From a faraway shore come the notes of a song,
Its music in waves of sweet melody falling,
Are drifting, are drifting the bright way along,
From the homes where our dear ones are calling, are calling.
Refrain.
We are waiting for you, we are watching for you,
As your boat drifts along toward our fair, shining shore,
And when Earth's troubled scenes shall recede from your view,
We will greet you where sorrow shall come nevermore.
Our souls thrill with joy, as the glad notes come swelling
From the lips of our loved ones, so fond and so true,
Hear you not the sweet message their voices are telling,
We are waiting, yes, waiting, and watching for you.
Refrain.
We are waiting for you, we are watching for you,
As your boat drifts along toward our fair, shining shore,
And when Earth's troubled scenes shall recede from your view,
We will greet you where sorrow shall come nevermore.
De L'Ester—Ah, now you are smiling; the shadows have flown, and you are serene. Thus may it ever be until the shadowy veil falling between the seeming and real World shall be lifted and you shall join the loving, joyous Band who are ever waiting and watching for you.
Now we will journey eastward. In all directions the lands are somewhat broken by low plateaus, the vestiges of mountain ranges or of spurs of mountain ranges, and at intervals we catch views of existing mountains of no great altitude. The lands lying between the plateaus, although not thoroughly irrigated, are more or less fertile, and northward and southward are scantily timbered lands and inconsiderable streams, both of which are rare features of Ento's equatorial natural scenery. Speaking of irrigation reminds me of something that I have desired to mention. Through telescopic observations, one of Earth's foremost astronomers is inclined to believe that the Entoans (Marsians) have resorted to irrigation. To him and to another illumined scientific man, who, I am proud to say, is my countryman, you will convey this message: "Gentlemen, to your vision your telescopes convey faint, and generally misleading gleams of what may be facts, but in the instance mentioned, I assure you that the surmise is entirely correct, and inevitably a period will arrive when Earth, like Ento, will require the same treatment." Indeed, it is not too much to say that already the inception of the period has arrived, and as the centuries pass it will grow more and more apparent, and were Earth's peoples as wise as some time they will be, they would value the ounce of prevention beyond the pound of cure.
Flammarion, my countryman, I greet you, not as one greets a stranger, but as one co-worker greets another. Ofttimes, son of our beloved France, while you have striven to learn the secrets of our glowing Central Sun, or to read the hither side of the inscrutable face of Earth's shining satellite, or when through the hours of quiet nights you have sought to wrest from illimitable starry spaces the meaning of the Universe, I, with others interested in your life work, have been by your side, striving to assist your aspiring Soul, and be assured that when you again shall come into the realm of causes, you will find the reward of your loving, patient labor, of your aspiring, exalted endeavor.
And you, son of a land whose deeds of good and of ill have been sung by lips more tuneful than are mine, with kindest thoughts I and those with me greet you. When, with questioning eyes and reverent Soul, you too, have gazed into the immeasurable distances, in whose depths countless Worlds, peopled and unpeopled, move in stately order toward their allotted destiny, not I alone, or this grand Spirit, Giordano Bruno, whose ashes attested to the steadfastness of his integrity and hallow the soil of Italy with the sacredness of martyrdom for truth's sake, but others yet more exalted, have held vigil with you, when you have been alone with the night, with the World Invisible to mortal ken, and with the all pervading, Infinite Intelligent Energy, known by many names. May success crown your ceaseless endeavors to discern, not to obscure, Truth, is the earnest desire of your co-worker, Carl De L'Ester, and of those with me, who, like yourself, are workers for Love's sake.
Now, Gentola̤, direct your gaze far, far toward the northeast. Yes, that is the right direction. Do you perceive anything peculiar?
Gentola—Afar I see a body of water so extensive that my vision does not reach the farther shore. A silvery vapor partly obscures the view, but as we draw nearer I see the water sparkling in the sunlight, and over its slightly disturbed surface vessels great and small are passing in all directions. As we approach still nearer I perceive that from its eastern shore gradually the ground rises to quite an elevated plateau, and through the mist, which really is a gentle shower of rain, upon which the sun is shining, I seem to perceive tints of all the colors of a rainbow. I should have said hints rather than tints, for they are mere suggestions of color. The shower has ceased, and—dear me, a great city covers the slope and extends away across the plateau. What a strangely peculiar scene. Is it real, or is it a mirage?
De L'Ester—We will go nearer, and you shall decide. A little lower, George. Now look and describe the view.
Gentola—As before, I see a great expanse of water, which, as far as my vision reaches, is inclosed by a wall so broad that the top of it is a roadway on which people are walking and motor vehicles are passing to and fro. The top of the wall is quite above the level of the water, and on the farther side are massive buildings which appear to be warehouses and manufactories. The first street away from the water is very wide, beautifully paved and appears to be devoted to business purposes. The second street is parallel with the first, and from it the city is terraced upward to the level of the plateau. All the streets cross at right angles, and they are so wide, so well paved and kept that it is a pleasure to look at them. On the crest of the plateau illuminating columns, domes, turrets and lofty structures of various kinds are outlined against the now cloudless sky. Tramway cars and motor vehicles swiftly climb the ascending streets to the wide, level ways of the city. In all directions air Transports, like huge birds, are passing through the quiet air. On the streets are many people, walking or riding in tramway cars or in motor vehicles, and on the outgoing or incoming vessels are many passengers. Altogether the scene is very animated. The city itself is indescribably and peculiarly beautiful. From its front upward and throughout its extent there is a sort of diffusion of color resembling the tints of a fading rainbow. Now a passing cloud partly obscures the sun, and the tints deepen into positive color. The effect is charming but bewildering, and to me so inexplicable that I shall feel obliged if some one will inform me concerning it.
De L'Ester—Phoemadon, the body of water bathing the feet of the far famed Bendolû iffon, which in your language would mean rainbow hued, is little less extensive than is Indoloisa̤. By the Entoans it is regarded as an inland sea, but it is so slightly saline as to serve the city for all domestic and other purposes. Properly it is a lake, its depth varying with the season, for during the spring, when melting polar and snows of more temperate climes flow over the face of the Planet, yonder great seawall scarcely restrains its increased volume. The plateau upon which Bendolû-iffon is built is a remnant of a mountain which in a bygone age reared its lofty peaks along the entire length of Phoemadon, then curving in a northwesterly direction lost itself very near the North Pole. Zenesta̤, mon ami, in all that relates to your Planet you are better informed than am I. Will you kindly devote some moments to our enlightenment?