What this project is about.
This one is from Book 8
.
How long it took to read this (aloud): 8 mins 39s
What it’s “about”: The party (Theseus and his mates waiting for the waters to subside) continues. Achelous story gets pushback. Lelex then diverts and tells of B and P, which is sweet… Gods in disguise get hospitality from We Was Poor But We Was Honest B &P, who then escape a vengeful flood and spend their last years as temple caretakers.
Words I didn’t know: xx
Quotable quotes:
The others disagreed with what he said
And grew uneasy at his blasphemy,
Particularly Lelex, who was wise,
Mature in years as well as wit and feeling.
He said, “The powers of heaven are eternal,
Not to be measured by our time and space,
And what the gods decide, their will is done:
Meanwhile in the foothills of Phrygia
There are two trees, a lime tree and an oak
That grow within the ruins of a wall.
AND
Then Saturn’s son said in a quiet voice,
‘What gift would suit a good man and his wife?’
And when she’d had a whispered word with Baucis
Shy Philemon spoke up. ‘Our dearest wish is
To be your servants in that marble temple,
And since we’ve lived together all our lives,
So may we share the moment of our death.’
And for her husband Philemon continued:
‘I hope I never see my dear wife’s grave,
Nor may she see earth cover my remains.’
Their wishes were respected, many years
They took charge of the temple. When at last
In frail old age they stood at ease before
The temple’s doors and spoke of years gone by,
Baucis saw Philemon shake leaves around her,
And she herself saw Baucis do the same.
Around their faces branches seemed to tremble,
And as bark climbed their lips as if to close them,
They cried, ‘Farewell, good-bye, dear wife, dear husband.’
In Thrace the natives show their visitors
Two trees so close together that their branches
Seem to grow upward from a single trunk.
How it lands to my eco-sensibility: xx
Obvious allusions, ways it was used (that I am aware of already) : xx
What I know I didn’t ‘get’: xx
To my knowledge, who’s used it why/how (RACC):
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Old_World_Landowners
Further research questions: xx
Anything else: xx
Leave a comment