Ys And A Midsummer Tempest

In Poul and Karen Anderson's Dahut (London, 1989), the central character, Gratillonius, asked about a battlefield apparition, responds:

"'Homer tells how the Gods appeared to heroes who fought under the walls of Troy...Constantinus claimed the Cross that is Christ's stood once in the sky, and in that sign he went on to make himself supreme...'" (p. 161)

Witnesses of the apparition about which Gratillonius is asked speak of an angel or of the Ysan God Taranis although the authors' description clearly identifies Gratillonius' own deity, Mithras. Because Dahut is Volume Three of a historical fantasy tetralogy in which the Gods are real, Gratillonius' reference to Homer for historical testimony is not naive but appropriate. Similarly, in Poul Anderson's alternative reality novel, A Midsummer Tempest, Shakespeare, the Great Historian, is cited as evidence that the English were present throughout the ancient world.

There is another similarity to A Midsummer Tempest. Much of that novel is blank verse laid out as prose. Suddenly, in Chapter VIII, section 2, the text of Dahut adopts a strange rhythm but here there is rhyme as well and it is easy to rearrange the text:

"Torches in the avenue and lanterns up the street,
"Night becomes a sunrise glow about their eager feet,
"Lit the way for golden youth come forth to celebrate,
"And Dahut was awaiting them within her father's gate.

"Plangency of harp and flute, the heartbeat of a drum,
"Pulsed in Ys to welcome those that she had bidden come
"Dance away all darknesses, that morning sun might see
"How brightly Dahut's dower shone - her father's victory.

"Golden shone the eagle wings and bronze the open door,
"Chariots careened within the burnished palace floor,
"Tall the sentry columns reared through incense dreamy air,
"And lamplight turned to living gold in Dahut's loosened hair.

"Silken gowns and purple edges rippled, flowed and swirled,
"Silver gleamed and amber smouldered where the dancers whirled.
"Music laughed and laughter sang around their skipping feet,
"And Dahut went before them all, the fleetest of the fleet.

"Fair the well-born maidens were and handsome were the men
"Treading out the merry measure forth and back again.
"Close embrace and stolen kiss could cast a sweet surprise;
"But Dahut was the star that shone before the young men's eyes.

"Kel Cartagi, Soren's grandson, touched her hand and waist.
"Then the dance bereaved him of her with its lilting haste.
"On she swayed to Barak Tyri, on to many more.
"So Dahut left a swathe of joy and woe across the floor.

"When the music paused a while and gave the fevered guest
"Time to cool or drink or chat or flirt or simply rest,
"Carsa strove to keep a Roman passivity
"While Dahut in a ring of other men made jubilee.

"Tommaltach the Scotian boldly shouldered through to her,
"Cowing with a wolfish grin whomever would demur,
"Ready with such words as run when bardic harpstrings thrum;
"Then Dahut gave him half a glance, and he was stricken dumb.

"Legionaries duty-freed who hastened to her call,
"Honour guard for her, their Luck, stood ranked against the wall,
"Armed and brightly armoured from the war that they had won,
"And Budic's gaze trailed Dahut as the new moon trails the sun.

"Soon the music woke again, the dance began afresh.
"Red and gold and purple twined, unrestful rainbow mesh,
"Till the western stars grew pale and silver streaked the east,
"When Dahut bade the youth of Ys come follow her to feast.

"Afterwards she led them out to breathe the sunrise air.
"Light caressed her slenderness and blazed within her hair.
"Up onto the city wall she took her company,
"And Dahut by the Raven Tower looked across her sea." (pp. 163-164)