"I was the lion who forced you to join with Aravis. I was the cat who comforted you among the houses of the dead. I was the lion who drove the jackals from you while you slept. I was the lion who gave the horses the new strength of fear for the last mile so that you should reach King Lune in time. And I was the lion you do not remember who pushed the boat in which you lay, a child near death, so that it came to shore where a man sat, wakeful at night, to receive you."
"Then it was you who wounded Aravis?"
"It was I."
"But what for?"
"Child," said the Voice, "I am telling you your story, not hers. I tell no one any story but his own."
~~ C.S. Lewis, The Horse and His Boy
3 comments:
We just listened to that story on a road trip and I have to admit that I think it is my favorite even though when I read the series, it was my least favorite.
Oh, that is a phenomenal quote indeed. I can still remember the first time I read HHB, and being rather slow I really had no idea who the lion was until this passage. The revelation hit me like a spiritual ton of bricks and I was stunned. Don't you love the triune 'Myself' that follows, and oh the whole rest of the chapter is all awesome. (And there were birds singing.)
Yes, Kimberlee, I love that entire passage. So beautiful.
Matilda, I often think of this one as a lesser favorite, until I reread it, and then, each time, I'm walloped by it .... :)
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