Chapter 29
high brisale the isle of the blest by jaeld griffin on the ocean that hollows the rocks where ye dwell a shadowy land has appeared as they tell men thought it a region of sunshine and rest and they called it high brisale the isle of the blest from year unto year on the ocean's blue rim the beautiful spectre showed lovely and dim the golden clouds curtained to the deep where it lay and it looked like an eden away far away a peasant who heard the wonderful tale in the breeze of the orient loosened his sail from ara the holy he turned to the west for though ara was holy hybrisale was blest he heard not the voices that called from the shore he heard not the rising wind's menacing roar home kindred and safety he left on that day and he sped to high brisale away far away morn rose on the deep and that shadowy isle o'er the faint rim of distance reflected its smile noon burned on the wave and that shadowy shore seemed lovelily distant and faint as before
lone evening came down on the wanderer's track and to ara again he looked timidly back oh far on the verge of the ocean it lay yet the isle of blest was away far away rash dreamer return o ye winds of the main bear him back to his own peaceful aura again rash fool for a vision of fanciful bliss to barter thy claimed life of labor and peace the warning of reason was spoken in vain he never revisited aura again night fell in the deep amidst tempest and spray and he died on the waters away far away end of hybrisill the isle of the blessed by jay old griffin the phantom isle by giraldus cambrinces among the other islands is one newly formed which they call the phantom isle which had its origin in this manner one calm day a large mass of earth rose to the surface of the sea where no land had ever been seen before to the great amazement of islanders who observed it some of them said that it was a whale or other immense sea-monster others remarking that it continued motionless said no it is land in order therefore to reduce their doubts to certainty some picked young men of the island determined to approach nearer the spot in a boat
when however they came so near to it that they thought they should go on shore the island sank in the water and entirely vanished from sight the next day it reappeared and again mocked the same youths with this like delusion at length on their rowing towards it on the third day they followed the advice of an older man and let fly an arrow barbed with red-hot steel against the island and then landing found it stationary and habitable this adds one too many proofs that fire is the greatest of enemies to every sort of phantom and so much that those who have seen apparitions fall into a swoon as soon as they are sensible of the brightness of fire for fire both from its position and nature is the noblest of the elements being a witness of the secrets of the heavens the sky is fiery the planets are fiery the bush burnt with fire but was not consumed the holy ghost sat upon the apostles in tongues of fire end of section twenty nine
