Країна сліпих

           Thevoiceofanoldermanbegantoquestionhim,andNunezfoundhimselftryingtoexplainthegreatworldoutofwhichhehadfallen,andtheskyandmountainsandsightandsuch-likemarvels,totheseelderswhosatindarknessintheCountryoftheBlind. Andtheywouldbelieveandunderstandnothingwhateverhetoldthem,athingquiteoutsidehisexpectation. Theywouldnotevenunderstandmanyofhiswords. Forfourteengenerationsthesepeoplehadbeenblindandcutofffromalltheseeingworld; thenamesforallthethingsofsighthadfadedandchanged; thestoryoftheouterworldwasfadedandchangedtoachild’sstory;andtheyhadceasedtoconcernthemselveswithanythingbeyondtherockyslopesabovetheircirclingwall. Blindmenofgeniushadarisenamongthemandquestionedtheshredsofbeliefandtraditiontheyhadbroughtwiththemfromtheirseeingdays,andhaddismissedallthesethingsasidlefancies,andreplacedthemwithnewandsanerexplanations. Muchoftheirimaginationhadshrivelledwiththeireyes,andtheyhadmadeforthemselvesnewimaginationswiththeirevermoresensitiveearsandfinger-tips. SlowlyNunezrealisedthis;thathisexpectationofwonderandreverenceathisoriginandhisgiftswasnottobeborneout; andafterhispoorattempttoexplainsighttothemhadbeensetasideastheconfusedversionofanew-madebeingdescribingthemarvelsofhisincoherentsensations,hesubsided,alittledashed,intolisteningtotheirinstruction.