사악한 눈길과 악독한 마음

옛 신들이 너희를 부를지니,
고대의 감옥에서 저들이 노래할 것이라.
사악한 눈길과 악독한 마음을 지닌 용들이,
검어진 날개에 기만을 싣고 나르나니,
저들이 밤에 잃은 나의 첫 번째 자손이라.

—침묵의 송가 3:6

불협화의 절로 여겨지는 침묵의 송가는 비탄의 송가를 변주하여 창작한 것이다. 송가의 대부분은 인류에게 말을 건네는 창조주의 관점에서 쓰였으며, 따라서 최종적으로는 신성모독으로 여겨져 송가에서 삭제되었다. 통상적으로 집정관 헤사리안의 저작으로 여겨지는 침묵의 송가는 자손(영과 필멸의 존재 모두를 아우르는)의 타락과 배신을 겪은 창조주를 보다 슬픔에 찬 모습으로 묘사하고 있다. 창조주는 옛 신들의 몰락과 타락을 자신의 실수로 여기고 애달파하며, 필멸의 자손들이 그 손윗형제가 걸었던 어둠의 길에서 돌아서기를 강권하고 있다.

대다수의 역사학자가 실제로 집정관 헤사리안이 이 송가를 유혈낭자한 테빈터의 변용 기간 집필했을 거라는 데에 동의한다. 제국의 문학 연구가들은 이 송가를 기록으로 남은 가장 오래된 선전물로 종종 인용하기도 한다. 여섯 번째 절에서, 비통함으로 찬 창조주는 필멸의 자손들을 불러 용들이 그들을 속이고 조종했음을 알리고, 타락을 떨쳐버리고 빛으로 돌아오라 말한다. 테빈터인들이 봉기하여 옛 신 신앙을 유지하고 있던 이들을 모조리 학살하면서, 이 송가는 제국 역사상 가장 끔찍한 살육판의 선전 문구가 되었다.

—수녀 테사리아 저, 빛의 성가: 문학적 분석과 역사에서 발췌

 

The Old Gods will call to you,

From their ancient prisons they will sing.

Dragons with wicked eyes and wicked hearts,

On blacken'd wings does deceit take flight,

The first of My children, lost to night.

 

—Canticle of Silence 3:6

The Dissonant Canticle of Silence is an alternate creation story to the versions in the Canticle of Threnodies. Much of the canticle is written from the point of view of the Maker Himself as He addresses humankind, which is why it was ultimately considered a blasphemous presumption and removed from the verses of the Chant. Popularly attributed to Archon Hessarian, Silence depicts the Maker as more sorrowful at the corruption and betrayal of His children—both spirit and mortal. He mourns the fall and corruption of the Old Gods as His own mistake, and urges His mortal children to turn aside from the dark path their elder siblings have led them down.

 

Most historians agree that Archon Hessarian had indeed likely written this canticle during the bloody Tevinter Transfiguration. Literary scholars of the Imperium often cite this as one of the oldest recorded pieces of propaganda. In the sixth verse, the grieving Maker calls upon His mortal children to acknowledge that the dragon gods have manipulated and deceived them, and to throw off their corruptive influence and return to the Light. As the people of Tevinter rose up and slaughtered anyone remaining faithful to their Old Gods, this became the rallying cry of the most terrible bloodbath in the history of the Imperium.

 

—From The Chant of Light: Literary Analysis and History by Sister Tessaria