The Builder (Buck)

by Mitchell Starrett Buck

THE BUILDER

A Leaf From the Past

By Mitchell S. Buck

Now these are the writings of Seti, Chancellor and Scribe before the mighty king Khufu, Sovereign of the Land of Khem. The will of the king is a law unto the scribe, and thus, as the king commands, behold, it is set forth.

Now it came to pass that, in the fourth year of his reign, Khufu the king drew from his dominant mind the seed of a stupendous undertaking. Which was to build as none had built before and, mayhap, as none might do again.

And, that his will might be made manifest before all men, the king gathered to his side all the wise men and architects of the kingdom. To them was his plan unfolded, and to them was handed the word to gather from the land all cunning workmen, all whose trade was through the mallet and the square, that they might do the bidding of the king. And to gather likewise great armies of those who labored, that they might draw the stones from the quarries and place them at the builders hand.

From the great quarries of Mohattan were cut mighty blocks of granite which were drawn over the sands of the desert to the place appointed by the king. And, at his will, there arose upon the level plain a building great and mighty as was due to the will which had created it.

This building was first shaped upon the level, even as a square. But as it rose toward the sky, lo, its sides sloped gently and perfectly inward, until when, at last, it stood—each stone in its appointed place—behold at the summit of the work, there appeared one point reaching out into the space where travel the boats of the gods. Sixteen score of cubits over the earth towered the silent watcher of the plain. And, upon its smooth white sides, were carven by the workers of the king, great truths which but the few might read.

Yet, ere was the building whole, many years passed in the Land of Khem. But, as the years passed, behold even as the king had said, "Let it be," it was.

Now it is the will of the king that these things be written, even as they are.

For when there came the time that this mighty building stood whole in all its parts, the king withdrew from those about him, and went alone to look upon his work. And the heart of the king was hardened as he looked, and there arose within him the thought, "Who, indeed, can build as truly as can I!" Yet withal did the king draw nigh, and pray even with these words:

"O thou mighty ones who, in the mysterious lands, work thy will in all things, even as is just: Thou great spirits whose power no man may judge, whose workings no eye may see: To thee and to thy glory, behold the earth with all its creatures cries aloud.

"Thou ever living ones, whose strength and will on earth has manifested itself through me—the King: accept of my thanks, and hear my words.

"Behold now this tomb, within whose silent depths will my ashes lie, whilst my Ka, silent and patient, watches through the countless ages of the world. Mighty indeed is the work, and to thy glory, as to mine, does it stand—perfect and eternal before all men. Great indeed is Khufu, the King, and now he stands before thee, that thou mayest take from him the justice of thy due."

Now it happened that, as the king prayed, the doors of his understanding were cast wide, and a light which, for long had found no place in him, poured into his heart. For there came to him, through the stillness, a voice. And the voice—gentle as the breeze among the rushes, yet stern as the powers of the gods,—spake thus unto the king:

"Vain mortal who, in the pride of thine earthly might, comes thus with unbended knee before the gods, mark well these words, that they may be written in letters of fire upon thy soul.

"Is it, then, that thou, whose knowledge is so great, thinkest this, the work of thy hands, will endure? Behold these words! For there is to come a time, in far ages, when, upon this plain, will there be nought save a level as true as that which here ye found. And there shall come kings who shall build, even as ye have built, and whose mighty works, even as thine, shall be scattered as dust upon the earth. For it is written that nought upon the earth, lo, nor the earth itself will endure; but that there is to come a time when chaos will again claim all, that form may return to the spirit from whence it came.

"Yet this last word to thee. Thy will is the will of a king, indeed, yet drawn away as such a will may often be. If it is that thou wouldst build, seek no earthly quarries for thy stone, but from the realms of spirit, draw that which is ever ready for the workers tool. Let thy work rise indeed toward the gods, not as a building of earth, but as a spiritual temple whose glories, all enduring, will outlast even the death of the world and all that round it moves. He who works thus is a builder indeed, and it is written that such a work is never lost, but endureth for ever."

Such were the words which came to the understanding of the king. And, as it is here written, so it came to pass that, from that time, the strength of the king was great as that of a king should be. For the voice of the gods is the voice of Truth, and he who is able to hear—and obeys—is wise indeed.

All these are the writings of Seti, the Scribe, at the will of the king. And all these things are truth. Praise to Thoth and to Osiris, the Righteous Judge.