Wednesday, April 30, 2014
Moving
We are moving this blog to a new location. Friday, this link should be back to normal. During the time of transition, try this link: lit-daily1.blogspot.com
Best wishes! Jack Le Moine
Tuesday, April 29, 2014
The Musketeer Returns
by Alexandre Dumas
Today's excerpt is from Chapter 41. Previously
The wounded man sank upon his knees, to again kiss the feet of his preserver; but d'Artagnan, who had no longer a motive for staying so near the enemy, abridged the testimonials of his gratitude. The Guardsman who had returned at the first discharge announced the death of his four companions. They were therefore much astonished and delighted in the regiment when they saw the young man come back safe and sound.
D'Artagnan explained the sword wound of his companion by a sortie which he improvised. He described the death of the other soldier, and the perils they had encountered. This recital was for him the occasion of veritable triumph. The whole army talked of this expedition for a day, and Monsieur paid him his compliments upon it. Besides this, as every great action bears its recompense with it, the brave exploit of d'Artagnan resulted in the restoration of the tranquility he had lost. In fact, d'Artagnan believed that he might be tranquil, as one of his two enemies was killed and the other devoted to his interests.
This tranquillity proved one thing--that d'Artagnan did not yet know Milady.
End of Chapter 41
Continued next week. Tomorrow's installment from Innocents Abroad by Mark Twain.
This French novel, written in 1844 has been the subject of numerous movies. The 2004 Disney poster advertises the latest.
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Monday, April 28, 2014
Venus Saves Alexandrus
by Homer
We are journeying through Book 3. Previously
He poised his spear as he spoke, and hurled it at the shield of Alexandrus. Through shield and cuirass it went, and tore the shirt by his flank, but Alexandrus swerved aside, and thus saved
his life. Then the son of Atreus drew his sword, and drove at the
projecting part of his helmet, but the sword fell shivered in three or four pieces from his hand, and he cried, looking towards Heaven, "Father Jove, of all gods thou art the most despiteful; I made sure of my revenge, but the sword has broken in my hand, my spear has been hurled in vain, and I have not killed him." With this he flew at Alexandrus, caught him by the horsehair plume of his helmet, and began dragging him towards the Achaeans. The strap of the helmet that went under his chin was choking him, and Menelaus would have dragged him off to his own great glory had not Jove's daughter Venus been quick to mark and to break the strap of oxhide, so that the empty helmet came away in his hand. This he flung to his comrades among the Achaeans, and was again springing upon Alexandrus to run him through with a spear, but Venus snatched him up in a moment (as a god can do), hid him under a cloud of darkness, and conveyed him to his own bedchamber.
Then she went to call Helen, and found her on a high tower with the Trojan women crowding round her. She took the form of an old woman who used to dress wool for her when she was still in Lacedaemon, and of whom she was very fond. Thus disguised she plucked her by perfumed robe and said, "Come hither; Alexandrus says you are to go to the house; he is on his bed in his own room, radiant with beauty and dressed in gorgeous apparel. No one would think he had just come from fighting, but rather that he was going to a dance, or had done dancing and was sitting down."
Continued next week. Tomorrow's installment from The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas.
From the earliest days of Ancient Greece, the author(s) of this poem were contemporaries of the writers of the Bible's Old Testament.
Summary of Third Book: Alexandria, also called Paris, challenges Menelaus--Helen and Priam view the Achaeans from the wall--The covenant--Paris and Menelaus fight, and Paris is worsted--Venus carries him off to save him--Scene between him and Helen.
Painting: The Wrath of Achilles by Michael Drolling, 1819.
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Sunday, April 27, 2014
Searching the Graveyard
Today's excerpt is from The First Calendar's Story. Previously
Next morning I called to mind what had happened and repented of having obeyed my cousin, when repentance was of no avail, but thought that it must have been a dream. So I fell to enquiring after my cousin; but none could give me any news of him; and I went out to the burial-ground and sought for the tomb where I had left him, but could not find it, and ceased not to go from sepulchre to sepulchre and from tomb to tomb, without success, till nightfall. Then I returned to the palace and could neither eat nor drink, for my heart was troubled about my cousin, seeing I knew not what was come of him; and I was extremely chagrined and slept not that night, but lay awake for anxiety till morning. As soon as it was day, I repaired again to the cemetery, pondering what my cousin had done and repenting me of having hearkened to him, and vent round among all the tombs, but could not find the one I sought. Thus I did for the space of seven days, but with no better success, and my trouble and anxiety increased till I was well-nigh mad and could find nothing for it but to return to my father.Continued next week. Tomorrow's installment from The Illiad by Homer.
From the Arab world: these stories date back to the Middle Ages.
Picture: Queen Scheherazade tells her stories to King Shahryār.
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Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Life Saved Second Time
by Alexandre Dumas
Today's excerpt is from Chapter 41.
Then the young man tremblingly comprehended what a terrible thirst for vengeance urged this woman on to destroy him, as well as all who loved him, and how well she must be acquainted with the affairs of the court, since she had discovered all. There could be no doubt she owed this information to the cardinal. But amid all this he perceived, with a feeling of real joy, that the queen must have discovered the prison in which poor Mme. Bonacieux was explaining her devotion, and that she had freed her from that prison; and the letter he had received from the young woman, and her passage along the road of Chaillot like an apparition, were now explained.
Then also, as Athos had predicted, it became possible to find Mme. Bonacieux, and a convent was not impregnable.
This idea completely restored clemency to his heart. He turned toward the wounded man, who had watched with intense anxiety all the various expressions of his countenance, and holding out his arm to him, said, "Come, I will not abandon you thus. Lean upon me, and let us return to the camp."
"Yes," said the man, who could scarcely believe in such magnanimity, "but is it not to have me hanged?"
"You have my word," said he; "for the second time I give you your life."
Continued next week. Tomorrow's installment from Innocents Abroad by Mark Twain.
This French novel, written in 1844 has been the subject of numerous movies. The 2004 Disney poster advertises the latest.
More information here:
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Sunday, February 3, 2013
Plaster the Tomb Behind Them
Today's excerpt is from The First Calendar's Story.
Then he turned to the lady and said to her, "Up and make thy choice." So she descended the stair and was lost to sight; and he said to me, "O my cousin, when I have descended, complete thy kindness to me by replacing the trap-door and throwing back the earth on it: then mix the plaster in the bag with the water in this vessel and build up the tomb again with the stones and plaster it over as before, lest any see it and say, 'This tomb has been newly opened, albeit it is an old one;' for I have been at work here a whole year, unknown to any save God. This then is the service I had to ask of thee, and may God never bereave thy friends of thee, O my cousin!" Then he descended the stair; and when he was out of sight, I replaced the trap-door and did as he had bidden me, till the tomb was restored to its original condition, and I the while in a state of intoxication; after which I returned to the palace, and found my uncle still absent.
Continued next week. Tomorrow's installment from The Illiad by Homer.
From the Arab world: these stories date back to the Middle Ages.
Picture: Queen Scheherazade tells her stories to King Shahryār.
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Saturday, February 2, 2013
He Prayeth Best
Farewell, farewell! but this I tell
To thee, thou Wedding-Guest!
He prayeth well who loveth well
Both man and bird and beast.
He prayeth best who loveth best
All things, both great and small:
For the dear God who loveth us,
He made and loveth all.
These two stanzas, the very heart of that great poem, "The Ancient Mariner," by (1772-1834), sum up the lesson of this masterpiece--"Insensibility is a crime."
Every Saturday is Poetry Day here at the Literature Daily blog. Tomorrow look for another installment from the great Arab book Thousand and One Nights.
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Friday, February 1, 2013
The Han Dynasty Takes Shape
by Luo Guanzhong
Today's excerpt from Chapter 5. Previously
11Xuande, Guan and Zhang led a number of people on horseback, and followed behind Gongsun Zan. Cao Cao welcomed them as a steady stream of nobles were also arriving. Each army set up their own camp, in a string of camps that stretched more than 200 li. Cao slaughtered a bull and a horse, then convened all of the nobles to discuss plans for a military advance. Commandery governor Wang Kuang said, "Today, we come together for the sake of justice. We must decide on a leader for our alliance, and everyone must abide by that decision, before we can advance our armies." Cao said, "Members of Yuan Benchu's family have occupied the highest positions within the government for four generations, and he has a lot of students and former subordinates. He is the descendent of a famous chancellor of the Han Dynasty; he should be the leader of our alliance." Shao repeatedly declined the offer. Only after everyone said, "It can be none other than Benchu," did Shao finally agree to do it. The following day, a three-level platform was erected. The banners of the five directions were placed in rows along each side; a white banner, with a yak tail on top of its pole, and a gilded battle-ax were both placed on the platform. Military papers and the seal of a military general were placed on the platform as well. Shao was asked to ascend the platform. Shao straightened his clothes, put on his straight sword, and solemnly climbed up. He burned incense and performed the ritual obeisance. The creed of the alliance read:
12
The House of Han has encountered misfortune, and the system of imperial rule has been corrupted. The traitor Dong Zhuo has seized the opportunity to wantonly cause destruction, bring disaster to the emperor, and inflict cruelty upon the people. Shao and his associates, fearing that the nation will be lost, have assembled conscript soldiers in order to deal with this national calamity. All who enter into our alliance shall work with one purpose, maintain the moral integrity of a court official, and shall not have second thoughts. Anyone who violates this alliance shall be put to death, and shall not be allowed to have descendants. The gods of heaven and earth, and the ancestral spirits, shall all bear witness to the above.
Continued next week. Tomorrow is Poetry Day here at Literature Daily.
This is one of four great novels from China, published when it was the most highly civilization in the world. Map shows China at the time of this story.
Chapter Summary: A forged imperial edict is issued: all towns respond to Lord Cao; breaking through the soldiers at the pass: three heroes battle Lü Bu.
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This translation from Wikipedia. See license CC-BY-SA.
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Why They Wished to See the Terrible Oz
by L. Frank Baum
Today's selection from Chapter 10. The Guardian of the Gate. Previously
"Why do you wish to see the terrible Oz?" asked the man. "I want him to give me some brains," said the Scarecrow eagerly.
"Oh, Oz could do that easily enough," declared the man. "He has more brains than he needs."
"And I want him to give me a heart," said the Tin Woodman.
"That will not trouble him," continued the man, "for Oz has a large collection of hearts, of all sizes and shapes."
"And I want him to give me courage," said the Cowardly Lion.
"Oz keeps a great pot of courage in his Throne Room," said the man, "which he has covered with a golden plate, to keep it from running over. He will be glad to give you some."
"And I want him to send me back to Kansas," said Dorothy.
"Where is Kansas?" asked the man, with surprise.
"I don't know," replied Dorothy sorrowfully, "but it is my home, and I'm sure it's somewhere."
"Very likely. Well, Oz can do anything; so I suppose he will find Kansas for you. But first you must get to see him, and that will be a hard task; for the Great Wizard does not like to see anyone, and he usually has his own way. But what do YOU want?" he continued, speaking to Toto. Toto only wagged his tail; for, strange to say, he could not speak.
Continued next week. Tomorrow's installment from Romance of the Three Kingdoms the great Chinese novel from the Middle Ages.
Remember Judy Garland's breakout movie of 1939; why wasn't the rest of Baum's Oz books made into movies?
Illustrated: cover of the book's first edition in 1900.
More information here:
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Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Marseilles Harbor
by Mark Twain
You're reading from chapter 10. Previously
There were no stages out, and we could not get on the pier from the ship. It was annoying. We were full of enthusiasm--we wanted to see France! Just at nightfall our party of three contracted with a waterman for the privilege of using his boat as a bridge--its stern was at our companion ladder and its bow touched the pier. We got in and the fellow backed out into the harbor. I told him in French that all we wanted was to walk over his thwarts and step ashore, and asked him what he went away out there for. He said he could not understand me. I repeated. Still he could not understand. He appeared to be very ignorant of French. The doctor tried him, but he could not understand the doctor. I asked this boatman to explain his conduct, which he did; and then I couldn't understand him. Dan said: "Oh, go to the pier, you old fool--that's where we want to go!"
We reasoned calmly with Dan that it was useless to speak to this foreigner in English--that he had better let us conduct this business in the French language and not let the stranger see how uncultivated he was.
"Well, go on, go on," he said, "don't mind me. I don't wish to interfere. Only, if you go on telling him in your kind of French, he never will find out where we want to go to. That is what I think about it."
Continued next week. Tomorrow's installment from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum.
This travelogue cemented this rising author's reputation when it was published in 1869.
Chapter Summary: Fourth of July at Sea--Mediterranean Sunset--The "Oracle" is Delivered of an Opinion--Celebration Ceremonies--The Captain's Speech--France in Sight--The Ignorant Native--In Marseilles--Another Blunder--Lost in the Great City--Found Again--A Frenchy Scene
Photo: Samuel Clemens (aka Mark Twain) by Matthew Brady Feb. 7, 1871.
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Tuesday, January 29, 2013
The Letter
by Alexandre Dumas
Today's excerpt is from Chapter 41.
"Since you have lost sight of that woman and she is now in safety in the convent, which you should never have allowed her to reach, try, at least, not to miss the man. If you do, you know that my hand stretches far, and that you shall pay very dearly for the hundred louis you have from me."No signature. Nevertheless it was plain the letter came from Milady. He consequently kept it as a piece of evidence, and being in safety behind the angle of the trench, he began to interrogate the wounded man. He confessed that he had undertaken with his comrade--the same who was killed--to carry off a young woman who was to leave Paris by the Barriere de La Villette; but having stopped to drink at a cabaret, they had missed the carriage by ten minutes.
"But what were you to do with that woman?" asked d'Artagnan, with anguish.
"We were to have conveyed her to a hotel in the Place Royale," said the wounded man.
"Yes, yes!" murmured d'Artagnan; "that's the place--Milady's own residence!"
Continued next week. Tomorrow's installment from Innocents Abroad by Mark Twain.
This French novel, written in 1844 has been the subject of numerous movies. The 2004 Disney poster advertises the latest.
More information here:
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Monday, January 28, 2013
The Trojan Champion’s Peril
by Homer
We are journeying through Book 3. Previously
Great Hector now turned his head aside while he shook the helmet, and the lot of Paris flew out first. The others took their several stations, each by his horses and the place where his arms were lying, while Alexandrus, husband of lovely Helen, put on his goodly armour. First he greaved his legs with greaves of good make and fitted with ancle-clasps of silver; after this he donned the cuirass of his brother Lycaon, and fitted it to his own body; he hung his silver-studded sword of bronze about his shoulders, and then his mighty shield. On his comely head he set his helmet, well-wrought, with a crest of horse-hair that nodded menacingly above it, and he grasped a redoubtable spear that suited his hands. In like fashion Menelaus also put on his armour. When they had thus armed, each amid his own people, they strode fierce of aspect into the open space, and both Trojans and Achaeans were struck with awe as they beheld them. They stood near one another on the measured ground, brandishing their spears, and each furious against the other. Alexandrus aimed first, and struck the round shield of the son of Atreus, but the spear did not pierce it, for the shield turned its point. Menelaus next took aim, praying to Father Jove as he did so. "King Jove," he said, "grant me revenge on Alexandrus who has wronged me; subdue him under my hand that in ages yet to come a man may shrink from doing ill deeds in the house of his host."
Continued next week. Tomorrow's installment from The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas.
From the earliest days of Ancient Greece, the author(s) of this poem were contemporaries of the writers of the Bible's Old Testament.
Summary of Third Book: Alexandria, also called Paris, challenges Menelaus--Helen and Priam view the Achaeans from the wall--The covenant--Paris and Menelaus fight, and Paris is worsted--Venus carries him off to save him--Scene between him and Helen.
Painting: The Wrath of Achilles by Michael Drolling, 1819.
More information here:
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Sunday, January 27, 2013
Take This Lady Into the Sepulchre
Today's excerpt is from The First Calendar's Story.
Then he went away and returning in a little, with a lady veiled and perfumed and very richly clad, said to me, "Take this lady and go before me to the burial-ground and enter such and such a sepulchre," and he described it to me and I knew it, "and wait till I come." I could not gainsay him, by reason of the oath I had sworn to him; so I took the lady and carried her to the cemetery, and entering the tomb sat down to await my cousin, who soon rejoined us, carrying a vessel of water, a bag containing plaster and an adze. He went up to the tomb in the midst of the sepulchre and loosening its stones with the adze, laid them on one side after which he fell to digging with the adze in the earth till he uncovered a trap of iron, as big as a small door, and raised it, when there appeared beneath it a winding stair.
Continued next week. Tomorrow's installment from The Illiad by Homer.
From the Arab world: these stories date back to the Middle Ages.
Picture: Queen Scheherazade tells her stories to King Shahryār.
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Saturday, January 26, 2013
Little Things
Little drops of water
, Little grains of sand,
Make the mighty ocean
And the pleasant land.
Thus the little minutes,
Humble though they be,
Make the mighty ages
Of eternity.
Every Saturday is Poetry Day here at the Literature Daily blog. Tomorrow look for another installment from the great Arab book Thousand and One Nights.
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Friday, January 25, 2013
“What’s Done Is Done.”
by Luo Guanzhong
Today's excerpt from Chapter 5. Previously
9All of these forces, which varied in size from thirty thousand to ten or twenty thousand, and which were led by either civil officials or military generals, converged on Luoyang.
10
Let us now turn to Gongsun Zan, governor of Beiping Commandery, who was leading an army of fifteen thousand elite troops past Pingyuan County in Dezhou. While they were on the move, they spotted yellow banners near a clump of mulberry trees; it was a group of men approaching on horseback. Zan saw that it was Liu Xuande. Zan asked, "It is my junior colleague, why are you here?" Xuande replied, "A while back, you saw to it that I was made governor of Pingyuan County; when I heard that a large army was passing by here, I came out especially to await your arrival so that I could invite my benefactor to come into town and rest his horses." Zan pointed to Guan and Zhang, and asked, "Who are these two?" Xuande said, "This is Guan Yu and this is Zhang Fei; they are my sworn brothers." Zan said, "Are these the same men who crushed the Yellow Turbans?" Xuande said, "It was all thanks to the efforts of these two men." Zan said, "What posts do they now hold?" Xuande replied, "Guan Yu is a cavalry archer, and Zhang Fei is an infantry archer." Zan sighed, saying, "If that is the case, one might say that these two heroes have been neglected! Dong Zhuo is now causing unrest, and all of the nobles are on their way to take him down. You should abandon this lowly post, come with me to punish this bandit rebel, and help the House of Han; what do you think?" Xuande said, "I would like to go." Zhang Fei said, "If you had let me kill that scoundrel the last time, this wouldn't have happened." Yunchang said, "What's done is done; we should gather up our things and go."
Continued next week. Tomorrow is Poetry Day here at Literature Daily.
This is one of four great novels from China, published when it was the most highly civilization in the world. Map shows China at the time of this story.
Chapter Summary: A forged imperial edict is issued: all towns respond to Lord Cao; breaking through the soldiers at the pass: three heroes battle Lü Bu.
More information here:
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This translation from Wikipedia. See license CC-BY-SA.
Thursday, January 24, 2013
Oz Is A Great Wizard
by L. Frank Baum
Today's selection from Chapter 10. The Guardian of the Gate. Previously
"Why, it is said that he never lets anyone come into his presence. I have been to the Emerald City many times, and it is a beautiful and wonderful place; but I have never been permitted to see the Great Oz, nor do I know of any living person who has seen him." "Does he never go out?" asked the Scarecrow.
"Never. He sits day after day in the great Throne Room of his Palace, and even those who wait upon him do not see him face to face."
"What is he like?" asked the girl.
"That is hard to tell," said the man thoughtfully. "You see, Oz is a Great Wizard, and can take on any form he wishes. So that some say he looks like a bird; and some say he looks like an elephant; and some say he looks like a cat. To others he appears as a beautiful fairy, or a brownie, or in any other form that pleases him. But who the real Oz is, when he is in his own form, no living person can tell."
"That is very strange," said Dorothy, "but we must try, in some way, to see him, or we shall have made our journey for nothing."
Continued next week. Tomorrow's installment from Romance of the Three Kingdoms the great Chinese novel from the Middle Ages.
Remember Judy Garland's breakout movie of 1939; why wasn't the rest of Baum's Oz books made into movies?
Illustrated: cover of the book's first edition in 1900.
More information here:
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Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Marseilles Arrival
by Mark Twain
You're reading from chapter 10. Previously
At dinner in the evening, a well-written original poem was recited with spirit by one of the ship's captains, and thirteen regular toasts were washed down with several baskets of champagne. The speeches were bad --execrable almost without exception. In fact, without any exception but one. Captain Duncan made a good speech; he made the only good speech of the evening. He said: "LADIES AND GENTLEMEN:--May we all live to a green old age and be prosperous and happy. Steward, bring up another basket of champagne."
It was regarded as a very able effort.
The festivities, so to speak, closed with another of those miraculous balls on the promenade deck. We were not used to dancing on an even keel, though, and it was only a questionable success. But take it all together, it was a bright, cheerful, pleasant Fourth.
Toward nightfall the next evening, we steamed into the great artificial harbor of this noble city of Marseilles, and saw the dying sunlight gild its clustering spires and ramparts, and flood its leagues of environing verdure with a mellow radiance that touched with an added charm the white villas that flecked the landscape far and near.
Continued next week. Tomorrow's installment from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum.
This travelogue cemented this rising author's reputation when it was published in 1869.
Chapter Summary: Fourth of July at Sea--Mediterranean Sunset--The "Oracle" is Delivered of an Opinion--Celebration Ceremonies--The Captain's Speech--France in Sight--The Ignorant Native--In Marseilles--Another Blunder--Lost in the Great City--Found Again--A Frenchy Scene
Photo: Samuel Clemens (aka Mark Twain) by Matthew Brady Feb. 7, 1871.
More information here:
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Tuesday, January 22, 2013
3 Balls of Death
by Alexandre Dumas
Today's excerpt is from Chapter 41.
And with a light step, an eye on the watch, observing the movements of the enemy and taking advantage of the accidents of the ground, d'Artagnan succeeded in reaching the second soldier. There were two means of gaining his object--to search him on the spot, or to carry him away, making a buckler of his body, and search him in the trench.
D'Artagnan preferred the second means, and lifted the assassin onto his shoulders at the moment the enemy fired.
A slight shock, the dull noise of three balls which penetrated the flesh, a last cry, a convulsion of agony, proved to d'Artagnan that the would-be assassin had saved his life.
D'Artagnan regained the trench, and threw the corpse beside the wounded man, who was as pale as death.
Then he began to search. A leather pocketbook, a purse, in which was evidently a part of the sum which the bandit had received, with a dice box and dice, completed the possessions of the dead man.
He left the box and dice where they fell, threw the purse to the wounded man, and eagerly opened the pocketbook.
Among some unimportant papers he found the following letter, that which he had sought at the risk of his life:
Continued next week. Tomorrow's installment from Innocents Abroad by Mark Twain.
This French novel, written in 1844 has been the subject of numerous movies. The 2004 Disney poster advertises the latest.
More information here:
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Monday, January 21, 2013
Preliminaries of Battle
by Homer
We are journeying through Book 3. Previously
As he spoke he drew his knife across the throats of the victims, and laid them down gasping and dying upon the ground, for the knife had reft them of their strength. Then they poured wine from the mixing-bowl into the cups, and prayed to the everlasting gods, saying, Trojans and Achaeans among one another, "Jove, most great and glorious, and ye other everlasting gods, grant that the brains of them who shall first sin against their oaths--of them and their children--may be shed upon the ground even as this wine, and let their wives become the slaves of strangers." Thus they prayed, but not as yet would Jove grant them their prayer. Then Priam, descendant of Dardanus, spoke, saying, "Hear me, Trojans and Achaeans, I will now go back to the wind-beaten city of Ilius: I dare not with my own eyes witness this fight between my son and Menelaus, for Jove and the other immortals alone know which shall fall." On this he laid the two lambs on his chariot and took his seat. He gathered the reins in his hand, and Antenor sat beside him; the two then went back to Ilius. Hector and Ulysses measured the ground, and cast lots from a helmet of bronze to see which should take aim first. Meanwhile the two hosts lifted up their hands and prayed saying, "Father Jove, that rulest from Ida, most glorious in power, grant that he who first brought about this war between us may die, and enter the house of Hades, while we others remain at peace and abide by our oaths."
Continued next week. Tomorrow's installment from The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas.
From the earliest days of Ancient Greece, the author(s) of this poem were contemporaries of the writers of the Bible's Old Testament.
Summary of Third Book: Alexandria, also called Paris, challenges Menelaus--Helen and Priam view the Achaeans from the wall--The covenant--Paris and Menelaus fight, and Paris is worsted--Venus carries him off to save him--Scene between him and Helen.
Painting: The Wrath of Achilles by Michael Drolling, 1819.
More information here:
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Sunday, January 20, 2013
His Uncle’s Commission
Today's excerpt is from The First Calendar's Story.
My father was a king, and he had a brother, who was also a king over another city. The latter had a son and a daughter, and it chanced that I and the son of my uncle were both born on the same day. In due time we grew up to man's estate and there was a great affection between us. Now it was my wont every now and then to visit my uncle and abide with him several months at a time. One day, I went to visit him as usual and found him absent a-hunting; but my cousin received me with the utmost courtesy and slaughtered sheep and strained wine for me and we sat down to drink. When the wine had got the mastery of us, my cousin said to me, "O son of my uncle I have a great service to ask of thee, and I beg of thee not to balk me in what I mean to do." "With all my heart," answered I; and he made me swear by the most solemn oaths to do his will.
Continued next week. Tomorrow's installment from The Illiad by Homer.
From the Arab world: these stories date back to the Middle Ages.
Picture: Queen Scheherazade tells her stories to King Shahryār.
More information here:
| Check the right column | More of this Series |
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