils of 2u!enics every possible
*ind of -ouncil includin! a .orld -ouncil 33 and if these do not as yet
hold total power over us is it fro# lac* of intention+
F.7(&ocial !ains( (social ai#s( (social ob4ectives( have beco#e the
daily bro#ides of our lan!ua!e. The necessity of a social 4ustification
for all activities and all e$istence is now ta*en for !ranted. There is no
proposal outra!eous enou!h but what its author can !et a respectful
hearin! and approbation if he clai#s that in so#e undefined way it is for
(the co##on !ood.(
F.5&o#e #i!ht thin* 33 thou!h I don't 33 that nine years a!o there was
so#e e$cuse for #en not to see the direction in which the world was !oin!.
Today the evidence is so blatant that no e$cuse can be clai#ed by anyone
any lon!er. Those who refuse to see it now are neither blind nor innocent.
F.9The !reatest !uilt today is that of people who accept collectivis# by
#oral default" the people who see* protection fro# the necessity of ta*in!
a stand by refusin! to ad#it to the#selves the nature of that which they
are acceptin!" the people who support plans specifically desi!ned to
achieve serfdo# but hide behind the e#pty assertion that they are lovers
of freedo# with no concrete #eanin! attached to the word" the people who
believe that the content of ideas need not be e$a#ined that principles
need not be defined and that facts can be eli#inated by *eepin! one's
eyes shut. They e$pect when they find the#selves in a world of bloody
ruins and concentration ca#ps to escape #oral responsibility by wailin!6
(7ut I didn't #ean this8(
F.19Those who want slavery should have the !race to na#e it by its proper
na#e. They #ust face the full #eanin! of that which they are advocatin! or
condonin!" the full e$act specific #eanin! of collectivis# of its
lo!ical i#plications of the principles upon which it is based and of the
ulti#ate conse/uences to which these principles will lead.
F.11They #ust face it then decide whether this is what they want or not.
33Ayn :and.
April 19'0
I.
1.1;<=It is a sin to write this. It is a sin to thin* words no others
thin* and to put the# down upon a paper no others are to see. It is base
and evil. It is as if we were spea*in! alone to no ears but our own. And
we *now well that there is no trans!ression blac*er than to do or thin*
alone. .e have bro*en the laws. The laws say that #en #ay not write unless
the -ouncil of 1ocations bid the# so. >ay we be for!iven8
1.27ut this is not the only sin upon us. .e have co##itted a !reater
cri#e and for this cri#e there is no na#e. .hat punish#ent awaits us if
it be discovered we *now not for no such cri#e has co#e in the #e#ory of
#en and there are no laws to provide for it.
1.3It is dar* here. The fla#e of the candle stands still in the air.
%othin! #oves in this tunnel save our hand on the paper. .e are alone here
under the earth. It is a fearful word alone. The laws say that none a#on!
#en #ay be alone ever and at any ti#e for this is the !reat
trans!ression and the root of all evil. 7ut we have bro*en #any laws. And
now there is nothin! here save our one body and it is stran!e to see only
two le!s stretched on the !round and on the wall before us the shadow of
our one head.
1.'The walls are crac*ed and water runs upon the# in thin threads without
sound blac* and !listenin! as blood. .e stole the candle fro# the larder
of the ?o#e of the &treet &weepers. .e shall be sentenced to ten years in
the )alace of -orrective @etention if it be discovered. 7ut this #atters
not. It #atters only that the li!ht is precious and we should not waste it
to write when we need it for that wor* which is our cri#e. %othin! #atters
save the wor* our secret our evil our precious wor*. &till we #ust
also write for 33 #ay the -ouncil have #ercy upon us8 33 we wish to spea*
for once to no ears but our own.
1.,;<=Aur na#e is 2/uality 732,21 as it is written on the iron bracelet
which all #en wear on their left wrists with their na#es upon it. .e are
twenty3one years old. .e are si$ feet tall and this is a burden for
there are not #any #en who are si$ feet tall. 2ver have the Teachers and
the Beaders pointed to us and frowned and said6 (There is evil in your
bones 2/uality 732,21 for your body has !rown beyond the bodies of your
brothers.( 7ut we cannot chan!e our bones nor our body.
1.0.e were born with a curse. It has always driven us to thou!hts which
are forbidden. It has always !iven us wishes which #en #ay not wish. .e
*now that we are evil but there is no will in us and no power to resist
it. This is our wonder and our secret fear that we *now and do not
resist.
1.7;<=.e strive to be li*e all our brother #en for all #en #ust be ali*e.
Aver the portals of the )alace of the .orld -ouncil there are words cut
in the #arble which we repeat to ourselves whenever we are te#pted6
1.5(.e are one in all and all in one.
There are no #en but only the !reat .2
Ane indivisible and forever.(
1.9.e repeat this to ourselves but it helps us not.
1.19These words were cut lon! a!o. There is !reen #ould in the !rooves of
the letters and yellow strea*s on the #arble which co#e fro# #ore years
than #en could count. And these words are the truth for they are written
on the )alace of the .orld -ouncil and the .orld -ouncil is the body of
all truth. Thus has it been ever since the Creat :ebirth and farther bac*
than that no #e#ory can reach.
1.117ut we #ust never spea* of the ti#es before the Creat :ebirth else we
are sentenced to three years in the )alace of -orrective @etention. It is
only the Ald Anes who whisper about it in the evenin!s in the ?o#e of the
Dseless. They whisper #any stran!e thin!s of the towers which rose to the
s*y in those Dn#entionable Ti#es and of the wa!ons which #oved without
horses and of the li!hts which burned without fla#e. 7ut those ti#es were
evil. And those ti#es passed away when #en saw the Creat Truth which is
this6 that all #en are one and that there is no will save the will of all
#en to!ether.
1.12All #en are !ood and wise. It is only we 2/uality 732,21 we alone
who were born with a curse. For we are not li*e our brothers. And as we
loo* bac* upon our life we see that it has ever been thus and that it has
brou!ht us step by step to our last supre#e trans!ression our cri#e of
cri#es hidden here under the !round.
1.13.e re#e#ber the ?o#e of the Infants where we lived till we were five
years old to!ether with all the children of the -ity who had been born in
the sa#e year. The sleepin! halls there were white and clean and bare of
all thin!s save one hundred beds. .e were 4ust li*e all our brothers then
save for the one trans!ression6 we fou!ht with our brothers. There are few
offenses blac*er than to fi!ht with our brothers at any a!e and for any
cause whatsoever. The -ouncil of the ?o#e told us so and of all the
children of that year we were loc*ed in the cellar #ost often.
1.1'.hen we were five years old we were sent to the ?o#e of the &tudents
where there are ten wards for our ten years of learnin!. >en #ust learn
till they reach their fifteenth year. Then they !o to wor*. In the ?o#e of
the &tudents we arose when the bi! bell ran! in the tower and we went to
our beds when it ran! a!ain. 7efore we re#oved our !ar#ents we stood in
the !reat sleepin! hall and we raised our ri!ht ar#s and we said all
to!ether with the three Teachers at the head6
1.1,(.e are nothin!. >an*ind is all. 7y the !race of our brothers are we
allowed our lives. .e e$ist throu!h by and for our brothers who are the
&tate. A#en.(
1.10Then we slept. The sleepin! halls were white and clean and bare of all
thin!s save one hundred beds.
1.17.e 2/uality 732,21 were not happy in those years in the ?o#e of the
&tudents. It was not that the learnin! was too hard for us. It was that
the learnin! was too easy. This is a !reat sin to be born with a head
which is too /uic*. It is not !ood to be different fro# our brothers but
it is evil to be superior to the#. The Teachers told us so and they
frowned when they loo*ed upon us.
1.15&o we fou!ht a!ainst this curse. .e tried to for!et our lessons but
we always re#e#bered. .e tried not to understand what the Teachers tau!ht
but we always understood it before the Teachers had spo*en. .e loo*ed upon
Dnion ,33992 who were a pale boy with only half a brain and we tried to
say and do as they did that we #i!ht be li*e the# li*e Dnion ,33992 but
so#ehow the Teachers *new that we were not. And we were lashed #ore often
than all the other children.
1.19The Teachers were 4ust for they had been appointed by the -ouncils
and the -ouncils are the voice of all 4ustice for they are the voice of
all #en. And if so#eti#es in the secret dar*ness of our heart we re!ret
that which befell us on our fifteenth birthday we *now that it was
throu!h our own !uilt. .e had bro*en a law for we had not paid heed to
the words of our Teachers. The Teachers had said to us all6
1.29(@are not choose in your #inds the wor* you would li*e to do when you
leave the ?o#e of the &tudents. Eou shall do that which the -ouncil of
1ocations shall prescribe for you. For the -ouncil of 1ocations *nows in
its !reat wisdo# where you are needed by your brother #en better than you
can *now it in your unworthy little #inds. And if you are not needed by
your brother #en there is no reason for you to burden the earth with your
bodies.(
1.21.e *new this well in the years of our childhood but our curse bro*e
our will. .e were !uilty and we confess it here6 we were !uilty of the
!reat Trans!ression of )reference. .e preferred so#e wor* and so#e lessons
to the others. .e did not listen well to the history of all the -ouncils
elected since the Creat :ebirth. 7ut we loved the &cience of Thin!s. .e
wished to *now. .e wished to *now about all the thin!s which #a*e the
earth around us. .e as*ed so #any /uestions that the Teachers forbade it.
1.22.e thin* that there are #ysteries in the s*y and under the water and
in the plants which !row. 7ut the -ouncil of &cholars has said that there
are no #ysteries and the -ouncil of &cholars *nows all thin!s. And we
learned #uch fro# our Teachers. .e learned that the earth is flat and that
the sun revolves around it which causes the day and the ni!ht. .e learned
the na#es of all the winds which blow over the seas and push the sails of
our !reat ships. .e learned how to bleed #en to cure the# of all ail#ents.
1.23.e loved the &cience of Thin!s. And in the dar*ness in the secret
hour when we awo*e in the ni!ht and there were no brothers around us but
only their shapes in the beds and their snores we closed our eyes and we
held our lips shut and we stopped our breath that no shudder #i!ht let
our brothers see or hear or !uess and we thou!ht that we wished to be
sent to the ?o#e of the &cholars when our ti#e would co#e.
1.2'All the !reat #odern inventions co#e fro# the ?o#e of the &cholars
such as the newest one which was found only a hundred years a!o of how
to #a*e candles fro# wa$ and strin!" also how to #a*e !lass which is put
in our windows to protect us fro# the rain. To find these thin!s the
&cholars #ust study the earth and learn fro# the rivers fro# the sands
fro# the winds and the roc*s. And if we went to the ?o#e of the &cholars
we could learn fro# these also. .e could as* /uestions of these for they
do not forbid /uestions.
1.2,;<=And /uestions !ive us no rest. .e *now not why our curse #a*es us
see* we *now not what ever and ever. 7ut we cannot resist it. It whispers
to us that there are !reat thin!s on this earth of ours and that we can
*now the# if we try and that we #ust *now the#. .e as* why #ust we *now
but it has no answer to !ive us. .e #ust *now that we #ay *now.
1.20&o we wished to be sent to the ?o#e of the &cholars. .e wished it so
#uch that our hands tre#bled under the blan*ets in the ni!ht and we bit
our ar# to stop that other pain which we could not endure. It was evil and
we dared not face our brothers in the #ornin!. For #en #ay wish nothin!
for the#selves. And we were punished when the -ouncil of 1ocations ca#e to
!ive us our life >andates which tell those who reach their fifteenth year
what their wor* is to be for the rest of their days.
1.27The -ouncil of 1ocations ca#e on the first day of sprin! and they sat
in the !reat hall. And we who were fifteen and all the Teachers ca#e into
the !reat hall. And the -ouncil of 1ocations sat on a hi!h dais and they
had but two words to spea* to each of the &tudents. They called the
&tudents' na#es and when the &tudents stepped before the# one after
another the -ouncil said6 (-arpenter( or (@octor( or (-oo*( or (Beader.(
Then each &tudent raised their ri!ht ar# and said6 (The will of our
brothers be done.(
1.25%ow if the -ouncil has said (-arpenter( or (-oo*( the &tudents so
assi!ned !o to wor* and they do not study any further. 7ut if the -ouncil
has said (Beader( then those &tudents !o into the ?o#e of the Beaders
which is the !reatest house in the -ity for it has three stories. And
there they study for #any years so that they #ay beco#e candidates and be
elected to the -ity -ouncil and the &tate -ouncil and the .orld -ouncil 33
by a free and !eneral vote of all #en. 7ut we wished not to be a Beader
even thou!h it is a !reat honor. .e wished to be a &cholar.
1.29;<=&o we awaited our turn in the !reat hall and then we heard the
-ouncil of 1ocations call our na#e6 (2/uality 732,21.( .e wal*ed to the
dais and our le!s did not tre#ble and we loo*ed up at the -ouncil. There
were five #e#bers of the -ouncil three of the #ale !ender and two of the
fe#ale. Their hair was white and their faces were crac*ed as the clay of a
dry river bed. They were old. They see#ed older than the #arble of the
Te#ple of the .orld -ouncil. They sat before us and they did not #ove. And
we saw no breath to stir the folds of their white to!as. 7ut we *new that
they were alive for a fin!er of the hand of the oldest rose pointed to
us and fell down a!ain. This was the only thin! which #oved for the lips
of the oldest did not #ove as they said6 (&treet &weeper.(
1.39.e felt the cords of our nec* !row ti!ht as our head rose hi!her to
loo* upon the faces of the -ouncil and we were happy. .e *new we had been
!uilty but now we had a way to atone for it. .e would accept our Bife
>andate and we would wor* for our brothers !ladly and willin!ly and we
would erase our sin a!ainst the# which they did not *now but we *new. &o
we were happy and proud of ourselves and of our victory over ourselves.
.e raised our ri!ht ar# and we spo*e and our voice was the clearest the
steadiest voice in the hall that day and we said6
1.31(The will of our brothers be done.(
1.32And we loo*ed strai!ht into the eyes of the -ouncil but their eyes
were as cold blue !lass buttons.
1.33&o we went into the ?o#e of the &treet &weepers. It is a !rey house on
a narrow street. There is a sundial in its courtyard by which the -ouncil
of the ?o#e can tell the hours of the day and when to rin! the bell. .hen
the bell rin!s we all arise fro# our beds. The s*y is !reen and cold in
our windows to the east. The shadow on the sundial #ar*s off a half3hour
while we dress and eat our brea*fast in the dinin! hall where there are
five lon! tables with twenty clay plates and twenty clay cups on each
table. Then we !o to wor* in the streets of the -ity with our broo#s and
our ra*es. In five hours when the sun is hi!h we return to the ?o#e and
we eat our #idday #eal for which one3half hour is allowed. Then we !o to
wor* a!ain. In five hours the shadows are blue on the pave#ents and the
s*y is blue with a deep bri!htness which is not bri!ht. .e co#e bac* to
have our dinner which lasts one hour. Then the bell rin!s and we wal* in
a strai!ht colu#n to one of the -ity ?alls for the &ocial >eetin!. Ather
colu#ns of #en arrive fro# the ?o#es of the different Trades. The candles
are lit and the -ouncils of the different ?o#es stand in a pulpit and
they spea* to us of our duties and of our brother #en. Then visitin!
Beaders #ount the pulpit and they read to us the speeches which were #ade
in the -ity -ouncil that day for the -ity -ouncil represents all #en and
all #en #ust *now. Then we sin! hy#ns the ?y#n of 7rotherhood and the
?y#n of 2/uality and the ?y#n of the -ollective &pirit. The s*y is a
so!!y purple when we return to the ?o#e. Then the bell rin!s and we wal*
in a strai!ht colu#n to the -ity Theatre for three hours of &ocial
:ecreation. There a play is shown upon the sta!e with two !reat choruses
fro# the ?o#e of the Actors which spea* and answer all to!ether in two
!reat voices. The plays are about toil and how !ood it is. Then we wal*
bac* to the ?o#e in a strai!ht colu#n. The s*y is li*e a blac* sieve
pierced by silver drops that tre#ble ready to burst throu!h. The #oths
beat a!ainst the street lanterns. .e !o to our beds and we sleep till the
bell rin!s a!ain. The sleepin! halls are white and clean and bare of all
thin!s save one hundred beds.
1.3'Thus have we lived each day of four years until two sprin!s a!o when
our cri#e happened. Thus #ust all #en live until they are forty. At forty
they are worn out. At forty they are sent to the ?o#e of the Dseless
where the Ald Anes live. The Ald Anes do not wor* for the &tate ta*es
care of the#. They sit in the sun in su##er and they sit by the fire in
winter. They do not spea* often for they are weary. The Ald Anes *now
that they are soon to die. .hen a #iracle happens and so#e live to be
forty3five they are the Ancient Anes and children stare at the# when
passin! by the ?o#e of the Dseless. &uch is to be our life as that of all
our brothers and of the brothers who ca#e before us.
1.3,&uch would have been our life had we not co##itted our cri#e which
chan!ed all thin!s for us. And it was our curse which drove us to our
cri#e. .e had been a !ood &treet &weeper and li*e all our brother &treet
&weepers save for our cursed wish to *now. .e loo*ed too lon! at the
stars at ni!ht and at the trees and the earth. And when we cleaned the
yard of the ?o#e of the &cholars we !athered the !lass vials the pieces
of #etal the dried bones which they had discarded. .e wished to *eep
these thin!s and to study the# but we had no place to hide the#. &o we
carried the# to the -ity -esspool. And then we #ade the discovery.
1.30It was on a day of the sprin! before last. .e &treet &weepers wor* in
bri!ades of three and we were with Dnion ,33992 they of the half3brain
and with International '35515. %ow Dnion ,33992 are a sic*ly lad and
so#eti#es they are stric*en with convulsions when their #outh froths and
their eyes turn white. 7ut International '35515 are different. They are a
tall stron! youth and their eyes are li*e fireflies for there is
lau!hter in their eyes. .e cannot loo* upon International '35515 and not
s#ile in answer. For this they were not li*ed in the ?o#e of the &tudents
as it is not proper to s#ile without reason. And also they were not li*ed
because they too* pieces of coal and they drew pictures upon the walls
and they were pictures which #ade #en lau!h. 7ut it is only our brothers
in the ?o#e of the Artists who are per#itted to draw pictures so
International '35515 were sent to the ?o#e of the &treet &weepers li*e
ourselves.
1.37International '35515 and we are friends. This is an evil thin! to say
for it is a trans!ression the !reat Trans!ression of )reference to love
any a#on! #en better than the others since we #ust love all #en and all
#en are our friends. &o International '35515 and we have never spo*en of
it. 7ut we *now. .e *now when we loo* into each other's eyes. And when we
loo* thus without words we both *now other thin!s also stran!e thin!s
for which there are no words and these thin!s fri!hten us.
1.35&o on that day of the sprin! before last Dnion ,33992 were stric*en
with convulsions on the ed!e of the -ity near the -ity Theatre. .e left
the# to lie in the shade of the Theatre tent and we went with
International '35515 to finish our wor*. .e ca#e to!ether to the !reat
ravine behind the Theatre. It is e#pty save for trees and weeds. 7eyond
the ravine there is a plain and beyond the plain there lies the Dncharted
Forest about which #en #ust not thin*.
1.39;<=.e were !atherin! the papers and the ra!s which the wind had blown
fro# the Theatre when we saw an iron bar a#on! the weeds. It was old and
rusted by #any rains. .e pulled with all our stren!th but we could not
#ove it. &o we called International '35515 and to!ether we scraped the
earth around the bar. Af a sudden the earth fell in before us and we saw
an old iron !rill over a blac* hole.
1.'9International '35515 stepped bac*. 7ut we pulled at the !rill and it
!ave way. And then we saw iron rin!s as steps leadin! down a shaft into a
dar*ness without botto#.
1.'1(.e shall !o down( we said to International '35515.
1.'2(It is forbidden( they answered.
1.'3.e said6 (The -ouncil does not *now of this hole so it cannot be
forbidden.(
1.''And they answered6 (&ince the -ouncil does not *now of this hole
there can be no law per#ittin! to enter it. And everythin! which is not
per#itted by law is forbidden.(
1.',7ut we said6 (.e shall !o none the less.(
1.'0They were fri!htened but they stood by and watched us !o.
1.'7.e hun! on the iron rin!s with our hands and our feet. .e could see
nothin! below us. And above us the hole open upon the s*y !rew s#aller and
s#aller till it ca#e to be the siFe of a button. 7ut still we went down.
Then our foot touched the !round. .e rubbed our eyes for we could not
see. Then our eyes beca#e used to the dar*ness but we could not believe
what we saw.
1.'5%o #en *nown to us could have built this place nor the #en *nown to
our brothers who lived before us and yet it was built by #en. It was a
!reat tunnel. Its walls were hard and s#ooth to the touch" it felt li*e
stone but it was not stone. An the !round there were lon! thin trac*s of
iron but it was not iron" it felt s#ooth and cold as !lass. .e *nelt and
we crawled forward our hand !ropin! alon! the iron line to see where it
would lead. 7ut there was an unbro*en ni!ht ahead. Anly the iron trac*s
!lowed throu!h it strai!ht and white callin! us to follow. 7ut we could
not follow for we were losin! the puddle of li!ht behind us. &o we turned
and we crawled bac* our hand on the iron line. And our heart beat in our
fin!ertips without reason. And then we *new.
1.'9.e *new suddenly that this place was left fro# the Dn#entionable
Ti#es. &o it was true and those Ti#es had been and all the wonders of
those Ti#es. ?undreds upon hundreds of years a!o #en *new secrets which we
have lost. And we thou!ht6 (This is a foul place. They are da#ned who
touch the thin!s of the Dn#entionable Ti#es.( 7ut our hand which followed
the trac* as we crawled clun! to the iron as if it would not leave it
as if the s*in of our hand were thirsty and be!!in! of the #etal so#e
secret fluid beatin! in its coldness.
1.,9.e returned to the earth. International '35515 loo*ed upon us and
stepped bac*.
1.,1(2/uality 732,21( they said (your face is white.(
1.,27ut we could not spea* and we stood loo*in! upon the#.
1.,3They bac*ed away as if they dared not touch us. Then they s#iled but
it was not a !ay s#ile" it was lost and pleadin!. 7ut still we could not
spea*. Then they said6
1.,'(.e shall report our find to the -ity -ouncil and both of us will be
rewarded.(
1.,,And then we spo*e. Aur voice was hard and there was no #ercy in our
voice. .e said6
1.,0(.e shall not report our find to the -ity -ouncil. .e shall not report
it to any #en.(
1.,7They raised their hands to their ears for never had they heard such
words as these.
1.,5(International '35515( we as*ed (will you report us to the -ouncil
and see us lashed to death before your eyes+(
1.,9They stood strai!ht of a sudden and they answered6
1.09(:ather would we die.(
1.01(Then( we said (*eep silent. This place is ours. This place belon!s
to us 2/uality 732,21 and to no other #en on earth. And if ever we
surrender it we shall surrender our life with it also.(
1.02Then we saw that the eyes of International '35515 were full to the
lids with tears they dared not drop. They whispered and their voice
tre#bled so that their words lost all shape6
1.03(The will of the -ouncil is above all thin!s for it is the will of
our brothers which is holy. 7ut if you wish it so we shall obey you.
:ather shall we be evil with you than !ood with all our brothers. >ay the
-ouncil have #ercy upon both our hearts8(
1.0'Then we wal*ed away to!ether and bac* to the ?o#e of the &treet
&weepers. And we wal*ed in silence.
1.0,Thus did it co#e to pass that each ni!ht when the stars are hi!h and
the &treet &weepers sit in the -ity Theatre we 2/uality 732,21 steal
out and run throu!h the dar*ness to our place. It is easy to leave the
Theatre" when the candles are blown and the Actors co#e onto the sta!e no
eyes can see us as we crawl under our seat and under the cloth of the
tent. Bater it is easy to steal throu!h the shadows and fall in line ne$t
to International '35515 as the colu#n leaves the Theatre. It is dar* in
the streets and there are no #en about for no #en #ay wal* throu!h the
-ity when they have no #ission to wal* there. 2ach ni!ht we run to the
ravine and we re#ove the stones which we have piled upon the iron !rill
to hide it fro# #en. 2ach ni!ht for three hours we are under the earth
alone.
1.00.e have stolen candles fro# the ?o#e of the &treet &weepers we have
stolen flints and *nives and paper and we have brou!ht the# to this
place. .e have stolen !lass vials and powders and acids fro# the ?o#e of
the &cholars. %ow we sit in the tunnel for three hours each ni!ht and we
study. .e #elt stran!e #etals and we #i$ acids and we cut open the
bodies of the ani#als which we find in the -ity -esspool. .e have built an
oven of the bric*s we !athered in the streets. .e burn the wood we find in
the ravine. The fire flic*ers in the oven and blue shadows dance upon the
walls and there is no sound of #en to disturb us.
1.07.e have stolen #anuscripts. This is a !reat offense. >anuscripts are
precious for our brothers in the ?o#e of the -ler*s spend one year to
copy one sin!le script in their clear handwritin!. >anuscripts are rare
and they are *ept in the ?o#e of the &cholars. &o we sit under the earth
and we read the stolen scripts. Two years have passed since we found this
place. And in these two years we have learned #ore than we had learned in
the ten years of the ?o#e of the &tudents.
1.05;<=.e have learned thin!s which are not in the scripts. .e have solved
secrets of which the &cholars have no *nowled!e. .e have co#e to see how
!reat is the une$plored and #any lifeti#es will not brin! us to the end
of our /uest. 7ut we wish no end to our /uest. .e wish nothin! save to be
alone and to learn and to feel as if with each day our si!ht were !rowin!
sharper than the haw*'s and clearer than roc* crystal.
1.09&tran!e are the ways of evil. .e are false in the faces of our
brothers. .e are defyin! the will of our -ouncils. .e alone of the
thousands who wal* this earth we alone in this hour are doin! a wor*
which has no purpose save that we wish to do it. The evil of our cri#e is
not for the hu#an #ind to probe. The nature of our punish#ent if it be
discovered is not for the hu#an heart to ponder. %ever not in the #e#ory
of the Ancient Anes' Ancients never have #en done that which we are
doin!.
1.79And yet there is no sha#e in us and no re!ret. .e say to ourselves
that we are a wretch and a traitor. 7ut we feel no burden upon our spirit
and no fear in our heart. And it see#s to us that our spirit is clear as a
la*e troubled by no eyes save those of the sun. And in our heart 33
stran!e are the ways of evil8 33 in our heart there is the first peace we
have *nown in twenty years.
%otes on -hapter Ane
1.1nGust with the openin! para!raph one can see differences between the
style of Anthe# and :and's other novels. @ifferences include6
The use of a first3person narrative. All of :and's other novels are
written in the third person !enerally fro# an (o#niscient( point of
view.
Dnusual Halthou!h !ra##atically acceptableI phrase constructions and
word orders. For e$a#ple (bid the# so( in the ne$t to last sentence of
this para!raph.
1ocabulary that is not typical of :and such as the use of words li*e
(trans!ression( and (base.(
The see#in!ly inappropriate use of plural pronouns which is critical to
the settin! and plot of the story.
In addition this openin! para!raph is different in that it is easily the
lon!est openin! para!raph for any :and novel. All of her other novels have
one3sentence openin! para!raphs6 (.ho is Gohn Calt+( HAtlas &hru!!edI"
(?oward :oar* lau!hed.( HThe FountainheadI" and ()etro!rad s#elt of
carbolic acid.( H.e the Bivin!I.
Finally it is probably worth notin! the si#ilarity between the openin! of
Anthe# and the openin! of one of :and's first writin! efforts in 2n!lish6
(The ?usband I 7ou!ht.( That early short story Hunpublished until after
her death when Beonard )ei*off included it in The 2arly Ayn :andI is also
written in the first person and be!ins with the sentence (I should not
have written this story.(;:eturn to Te$t=
1.,nThe unusual (na#es( are a stri*in! feature of Anthe#. :and
intentionally !ave the characters nu#erical desi!nations rather than
re!ular na#es to represent the collectivis# of the society she pro4ected6
(&ince the people had no concept of individuality they could not have
individual na#es 33 only nu#bers. I patterned the nu#berin! after
telephone nu#bers with prefi$es consistin! of statist slo!ans so#e !ood
but hypocritical for that society Hsuch as (Biberty(I 33 others ironic on
#y part Hsuch as (2/uality( for the hero who is obviously a !enius and
not the intellectual (e/ual( of avera!e #enI.( HAyn :and (Juestions and
Answers on Anthe#( The Ab4ectivist -alendar HGune 1979I reprinted in The
Ayn :and -olu#n p. 122I ;:eturn to Te$t=
1.7n&o#e te$ts use the wordin! (which we are re/uired to repeat to
ourselves( instead of (which we repeat to ourselves.( The e$tra phrase
chan!es the #eanin! of the sentence #a*in! this is a relatively
si!nificant discrepancy. The additional phrase has been e$cluded fro# this
edition on the followin! !rounds6 1I it is not found in the #a4ority of
second edition te$ts and 2I it is not shown in the facsi#ile first
edition te$t Hincluded in the ,9th Anniversary 2ditionI and there are no
editin! #ar*s on the facsi#ile to su!!est that it was added by :and for
the second edition. ;:eturn to Te$t=
1.2,n&o#e te$ts lac* the phrase (that we can *now the# if we try( which
is a si!nificant o#ission !iven the philosophical i#plications of that
clause. It has been included in this edition on the followin! !rounds6 1I
It appears in a #a4ority of second edition te$ts 2I it is included in the
facsi#ile first edition te$t without any editin! #ar*s to su!!est that
:and wanted it re#oved and 3I the idea i#plied by the phrase is
consistent with :and's philosophy as stated in her later fiction and
non3fiction writin!s. ;:eturn to Te$t=
1.29n2/uality 732,21's assi!n#ent as a &treet &weeper shows the disdain
that the -ouncil has for his ability and his desire for learnin!. ?e is
assi!ned to the #ost #enial of positions wor* with a #ini#u# of
intellectual sti#ulation precisely because he has shown ability and
interest. It is punish#ent for his individualis#. An echo of the -ouncil's
attitude can be found in the character of 2llsworth Toohey in :and's later
novel The Fountainhead. In an early 4ob as a vocational adviser Toohey
encoura!es students to avoid careers they love in favor of wor* that does
not interest the#.
The street sweepin! assi!n#ent also serves other purposes within :and's
story. &ee the footnote for para!raph 1.39 for #ore discussion of this
sub4ect. ;:eturn to Te$t=
1.39nAlthou!h it first appears as an instance of how a collectivist
society #istreats the individual the assi!n#ent to wor* as a &treet
&weeper actually drives several i#portant events in the story. It is his
wor* that ta*es 2/uality 732,21 to the place where he #a*es his
discoveries. Bater his wor* will also ta*e hi# to the place of his first
#eetin!s with Biberty ,33999. This is a classic e$a#ple of :and's use of
the sa#e ele#ent of a story to serve #ultiple purposes. ;:eturn to Te$t=
1.05n&o#e te$ts o#it the sentence (7ut we wish no end to our /uest.( It
has been included in this edition on the followin! !rounds6 1I It appears
in a #a4ority of second edition te$ts and 2I it is included in the
facsi#ile first edition te$t without any editin! #ar*s to su!!est that
:and wanted it re#oved. ;:eturn to Te$t=
II.
2.1Biberty ,33999 . . . Biberty five3three thousand . . . Biberty ,33999 .
. . .
2.2.e wish to write this na#e. .e wish to spea* it but we dare not spea*
it above a whisper. For #en are forbidden to ta*e notice of wo#en and
wo#en are forbidden to ta*e notice of #en. 7ut we thin* of one a#on!
wo#en they whose na#e is Biberty ,33999 and we thin* of no others.
2.3The wo#en who have been assi!ned to wor* the soil live in the ?o#es of
the )easants beyond the -ity. .here the -ity ends there is a !reat road
windin! off to the north and we &treet &weepers #ust *eep this road clean
to the first #ilepost. There is a hed!e alon! the road and beyond the
hed!e lie the fields. The fields are blac* and plou!hed and they lie li*e
a !reat fan before us with their furrows !athered in so#e hand beyond the
s*y spreadin! forth fro# that hand openin! wide apart as they co#e
toward us li*e blac* pleats that spar*le with thin !reen span!les. .o#en
wor* in the fields and their white tunics in the wind are li*e the win!s
of sea3!ulls beatin! over the blac* soil.
2.'And there it was that we saw Biberty ,33999 wal*in! alon! the furrows.
Their body was strai!ht and thin as a blade of iron. Their eyes were dar*
and hard and !lowin! with no fear in the# no *indness and no !uilt.
Their hair was !olden as the sun" their hair flew in the wind shinin! and
wild as if it defied #en to restrain it. They threw seeds fro# their hand
as if they dei!ned to flin! a scornful !ift and the earth was a be!!ar
under their feet.
2.,.e stood still" for the first ti#e did we *now fear and then pain. And
we stood still that we #i!ht not spill this pain #ore precious than
pleasure.
2.0Then we heard a voice fro# the others call their na#e6 (Biberty
,33999( and they turned and wal*ed bac*. Thus we learned their na#e and
we stood watchin! the# !o till their white tunic was lost in the blue
#ist.
2.7And the followin! day as we ca#e to the northern road we *ept our
eyes upon Biberty ,33999 in the field. And each day thereafter we *new the
illness of waitin! for our hour on the northern road. And there we loo*ed
at Biberty ,33999 each day. .e *now not whether they loo*ed at us also
but we thin* they did.
2.5Then one day they ca#e close to the hed!e and suddenly they turned to
us. They turned in a whirl and the #ove#ent of their body stopped as if
slashed off as suddenly as it had started. They stood still as a stone
and they loo*ed strai!ht upon us strai!ht into our eyes. There was no
s#ile on their face and no welco#e. 7ut their face was taut and their
eyes were dar*. Then they turned as swiftly and they wal*ed away fro# us.
2.97ut the followin! day when we ca#e to the road they s#iled. They
s#iled to us and for us. And we s#iled in answer. Their head fell bac*
and their ar#s fell as if their ar#s and their thin white nec* were
stric*en suddenly with a !reat lassitude. They were not loo*in! upon us
but upon the s*y. Then they !lanced at us over their shoulder and we felt
as if a hand had touched our body slippin! softly fro# our lips to our
feet.
2.192very #ornin! thereafter we !reeted each other with our eyes. .e
dared not spea*. It is a trans!ression to spea* to #en of other Trades
save in !roups at the &ocial >eetin!s. 7ut once standin! at the hed!e we
raised our hand to our forehead and then #oved it slowly pal# down
toward Biberty ,33999. ?ad the others seen it they could have !uessed
nothin! for it loo*ed only as if we were shadin! our eyes fro# the sun.
7ut Biberty ,33999 saw it and understood. They raised their hand to their
forehead and #oved it as we had. Thus each day we !reet Biberty ,33999
and they answer and no #en can suspect.
2.11;<=.e do not wonder at this new sin of ours. It is our second
Trans!ression of )reference for we do not thin* of all our brothers as
we #ust but only of one and their na#e is Biberty ,33999. .e do not *now
why we thin* of the#. .e do not *now why when we thin* of the# we feel
of a sudden that the earth is !ood and that it is not a burden to live.
2.12.e do not thin* of the# as Biberty ,33999 any lon!er. .e have !iven
the# a na#e in our thou!hts. .e call the# the Colden Ane. 7ut it is a sin
to !ive #en na#es which distin!uish the# fro# other #en. Eet we call the#
the Colden Ane for they are not li*e the others. The Colden Ane are not
li*e the others.
2.13;<=And we ta*e no heed of the law which says that #en #ay not thin* of
wo#en save at the Ti#e of >atin!. This is the ti#e each sprin! when all
the #en older than twenty and all the wo#en older than ei!hteen are sent
for one ni!ht to the -ity )alace of >atin!. And each of the #en have one
of the wo#en assi!ned to the# by the -ouncil of 2u!enics. -hildren are
born each winter but wo#en never see their children and children never
*now their parents. Twice have we been sent to the )alace of >atin! but
it is an u!ly and sha#eful #atter of which we do not li*e to thin*.
2.1'.e had bro*en so #any laws and today we have bro*en one #ore. Today
we spo*e to the Colden Ane.
2.1,The other wo#en were far off in the field when we stopped at the
hed!e by the side of the road. The Colden Ane were *neelin! alone at the
#oat which runs throu!h the field. And the drops of water fallin! fro#
their hands as they raised the water to their lips were li*e spar*s of
fire in the sun. Then the Colden Ane saw us and they did not #ove
*neelin! there loo*in! at us and circles of li!ht played upon their
white tunic fro# the sun on the water of the #oat and one spar*lin! drop
fell fro# a fin!er of their hand held as froFen in the air.
2.10Then the Colden Ane rose and wal*ed to the hed!e as if they had heard
a co##and in our eyes. The two other &treet &weepers of our bri!ade were a
hundred paces away down the road. And we thou!ht that International '35515
would not betray us and Dnion ,33992 would not understand. &o we loo*ed
strai!ht upon the Colden Ane and we saw the shadows of their lashes on
their white chee*s and the spar*s of sun on their lips. And we said6
2.17(Eou are beautiful Biberty ,33999.(
2.15Their face did not #ove and they did not avert their eyes. Anly their
eyes !rew wider and there was triu#ph in their eyes and it was not
triu#ph over us but over thin!s we could not !uess.
2.19Then they as*ed6
2.29(.hat is your na#e+(
2.21(2/uality 732,21( we answered.
2.22(Eou are not one of our brothers 2/uality 732,21 for we do not wish
you to be.(
2.23.e cannot say what they #eant for there are no words for their
#eanin! but we *now it without words and we *new it then.
2.2'(%o( we answered (nor are you one of our sisters.(
2.2,(If you see us a#on! scores of wo#en will you loo* upon us+(
2.20(.e shall loo* upon you Biberty ,33999 if we see you a#on! all the
wo#en of the earth.(
2.27Then they as*ed6
2.25(Are &treet &weepers sent to different parts of the -ity or do they
always wor* in the sa#e places+(
2.29(They always wor* in the sa#e places( we answered (and no one will
ta*e this road away fro# us.(
2.39(Eour eyes( they said (are not li*e the eyes of any a#on! #en.(
2.31And suddenly without cause for the thou!ht which ca#e to us we felt
cold cold to our sto#ach.
2.32(?ow old are you+( we as*ed.
2.33They understood our thou!ht for they lowered their eyes for the first
ti#e.
2.3'(&eventeen( they whispered.
2.3,And we si!hed as if a burden had been ta*en fro# us for we had been
thin*in! without reason of the )alace of >atin!. And we thou!ht that we
would not let the Colden Ane be sent to the )alace. ?ow to prevent it how
to bar the will of the -ouncils we *new not but we *new suddenly that we
would. Anly we do not *now why such thou!ht ca#e to us for these u!ly
#atters bear no relation to us and the Colden Ane. .hat relation can they
bear+
2.30&till without reason as we stood there by the hed!e we felt our
lips drawn ti!ht with hatred a sudden hatred for all our brother #en. And
the Colden Ane saw it and s#iled slowly and there was in their s#ile the
first sadness we had seen in the#. .e thin* that in the wisdo# of wo#en
the Colden Ane had understood #ore than we can understand.
2.37Then three of the sisters in the field appeared co#in! toward the
road so the Colden Ane wal*ed away fro# us. They too* the ba! of seeds
and they threw the seeds into the furrows of earth as they wal*ed away.
7ut the seeds flew wildly for the hand of the Colden Ane was tre#blin!.
2.35Eet as we wal*ed bac* to the ?o#e of the &treet &weepers we felt that
we wanted to sin! without reason. &o we were repri#anded toni!ht in the
dinin! hall for without *nowin! it we had be!un to sin! aloud so#e tune
we had never heard. 7ut it is not proper to sin! without reason save at
the &ocial >eetin!s.
2.39(.e are sin!in! because we are happy( we answered the one of the ?o#e
-ouncil who repri#anded us.
2.'9(Indeed you are happy( they answered. (?ow else can #en be when they
live for their brothers+(
2.'1And now sittin! here in our tunnel we wonder about these words. It
is forbidden not to be happy. For as it has been e$plained to us #en
are free and the earth belon!s to the#" and all thin!s on earth belon! to
all #en" and the will of all #en to!ether is !ood for all" and so all #en
#ust be happy.
2.'2Eet as we stand at ni!ht in the !reat hall re#ovin! our !ar#ents for
sleep we loo* upon our brothers and we wonder. The heads of our brothers
are bowed. The eyes of our brothers are dull and never do they loo* one
another in the eyes. The shoulders of our brothers are hunched and their
#uscles are drawn as if their bodies were shrin*in! and wished to shrin*
out of si!ht. And a word steals into our #ind as we loo* upon our
brothers and that word is fear.
2.'3There is fear han!in! in the air of the sleepin! halls and in the air
of the streets. Fear wal*s throu!h the -ity fear without na#e without
shape. All #en feel it and none dare to spea*.
2.''.e feel it also when we are in the ?o#e of the &treet &weepers. 7ut
here in our tunnel we feel it no lon!er. The air is pure under the
!round. There is no odor of #en. And these three hours !ive us stren!th
for our hours above the !round.
2.',Aur body is betrayin! us for the -ouncil of the ?o#e loo*s with
suspicion upon us. It is not !ood to feel too #uch 4oy nor to be !lad that
our body lives. For we #atter not and it #ust not #atter to us whether we
live or die which is to be as our brothers will it. 7ut we 2/uality
732,21 are !lad to be livin!. If this is a vice then we wish no virtue.
2.'0Eet our brothers are not li*e us. All is not well with our brothers.
There are Fraternity 23,,93 a /uiet boy with wise *ind eyes who cry
suddenly without reason in the #idst of day or ni!ht and their body
sha*es with sobs they cannot e$plain. There are &olidarity 9303'7 who are
a bri!ht youth without fear in the day" but they screa# in their sleep
and they screa#6 (?elp us8 ?elp us8 ?elp us8( into the ni!ht in a voice
which chills our bones but the @octors cannot cure &olidarity 9303'7.
2.'7And as we all undress at ni!ht in the di# li!ht of the candles our
brothers are silent for they dare not spea* the thou!hts of their #inds.
For all #ust a!ree with all and they cannot *now if their thou!hts are
the thou!hts of all and so they fear to spea*. And they are !lad when the
candles are blown for the ni!ht. 7ut we 2/uality 732,21 loo* throu!h the
window upon the s*y and there is peace in the s*y and cleanliness and
di!nity. And beyond the -ity there lies the plain and beyond the plain
blac* upon the blac* s*y there lies the Dncharted Forest.
2.'5.e do not wish to loo* upon the Dncharted Forest. .e do not wish to
thin* of it. 7ut ever do our eyes return to that blac* patch upon the s*y.
>en never enter the Dncharted Forest for there is no power to e$plore it
and no path to lead a#on! its ancient trees which stand as !uards of
fearful secrets. It is whispered that once or twice in a hundred years
one a#on! the #en of the -ity escape alone and run to the Dncharted
Forest without call or reason. These #en do not return. They perish fro#
hun!er and fro# the claws of the wild beasts which roa# the Forest. 7ut
our -ouncils say that this is only a le!end. .e have heard that there are
#any Dncharted Forests over the land a#on! the -ities. And it is
whispered that they have !rown over the ruins of #any cities of the
Dn#entionable Ti#es. The trees have swallowed the ruins and the bones
under the ruins and all the thin!s which perished.
2.'9;<=And as we loo* upon the Dncharted Forest far in the ni!ht we thin*
of the secrets of the Dn#entionable Ti#es. And we wonder how it ca#e to
pass that these secrets were lost to the world. .e have heard the le!ends
of the !reat fi!htin! in which #any #en fou!ht on one side and only a few
on the other. These few were the 2vil Anes and they were con/uered. Then
!reat fires ra!ed over the land. And in these fires the 2vil Anes were
burned. And the fire which is called the @awn of the Creat :ebirth was
the &cript Fire where all the scripts of the 2vil Anes were burned and
with the# all the words of the 2vil Anes. Creat #ountains of fla#e stood
in the s/uares of the -ities for three #onths. Then ca#e the Creat
:ebirth.
2.,9The words of the 2vil Anes . . . The words of the Dn#entionable Ti#es
. . . .hat are the words which we have lost+
2.,1>ay the -ouncil have #ercy upon us8 .e had no wish to write such a
/uestion and we *new not what we were doin! till we had written it. .e
shall not as* this /uestion and we shall not thin* it. .e shall not call
death upon our head.
2.,2And yet . . . And yet . . .
2.,3There is so#e word one sin!le word which is not in the lan!ua!e of
#en but which had been. And this is the Dnspea*able .ord which no #en
#ay spea* nor hear. 7ut so#eti#es and it is rare so#eti#es so#ewhere
one a#on! #en find that word. They find it upon scraps of old #anuscripts
or cut into the fra!#ents of ancient stones. 7ut when they spea* it they
are put to death. There is no cri#e punished by death in this world save
this one cri#e of spea*in! the Dnspea*able .ord.
2.,';<=.e have seen one of such #en burned alive in the s/uare of the
-ity. And it was a si!ht which has stayed with us throu!h the years and
it haunts us and follows us and it !ives us no rest. .e were a child
then ten years old. And we stood in the !reat s/uare with all the
children and all the #en of the -ity sent to behold the burnin!. They
brou!ht the Trans!ressor out into the s/uare and they led the# to the
pyre. They had torn out the ton!ue of the Trans!ressor so that they could
spea* no lon!er. The Trans!ressor were youn! and tall. They had hair of
!old and eyes blue as #ornin!. They wal*ed to the pyre and their step did
not falter. And of all the faces on that s/uare of all the faces which
shrie*ed and screa#ed and spat curses upon the# theirs was the cal#est
and the happiest face.
2.,,As the chains were wound over their body at the sta*e and a fla#e set
to the pyre the Trans!ressor loo*ed upon the -ity. There was a thin
thread of blood runnin! fro# the corner of their #outh but their lips
were s#ilin!. And a #onstrous thou!ht ca#e to us then which has never
left us. .e had heard of &aints. There are the &aints of Babor and the
&aints of the -ouncils and the &aints of the Creat :ebirth. 7ut we had
never seen a &aint nor what the li*eness of a &aint should be. And we
thou!ht then standin! in the s/uare that the li*eness of a &aint was the
face we saw before us in the fla#es the face of the Trans!ressor of the
Dnspea*able .ord.
2.,0As the fla#es rose a thin! happened which no eyes saw but ours else
we would not be livin! today. )erhaps it had only see#ed to us. 7ut it
see#ed to us that the eyes of the Trans!ressor had chosen us fro# the
crowd and were loo*in! strai!ht upon us. There was no pain in their eyes
and no *nowled!e of the a!ony of their body. There was only 4oy in the#
and pride a pride holier than it is fit for hu#an pride to be. And it
see#ed as if these eyes were tryin! to tell us so#ethin! throu!h the
fla#es to send into our eyes so#e word without sound. And it see#ed as if
these eyes were be!!in! us to !ather that word and not to let it !o fro#
us and fro# the earth. 7ut the fla#es rose and we could not !uess the
word. . . .
2.,7.hat 33 even if we have to burn for it li*e the &aint of the pyre 33
what is the Dnspea*able .ord+
%otes on -hapter Two
2.11n2/uality 732,21 states that this is his second (Trans!ression of
)reference.( ?owever accordin! to his previous narrative it is his
third. ?e says he co##itted this trans!ression when he (preferred so#e
wor* and so#e lessons to the others( H1.21I and when he preferred
International '35515 as a friend over other #en H1.37I. ;:eturn to Te$t=
2.13nIt is not clear fro# this brief description whether the (-ouncil of
2u!enics( has retained any concept of eu!enics in the usual sense of
selective breedin!. They #ay si#ply be arran!in! anony#ous #atin!s in
order to re#ove any ele#ents of personal relationships or individual
feelin!s fro# the se$ act. If they are en!a!in! in selective breedin! one
wonders whether a non3confor#ist li*e 2/uality 732,21 would be allowed to
have any children at all. ;:eturn to Te$t=
2.'9n&o#e te$ts o#it a lar!e portion of the sentence that be!ins (And the
fire which is called ...( so that they contain no direct reference to the
burnin! of the scripts. The #issin! scripts are si!nificant to the plot
later in the novel. The full sentence is present in #ost te$ts Hfirst and
second editionI and is therefore included in this edition. ;:eturn to
Te$t=
2.,'nIn the sentence that includes the phrase (they led the# to the
pyre( so#e te$ts Hnotably includin! the printed ,9th Anniversary 2ditionI
use 'hi#' instead of 'the#.' This word has been rendered as (the#( in this
edition on the followin! !rounds6 1I this word appears as 'the#' in a
#a4ority of second edition te$ts 2I it is rendered as 'the#' in the
facsi#ile first edition te$t without any editin! #ar*s to su!!est that
:and wanted it chan!ed and 3I the use of 'hi#' #a*es no sense in the
conte$t of the novel as 2/uality 732,21 is not fa#iliar with sin!ular
pronouns. HAt least one co##entator has speculated as to the i#port of
:and's use of 'hi#' apparently not realiFin! that this is a copyeditin!
error.I ;:eturn to Te$t=
III.
3.1.e 2/uality 732,21 have discovered a new power of nature. And we have
discovered it alone and we are alone to *now it.
3.2It is said. %ow let us be lashed for it if we #ust. The -ouncil of
&cholars has said that we all *now the thin!s which e$ist and therefore
the thin!s which are not *nown by all do not e$ist. 7ut we thin* that the
-ouncil of &cholars is blind. The secrets of this earth are not for all
#en to see but only for those who will see* the#. .e *now for we have
found a secret un*nown to all our brothers.
3.3.e *now not what this power is nor whence it co#es. 7ut we *now its
nature we have watched it and wor*ed with it. .e saw it first two years
a!o. Ane ni!ht we were cuttin! open the body of a dead fro! when we saw
its le! 4er*in!. It was dead yet it #oved. &o#e power un*nown to #en was
#a*in! it #ove. .e could not understand it. Then after #any tests we
found the answer. The fro! had been han!in! on a wire of copper" and it
had been the #etal of our *nife which had sent a stran!e power to the
copper throu!h the brine of the fro!'s body. .e put a piece of copper and
a piece of Finc into a 4ar of brine we touched a wire to the# and there
under our fin!ers was a #iracle which had never occurred before a new
#iracle and a new power.
3.'This discovery haunted us. .e followed it in preference to all our
studies. .e wor*ed with it we tested it in #ore ways than we can
describe and each step was as another #iracle unveilin! before us. .e
ca#e to *now that we had found the !reatest power on earth. For it defies
all the laws *nown to #en. It #a*es the needle #ove and turn on the
co#pass which we stole fro# the ?o#e of the &cholars" but we had been
tau!ht when still a child that the loadstone points to the north and
that this is a law which nothin! can chan!e" yet our new power defies all
laws. .e found that it causes li!htnin! and never have #en *nown what
causes li!htnin!. In thunderstor#s we raised a tall rod of iron by the
side of our hole and we watched it fro# below. .e have seen the li!htnin!
stri*e it a!ain and a!ain. And now we *now that #etal draws the power of
the s*y and that #etal can be #ade to !ive it forth.
3.,;<=.e have built stran!e thin!s with this discovery of ours. .e used
for it the copper wires which we found here under the !round. .e have
wal*ed the len!th of our tunnel with a candle li!htin! the way. .e could
!o no farther than half a #ile for earth and roc* had fallen at both
ends. 7ut we !athered all the thin!s we found and we brou!ht the# to our
wor* place. .e found stran!e bo$es with bars of #etal inside with #any
cords and strands and coils of #etal. .e found wires that led to stran!e
little !lobes of !lass on the walls" they contained threads of #etal
thinner than a spider's web.
3.0These thin!s help us in our wor*. .e do not understand the# but we
thin* that the #en of the Dn#entionable Ti#es had *nown our power of the
s*y and these thin!s had so#e relation to it. .e do not *now but we
shall learn. .e cannot stop now even thou!h it fri!htens us that we are
alone in our *nowled!e.
3.7%o sin!le one can possess !reater wisdo# than the #any &cholars who are
elected by all #en for their wisdo#. Eet we can. .e do. .e have fou!ht
a!ainst sayin! it but now it is said. .e do not care. .e for!et all #en
all laws and all thin!s save our #etals and our wires. &o #uch is still to
be learned8 &o lon! a road lies before us and what care we if we #ust
travel it alone8
%otes on -hapter Three
3.,nThe description of the tunnel Hhere and at 1.'5I su!!ests a subway or
other enclosed railway. :and confir#ed that she intended it as a subway in
a JKA about Anthe# published in the Gune 1979 issue of The Ab4ectivist
-alendar. If it is a subway then this su!!ests that city where 2/uality
732,21 lives e$ists on or near the ruins of an earlier city 33 one lar!e
enou!h to have a subway. The ruins #ust have been cleared away or
thorou!hly decayed because it is not acceptable for people to have
contact with thin!s fro# the Dn#entionable Ti#es H1.'9I. 2$actly what
happened to the old city is not e$plained in any detail. )erhaps the war
of the Creat :ebirth H2.'9I de#olished it. )erhaps the victorious
collectivists intentionally dis#antled it as a re4ection of the previous
society. )erhaps it was si#ply abandoned and fell to dust. 2/uality 732,21
does not *now. ?e can only report ru#ors that ruins of old cities have
been over!rown by the Dncharted Forests H2.'5I. ;:eturn to Te$t=
I1.
'.1>any days passed before we could spea* to the Colden Ane a!ain. 7ut
then ca#e the day when the s*y turned white as if the sun had burst and
spread its fla#e in the air and the fields lay still without breath and
the dust of the road was white in the !low. &o the wo#en of the field were
weary and they tarried over their wor* and they were far fro# the road
when we ca#e. 7ut the Colden Ane stood alone at the hed!e waitin!. .e
stopped and we saw that their eyes so hard and scornful to the world
were loo*in! at us as if they would obey any word we #i!ht spea*.
'.2And we said6
'.3(.e have !iven you a na#e in our thou!hts Biberty ,33999.(
'.'(.hat is our na#e+( they as*ed.
'.,(The Colden Ane.(
'.0(%or do we call you 2/uality 732,21 when we thin* of you.(
'.7(.hat na#e have you !iven us+(
'.5They loo*ed strai!ht into our eyes and they held their head hi!h and
they answered6
'.9(The Dncon/uered.(
'.19For a lon! ti#e we could not spea*. Then we said6
'.11(&uch thou!hts as these are forbidden Colden Ane.(
'.12(7ut you thin* such thou!hts as these and you wish us to thin* the#.(
'.13.e loo*ed into their eyes and we could not lie.
'.1'(Ees( we whispered and they s#iled and then we said6 (Aur dearest
one do not obey us.(
'.1,They stepped bac* and their eyes were wide and still.
'.10(&pea* these words a!ain( they whispered.
'.17(.hich words+( we as*ed. 7ut they did not answer and we *new it.
'.15(Aur dearest one( we whispered.
'.19%ever have #en said this to wo#en.
'.29The head of the Colden Ane bowed slowly and they stood still before
us their ar#s at their sides the pal#s of their hands turned to us as
if their body were delivered in sub#ission to our eyes. And we could not
spea*.
'.21Then they raised their head and they spo*e si#ply and !ently as if
they wished us to for!et so#e an$iety of their own.
'.22(The day is hot( they said (and you have wor*ed for #any hours and
you #ust be weary.(
'.23(%o( we answered.
'.2'(It is cooler in the fields( they said (and there is water to drin*.
Are you thirsty+(
'.2,(Ees( we answered (but we cannot cross the hed!e.(
'.20(.e shall brin! the water to you( they said.
'.27Then they *nelt by the #oat they !athered water in their two hands
they rose and they held the water out to our lips.
'.25.e do not *now if we dran* that water. .e only *new suddenly that
their hands were e#pty but we were still holdin! our lips to their hands
and that they *new it but did not #ove.
'.29.e raised our head and stepped bac*. For we did not understand what
had #ade us do this and we were afraid to understand it.
'.39And the Colden Ane stepped bac* and stood loo*in! upon their hands in
wonder. Then the Colden Ane #oved away even thou!h no others were co#in!
and they #oved steppin! bac* as if they could not turn fro# us their
ar#s bent before the# as if they could not lower their hands.
1.
,.1.e #ade it. .e created it. .e brou!ht it forth fro# the ni!ht of the
a!es. .e alone. Aur hands. Aur #ind. Aurs alone and only.
,.2.e *now not what we are sayin!. Aur head is reelin!. .e loo* upon the
li!ht which we have #ade. .e shall be for!iven for anythin! we say
toni!ht. . . .
,.3Toni!ht after #ore days and trials than we can count we finished
buildin! a stran!e thin! fro# the re#ains of the Dn#entionable Ti#es a
bo$ of !lass devised to !ive forth the power of the s*y of !reater
stren!th than we had ever achieved before. And when we put our wires to
this bo$ when we closed the current 33 the wire !lowed8 It ca#e to life
it turned red and a circle of li!ht lay on the stone before us.
,.'.e stood and we held our head in our hands. .e could not conceive of
that which we had created. .e had touched no flint #ade no fire. Eet here
was li!ht li!ht that ca#e fro# nowhere li!ht fro# the heart of #etal.
,.,.e blew out the candle. @ar*ness swallowed us. There was nothin! left
around us nothin! save ni!ht and a thin thread of fla#e in it as a crac*
in the wall of a prison. .e stretched our hands to the wire and we saw
our fin!ers in the red !low. .e could not see our body nor feel it and in
that #o#ent nothin! e$isted save our two hands over a wire !lowin! in a
blac* abyss.
,.0Then we thou!ht of the #eanin! of that which lay before us. .e can
li!ht our tunnel and the -ity and all the -ities of the world with
nothin! save #etal and wires. .e can !ive our brothers a new li!ht
cleaner and bri!hter than any they have ever *nown. The power of the s*y
can be #ade to do #en's biddin!. There are no li#its to its secrets and
its #i!ht and it can be #ade to !rant us anythin! if we but choose to
as*.
,.7Then we *new what we #ust do. Aur discovery is too !reat for us to
waste our ti#e in sweepin! the streets. .e #ust not *eep our secret to
ourselves nor buried under the !round. .e #ust brin! it into the si!ht of
all #en. .e need all our ti#e we need the wor* roo#s of the ?o#e of the
&cholars we want the help of our brother &cholars and their wisdo# 4oined
to ours. There is so #uch wor* ahead for all of us for all the &cholars
of the world.
,.5In a #onth the .orld -ouncil of &cholars is to #eet in our -ity. It is
a !reat -ouncil to which the wisest of all lands are elected and it
#eets once a year in the different -ities of the earth. .e shall !o to
this -ouncil and we shall lay before the# as our !ift the !lass bo$ with
the power of the s*y. .e shall confess everythin! to the#. They will see
understand and for!ive. For our !ift is !reater than our trans!ression.
They will e$plain it to the -ouncil of 1ocations and we shall be assi!ned
to the ?o#e of the &cholars. This has never been done before but neither
has a !ift such as ours ever been offered to #en.
,.9.e #ust wait. .e #ust !uard our tunnel as we had never !uarded it
before. For should any #en save the &cholars learn of our secret they
would not understand it nor would they believe us. They would see
nothin! save our cri#e of wor*in! alone and they would destroy us and
our li!ht. .e care not about our body but our li!ht is . . .
,.19Ees we do care. For the first ti#e do we care about our body. For
this wire is a part of our body as a vein torn fro# us !lowin! with our
blood. Are we proud of this thread of #etal or of our hands which #ade
it or is there a line to divide these two+
,.11.e stretch out our ar#s. For the first ti#e do we *now how stron! our
ar#s are. And a stran!e thou!ht co#es to us6 we wonder for the first ti#e
in our life what we loo* li*e. >en never see their own faces and never
as* their brothers about it for it is evil to have concern for their own
faces or bodies. 7ut toni!ht for a reason we cannot fatho# we wish it
were possible to us to *now the li*eness of our own person.
1I.
0.1.e have not written for thirty days. For thirty days we have not been
here in our tunnel. .e had been cau!ht.
0.2It happened on that ni!ht when we wrote last. .e for!ot that ni!ht to
watch the sand in the !lass which tells us when three hours have passed
and it is ti#e to return to the -ity Theatre. .hen we re#e#bered it the
sand had run out.
0.3.e hastened to the Theatre. 7ut the bi! tent stood !rey and silent
a!ainst the s*y. The streets of the -ity lay before us dar* and e#pty. If
we went bac* to hide in our tunnel we would be found and our li!ht found
with us. &o we wal*ed to the ?o#e of the &treet &weepers.
0.'.hen the -ouncil of the ?o#e /uestioned us we loo*ed upon the faces of
the -ouncil but there was no curiosity in those faces and no an!er and
no #ercy. &o when the oldest of the# as*ed us6 (.here have you been+( we
thou!ht of our !lass bo$ and of our li!ht and we for!ot all else. And we
answered6
0.,;<=(.e will not tell you.(
0.0The oldest did not /uestion us further. They turned to the two
youn!est and said and their voice was bored6
0.7(Ta*e our brother 2/uality 732,21 to the )alace of -orrective
@etention. Bash the# until they tell.(
0.5&o we were ta*en to the &tone :oo# under the )alace of -orrective
@etention. This roo# has no windows and it is e#pty save for an iron post.
Two #en stood by the post na*ed but for leather aprons and leather hoods
over their faces. Those who had brou!ht us departed leavin! us to the two
Gud!es who stood in a corner of the roo#. The Gud!es were s#all thin #en
!rey and bent. They !ave the si!nal to the two stron! hooded ones.
0.9They tore our clothes fro# our body they threw us down upon our *nees
and they tied our hands to the iron post.
0.19The first blow of the lash felt as if our spine had been cut in two.
The second blow stopped the first and for a second we felt nothin! then
the pain struc* us in our throat and fire ran in our lun!s without air.
7ut we did not cry out.
0.11The lash whistled li*e a sin!in! wind. .e tried to count the blows
but we lost count. .e *new that the blows were fallin! upon our bac*. Anly
we felt nothin! upon our bac* any lon!er. A fla#in! !rill *ept dancin!
before our eyes and we thou!ht of nothin! save that !rill a !rill a
!rill of red s/uares and then we *new that we were loo*in! at the s/uares
of the iron !rill in the door and there were also the s/uares of stone on
the walls and the s/uares which the lash was cuttin! upon our bac*
crossin! and re3crossin! itself in our flesh.
0.12Then we saw a fist before us. It *noc*ed our chin up and we saw the
red froth of our #outh on the withered fin!ers and the Gud!e as*ed6
0.13(.here have you been+(
0.1'7ut we 4er*ed our head away hid our face upon our tied hands and bit
our lips.
0.1,The lash whistled a!ain. .e wondered who was sprin*lin! burnin! coal
dust upon the floor for we saw drops of red twin*lin! on the stones
around us.
0.10Then we *new nothin! save two voices snarlin! steadily one after the
other even thou!h we *new they were spea*in! #any #inutes apart6
0.17(.here have you been where have you been where have you been where
have you been+ . . .(
0.15And our lips #oved but the sound tric*led bac* into our throat and
the sound was only6
0.19(The li!ht . . . The li!ht . . . The li!ht. . . .(
0.29Then we *new nothin!.
0.21.e opened our eyes lyin! on our sto#ach on the bric* floor of a cell.
.e loo*ed upon two hands lyin! far before us on the bric*s and we #oved
the# and we *new that they were our hands. 7ut we could not #ove our
body. Then we s#iled for we thou!ht of the li!ht and that we had not
betrayed it.
0.22.e lay in our cell for #any days. The door opened twice each day once
for the #en who brou!ht us bread and water and once for the Gud!es. >any
Gud!es ca#e to our cell first the hu#blest and then the #ost honored
Gud!es of the -ity. They stood before us in their white to!as and they
as*ed6
0.23(Are you ready to spea*+(
0.2'7ut we shoo* our head lyin! before the# on the floor. And they
departed.
0.2,.e counted each day and each ni!ht as it passed. Then toni!ht we
*new that we #ust escape. For to#orrow the .orld -ouncil of &cholars is to
#eet in our -ity.
0.20It was easy to escape fro# the )alace of -orrective @etention. The
loc*s are old on the doors and there are no !uards about. There is no
reason to have !uards for #en have never defied the -ouncils so far as to
escape fro# whatever place they were ordered to be. Aur body is healthy
and stren!th returns to it speedily. .e lun!ed a!ainst the door and it
!ave way. .e stole throu!h the dar* passa!es and throu!h the dar*
streets and down into our tunnel.
0.27.e lit the candle and we saw that our place had not been found and
nothin! had been touched. And our !lass bo$ stood before us on the cold
oven as we had left it. .hat #atter they now the scars upon our bac*8
0.25To#orrow in the full li!ht of day we shall ta*e our bo$ and leave
our tunnel open and wal* throu!h the streets to the ?o#e of the &cholars.
.e shall put before the# the !reatest !ift ever offered to #en. .e shall
tell the# the truth. .e shall hand to the# as our confession these pa!es
we have written. .e shall 4oin our hands to theirs and we shall wor*
to!ether with the power of the s*y for the !lory of #an*ind. Aur
blessin! upon you our brothers8 To#orrow you will ta*e us bac* into your
fold and we shall be an outcast no lon!er. To#orrow we shall be one of you
a!ain. To#orrow . . .
%otes on -hapter &i$
0.,nAlthou!h he conceals where he has been 2/uality 732,21 apparently
does not consider actually lyin! to either the -ouncil of the ?o#e or the
Gud!es Hsuch as by #a*in! up a story about bein! so#ewhere other than the
tunnelI. This attitude on his part presu#ably reflects both the culture of
authoritarianis# in which lyin! to the authorities would be still another
trans!ression and :and's own views on the !eneral ineffectiveness of
lyin!. ;:eturn to Te$t=
1II.
7.1It is dar* here in the forest. The leaves rustle over our head blac*
a!ainst the last !old of the s*y. The #oss is soft and war#. .e shall
sleep on this #oss for #any ni!hts till the beasts of the forest co#e to
tear our body. .e have no bed now save the #oss and no future save the
beasts.
7.2.e are old now yet we were youn! this #ornin! when we carried our
!lass bo$ throu!h the streets of the -ity to the ?o#e of the &cholars. %o
#en stopped us for there were none about fro# the )alace of -orrective
@etention and the others *new nothin!. %o #en stopped us at the !ate. .e
wal*ed throu!h e#pty passa!es and into the !reat hall where the .orld
-ouncil of &cholars sat in sole#n #eetin!.
7.3;<=.e saw nothin! as we entered save the s*y in the !reat windows
blue and !lowin!. Then we saw the &cholars who sat around a lon! table"
they were as shapeless clouds huddled at the rise of the !reat s*y. There
were #en whose fa#ous na#es we *new and others fro# distant lands whose
na#es we had not heard. .e saw a !reat paintin! on the wall over their
heads of the twenty illustrious #en who had invented the candle.
7.'All the heads of the -ouncil turned to us as we entered. These !reat
and wise of the earth did not *now what to thin* of us and they loo*ed
upon us with wonder and curiosity as if we were a #iracle. It is true
that our tunic was torn and stained with brown stains which had been
blood. .e raised our ri!ht ar# and we said6
7.,(Aur !reetin! to you our honored brothers of the .orld -ouncil of
&cholars8(
7.0Then -ollective 939999 the oldest and wisest of the -ouncil spo*e and
as*ed6
7.7(.ho are you our brother+ For you do not loo* li*e a &cholar.(
7.5(Aur na#e is 2/uality 732,21( we answered (and we are a &treet
&weeper of this -ity.(
7.9Then it was as if a !reat wind had stric*en the hall for all the
&cholars spo*e at once and they were an!ry and fri!htened.
7.19(A &treet &weeper8 A &treet &weeper wal*in! in upon the .orld -ouncil
of &cholars8 It is not to be believed8 It is a!ainst all the rules and all
the laws8(
7.117ut we *new how to stop the#.
7.12(Aur brothers8( we said. (.e #atter not nor our trans!ression. It is
only our brother #en who #atter. Cive no thou!ht to us for we are
nothin! but listen to our words for we brin! you a !ift such as has
never been brou!ht to #en. Bisten to us for we hold the future of #an*ind
in our hands.(
7.13Then they listened.
7.1'.e placed our !lass bo$ upon the table before the#. .e spo*e of it
and of our lon! /uest and of our tunnel and of our escape fro# the
)alace of -orrective @etention. %ot a hand #oved in that hall as we
spo*e nor an eye. Then we put the wires to the bo$ and they all bent
forward and sat still watchin!. And we stood still our eyes upon the
wire. And slowly slowly as a flush of blood a red fla#e tre#bled in the
wire. Then the wire !lowed.
7.1,7ut terror struc* the #en of the -ouncil. They leapt to their feet
they ran fro# the table and they stood pressed a!ainst the wall huddled
to!ether see*in! the war#th of one another's bodies to !ive the# coura!e.
7.10.e loo*ed upon the# and we lau!hed and said6
7.17(Fear nothin! our brothers. There is a !reat power in these wires
but this power is ta#ed. It is yours. .e !ive it to you.(
7.15&till they would not #ove.
7.19(.e !ive you the power of the s*y8( we cried. (.e !ive you the *ey to
the earth8 Ta*e it and let us be one of you the hu#blest a#on! you. Bet
us all wor* to!ether and harness this power and #a*e it ease the toil of
#en. Bet us throw away our candles and our torches. Bet us flood our
cities with li!ht. Bet us brin! a new li!ht to #en8(
7.297ut they loo*ed upon us and suddenly we were afraid. For their eyes
were still and s#all and evil.
7.21(Aur brothers8( we cried. (?ave you nothin! to say to us+(
7.22Then -ollective 939999 #oved forward. They #oved to the table and the
others followed.
7.23(Ees( spo*e -ollective 939999 (we have #uch to say to you.(
7.2'The sound of their voice brou!ht silence to the hall and to the beat
of our heart.
7.2,(Ees( said -ollective 939999 (we have #uch to say to a wretch who
have bro*en all the laws and who boast of their infa#y8 ?ow dared you
thin* that your #ind held !reater wisdo# than the #inds of your brothers+
And if the -ouncils had decreed that you should be a &treet &weeper how
dared you thin* that you could be of !reater use to #en than in sweepin!
the streets+(
7.20(?ow dared you !utter cleaner( spo*e Fraternity 933',2 (to hold
yourself as one alone and with the thou!hts of the one and not of the
#any+(
7.27(Eou shall be burned at the sta*e( said @e#ocracy '30995.
7.25;<=(%o they shall be lashed( said Dnani#ity 73339' (till there is
nothin! left under the lashes.(
7.29(%o( said -ollective 939999 (we cannot decide upon this our
brothers. %o such cri#e has ever been co##itted and it is not for us to
4ud!e. %or for any s#all -ouncil. .e shall deliver this creature to the
.orld -ouncil itself and let their will be done.(
7.39.e loo*ed upon the# and we pleaded6
7.31(Aur brothers8 Eou are ri!ht. Bet the will of the -ouncil be done upon
our body. .e do not care. 7ut the li!ht+ .hat will you do with the li!ht+(
7.32-ollective 939999 loo*ed upon us and they s#iled.
7.33(&o you thin* that you have found a new power( said -ollective
939999. (@o all your brothers thin* that+(
7.3'(%o( we answered.
7.3,(.hat is not thou!ht by all #en cannot be true( said -ollective
939999.
7.30(Eou have wor*ed on this alone+( as*ed International 13,,37.
7.37(Ees( we answered.
7.35(.hat is not done collectively cannot be !ood( said International
13,,37.
7.39(>any #en in the ?o#es of the &cholars have had stran!e new ideas in
the past( said &olidarity 53110' (but when the #a4ority of their brother
&cholars voted a!ainst the# they abandoned their ideas as all #en #ust.(
7.'9(This bo$ is useless( said Alliance 0373'9.
7.'1(&hould it be what they clai# of it( said ?ar#ony 9320'2 (then it
would brin! ruin to the @epart#ent of -andles. The -andle is a !reat boon
to #an*ind as approved by all #en. Therefore it cannot be destroyed by
the whi# of one.(
7.'2(This would wrec* the )lans of the .orld -ouncil( said Dnani#ity
239913 (and without the )lans of the .orld -ouncil the sun cannot rise.
It too* fifty years to secure the approval of all the -ouncils for the
-andle and to decide upon the nu#ber needed and to re3fit the )lans so
as to #a*e candles instead of torches. This touched upon thousands and
thousands of #en wor*in! in scores of &tates. .e cannot alter the )lans
a!ain so soon.(
7.'3(And if this should li!hten the toil of #en( said &i#ilarity ,39390
(then it is a !reat evil for #en have no cause to e$ist save in toilin!
for other #en.(
7.''Then -ollective 939999 rose and pointed at our bo$.
7.',(This thin!( they said (#ust be destroyed.(
7.'0And all the others cried as one6
7.'7(It #ust be destroyed8(
7.'5Then we leapt to the table.
7.'9.e seiFed our bo$ we shoved the# aside and we ran to the window. .e
turned and we loo*ed at the# for the last ti#e and a ra!e such as it is
not fit for hu#ans to *now cho*ed our voice in our throat.
7.,9(Eou fools8( we cried. (Eou fools8 Eou thrice3da#ned fools8(
7.,1.e swun! our fist throu!h the windowpane and we leapt out in a
rin!in! rain of !lass.
7.,2.e fell but we never let the bo$ fall fro# our hands. Then we ran. .e
ran blindly and #en and houses strea*ed past us in a torrent without
shape. And the road see#ed not to be flat before us but as if it were
leapin! up to #eet us and we waited for the earth to rise and stri*e us
in the face. 7ut we ran. .e *new not where we were !oin!. .e *new only
that we #ust run run to the end of the world to the end of our days.
7.,3Then we *new suddenly that we were lyin! on a soft earth and that we
had stopped. Trees taller than we had ever seen before stood over us in a
!reat silence. Then we *new. .e were in the Dncharted Forest. .e had not
thou!ht of co#in! here but our le!s had carried our wisdo# and our le!s
had brou!ht us to the Dncharted Forest a!ainst our will.
7.,'Aur !lass bo$ lay beside us. .e crawled to it we fell upon it our
face in our ar#s and we lay still.
7.,,.e lay thus for a lon! ti#e. Then we rose we too* our bo$ had wal*ed
on into the forest.
7.,0It #attered not where we went. .e *new that #en would not follow us
for they never enter the Dncharted Forest. .e had nothin! to fear fro#
the#. The forest disposes of its own victi#s. This !ave us no fear either.
Anly we wished to be away away fro# the -ity and fro# the air that
touches upon the air of the -ity. &o we wal*ed on our bo$ in our ar#s
our heart e#pty.
7.,7.e are doo#ed. .hatever days are left to us we shall spend the#
alone. And we have heard of the corruption to be found in solitude. .e
have torn ourselves fro# the truth which is our brother #en and there is
no road bac* for us and no rede#ption.
7.,5.e *now these thin!s but we do not care. .e care for nothin! on
earth. .e are tired.
7.,9;<=Anly the !lass bo$ in our ar#s is li*e a livin! heart that !ives us
stren!th. .e have lied to ourselves. .e have not built this bo$ for the
!ood of our brothers. .e built it for its own sa*e. It is above all our
brothers to us and its truth above their truth. .hy wonder about this+ .e
have not #any days to live. .e are wal*in! to the fan!s awaitin! us
so#ewhere a#on! the !reat silent trees. There is not a thin! behind us to
re!ret.
7.09Then a blow of pain struc* us our first and our only. .e thou!ht of
the Colden Ane. .e thou!ht of the Colden Ane who# we shall never see
a!ain. Then the pain passed. It is best. .e are one of the @a#ned. It is
best if the Colden Ane for!et our na#e and the body which bore that na#e.
%otes on -hapter &even
7.3nIt is ironic that such a thorou!hly collectivist society would allow
anyone especially a scholar to develop a (fa#ous na#e.( ;:eturn to Te$t=
7.25nThe punish#ents su!!ested by @e#ocracy '30995 and Dnani#ity 73339'
see# particularly bloodthirsty !iven that their society has only one
capital cri#e and that is one rarely encountered Hsee 2.,3I. ?owever as
-ollective 939999 notes the cri#e co##itted by 2/uality 732,21 is
unprecedented. ;:eturn to Te$t=
7.,9n&o#e te$ts o#it the sentence (.e have not #any days to live.( This
o#ission blunts the #eanin! of 2/uality 732,21's narrative since he is
#a*in! it clear that even thou!h he e$pects to die now that he is on his
own that would be better than the collectivist life he left behind. The
sentence has been included in this edition on the followin! !rounds6 1I it
appears in a #a4ority of second edition te$ts and 2I it is included in
the facsi#ile first edition te$t without any editin! #ar*s to su!!est that
:and wanted it re#oved. ;:eturn to Te$t=
1III.
5.1It has been a day of wonder this our first day in the forest.
5.2.e awo*e when a ray of sunli!ht fell across our face. .e wanted to leap
to our feet as we have had to leap every #ornin! of our life but we
re#e#bered suddenly that no bell had run! and that there was no bell to
rin! anywhere. .e lay on our bac* we threw our ar#s out and we loo*ed up
at the s*y. The leaves had ed!es of silver that tre#bled and rippled li*e
a river of !reen and fire flowin! hi!h above us.
5.3.e did not wish to #ove. .e thou!ht suddenly that we could lie thus as
lon! as we wished and we lau!hed aloud at the thou!ht. .e could also
rise or run or leap or fall down a!ain. .e were thin*in! that these
were thou!hts without sense but before we *new it our body had risen in
one leap. Aur ar#s stretched out of their own will and our body whirled
and whirled till it raised a wind to rustle throu!h the leaves of the
bushes. Then our hands seiFed a branch and swun! us hi!h into a tree with
no ai# save the wonder of learnin! the stren!th of our body. The branch
snapped under us and we fell upon the #oss that was soft as a cushion.
Then our body losin! all sense rolled over and over on the #oss dry
leaves in our tunic in our hair in our face. And we heard suddenly that
we were lau!hin! lau!hin! aloud lau!hin! as if there were no power left
in us save lau!hter.
5.'Then we too* our !lass bo$ and we went on into the forest. .e went on
cuttin! throu!h the branches and it was as if we were swi##in! throu!h a
sea of leaves with the bushes as waves risin! and fallin! and risin!
around us and flin!in! their !reen sprays hi!h to the treetops. The trees
parted before us callin! us forward. The forest see#ed to welco#e us. .e
went on without thou!ht without care with nothin! to feel save the son!
of our body.
5.,.e stopped when we felt hun!er. .e saw birds in the tree branches and
flyin! fro# under our footsteps. .e pic*ed a stone and we sent it as an
arrow at a bird. It fell before us. .e #ade a fire we coo*ed the bird
and we ate it and no #eal had ever tasted better to us. And we thou!ht
suddenly that there was a !reat satisfaction to be found in the food which
we need and obtain by our own hand. And we wished to be hun!ry a!ain and
soon that we #i!ht *now a!ain this stran!e new pride in eatin!.
5.0Then we wal*ed on. And we ca#e to a strea# which lay as a strea* of
!lass a#on! the trees. It lay so still that we saw no water but only a cut
in the earth in which the trees !rew down upturned and the s*y lay at
the botto#. .e *nelt by the strea# and we bent down to drin*. And then we
stopped. For upon the blue of the s*y below us we saw our own face for
the first ti#e.
5.7.e sat still and we held our breath. For our face and our body were
beautiful. Aur face was not li*e the faces of our brothers for we felt no
pity when loo*in! upon it. Aur body was not li*e the bodies of our
brothers for our li#bs were strai!ht and thin and hard and stron!. And we
thou!ht that we could trust this bein! who loo*ed upon us fro# the strea#
and that we had nothin! to fear with this bein!.;<=
5.5.e wal*ed on till the sun had set. .hen the shadows !athered a#on! the
trees we stopped in a hollow between the roots where we shall sleep
toni!ht. And suddenly for the first ti#e this day we re#e#bered that we
are the @a#ned. .e re#e#bered it and we lau!hed.
5.9.e are writin! this on the paper we had hidden in our tunic to!ether
with the written pa!es we had brou!ht for the .orld -ouncil of &cholars
but never !iven to the#. .e have #uch to spea* of to ourselves and we
hope we shall find the words for it in the days to co#e. %ow we cannot
spea* for we cannot understand.
%otes on -hapter 2i!ht
5.7nThe narrator's self3description is very non3specific. .hen as*ed later
what race the character was :and replied (Any race 33 since he
represents the best possible to all races of #en.( H(Juestions and Answers
on Anthe#( The Ab4ectivist -alendar HGune 1979I reprinted in The Ayn
:and -olu#n p. 122I ;:eturn to Te$t=
IL.
9.1.e have not written for #any days. .e did not wish to spea*. For we
needed no words to re#e#ber that which has happened to us.
9.2It was on our second day in the forest that we heard steps behind us.
.e hid in the bushes and we waited. The steps ca#e closer. And then we
saw the fold of a white tunic a#on! the trees and a !lea# of !old.
9.3.e leapt forward we ran to the# and we stood loo*in! upon the Colden
Ane.
9.'They saw us and their hands closed into fists and the fists pulled
their ar#s down as if they wished their ar#s to hold the# while their
body swayed. And they could not spea*.
9.,.e dared not co#e too close to the#. .e as*ed and our voice tre#bled6
9.0(?ow co#e you to be here Colden Ane+(
9.77ut they whispered only6
9.5(.e have found you. . . .(
9.9(?ow co#e you to be in the forest+( we as*ed.
9.19They raised their head and there was a !reat pride in their voice"
they answered6
9.11(.e have followed you.(
9.12Then we could not spea* and they said6
9.13(.e heard that you had !one to the Dncharted Forest for the whole
-ity is spea*in! of it. &o on the ni!ht of the day when we heard it we
ran away fro# the ?o#e of the )easants. .e found the #ar*s of your feet
across the plain where no #en wal*. &o we followed the# and we went into
the forest and we followed the path where the branches were bro*en by
your body.(
9.1'Their white tunic was torn and the branches had cut the s*in of their
ar#s but they spo*e as if they had never ta*en notice of it nor of
weariness nor of fear.
9.1,(.e have followed you( they said (and we shall follow you wherever
you !o. If dan!er threatens you we shall face it also. If it be death we
shall die with you. Eou are da#ned and we wish to share your da#nation.(
9.10They loo*ed upon us and their voice was low but there was bitterness
and triu#ph in their voice6
9.17(Eour eyes are as a fla#e but our brothers have neither hope nor
fire. Eour #outh is cut of !ranite but our brothers are soft and hu#ble.
Eour head is hi!h but our brothers crin!e. Eou wal* but our brothers
crawl. .e wish to be da#ned with you rather than blessed with all our
brothers. @o as you please with us but do not send us away fro# you.(
9.15Then they *nelt and bowed their !olden head before us.
9.19.e had never thou!ht of that which we did. .e bent to raise the Colden
Ane to their feet but when we touched the# it was as if #adness had
stric*en us. .e seiFed their body and we pressed our lips to theirs. The
Colden Ane breathed once and their breath was a #oan and then their ar#s
closed around us.
9.29.e stood to!ether for a lon! ti#e. And we were fri!htened that we had
lived for twenty3one years and had never *nown what 4oy is possible to
#en.
9.21Then we said6
9.22(Aur dearest one. Fear nothin! of the forest. There is no dan!er in
solitude. .e have no need of our brothers. Bet us for!et their !ood and
our evil let us for!et all thin!s save that we are to!ether and that
there is 4oy as a bond between us. Cive us your hand. Boo* ahead. It is
our own world Colden Ane a stran!e un*nown world but our own.(
9.23Then we wal*ed on into the forest their hand in ours.
9.2'And that ni!ht we *new that to hold the body of wo#en in our ar#s is
neither u!ly nor sha#eful but the one ecstasy !ranted to the race of #en.
9.2,.e have wal*ed for #any days. The forest has no end and we see* no
end. 7ut each day added to the chain of days between us and the -ity is
li*e an added blessin!.
9.20.e have #ade a bow and #any arrows. .e can *ill #ore birds than we
need for our food" we find water and fruit in the forest. At ni!ht we
choose a clearin! and we build a rin! of fires around it. .e sleep in the
#idst of that rin! and the beasts dare not attac* us. .e can see their
eyes !reen and yellow as coals watchin! us fro# the tree branches
beyond. The fires s#older as a crown of 4ewels around us and s#o*e stands
still in the air in colu#ns #ade blue by the #oonli!ht. .e sleep to!ether
in the #idst of the rin! the ar#s of the Colden Ane around us their head
upon our breast.
9.27&o#e day we shall stop and build a house when we shall have !one far
enou!h. 7ut we do not have to hasten. The days before us are without end
li*e the forest.
9.25.e cannot understand this new life which we have found yet it see#s
so clear and so si#ple. .hen /uestions co#e to puFFle us we wal* faster
then turn and for!et all thin!s as we watch the Colden Ane followin!. The
shadows of leaves fall upon their ar#s as they spread the branches apart
but their shoulders are in the sun. The s*in of their ar#s is li*e a blue
#ist but their shoulders are white and !lowin! as if the li!ht fell not
fro# above but rose fro# under their s*in. .e watch the leaf which has
fallen upon their shoulder and it lies at the curve of their nec* and a
drop of dew !listens upon it li*e a 4ewel. They approach us and they
stop lau!hin! *nowin! what we thin* and they wait obediently without
/uestions till it pleases us to turn and !o on.
9.29.e !o on and we bless the earth under our feet. 7ut /uestions co#e to
us a!ain as we wal* in silence. If that which we have found is the
corruption of solitude then what can #en wish for save corruption+ If
this is the !reat evil of bein! alone then what is !ood and what is evil+
9.392verythin! which co#es fro# the #any is !ood. 2verythin! which co#es
fro# one is evil. Thus have we been tau!ht with our first breath. .e have
bro*en the law but we have never doubted it. Eet now as we wal* throu!h
the forest we are learnin! to doubt.
9.31There is no life for #en save in useful toil for the !ood of all
their brothers. 7ut we lived not when we toiled for our brothers we were
only weary. There is no 4oy for #en save the 4oy shared with all their
brothers. 7ut the only thin!s which tau!ht us 4oy were the power we
created in our wires and the Colden Ane. And both these 4oys belon! to us
alone they co#e fro# us alone they bear no relation to our brothers and
they do not concern our brothers in any way. Thus do we wonder.
9.32There is so#e error one fri!htful error in the thin*in! of #en. .hat
is that error+ .e do not *now but the *nowled!e stru!!les within us
stru!!les to be born.
9.33Today the Colden Ane stopped suddenly and said6
9.3'(.e love you.(
9.3,7ut then they frowned and shoo* their head and loo*ed at us
helplessly.
9.30(%o( they whispered (that is not what we wished to say.(
9.37They were silent then they spo*e slowly and their words were
haltin! li*e the words of a child learnin! to spea* for the first ti#e6
9.35(.e are one . . . alone . . . and only . . . and we love you who are
one . . . alone . . . and only.(
9.39.e loo*ed into each other's eyes and we *new that the breath of a
#iracle had touched us and fled and left us !ropin! vainly.
9.'9And we felt torn torn for so#e word we could not find.
L.
19.1.e are sittin! at a table and we are writin! this upon paper #ade
thousands of years a!o. The li!ht is di# and we cannot see the Colden
Ane only one loc* of !old on the pillow of an ancient bed. This is our
ho#e.
19.2;<=.e ca#e upon it today at sunrise. For #any days we had been
crossin! a chain of #ountains. The forest rose a#on! cliffs and whenever
we wal*ed out upon a barren stretch of roc* we saw !reat pea*s before us
in the west and to the north of us and to the south as far as our eyes
could see. The pea*s were red and brown with the !reen strea*s of forests
as veins upon the# with blue #ists as veils over their heads. .e had
never heard of these #ountains nor seen the# #ar*ed on any #ap. The
Dncharted Forest has protected the# fro# the -ities and fro# the #en of
the -ities.
19.3.e cli#bed paths where the wild !oat dared not follow. &tones rolled
fro# under our feet and we heard the# stri*in! the roc*s below farther
and farther down and the #ountains ran! with each stro*e and lon! after
the stro*es had died. 7ut we went on for we *new that no #en would ever
follow our trac* nor reach us here.
19.'Then today at sunrise we saw a white fla#e a#on! the trees hi!h on
a sheer pea* before us. .e thou!ht that it was a fire and we stopped. 7ut
the fla#e was un#ovin! yet blindin! as li/uid #etal. &o we cli#bed toward
it throu!h the roc*s. And there before us on a broad su##it with the
#ountains risin! behind it stood a house such as we had never seen and
the white fire ca#e fro# the sun on the !lass of its windows.
19.,The house had two stories and a stran!e roof flat as a floor. There
was #ore window than wall upon its walls and the windows went on strai!ht
around the corners thou!h how this *ept the house standin! we could not
!uess. The walls were hard and s#ooth of that stone unli*e stone which we
had seen in our tunnel.
19.0.e both *new it without words6 this house was left fro# the
Dn#entionable Ti#es. The trees had protected it fro# ti#e and weather and
fro# #en who have less pity than ti#e and weather. .e turned to the Colden
Ane and we as*ed6
19.7(Are you afraid+(
19.57ut they shoo* their head. &o we wal*ed to the door and we threw it
open and we stepped to!ether into the house of the Dn#entionable Ti#es.
19.9.e shall need the days and the years ahead to loo* to learn and to
understand the thin!s of this house. Today we could only loo* and try to
believe the si!ht of our eyes. .e pulled the heavy curtains fro# the
windows and we saw that the roo#s were s#all and we thou!ht that not #ore
than twelve #en could have lived here. .e thou!ht it stran!e that #en had
been per#itted to build a house for only twelve.
19.19%ever had we seen roo#s so full of li!ht. The sunrays danced upon
colors colors #ore colors than we thou!ht possible we who had seen no
houses save the white ones the brown ones and the !rey. There were !reat
pieces of !lass on the walls but it was not !lass for when we loo*ed
upon it we saw our own bodies and all the thin!s behind us as on the face
of a la*e. There were stran!e thin!s which we had never seen and the use
of which we do not *now. And there were !lobes of !lass everywhere in
each roo# the !lobes with the #etal cobwebs inside such as we had seen
in our tunnel.
19.11.e found the sleepin! hall and we stood in awe upon its threshold.
For it was a s#all roo# and there were only two beds in it. .e found no
other beds in the house and then we *new that only two had lived here
and this passes understandin!. .hat *ind of world did they have the #en
of the Dn#entionable Ti#es+
19.12.e found !ar#ents and the Colden Ane !asped at the si!ht of the#.
For they were not white tunics nor white to!as" they were of all colors
no two of the# ali*e. &o#e cru#bled to dust as we touched the#. 7ut others
were of heavier cloth and they felt soft and new in our fin!ers.
19.13.e found a roo# with walls #ade of shelves which held rows of
#anuscripts fro# the floor to the ceilin!. %ever had we seen such a
nu#ber of the# nor of such stran!e shape. They were not soft and rolled
they had hard shells of cloth and leather" and the letters on their pa!es
were so s#all and so even that we wondered at the #en who had such
handwritin!. .e !lanced throu!h the pa!es and we saw that they were
written in our lan!ua!e but we found #any words which we could not
understand. To#orrow we shall be!in to read these scripts.
19.1'.hen we had seen all the roo#s of the house we loo*ed at the Colden
Ane and we both *new the thou!ht in our #inds.
19.1,(.e shall never leave this house( we said (nor let it be ta*en fro#
us. This is our ho#e and the end of our 4ourney. This is your house
Colden Ane and ours and it belon!s to no other #en whatever as far as
the earth #ay stretch. .e shall not share it with others as we share not
our 4oy with the# nor our love nor our hun!er. &o be it to the end of
our days.(
19.10(Eour will be done( they said.
19.17Then we went out to !ather wood for the !reat hearth of our ho#e. .e
brou!ht water fro# the strea# which runs a#on! the trees under our
windows. .e *illed a #ountain !oat and we brou!ht its flesh to be coo*ed
in a stran!e copper pot we found in a place of wonders which #ust have
been the coo*in! roo# of the house.
19.15;<=.e did this wor* alone for no words of ours could ta*e the Colden
Ane away fro# the bi! !lass which is not !lass. They stood before it and
they loo*ed and loo*ed upon their own body.
19.19.hen the sun san* beyond the #ountains the Colden Ane fell asleep on
the floor a#idst 4ewels and bottles of crystal and flowers of sil*. .e
lifted the Colden Ane in our ar#s and we carried the# to a bed their head
fallin! softly upon our shoulder. Then we lit a candle and we brou!ht
paper fro# the roo# of the #anuscripts and we sat by the window for we
*new that we could not sleep toni!ht.
19.29;<=And now we loo* upon the earth and s*y. This spread of na*ed roc*
and pea*s and #oonli!ht is li*e a world ready to be born a world that
waits. It see#s to us it as*s a si!n fro# us a spar* a first
co##and#ent. .e cannot *now what word we are to !ive nor what !reat deed
this earth e$pects to witness. .e *now it waits. It see#s to say it has
!reat !ifts to lay before us but it wishes a !reater !ift fro# us. .e are
to spea*. .e are to !ive its !oal its hi!hest #eanin! to all this !lowin!
space of roc* and s*y.
19.21.e loo* ahead we be! our heart for !uidance in answerin! this call
no voice has spo*en yet we have heard. .e loo* upon our hands. .e see the
dust of centuries the dust which hid !reat secrets and perhaps !reat
evils. And yet it stirs no fear within our heart but only silent
reverence and pity.
19.22>ay *nowled!e co#e to us8 .hat is the secret our heart has understood
and yet will not reveal to us althou!h it see#s to beat as if it were
endeavorin! to tell it+
%otes on -hapter Ten
19.2n2/uality 732,21's description of the #ountains leads to the /uestion
of what is the real scope of the !overn#ent led by his (.orld -ouncil.(
Civen the society's low level of technolo!y it is doubtful that they
would have a truly worldwide !overn#ent. Their belief that the world is
flat Hsee 1.22I also tends to confir# this. Their lac* of *nowled!e about
the #ountains su!!ests that its na#e notwithstandin! the .orld -ouncil
#ay control 4ust a li#ited re!ion. )erhaps they are separated fro# other
societies by !eo!raphical barriers lac* of curiosity to e$plore past
those barriers and a !eneral depopulation of the planet durin! the Creat
:ebirth. ?owever one thin! that should be reco!niFed when underta*in! any
such speculation is that :and was not atte#ptin! to provide a realistic
settin! in Anthe#. &he probably did conceive the .orld -ouncil as a !lobal
body however unli*ely that #i!ht be in a real3life society this
pri#itive. In either case the characters' Hand ourI i!norance on such
issues does not affect the story in any si!nificant way. ;:eturn to Te$t=
19.15nIt is typical of :and that her #ain fe#ale character would be
defiant of social conventions Hsee '.53'.12I and physically brave
H9.1339.1,I yet at the sa#e ti#e would be sub#issive to her beloved
H19.10I and would #anifest a stereotypical fe#inine trait li*e vanity.
;:eturn to Te$t=
19.29nIn the sentence that be!ins (It see#s to say ...( so#e te$ts o#it
the clause (but it wishes a !reater !ift fro# us.( This o#ission re#oves
:and's i#plication that hu#an creative activity is #ore i#portant than the
si#ple availability of natural raw #aterials. The additional clause has
been included in this edition on the followin! !rounds6 1I it appears in a
#a4ority of second edition te$ts 2I it is included in the facsi#ile first
edition te$t without any editin! #ar*s to su!!est that :and wanted it
re#oved and 3I the idea i#plied by the phrase is consistent with :and's
philosophy as stated in her later fiction and non3fiction writin!s.
;:eturn to Te$t=
LI.
11.1I a#. I thin*. I will.
11.2>y hands . . . >y spirit . . . >y s*y . . . >y forest . . . This earth
of #ine. . . .
11.3.hat #ust I say besides+ These are the words. This is the answer.
11.'I stand here on the su##it of the #ountain. I lift #y head and I
spread #y ar#s. This #y body and spirit this is the end of the /uest. I
wished to *now the #eanin! of thin!s. I a# the #eanin!. I wished to find a
warrant for bein!. I need no warrant for bein! and no word of sanction
upon #y bein!. I a# the warrant and the sanction.
11.,It is #y eyes which see and the si!ht of #y eyes !rants beauty to the
earth. It is #y ears which hear and the hearin! of #y ears !ives its son!
to the world. It is #y #ind which thin*s and the 4ud!#ent of #y #ind is
the only searchli!ht that can find the truth. It is #y will which chooses
and the choice of #y will is the only edict I #ust respect.
11.0>any words have been !ranted #e and so#e are wise and so#e are
false but only three are holy6 (I will it8(
11.7.hatever road I ta*e the !uidin! star is within #e" the !uidin! star
and the loadstone which point the way. They point in but one direction.
They point to #e.
11.5I *now not if this earth on which I stand is the core of the universe
or if it is but a spec* of dust lost in eternity. I *now not and I care
not. For I *now what happiness is possible to #e on earth. And #y
happiness needs no hi!her ai# to vindicate it. >y happiness is not the
#eans to any end. It is the end. It is its own !oal. It is its own
purpose.
11.9%either a# I the #eans to any end others #ay wish to acco#plish. I a#
not a tool for their use. I a# not a servant of their needs. I a# not a
banda!e for their wounds. I a# not a sacrifice on their altars.
11.19I a# a #an. This #iracle of #e is #ine to own and *eep and #ine to
!uard and #ine to use and #ine to *neel before8
11.11I do not surrender #y treasures nor do I share the#. The fortune of
#y spirit is not to be blown into coins of brass and flun! to the winds as
al#s for the poor of the spirit. I !uard #y treasures6 #y thou!ht #y
will #y freedo#. And the !reatest of these is freedo#.
11.12I owe nothin! to #y brothers nor do I !ather debts fro# the#. I as*
none to live for #e nor do I live for any others. I covet no #an's soul
nor is #y soul theirs to covet.
11.13I a# neither foe nor friend to #y brothers but such as each of the#
shall deserve of #e. And to earn #y love #y brothers #ust do #ore than to
have been born. I do not !rant #y love without reason nor to any chance
passer3by who #ay wish to clai# it. I honor #en with #y love. 7ut honor is
a thin! to be earned.
11.1'I shall choose friends a#on! #en but neither slaves nor #asters. And
I shall choose only such as please #e and the# I shall love and respect
but neither co##and nor obey. And we shall 4oin our hands when we wish or
wal* alone when we so desire. For in the te#ple of his spirit each #an is
alone. Bet each #an *eep his te#ple untouched and undefiled. Then let hi#
4oin hands with others if he wishes but only beyond his holy threshold.
11.1,For the word (.e( #ust never be spo*en save by one's choice and as a
second thou!ht. This word #ust never be placed first within #an's soul
else it beco#es a #onster the root of all the evils on earth the root of
#an's torture by #en and of an unspea*able lie.
11.10The word (.e( is as li#e poured over #en which sets and hardens to
stone and crushes all beneath it and that which is white and that which
is blac* are lost e/ually in the !rey of it. It is the word by which the
depraved steal the virtue of the !ood by which the wea* steal the #i!ht
of the stron! by which the fools steal the wisdo# of the sa!es.
11.17.hat is #y 4oy if all hands even the unclean can reach into it+
.hat is #y wisdo# if even the fools can dictate to #e+ .hat is #y
freedo# if all creatures even the botched and i#potent are #y #asters+
.hat is #y life if I a# but to bow to a!ree and to obey+
11.157ut I a# done with this creed of corruption.
11.19I a# done with the #onster of (.e( the word of serfdo# of plunder
of #isery falsehood and sha#e.
11.29And now I see the face of !od and I raise this !od over the earth
this !od who# #en have sou!ht since #en ca#e into bein! this !od who will
!rant the# 4oy and peace and pride.
11.21This !od this one word6
11.22(I.(
LII.
12.1It was when I read the first of the boo*s I found in #y house that I
saw the word (I.( And when I understood this word the boo* fell fro# #y
hands and I wept I who had never *nown tears. I wept in deliverance and
in pity for all #an*ind.
12.2I understood the blessed thin! which I had called #y curse. I
understood why the best in #e had been #y sins and #y trans!ressions" and
why I had never felt !uilt in #y sins. I understood that centuries of
chains and lashes will not *ill the spirit of #an nor the sense of truth
within hi#.
12.3I read #any boo*s for #any days. Then I called the Colden Ane and I
told her what I had read and what I had learned. &he loo*ed at #e and the
first words she spo*e were6
12.'(I love you.(
12.,Then I said6
12.0(>y dearest one it is not proper for #en to be without na#es. There
was a ti#e when each #an had a na#e of his own to distin!uish hi# fro# all
other #en. &o let us choose our na#es. I have read of a #an who lived #any
thousands of years a!o and of all the na#es in these boo*s his is the
one I wish to bear. ?e too* the li!ht of the !ods and he brou!ht it to
#en and he tau!ht #en to be !ods. And he suffered for his deed as all
bearers of li!ht #ust suffer. ?is na#e was )ro#etheus.(
12.7(It shall be your na#e( said the Colden Ane.
12.5(And I have read of a !oddess( I said (who was the #other of the
earth and of all the !ods. ?er na#e was Caea. Bet this be your na#e #y
Colden Ane for you are to be the #other of a new *ind of !ods.(
12.9(It shall be #y na#e( said the Colden Ane.
12.19%ow I loo* ahead. >y future is clear before #e. The &aint of the pyre
had seen the future when he chose #e as his heir as the heir of all the
saints and all the #artyrs who ca#e before hi# and who died for the sa#e
cause for the sa#e word no #atter what na#e they !ave to their cause and
their truth.
12.11I shall live here in #y own house. I shall ta*e #y food fro# the
earth by the toil of #y own hands. I shall learn #any secrets fro# #y
boo*s. Throu!h the years ahead I shall rebuild the achieve#ents of the
past and open the way to carry the# further the achieve#ents which are
open to #e but closed forever to #y brothers for their #inds are
shac*led to the wea*est and dullest ones a#on! the#.
12.12I have learned that #y power of the s*y was *nown to #en lon! a!o"
they called it 2lectricity. It was the power that #oved their !reatest
inventions. It lit this house with li!ht which ca#e fro# those !lobes of
!lass on the walls. I have found the en!ine which produced this li!ht. I
shall learn how to repair it and how to #a*e it wor* a!ain. I shall learn
how to use the wires which carry this power. Then I shall build a barrier
of wires around #y ho#e and across the paths which lead to #y ho#e" a
barrier li!ht as a cobweb #ore i#passable than a wall of !ranite" a
barrier #y brothers will never be able to cross. For they have nothin! to
fi!ht #e with save the brute force of their nu#bers. I have #y #ind.
12.13;<=Then here on this #ountaintop with the world below #e and
nothin! above #e but the sun I shall live #y own truth. Caea is pre!nant
with #y child. Aur son will be raised as a #an. ?e will be tau!ht to say
(I( and to bear the pride of it. ?e will be tau!ht to wal* strai!ht and on
his own feet. ?e will be tau!ht reverence for his own spirit.
12.1'.hen I shall have read all the boo*s and learned #y new way when #y
ho#e will be ready and #y earth tilled I shall steal one day for the
last ti#e into the cursed -ity of #y birth. I shall call to #e #y friend
who has no na#e save International '35515 and all those li*e hi#
Fraternity 23,,93 who cries without reason and &olidarity 9303'7 who
calls for help in the ni!ht and a few others. I shall call to #e all the
#en and the wo#en whose spirit has not been *illed within the# and who
suffer under the yo*e of their brothers. They will follow #e and I shall
lead the# to #y fortress. And here in this uncharted wilderness I and
they #y chosen friends #y fellow3builders shall write the first chapter
in the new history of #an.
12.1,These are the thin!s before #e. And as I stand here at the door of
!lory I loo* behind #e for the last ti#e. I loo* upon the history of #en
which I have learned fro# the boo*s and I wonder. It was a lon! story
and the spirit which #oved it was the spirit of #an's freedo#. 7ut what is
freedo#+ Freedo# fro# what+ There is nothin! to ta*e a #an's freedo# away
fro# hi# save other #en. To be free a #an #ust be free of his brothers.
That is freedo#. That and nothin! else.
12.10At first #an was enslaved by the !ods. 7ut he bro*e their chains.
Then he was enslaved by the *in!s. 7ut he bro*e their chains. ?e was
enslaved by his birth by his *in by his race. 7ut he bro*e their chains.
?e declared to all his brothers that a #an has ri!hts which neither !od
nor *in! nor other #en can ta*e away fro# hi# no #atter what their
nu#ber for his is the ri!ht of #an and there is no ri!ht on earth above
this ri!ht. And he stood on the threshold of the freedo# for which the
blood of the centuries behind hi# had been spilled.
12.17;<=7ut then he !ave up all he had won and fell lower than his sava!e
be!innin!.
12.15.hat brou!ht it to pass+ .hat disaster too* their reason away fro#
#en+ .hat whip lashed the# to their *nees in sha#e and sub#ission+ The
worship of the word (.e.(
12.19.hen #en accepted that worship the structure of centuries collapsed
about the# the structure whose every bea# had co#e fro# the thou!ht of
so#e one #an each in his day down the a!es fro# the depth of so#e one
spirit such spirit as e$isted but for its own sa*e. Those #en who
survived 33 those ea!er to obey ea!er to live for one another since they
had nothin! else to vindicate the# 33 those #en could neither carry on
nor preserve what they had received. Thus did all thou!ht all science
all wisdo# perish on earth. Thus did #en 33 #en with nothin! to offer save
their !reat nu#bers 33 lose the steel towers the flyin! ships the power
wires all the thin!s they had not created and could never *eep. )erhaps
later so#e #en had been born with the #ind and the coura!e to recover
these thin!s which were lost" perhaps these #en ca#e before the -ouncils
of &cholars. They were answered as I have been answered 33 and for the
sa#e reasons.
12.297ut I still wonder how it was possible in those !raceless years of
transition lon! a!o that #en did not see whither they were !oin! and
went on in blindness and cowardice to their fate. I wonder for it is
hard for #e to conceive how #en who *new the word (I( could !ive it up
and not *now what they lost. 7ut such has been the story for I have lived
in the -ity of the da#ned and I *now what horror #en per#itted to be
brou!ht upon the#.
12.21)erhaps in those days there were a few a#on! #en a few of clear
si!ht and clean soul who refused to surrender that word. .hat a!ony #ust
have been theirs before that which they saw co#in! and could not stop8
)erhaps they cried out in protest and in warnin!. 7ut #en paid no heed to
their warnin!. And they these few fou!ht a hopeless battle and they
perished with their banners s#eared by their own blood. And they chose to
perish for they *new. To the# I send #y salute across the centuries and
#y pity.
12.22Theirs is the banner in #y hand. And I wish I had the power to tell
the# that the despair of their hearts was not to be final and their ni!ht
was not without hope. For the battle they lost can never be lost. For that
which they died to save can never perish. Throu!h all the dar*ness
throu!h all the sha#e of which #en are capable the spirit of #an will
re#ain alive on this earth. It #ay sleep but it will awa*en. It #ay wear
chains but it will brea* throu!h. And #an will !o on. >an not #en.
12.23?ere on this #ountain I and #y sons and #y chosen friends shall
build our new land and our fort. And it will beco#e as the heart of the
earth lost and hidden at first but beatin! beatin! louder each day. And
word of it will reach every corner of the earth. And the roads of the
world will beco#e as veins which will carry the best of the world's blood
to #y threshold. And all #y brothers and the -ouncils of #y brothers
will hear of it but they will be i#potent a!ainst #e. And the day will
co#e when I shall brea* all the chains of the earth and raFe the cities
of the enslaved and #y ho#e will beco#e the capital of a world where each
#an will be free to e$ist for his own sa*e.
12.2'For the co#in! of that day shall I fi!ht I and #y sons and #y chosen
friends. For the freedo# of >an. For his ri!hts. For his life. For his
honor.
12.2,And here over the portals of #y fort I shall cut in the stone the
word which is to be #y beacon and #y banner. The word which will not die
should we all perish in battle. The word which can never die on this
earth for it is the heart of it and the #eanin! and the !lory.
12.20The sacred word6
2CA