Section 20: The Riddles of the Wise

Then the proud king spoke and said: keep everything you have told me a secret. At that moment the king summoned Zal, wanting to draw out words from him. So that they might ask him several things, along with these hidden riddles of old. The wise men, clear of heart, sat down, and Zal beside the renowned priests. A priest questioned Zal, this sharp minded, farseeing wise man. He asked about twelve tall cypress trees that have grown up fresh and full of grace. Each of them has put out thirty branches, and in this land they never grow more or less. Another priest said: proud one, there are two precious, swift running horses. One of them is like a sea of pitch, the other like glistening white crystal. They both move and both are always racing, yet neither one ever catches the other. A third one said: those thirty riders who pass before the king, one goes missing when you count them, but when you look again they are thirty once more. A fourth one said: that meadow you see, full of greenery and running streams, a huge man with a sharp, great scythe comes striding into the meadow. He mows down all the grass, dry and green alike, and never lifts his head from that work. Another said: those two tall cypresses rising like reeds from a stormy sea, a bird has its nest upon them; its perch is on one by night, on the other by day. When it flies from one, that tree's leaves wither and dry; when it settles on the other, that one gives off the scent of musk. Of the two, one is always green and fresh, the other faded and in mourning. Another asked: on a mountainside I found a solid, well built city. The people leave that city and settle instead in a thornfield on the open plain. They raise buildings that reach the moon; they turn to worship and to lofty halls. The old city no longer crosses their minds; no one bothers to speak or remember it. Then suddenly a great earthquake rises, and their land and dwellings vanish completely. Now they feel their need for that old city, and it stirs in them long, lingering thoughts. Seek the true meaning of these words behind the veil, and speak it openly before the nobles. If you bring these secrets into the open, you will turn black earth into pure musk.