The Laughter of the Gods: With linked Table of Contents
By Lord Dunsany
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About this ebook
Lord Dunsany
Lord Dunsany (1878-1957) was a British writer. Born in London, Dunsany—whose name was Edward Plunkett—was raised in a prominent Anglo-Irish family alongside a younger brother. When his father died in 1899, he received the title of Lord Dunsany and moved to Dunsany Castle in 1901. He met Lady Beatrice Child Villiers two years later, and they married in 1904. They were central figures in the social spheres of Dublin and London, donating generously to the Abbey Theatre while forging friendships with W. B. Yeats, Lady Gregory, and George William Russell. In 1905, he published The Gods of Pegāna, a collection of fantasy stories, launching his career as a leading figure in the Irish Literary Revival. Subsequent collections, such as A Dreamer’s Tales (1910) and The Book of Wonder (1912), would influence generations of writers, including J. R. R. Tolkein, Ursula K. Le Guin, and H. P. Lovecraft. In addition to his pioneering work in the fantasy and science fiction genres, Dunsany was a successful dramatist and poet. His works have been staged and adapted for theatre, radio, television, and cinema, and he was unsuccessfully nominated for the 1950 Nobel Prize in Literature.
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Book preview
The Laughter of the Gods - Lord Dunsany
Fantastic Stories Presents
The Laughter of the Gods
by Lord Dunsany
© Positronic Publishing Books
Cover image © Can Stock Photo Inc. / stelian
Positronic Publishing
PO Box 632
Floyd, VA 24091
ISBN 13: 978-1-63384-791-0
First Positronic Publishing Edition
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Table of Contents
Act I
Act II
Act III
The Laughter of the Gods
A Tragedy in Three Acts
Dramatis Personæ
King Karnos
Voice-of-the-Gods (a prophet)
Ichtharion
Ludibras
Harpagas
First Sentry
Second Sentry
One of the Camel Guard
An Executioner
The Queen
Tharmia (wife of Ichtharion)
Arolind (wife of Ludibras)
Carolyx (wife of Harpagas)
Attendants
Act I
Time: About the time of the decadence in Babylon. Scene: The jungle city of Thek in the reign of King Karnos.
Tharmia: You know that my lineage is almost divine.
Arolind: My father’s sword was so terrible that he had to hide it with a cloak.
Tharmia: He probably did that because there were no jewels in the scabbard.
Arolind: There were emeralds in it that outstared the sea.
*
Tharmia: Now I must leave you here and go down among the shops for I have not changed my hair since we came to Thek.
Ichtharion: Have you not brought that from Barbul-el-Sharnak?
Tharmia: It was not necessary. The King would not take his court where they could not obtain necessities.
Arolind: May I go with your Sincerity?
Tharmia: Indeed, Princely Lady, I shall be glad of your company.
Arolind: [To Ludibras] I wish to see the other palaces in Thek, [To Tharmia] then we can go on beyond the walls to see what princes live in the neighbourhood.
Tharmia: It will be delightful. [Exeunt Tharmia and Arolind]
Ichtharion: Well, we are here in Thek.
Ludibras: How lucky we are that the King has come to Thek. I feared he would never come.
Ichtharion: It is a most fair city.
Ludibras: When he tarried year after year in monstrous Barbul-el-Sharnak, I feared that I would see the sun rise never more in the windy glorious country. I feared we should live always in Barbul-el-Sharnak and be buried among houses.
Ichtharion: It is mountainous with houses: there are no flowers there. I wonder how the winds come into it.
Ludibras: Ah. Do you know that it is I that brought him here at last? I gave him orchids from a far country. At last he noticed them. Those are good flowers,
said he. "They come from