I saw a statue, carven I knew not of what substance, nor with what form or feature, because of the manifold draper of black which fell about it as a veil or a pall. Turning to Psyche, who was with me, I said, "O thou who knowest by name and form the eidola of all things, pray tell me what thing is this." And she answered, "The name of it is Silence, but neither man nor god nor demon knoweth the form thereof, nor its entity. The seraphim pause often before it, waiting the day when the shape shall be unveiled, and the gods and demons of the universe are mute in its presence, half-hoping, half-fearing the time when these lips shall speak, and deliver forth one dreameth not what of oracle, or query, or doom, or judgement."
This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published before January 1, 1927.
The author died in 1961, so this work is also in the public domain in countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 60 years or less. This work may also be in the public domain in countries and areas with longer native copyright terms that apply the rule of the shorter term to foreign works.