#邓萨尼配图计划#

故事集 Time and the Gods 里一篇，叫 The South Wind

说的是“命定”和“机运”对弈，以宇宙为棋盘、众神为棋子，权当消遣。人间有个叫 Ord 的老先知夜观天象，只见群星入海，众神在其中涉海而来，星光可及其膝。正当 Ord 想要跪拜礼赞，只见更高处还有一只巨手，随意挪动调遣众神。

Two players sat down to play a game together to while eternity away, and they chose the gods as pieces wherewith to play their game, and for their board of playing they chose the sky from rim to rim, whereon lay a little dust; and every speck of dust was a world upon the board of playing. And the players were robed and their faces veiled, and the robes and veils were alike, and their names were Fate and Chance. And as they played their game and moved the gods hither and thither about the board, the dust arose, and shone in the light from the players’ eyes that gleamed behind the veils. Then said the gods: “See how We stir the dust.”

It chanced, or was ordained (who knoweth which?) that Ord, a prophet, one night saw the gods as They strode knee deep among the stars. But as he gave Them worship, he saw the hand of a player, enormous over Their heads, stretched out to make his move. Then Ord, the prophet, knew. Had he been silent it might have still been well with Ord, but Ord went about the world crying out to all men, “There is a power over the gods.”