the king in yellow

I was very surprised to learn that the HBO crime mini-series “True Detective” contained references to Robert W. Chambers’ novel “The King in Yellow”, because I was in the middle of completing a cover design for my portfolio.

Along the shore the cloud waves break,
The twin suns sink beneath the lake,
The shadows lengthen
In Carcosa.

Strange is the night where black stars rise,
And strange moons circle through the skies
But stranger still is
Lost Carcosa.

Songs that the Hyades shall sing,
Where flap the tatters of the King,
Must die unheard in
Dim Carcosa.

Song of my soul, my voice is dead;
Die thou, unsung, as tears unshed
Shall dry and die in
Lost Carcosa.

—Cassilda’s Song in The King in Yellow, Act 1, Scene 2.

The first sketch I drew may be found here.