The city, however, does not tell its past, but contains it like the lines of a hand, written in the corners of the streets, the gratings of the windows, the banisters of the steps, the antennae of the lightning rods, the poles of the flags.
Note
It is useless to describe Zaira of the high bastions by counting its steps and roofs. The city consists of relations between the measurements of its space and the events of its past: the height of a lamppost, the line from the lamppost to the railing opposite and the festoons of the wedding procession, the height of that railing and the adulterer’s leap at dawn.
But the city does not tell its past, it contains it like the lines of a hand, written in the corners of the streets, the gratings of the windows, the banisters of the steps, the antennae of the lightning rods, the poles of the flags. In the scene, now and then, a wave of warm light rises from the sea and runs up the streets and stairs; wherever it passes, on the corners, the gratings, the banisters, the rods, the poles, fine gold marks appear (scratches, notches, scrolls) and stay. Little by little the city becomes as inscribed as a palm.
Touch anywhere: a wave sets out from there, and writes the city as it passes.
Quotations are brief excerpts for the purpose of commentary. The full text is available in published editions. The Cities of Ottavia, Valdrada & the soundtrack are inspired by "Monument Valley" from ustwo games.