Now into Paradise no sorrow may ever come, but may only beat like rain against its crystal walls, yet the souls of Merimna’s heroes were half aware of some sorrow far away as some sleeper feels that some one is chilled and cold yet knows not in his sleep that it is he.  And they fretted a little in their starry home.  Then unseen there drifted earthward across the setting sun the souls of Welleran, Soorenard, Mommolek, Rollory, Akanax, and young Iraine.  Already when they reached Merimna’s ramparts it was just dark, already the armies of the four Kings had begun to move, jingling, down the deep ravine.  But when the six warriors saw their city again, so little changed after so many years, they looked towards her with a longing that was nearer to tears than any that their souls had known before, crying to her: 

’O Merimna, our city:  Merimna, our walled city.

’How beautiful thou art with all thy spires, Merimna.  For thee we left the earth, its kingdoms and little flowers, for thee we have come away for awhile from Paradise.

’It is very difficult to draw away from the face of God—­it is like a warm fire, it is like dear sleep, it is like a great anthem, yet there is a stillness all about it, a stillness full of lights.

’We have left Paradise for awhile for thee, Merimna.

’Many women have we loved, Merimna, but only one city.

’Behold now all the people dream, all our loved people.  How beautiful are dreams!  In dreams the dead may live, even the long dead and the very silent.  Thy lights are all sunk low, they have all gone out, no sound is in thy streets.  Hush!  Thou art like a maiden that shutteth up her eyes and is asleep, that draweth her breath softly and is quite still, being at ease and untroubled.

’Behold now the battlements, the old battlements.  Do men defend them still as we defended them?  They are worn a little, the battlements,’ and drifting nearer they peered anxiously.  ’It is not by the hand of man that they are worn, our battlements.  Only the years have done it and indomitable Time.  Thy battlements are like the girdle of a maiden, a girdle that is round about her.  See now the dew upon them, they are like a jewelled girdle.

’Thou art in great danger, Merimna, because thou art so beautiful.  Must thou perish tonight because we no more defend thee, because we cry out and none hear us, as the bruised lilies cry out and none have known their voices?’

Thus spake those strong-voiced, battle-ordering captains, calling to their dear city, and their voices came no louder than the whispers of little bats that drift across the twilight in the evening.  Then the purple guard came near, going round the ramparts for the first time in the night, and the old warriors called to them, ’Merimna is in danger!  Already her enemies gather in the darkness.’  But their voices were never heard because they were only wandering ghosts.  And the guard went by and passed unheeding away, still singing of Welleran.