Tuesday, April 29, 2025

Borges imagines Cain and Abel eating by a fire:

When the flame illuminates Abel’s forehead, Cain sees “the mark of the stone.” He drops his bread, and asks for his brother’s forgiveness—but adds a question: “Was it you that killed me, or did I kill you?”

Abel says that he could not remember, but “here we are, together, like before.” And Cain responds: “Now I know that you have truly forgiven me, because forgetting is forgiving. I, too, will try to forget.”