When, lo! as they reached the mountain-side,
A wondrous portal opened wide,
As if a cavern was suddenly hollowed;
And the Piper advanced and the children followed,
And when all were in to the very last,
The door in the mountain-side shut fast.
Did I say, all? No! One was lame,
And could not dance the whole of the way;
And in after years, if you would blame
His sadness, he was used to say, —
“It’s dull in our town since my playmates left!
I can’t forget that I’m bereft
Of all the pleasant sights they see,
Which the Piper also promised me;
For he led us, he said, to a joyous land,
Joining the town and just at hand,
Where waters gushed and fruit-trees grew,
And flowers put forth a fairer hue,
And everything was strange and new

…

and everything was strange and new

Draußen, in der Sturmnacht, dreht sich das Lichterrad …
Dieses Rad, das auf die Form des Buches selbst hinweist, kann auch, auf eine selbstverständlich kinematographische Weise, als das Rad der Zeit betrachtet werden, das sich rückwärts zu drehen beginnt … (Malcolm Lowry, Vorwort zu Unter dem Vulkan)