Verse 34
The old king heard an infant cry and mistook it for the sound of his throne cracking.
Liber Saturni - Chapter 38
Verses
Verse 35
So he ordered the cradle brought before him.
Verse 36
His ministers said the prophecy was uncertain. He punished them for uncertainty.
Verse 37
His priests said the prophecy was sacred. He rewarded them for fear.
Verse 38
One by one he swallowed the future and called the silence stability.
Verse 39
The palace grew quiet enough to hear his stomach.
Verse 40
He slept poorly.
Verse 41
In dreams, the children he had consumed grew older without bodies.
Verse 42
They held elections in his ribs.
Verse 43
They wrote constitutions on his bones.
Verse 44
They laughed whenever he called himself eternal.
Verse 45
The king awoke and doubled the guard.
Verse 46
No guard can stop what has already been eaten.
Verse 47
Outside, the people painted his portraits larger as his courage became smaller.
Verse 48
A demon at court advised him: Majesty, perhaps keep one child alive.
Verse 49
The king asked why.
Verse 50
So there will be someone left to blame.
Verse 51
The demon was promoted.
Verse 52
At last a son returned bearing neither mercy nor novelty, only the ancient family sickle.
Verse 53
The king recognized it immediately.
Verse 54
Every tyrant is an archivist of the weapon used against his father.
Verse 55
Thus the age changed its name and kept the furniture.