A Lover's Journey

In a mighty kingdom, there lived a prince of great wealth.
And as instructed by his father one day, the prince set out to find his bride.
With the first woman who intrigued him, he spent many hours in the royal chambers
indulging in sensual pleasures.
But this did not satisfy the prince.
He left that woman in search of his beloved.

Upon the road, he came across a kingdom as great as his father's.
And in his heart he said:
Ah, I shall marry the daughter of this king and together,
our kingdoms shall have dominion over all the land.
But after a few days of courting this princess,
he found himself bored and weary of commanding such a large number of servants.
For this prince had discovered a greater kingdom which he, in all his power, could not rule.
It was the kingdom of Nature.

And so he left this princess in search of a peasant girl,
a simple woman who was one with the earth.
He then discovered the daughter of a poor farmer.
She, he thought, would be his bride.
The two took long walks in the forest and spoke much of their deepest desires
and shared their visions of life and death.
And yet, though he had unveiled his heart to this girl, he still felt dissatisfaction within him.
For he had found that language was a barrier for his deepest yearning.

The prince became filled with hopelessness and sorrow.
And with a head bowed low, he returned home.
And upon entering the palace, he saw his childhood companion awaiting him.
For she had grown to be a fine woman and a beautiful princess.
At the sight of her, his heart became enflamed with longing and desire.

That night, the two sat upon silken pillows facing one another.
They sat motionless gazing into each other's eyes.
That night the unspeakable which lay within their hearts was revealed,
with no words crossing their lips.