Explore "Legend" by Jorge Luis Borges on Textopian. Read with annotations and highlights.
LegendAbel and Cain met again after Abel's death. They were walking in the desert and knew each other from a distance, for both men were very tall. The brothers sat on the ground, made a fire, and ate. For a while, they were untalkative, the way tired men can be after a long day's work. In the sky, some still unnamed star appeared. By the firelight, Cain made out the mark of the stone on Abel's forehead, dropped the food he was about to put into his mouth, and asked to be forgiven for his crime.
"I no longer remember-did you kill me or was it I who killed you? " Abel answered. "Here we are together again, just as we used to be."
"Now I know for sure you've forgiven me," said Cain, "because to forget is to have forgiven. I'll try my best to forget, too."
"Yes," said Abel, speaking slowly, "you're right. As long as there's remorse, there's guilt. "