Bad to Worse, pp. 211-212

Opening remarks
The journey towards the heart of darkness seems endless. It moves from grey to dark and further towards the dark extreme of creation.

A greater darkness
A greater darkness waited, a worse reign,
If worse can be where all is evil’s extreme;
Yet to the cloaked the uncloaked is naked worst.

Garbed evil is like a hypocrite who claims one thing but nurtures its very opposite. But further down the scale, Aswapati encounters evil in its naked state, ungarbed and unabashed.

Where God is an outcast
There God and Truth and the supernal Light
Had never been or else had power no more.

In this realm God and Truth are an outcast. They have no authority since none is receptive to Light, none is open to Wisdom, none responds to the Divine touch.

A concealed boundary
As when one slips in a deep moment’s trance
Over mind’s border into another world,
He crossed a boundary whose stealthy trace
Eye could not see but only the soul feel.

Though outwardly there seemed to be no change, there was an imperceptible inward shift crossing the unseen boundary that gravitates towards the Abyss. It is only the awakened soul of Aswapati that could feel it as he moved closer to the heart of darkness.

Wandering like a lost soul
Into an armoured fierce domain he came
And saw himself wandering like a lost soul
Amid grimed walls and savage slums of Night.

He came into a heavily guarded and fierce domain surrounded by grim walls and savage slums. He wandered there like a lost soul without any orientation or direction.

Inhuman quarters
Around him crowded grey and squalid huts
Neighbouring proud palaces of perverted Power,
Inhuman quarters and demoniac wards.

There he saw dwelling places of subhuman beings and demons. All around were lowly built, dark and dingy places. The ruler of that realm embodied a perverted power and lived in a stone-stern palace

Evil and wretchedness
A pride in evil hugged its wretchedness;
A misery haunting splendour pressed those fell
Dun suburbs of the cities of dream-life.

Evil and wretchedness was what gave them a sense of pride. Crushing others under their feet with disdain and bringing misery was the way of life in this dark suburb of the city boasting of dreams.

Shadow depths
There Life displayed to the spectator soul
The shadow depths of her strange miracle.

There one discovered the shadow depths of creation, the underbelly of life and its dark miracle.

Closing Remarks
Thus Aswapati enters the dark and dangerous space to discover its secret.