The Verse:
Originally a list of one hundred and one riddles in ancient Skarsian written out while under the influence of Gyre. When Her Eminence renounced the practice of prophecy, she tore the list into four fragments, which she believed she had disposed of. In her fifty-sixth year, she discovered the first two pieces of the list intact. The following is a translation of the extant portion into Galactic Standard.
The first blossom never fades
What is real is real
Lyric heard at nightfall
The strength of trees (literally nau’galiss)
One who sees behind corners
The soul which longs to live within the heart
The charisma of poured champagne
Brilliance which trips over its own feet
A wise gardener
The surge of power when a circuit is connected
An armored knight
The boy who build with blocks grows into an architect
A pair of loaded dice
Lead which becomes gold
An oblique way of getting at the truth
A heavy element formed by a dying star
Delight without shadows
A magician’s trick
Sincerity
A large heart is meant for loving
An unexpected gift
Nostalgia induced by absinthe
The still-beating heart is offered to the sun
A painting inspired by opium
The most beautiful one is always lonely
Persistent heat, like the afternoon sun
One who wants to do right
Impassioned loyalty (literally n’aashet n’aaverti)
Devotion makes him meticulous
A piece of candy with a surprising center
A book that grows deeper with every reading
The straightforward man is worthy of trust
He takes everything onto himself
Throwing pebbles into a well
He has a mind of his own
A reed that grows in water
The strength of a snowfall
He judges the game by their faces
Stability in motion
Depth of field
The drum of creation and destruction
Death do us unite
He carries acorns
Solve et coagula
The Vision:
There is no accompanying vision.
Commentary by Archbishop Co’oal Venesti:
Sadly, we are missing the rest of the riddles, which seem as though they might be the seed of some new divinatory system. The church has commissioned a series of playing cards to illustrate these verses, in the hope of discovering the underlying pattern and reconstructing the rest.
Commentary by Elma, High Prophetess of Skarsia:
Once again, Venesti proves that he is an idiot. One hundred and one! Heheeeehee heh.
Commentary by Archbishop Seth:
Throwing pebbles into a well? I have to think about that.