There lived
one who knew everything about the stars, he knew their shape and
size, he knew their color, he knew their names and the names of their
children, and he thirsted with his whole soul, as all of us rightly
do, for the twinkling of love. He thought often that love would be
much like a star, and so he longed to know her shape and her size, to
be able to mix paints of her color and create portraits of the
world's greatest kings with her hue. “The stars twinkle in the
night sky so gracefully, and I know them all by name” he would say,
“but I wonder, oh how I lie awake with wonder of how love is
shaped, and how bright she is colored.” He was a Stargazer who
liked to dance, and every night he would go to the ballroom and dance
with whatever woman he could find.
He lived in a kingdom rich in
abundance, with barrels of food and precious metals, jewels for the
nobles and green leafy nature for the poets. There was there, in the
kingdom, a lady of bright eyes, who longed to see the stars. “I
wonder what the shapes of the stars are, and what their color is, and
what the names of their children are. They twinkle so curiously, and
they are so precious to the eye.” She was a lady who liked to
dance, and every night she would go to the ballroom at night and
dance with whatever man she could find.
And so it came to pass that one night,
a Saturday I believe(for it is Saturday, with the joys of Friday
behind it and the beauty of God only hours after, that is the most
romantic of nights), that the two met, and began to dance. They
danced wildly together, as if they had been partners for years, the
joyful music seeming to adapt itself to their movements, as if the
whole universe revolved around them. The Stargazer thought “How she
moves with me! How brightly she looks now! Her heart is a warm pink
color, is this the hue of love I have so greatly sought? I suppose
not,” said he, for a very rational man he was, “because I have
only but met her.” and so after the wild dance was over, he invited
her to a walk amid the moonlit forest.
As they walked, the trees turned to
watch them pass, and sighed at their beauty, arm in arm, walking amid
the paths. The sleeping flowers slept even more peacefully, and the
moon sang her song even more softly and sweetly for their passing.
The nightingales said to themselves, “This is the pinnacle of our
song”. The two talked deeply, and nourishingly, with softness and
splendor. Finally, the lady said to the Stargazer, “The only thing
more beautiful than you, my dear, is the stars. How I want to see
them. How I want to know the shapes of them, the colors of them,
their names and the names of their children.” The Stargazer, then,
felt a deep joy within his heart. He contemplated. “She wishes to
see the stars! How I know now that this is the hue of love I have
been searching for, this delightful warm pink, for it makes perfect
sense, as any rational man can see, that we should be married, for
she wants to know the stars and I know the stars perfectly well.”
He then turned to the lady and said “Dear, I am an astronomer, who
knows the shape of the stars and the colors of them, and their names
and the names of their children. Come with me and I can tell you all
I know.” Said the lady, “That would be very well, Stargazer, but
I do not just wish to know about the stars. I want to see them. Take
me to them, oh darling, and my heart will be yours.” Said the
Stargazer, “Which star would you like to see?” Replied the lady,
“Take me to Orion. I have seen him in the sky, his might shining
over the Earth. He is so strong, and handsome, and surely he is wise,
having seen all the things that have happened over the Earth since
the birth of our home. It is he who I shall see.” The Stargazer
that Saturday night promised to take his love to see Orion, and they
parted ways with a kiss. Kisses, dear friends, are the most
underrated and misunderstood things on the planet, something to be
treasured. The lighting and mood of every kiss should be written down
and translated into one's own heart, so that a book may be published
and printed marking the history of love. The Stargazer recorded this
kiss, “The Color of Love.”
And so the Stargazer began to build
his ship. All the while he thought of the lady, and inspired by the
zeal and passion that her memory brought to him, he finished his
starship in only six months, using the precious metals of the kingdom
around him. The starship was golden, with diamond windows. All as he
built it, he remembered the color he saw the night he met his love,
and could not wait to see the joy in her eyes at the sight of mighty
Orion. And so, he ran to her as quick as wind, and told her to make
haste and join him to see the stars. “Come quickly, dear, for my
starship is now completed, crafted of gold and diamond as splendid as
your soul!” She went with him, and they prepared to leave the
cradle of our planet. When they were both safely secured inside of
his golden ship, he turned the engines on with a great sound of
thunder, and off they went through the sky. The sleepy clouds were
awoken and swirled with excitement and the whole Earth bid them
goodbye as it sank underneath the Stargazer and his love. They
traveled for many many miles, for many many days, talking and
laughing all the while. They gazed with love-soaked eyes at the
passing stars, with a color brighter than the Stargazer had noticed
before. “Ah, it seems that love makes all the hues of the world
brighter.” he thought to himself.
Finally, they saw approaching them a
man of great stature, with strong beard and stronger body, dressed in
a cloak of finest gold. Said the Stargazer to his lady, “Behold,
the sight that you have so come to desire, the star Orion.” His hue
was a wise blue, with a pure gold for his eyes. The lady was taken
aback by his angelic beauty, and her bright eyes became even brighter
at the sight of his stature. Something shifted within her heart, and
she thought that perhaps wise blue with golden eyes was the true
color of love. Her whole heart then became green.
Then Orion said with a loud, booming
voice that echoed across the galaxies, “Welcome travelers! Come,
follow me, and enter my home.” So they followed Orion as he dashed
swiftly throughout the galaxy, leading them closer and closer to what
appeared to be a planet. They landed at the star's request, and
exited into a lush world of bright-colored rose bushes, with vivid
green blades of grass dancing with the wind. “Look,” said the
Stargazer to his lady, “The grass dances as gracefully with the
wind as I did with you on that Saturday night so many days ago. Do
you remember?” The lady replied, “Of course I remember. I
remember the beauty in your eyes.” As the words passed from her
lips to the Stargazer's ears, something seemed different about them.
They used to be such a fluffy white, with the sheen of silver, yet
now they seem merely dull gray. The Stargazer pushed the thought to
the back of his mind.
“This is my kingdom, and you can
live here, if you wish. The only rule is that you must not enter my
palace, for it is not meant for you, and if you do, you shall surely
perish.” The Stargazer and his lady agreed to the terms, and Orion
retired to his palace. Instead of talking nourishingly as they often
did, the lovers retired to bed and fell asleep, except for the lady,
who stayed awake, dreaming of the eyes of Orion. “They shone like
golden sparrows, singing sweetly to my heart. I must have him, I must
kiss him on the lips, and reveal myself to him, that I might become
his.” So she looked over at the Stargazer, who was smiling sweetly,
fast asleep, and slowly crept out of bed, and opened the door softly,
running like air through the house that Orion gave them. The
Stargazer was dreaming of the moment he met the lady, and the warm
pink of her heart.
The lady ran into the open air of
Orion's kingdom, where the mild darkness veiled the nature's pristine
beauty. She began to walk, timidly at first, towards the palace of
Orion when a nightingale, most tender of all creatures, appeared
before her. “Beware, lady of green heart! There is no place for you
among the palace of Orion, and you will die if you but step foot
through the doorway!” said the nightingale. “Begone,” said the
lady, “begone oh treacherous creature of the night, and leave me to
my love!” and the lady began to walk faster towards Orion's palace.
Then an owl, wisest of creatures approached her, saying, “Beware,
lady of green heart! There is no place for you among the palace of
Orion, and you will die if you but touch the knob of the door!” The
lady paid no heed to this creature, and instead began to run towards
the palace. She came over a grand hill and saw the palace, and
running down the hill sprinted even faster towards the door, finally
placed her hand upon the knob with a smile the color red upon her
face, and tragically burst into fire. She opened the door, still
aflame, and still smiling, rushed through the doorway, where acid
rained down upon her burning flesh. She ran up the stairs to the
bedroom of Orion, clenched the doorknob, tried to open the door, but
alas, the doorknob would not move, for it was locked. She burned to
death there, and all that was left was the green heart of the lady's
envy. The Stargazer dreamed peacefully of the first day that he saw
her.
The next morn the Stargazer awoke to
find that his love was not there, and he assumed that she had gotten
up and enjoyed the beauty of the kingdom. He arose too, dressed, and
walked out of the house Orion had provided for him. Outside the
kingdom it was as beautiful as the day he arrived, with the grass
still romantically dancing with the wind. He wondered where his love
was, and so he asked the Nightingale, most tender of all creatures.
“Nightingale, have you seen my love? She is very beautiful with a
heart of warm pink, tell me songbird, where is she?” The
Nightingale replied, “Sir, I have not seen your love, all that I
have seen is a wretch with a putrid green heart, who went to Orion's
palace. Her flesh was corroded with acid when she entered the
building.” The Stargazer replied, “That is certainly not my
love!” and continued walking until he came upon the owl, wisest of
all creatures. “Owl, have you seen my love? Her eyes are gorgeously
bright with a heart of warm pink, tell me sage, where is she?” Said
the Owl, “Sir, I have not seen your love, all that I have seen is a
wretch with a putrid green heart, who went to Orion's palace. Her
flesh was burnt with fire as soon as she touched the knob.” Again
the Stargazer replied, “Then you have not seen my love either!”
and he walked until he saw Orion. “Orion!” he shouted, “Surely,
you who know all that happens in your kingdom, tell me, where is my
love?” The face of Orion fell grave. “You are right, I know all
that happens in this kingdom, and I also know all that the hearts
which live here contain. Your lady fell deeply in love with me, and
longed to take bed with me. Her heart turned green the moment her
eyes set upon me, and late last night she came to my palace, as I,
the Nightingale, and the Owl warned her not to. She touched the knob,
and burst to flames. Then, when she entered, acid began to corrode
her skin. She managed to climb the stairs, however, and she died in
front of my room. All that was left was her heart, green as envy.”
The Stargazer's heart grew pale white, not with purity as the Virgin
Mary's, but with rage as the unquenchable fires of hell. “You have
lied about my love's heart! It was as pink as the day I saw her, as
pink as love! You have lied to me, star, you have destroyed her! And
now, I shall destroy you as well!” So the Stargazer ran away from
the star, paying no heed to the Nightingale or the Owl, nor did he
notice the tender moving of the grass and wind. He flew away from the
kingdom of Orion as fast as he could, contemplating on his way back
to Earth how he could possibly exact vengeance upon the stars. “To
ruin his image would be too mild, and to slander his name would be
likewise unsatisfying. There is only one punishment suited for the
one who destroyed my love.” And so, the Stargazer resolved that day
to gaze no more upon the colors of the stars, instead he promised to
kill the great Star Orion.
As he flew through the great universe,
he paid no attention to the lights streaming to the sides of his
ships, his mind too concentrated on his vengeance to care for much of
anything else that the vacuum of space had to offer. He finally
reached Earth and landed his grand vessel down in his village,
getting out of it through the great, golden door and running as fast
as he could up to his bedroom, and began to sob and weep bitterly.
“In the entire universe, is there one who has greater sorrow than I
do? For I had love, I knew its size and its shape, and the hue of its
flesh, and more than that, love was all that I truly wanted, yet it
was ripped from me by a star. Now I must kill him, but how does one
kill a star? They are too massive to be strangled, and too quick to
be shot. There must be a way, but whom will I ask?”
He went out from his house and went to
a colleague of his, an astronomer like himself, but one who was much
older and wiser than he had ever been. The Stargazer asked him,
“Astronomer of antiquity, tell me, how would one kill Orion?” The
old man puzzled the question for a few minutes, and told him, “Dear
Stargazer. I have studied nothing of astronicide. I tell you this
day, I do not know how to kill a star, but warn you to deal nothing
with them. They are wise beyond the wisdom of men for they have seen
all that the Earth has contained, and they are mighty beyond the
might of leagues of oxen for they can move galaxies, and they are
swifter than the great rivers that flow throughout our land, for they
are constantly moving through space. I would never attempt to kill
the stars, and I would suggest you to do the same. Whichever fate you
choose, I have no knowledge of how to kill a star. If you truly want
to know how to kill Orion, then you must ask a star how to kill
another star.
“The greatest enemy of the star
Orion is Cancer. If you go to him and tell him your history and all
that you have been through, he will surely tell you how to kill your
enemy. Now go, be on your way, and good luck, noble Stargazer.” The
Stargazer thanked the Astronomer for all that she had told him, and
began to prepare for his trip to Cancer. Once he had gathered
everything that he needed into his ship, he set off with maps given
to him by the old Astronomer. He fired the engines with a great sound
of thunder, travelling off towards his fate. He awoke the clouds yet
again from their slumber, but this time they did not dance in joy,
they instead cried in distress, saying “Poor Stargazer! Off he
goes, to confront the great Orion, who will surely rip him to pieces.
Turn around, oh Stargazer!” but the Stargazer was too far off to
hear them. The clouds wept, and rain fell to the ground.
After many months of travel, he
finally came to the home of Cancer. It was not like the rich planet
of Orion, instead it was an empty and cheerless beach, with a single
castle on a mountain ridge. The castle was the color of coral, and it
rose like sharp daggers from the rocky ground. The Stargazer began to
trek up the mountain to the castle, and when he finally scaled the
mountain he saw Cancer standing with his arms behind his back,
looking out into the distance away from the Stargazer. Cancer was
certainly not as stunningly beautiful as Orion, he was a red the
color of shed blood that has mingled with mud, and instead of being a
strong, distinctive man, he took the appearance of a crab, with
giant, craggily pincers and rock hard skin. “Cancer!” said the
Stargazer. Cancer turned around furiously, and said, “Human!
Stargazer! What purpose do you have here? Get out, this is not the
place for strangers.” The Stargazer, now that he could peer into
the eyes of the Star, could see that his heart was the color black.
“Cancer, I have come because we have a common bond. We both hate
the star Orion.” Immediately the Star seemed to be more interested
in what the boy had to say. “I fell madly in love with a lady back
on my home planet who had a heart the color of warm pink, the color
of love. She desired to see the stars, and so I built my vessel that
now lies on the shores of your beach so we could see them. She
desired to see Orion more than any of the other stars.
“So we flew to the castles of Orion.
While we slept the first night, my lady decided to take a walk to
admire the beauty of his kingdom, and alas! It hurts me just to speak
of it, but Orion, the bastard star Orion burnt her to ash and
corroded her skin with acid, and tried to say that it was my love’s
fault! You can only imagine my anger, and so I have promised to kill
the star Orion.”
Cancer paused, contemplated what the
Stargazer had said, and replied, “Dear Stargazer, I can do more
than imagine the hatred in your heart. I too was an astronomer many
millions of years ago, just like you, and I fell in love with a girl
just like you did. I was not, however, perceptive enough to see the
color of her heart. She desired to see the stars, and so I built her
a ship and we travelled to see Orion. In the night, my lady also
decided to take a walk to admire the beauty of his kingdom, and Orion
decided to murder her in the night. I was infuriated. I spent the
entirety of 100 years in vengeful thought, trying to think of a way
to kill the star Orion. I could not, and as the years went by my
anger grew hotter and hotter within me, and finally, it surpassed the
heat of the sun. I burst into flame, and my rage became me, growing
ever larger, until finally my vendetta transformed me into a star. I
have been watching and guarding the Earth ever since, unable to exact
my vengeance, for as a star I have many responsibilities. The time
has come, however, for you to do us both our vengeance. Here is how
you will kill Orion.
“Orion is extraordinarily proud of
his wisdom, though he does not show it. If you come to him and say
that you are as wise as he, he will surely test you. If you pass his
test, then he will be so distraught that he will kill himself,
exploding into a supernova in the sky. I have been a star for many
millions of years, and I know all that Orion knows, except for one
thing. Truly, I can teach you all that I know, except for the true
color of love. I have been too blinded by hatred to see what the
color of love is.”
“That is no matter,” said the
Stargazer, “for I know the true color of love, it is the warm pink
that my lady held in her heart. I will be your apprentice.” And so
Cancer took the Stargazer under his wing and began to teach him
everything only the stars have been alive long enough to know. He
taught him how to sing the song of the moon, how to dance the steps
of the wind, and finally the day came when the Stargazer was ready to
approach Orion again. Cancer gave him his blessing, and sent him on
his way. As the golden ship took off from his beach, Cancer said to
no one in particular “I hope to God he does not end up like me.”
As the Stargazer travelled towards the
kingdom of Orion, he thought of his love, and how precious she was to
him. The fire in his heart grew even larger, and he went over the
songs and the dances that Cancer had taught him. He knew within his
heart that Orion would die, and his mouth watered to confront him.
Finally the Stargazer landed in the
kingdom of Orion and immediately approached his palace. He walked
slowly, deliberately, savoring every step that brought him closer to
his fate. Orion was sitting outside his palace, looking over his vast
kingdom, when he saw the Stargazer. “Stargazer, you have come back!
Is it to apologize to me for leaving so suddenly andangirly? I should
have you know that no apology is necessary. I know the fury that
comes when you lose someone you love, and I understand your reaction
to the dreadful announcement I made. Please, think nothing more of it
and live in my kingdom.”
The Stargazer replied, “I have not
come for any apologies, Orion. I have come to let you know that the
star Cancer has taken me under his wing, and that I know everything
that you do. Test my wisdom, so we can see who truly knows the most,
man or star.”
“Very well.” Said Orion, knowing
exactly what the outcome of the test would be. “We shall see how
much that star has taught you. First, sing for me the song of the
moon.” The Stargazer smiled, and began to sing with all his heart.
The song was tender and sweet, and hung about the air like the scent
of incense about a grand cathedral. The moon was stunned by his
singing, and wondered if there was another being as elegant and
beautiful as she. When he had concluded his song, Orion said “Very
nice, Cancer has taught you well. Now, show me the dance of the
wind.” And as soon as Orion had finished the thought, the Stargazer
began his dance. His feet moved so gracefully it seemed as though
they barely touched the ground. The wind joined in the dance, and the
Stargazer was lifted up by the breeze, dancing not on the ground but
throughout the whole atmosphere, all around the kingdom of Orion.
Finally, the wind brought the Stargazer back before the Star, and the
test continued for years. The Stargazer patiently answered all of the
questions Orion asked, from the age of the Earth to the first
conversation of man. The Stargazer knew so much that Orion was
extremely impressed, and asked him the final question. “What, dear
Stargazer, is the color of love?” The Stargazer said, “Stupid
star, the color of love is something I contemplated long ago. It is
the warm pink of my lady’s heart, which you destroyed in violent
rage. There, I have answered all your questions. Now, destroy
yourself in your anger and humiliation!” The Star replied, “I
will hardly do anything of the sort, for you have answered me
incorrectly.” Then, Orion reached out his monstrous hand towards
the Stargazer and touched him on the forehead, and suddenly the
Stargazer saw his lady the night of her death. He saw her get out of
bed quietly, he saw her speak to the Nightingale and the Owl, and
finally saw her burst into flame and die, leaving behind her green
heart. The Stargazer then understood that the warm pink of her heart
was not true love, for it was fleeting. He sank, decimated and
heartbroken. It is a curious thing to see a man broken, in his hour
of greatest misery. You cannot see the pain, but you can truly feel
it emanating from his soul. The entire kingdom of Orion wept that day
for the broken Stargazer, sobbing at the feet of Orion.
The Star said to him, “You have
contemplated for too long, Stargazer. You fit pieces together, spun
them so they would. Simply be, Stargazer, and see, that the color of
love is many.” The Stargazer, then, being as broken as he was, gave
up. He no longer contemplated the stars, nor did he care about their
color. He simply desired love. He no longer cared about what it
looked like, or what its color was, he just wanted to experience
love. Suddenly, a bright light shone from out of the sky, and
descending from the sky came Love herself, dressed in the song of the
moon and wearing the dance of the wind as the crown atop her head.
Her color was not warm pink, but all colors at once, changing and
morphing from one into another as she lowered down onto the ground.
She said unto the Stargazer, who was speechless in awe, “Now you
understand. I am not something to be contemplated, I am to be
experienced. Now you know the color of love.” And then Love flew
into the Stargazer’s heart. His heart now was the color of Love,
all changing and all encompassing. He looked up, and the whole
kingdom was brighter than he ever could have imagined. Orion smiled
to himself, for he knew that the transformation was complete. “Follow
me.” said the star. The Stargazer followed Orion until he bid him
enter into his castle. “Surely I will burn if I but enter your
palace.” said the Stargazer. Orion replied, “You have been found
worthy to witness the castle.” So the two entered the castle, and
inside was a banquet, but more than a banquet was a room full of
people, men, women, all laughing and singing in joy. He saw in their
hearts all the colors of the world, some gold, some silver, some red,
but there was one lady whose heart was truly the color of love. He
saw in her all the things of the Earth, and he loved her not for the
color of her heart but for her heart itself. They kissed, and they
married, and they became one. Never had Orion experienced a love so
bright, and as they embraced longer the brighter they shone. They
eventually became brighter than the sun, and they became so bright
that they became a star. Orion, blinded by the beauty of their sheen,
hung them up in the sky, at the highest point to the North. “You
shall be called the North Star,” he said, “for your love is so
bright that for generations men will guide themselves by your light.”
