the midday sun
Now I turned in my vision , and looked at that bank of the river on which I stood . Then I saw that behind the bank was a cliff , mighty and black , and in the cliff were doors of ivory , and through them came light and the sound of laughter ; there were other doors also , black as though fashioned of coal , and through them came darkness and the sounds of groans . I saw also that in front of the doors was set a seat , and on the seat was the figure of a glorious woman . She was tall , and she alone was white , and clad in robes of white , and her hair was like gold which is molten in the fire , and her face shone like the midday sun . Then I saw that those who came up out of the river stood before the woman , the water yet running from them , and cried aloud to her . `` Hail , Inkosazana-y-Zulu ! Hail , Queen of the Heavens ! ''