A new way of re-presenting
01. A thousand lights shone on his arrival… The story goes that one evening, a visitor arrived at the City of the Gods. A thousand lights shone on his arrival, mother-of-pearl stars woven into the imposing walls. The journey was reputed to be so long and so perilous that the newcomer was feted with a display of friendliness and enthusiasm.
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02. A mound of the rarest cedars, olives and almonds… He was immediately shown to a magnificent jade palace raised on a mound of the rarest cedars, olives and almonds. He was invited to relax for as long as he wished, lulled by the refined scents and celestial sounds.
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03. The most exquisite sweets… From the highest point of his observatory, the man contemplated the City for many days and nights. While the most exquisite sweets and attentions drowned him in their intoxicating presence, he seemed lost in a dream whose secret no one hastened to steal. Then he came out of it with those inexplicable changes of which the human race here was known to be capable.
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04. The residences vied with each other in marvels… Leaving this haven of peace, the man began to explore the grounds. The alleys were five times wider than in the most majestic city he had ever visited. The residences vied with each other in marvels. A scent of myrrh, mingled with jasmine, disturbed his every step.
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05. Many things whether tangible or intangible… But above all, whenever he stopped by, the residents welcomed him with warmth and simplicity. Their words were light, as delicate as the wine they poured into large goblets set with amethyst – for it is well known that this stone combats drunkenness. During his wanderings, he was able to find out about many things whether tangible or intangible, in which he seemed naturally interested.
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06. The most varied cottons and silks… Everything that could be thought, said or done, took on body and soul here. The most varied cottons and silks were spun, all kinds of metals were hammered, ancient melodies were sung, meaning was encrusted in alabaster sonnets, and imaginary constructions of form and spirit were erected. The City, as men had firmly established its reputation, was a place of enchantment. And the stay glided along. Without obstacle.
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07. On your next return… However, during a stopover, the “visitor”, as he was already known, was taken to task by a powerful, stern-looking figure. It was whispered that the God of war was irritated by this foreign presence, calling it heretical and scheming. “Tell me, stranger, the god began bluntly, what madness has brought you to these parts? How can you justify the risks you have incurred to gain access, and those you will have to face on your next return?”
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08. The stranger… The stranger, sensing the importance of his answer, remained silent. So the God of war rephrased the question more incisively: “What did you come here to find?” he asked, not without raising his voice. “I’ve come to learn”, replied the visitor, whose face had suddenly lit up.
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09. To learn how to learn… “To learn, said the other, a little taken aback, but learning what?!” “I’ve come to learn how to learn” continued the visitor, his heart growing ever lighter. The God of war, with his powerful torso, ready for all kinds of combat, found this one to be of a very mediocre sort.
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10. He had come such a long way… He therefore decided to let this guest continue his senseless quest, since he had come such a long way to conduct it. He did, however, point out that a predecessor of his had sinned yesterday by seizing a fire which had led to him being chained to the Caucasus mountains. If it was human destiny to repeat that mistake, then so be it.
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11. Leaving his promontory… The visitor seemed troubled by this warning. He seemed different after this interview, as if the veiled threat of his powerful interlocutor had sounded the early hour of a reminder. Leaving his promontory ever earlier, and the sweets that always flowed there in great numbers, the man devoted himself with scrupulous diligence to consulting all those who would welcome him into their activities.
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12. Difficult to keep track of time here… And so the weeks and months went by, though it was difficult to keep track of time here. The man gleaned a wealth of disparate information, insignificant details, scattered knowledge. Here, as everywhere else, great divisions reigned. Everyone was attached to their own knowledge, culture, power and language, and made it a point of honor to share them only in exceptional circumstances. Here, as elsewhere, for the frog at the bottom of the well, the sky was the limit.
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13. The clepsydra… Everyone was amused by the candor and naivety of such questioning, as well as by the nature of the useless correspondences this man was establishing between beings, words and things. From the manufacture of chamfers to that of the finest lace, from knowledge of the lunar calendar to the practice of the bouzkashi, from the use of the clepsydra to that of the koto, not one aspect of this abundance seemed to escape his collection.
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14. What kind of bric-a-brac… So much so, that they sometimes wondered what kind of bric-a-brac such a collection of things would end up being. Yet one evening, at the evening table to which he was now invited, the visitor announced that he wished to make a statement. Suddenly, an unfamiliar silence settled in.
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15. At dawn on the third day… The visitor then informed his hosts of his desire to leave the City at dawn on the third day. Everyone began to observe this man whose presence they had become accustomed to. The visitor’s word was that he would leave the city at dawn on the third day. No one would think of objecting.
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16. Contrary to custom… However, he was informed that the Grand Council would be meeting the following morning. Contrary to custom, he was invited to attend. In this hall with its massive colonnades bearing the symbols of the ancients, and whose message the visitor would find difficult to decipher, were gathered the most prestigious members of the City.
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17. Spread out in a wide arc… Spread out in a wide arc, they begged their guest to allow himself to be welcomed into their friendly arms. Many of these high dignitaries, who knew the history of both worlds and of the many souls who had populated them, were indeed saddened by the prospect of this departure.
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18. The richness of the City… For the stranger, in his methodical and inquisitive quest, had helped more than one to remember the richness of the City, tarnished by the habit of too much luxury.
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19. Man’s time was short… Alas, everyone knew that a Man’s time was short, and that he would soon have to leave if he wished to rest among his own kind. The head of the council, draped in his prestige, opened the meeting: “Visitor, you are indeed a man. Yet during your stay, we have had nothing but praise for your presence.
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21. Offer you immortality… This is why, after deliberation by the council, and with the unanimous agreement of its members, we have decided to offer you immortality and thus keep you among us.” At these words, only the warrior clan, although previously involved in the decision, expressed real discontent.
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22. Everywhere else radiated a satisfaction… Everywhere else radiated a common satisfaction, made up of understanding and tacit acquiescence. The man took his turn to speak: “I, divine council, am deeply honored by such a majestic gift. If I am to believe the records consulted, we could count on the fingers of one hand those among my fellow men who have had access to such an honor.”
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23. All agreed… All agreed on the wisdom of this statement, and the assembly was one in its awareness. Congratulations were already in the air, always lavish when welcoming a new member. The visitor continued, however: “Such an honor makes it all the more difficult for me to tell you how impossible it is for me to accept such a gift.”
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24. The hostile part of the assembly… Everyone was shocked by this absurd and discourteous reply. How could a sensible man refuse the most precious, the most divine of gifts? A few redoubled irritations now seemed to vindicate the hostile part of the assembly.
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25. Not without exceptional gravity… Had it not been for the serenity of the head of the council, this audience would no doubt have broken up in the noise and bustle. Nevertheless, he obtained immediate silence: “So be it!” he began, not without exceptional gravity, “you find yourself ‘unable’ to receive immortality, and the reasons for this prohibition are your own…
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26. What present you wish to take… … However, visitor, by virtue of the friendship you cannot reject a second time, and by the powers vested in me, I expect you to tell us what present you wish to take with you.” This overture seemed excessive to many members of the audience, but the visitor hardly gave them time to think about it, for his answer was clear-cut and unambiguous:
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27. The thread of love… “I would like to receive some divine lengths of what I believe you call “The thread of love”…” The head of the Council was taken aback: “The thread of love, seriously?!” “The thread of love!” was heard from both sides. “The thread of love”, repeated the man, subject to all eyes.
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28. An immediate turnaround took place… As is the case with all groups, an immediate turnaround took place. A kind of new-found elation spread among the spirits, including those of the most resistant clan.
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29. A few lengths of this thread… “This is… unexpected, replied the head of the council, barely masking his amusement. But so be it. The god of passions will therefore give you a few lengths of this thread, which we encourage you to use sparingly…” Thus surrounded by laughter and congratulations, the visitor was invited to follow a page who promptly led him into the love-thread factory.
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30. The craftsmen had been happy to tell him… The stranger had visited this factory some time ago, and the craftsmen had been happy to tell him all about the object produced there. The thread in question was used to weave passions, to tie up loves, and sometimes to reveal lovers’ plots.
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31. The thread was invisible… The thread was invisible and infinitely stretchable, and only a mechanism of optical keys, adjusted like glasses, allowed its wearer to observe it.
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32. A number of optical keys… 
33. not a person, not a place, not a plant, not an animal… Armed with this precious object, the man devoted his last hours in the City to an unusual eagerness and redoubled activity. For there was not a person, not a place, not a plant, not an animal, previously visited, that he did not come to greet. Occasionally checking on a detail, scrupulously noting various clues to which he attached astonishing importance.
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34. Khachkars … As he worked unceasingly, it wasn’t long before dawn broke on the third day. The farewell point had been set at the Gate of the Great West, where the three khachkars gather. A few members of the City had come in procession. The man would be leaving in a moment, with no promise of return.
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35. Among them was the God of war… Among them was the God of war, all haloed by his victory over common sense, for man had once again proved his lightness, preferring the game of feelings to immortality! The visitor addressed him first. “God of war, could you tell us the nature of the ‘asjinc horn’?” asked the visitor abruptly.
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36. What metal it was… The question was somewhat puzzling, and the god found it rather mocking and inappropriate. After all, nobody knew what the “asjinc” horn was, and he himself didn’t know what it sounded like, looked like, or what metal it was! At this point, the visitor took out a set of optical keys, similar to those used to reveal the presence of the love thread.
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37. To invite him to his childish games… Then he asked the God of war to use the keychain to inform everyone of the nature of the asjinc horn. The warrior god’s irritation must have reached its peak at this point, for it was not appropriate to invite him to his childish games! He steadfastly refused!
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38. Handling the keys with some embarrassment… The impatience of those around him, however, overcame his adversity. Handling the keys with some embarrassment, the god suddenly saw strange shapes and tangled meanings. Their assembly spoke a language of which he was previously unaware, yet which he could easily hear.
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39. Combinations of shapes in silence … The use of this language revealed previously unknown meanings, including that of the asjinc horn. At this point, the visitor handed each of them a copy of the optical keychain, and all were soon able to inquire about this previously mysterious object. And the knowledge they were now able to gain extended at their request, referring to combinations of shapes whose silence worried many.
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40. A muse then ventured to ask… A muse then ventured to ask: “Could it be… the thread of love?” The slightly embarrassed visitor let her know that her intuition was correct. Such was the thread of love, which suddenly linked the most diverse meanings, speaking of the world of beings and things in new ways, an interweaving of form and signification.
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41. Linking all the City’s knowledge… During his last days, as busy as he had ever been, the visitor had linked all the City’s knowledge into a vast network of secret correspondences. Users of the optical keys could now venture into this network without the risk of getting lost, and their feelings of surprise and wonder suddenly seemed to subside.
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42. For vile purposes… However, coming out of a momentary intoxication, the God of war flew into an impressive rage: “Are you telling us, stranger, that we gods have used this mysterious thread for vile purposes? Are you saying that we gods didn’t know what the asjinc horn was, and that we’d finally come to know it thanks to you and your childish manipulations?”
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43. Men are not yet ready… “I say, God of war, interrupted the visitor, that I thank this City for teaching me so much. I say, my friends, that Men are not yet ready to use this thread for a love they don’t all want to hear. But there may be an intermediate step that will enable them to do so, because you are allowing us to think about it today.”
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44. The promise of an ultimate battle… “I also say that from now on I’ll have to travel the world, so that one day soon, it will appear that everything is nothing but correspondences, relationships of form and meaning. Finally, I say to you in particular, God of war, that this is the promise of an ultimate battle. A battle that Man will no longer wage against others, but for himself.
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45. What dream are you talking about… “Admittedly, this is a dream, but let’s believe that it will soon spread across the surface of the world…” “A dream? What dream are you talking about?” exclaimed the God of war, at the height of his incomprehension. But the visitor’s silhouette was already melting away on the way back…
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20. We heard that you would be leaving… 
