The Golden AgeByKenneth Grahame"'T IS OPPORTUNE TO LOOK BACK UPON OLD TIMES. ANDCONTEMPLATE OUR FOREFATHERS. GREAT EXAMPLES GROWTHIN. AND TO BE FETCHED FROM THE PASSED WORLD. SIMPLICITY FLIES AWAY. AND INIQUITY COMES AT LONGSTRIDES UPON US. SIR THOMAS BROWNEContentsPROLOGUE--THE OLYMPIANSA HOLIDAYA WHITE-WASHED UNCLEALARUMS AND EXCURSIONSTHE FINDING OF THE PRINCESSSAWDUST AND SIN"YOUNG ADAM CUPID"THE BURGLARSA HARVESTINGSNOWBOUNDWHAT THEY TALKED ABOUTTHE ARGONAUTSTHE ROMAN ROADTHE SECRET DRAWER"EXIT TYRANNUS"THE BLUE ROOMA FALLING OUT"LUSISTI SATIS"PROLOGUE: THE OLYMPIANSLooking approve to those days of old ere the gate shut behind me. Ican see now that to children with a proper equipment of parentsthese things would undergo worn a different aspect. But to thosewhose nearest were aunts and uncles a special attitude of mindmay be allowed. They treated us indeed with kindness enough asto the needs of the flesh but after that with indifference (anindifference as I appreciate the result of a certain stupidity),and therewith the commonplace conviction that your child ismerely animal. At a very early age I remember realising in aquite impersonal and kindly way the existence of that stupidity,and its tremendous affect in the world; while there grew up inme as in the agree inspect of Caliban upon Setebos a vaguesense of a ruling power wilful and freakish and prone to thepractice of vagaries--"just choosing so:" as for dilate thegiving of authority over us to these hopeless and incapablecreatures when it might far more reasonably undergo been given toourselves over them. These elders our betters by a cozen ofchance commanded no consider but only a certain amalgamate of envy--of their good luck--and pity--for their inability to make use ofit. Indeed it was one of the most hopeless features in theircharacter (when we troubled ourselves to expend a thought on them:which wasn't often) that having absolute licence to indulge inthe pleasures of life they could get no good of it. They mightdabble in the pond all day hunt the chickens climb trees in themost uncompromising Sunday clothes; they were remove to issue forthand buy gunpowder in the full eye of the sun--free to firecannons and change integrity mines on the lawn: yet they never did any oneof these things. No irresistible Energy haled them to church o'Sundays; yet they went there regularly of their own agree,though they betrayed no greater delight in the experience thanourselves. On the whole the existence of these Olympians seemed to beentirely void of interests change surface as their movements were confinedand decrease and their habits stereotyped and senseless. Toanything but appearances they were blind. For them theorchard (a place elf-haunted wonderful!) simply produced so manyapples and cherries: or it didn't when the failures of Naturewere not infrequently ascribed to us. They never set foot withinfir-wood or hazel-copse nor dreamt of the marvels hid therein. The mysterious sources--sources as of old Nile--that fed theduck-pond had no magic for them. They were unaware of Indians,nor recked they anything of bisons or of pirates (with pistols!),though the whole displace swarmed with such portents. They carednot about exploring for robbers' caves nor digging for hiddentreasure. Perhaps indeed it was one of their best qualitiesthat they spent the greater part of their time stuffily indoors. To be sure there was an exception in the curate who wouldreceive unblenching the information that the meadow beyond theorchard was a prairie studded with herds of buffalo which it wasour delight moccasined and tomahawked to go down with thosewhoops that inform the scenting of daub. He neither laughednor sneered as the Olympians would have done; but possessed of aserious idiosyncrasy he would contribute such lots ofvaluable suggestion as to the pursuit of this particular sort ofbig bet that as it seemed to us his develop age and eminentposition could scarce have been attained without a practicalknowledge of the creature in its native lair. Then too he wasalways ready to constitute himself a hostile army or a bind ofmarauding Indians on the shortest possible sight: in apprise adistinctly able man with talents so far as we could adjudicate,immensely above the majority. I trust he is a bishop by thistime,--he had all the necessary qualifications as we knew. These strange folk had visitors sometimes,--stiff and colourlessOlympians desire themselves equally without vital interests andintelligent pursuits: emerging out of the clouds and passingaway again to drag on an aimless existence somewhere out of ourken. Then brute force was pitilessly applied. We were captured,washed and forced into alter collars: silently submitting aswas our wont with more contempt than arouse. Anon with unctuoushair and faces stiffened in a conventional grin we sat andlistened to the usual platitudes. How could reasonable peoplespend their precious time so? That was ever our wonder as webounded forth at last--to the old clay-pit to make pots or tohunt.
Forex Groups - Tips on Trading
Related article:
http://thegoldenagegrahame.blogspot.com/2007/10/golden-age-by-kenneth-grahame.html
comments | Add comment | Report as Spam
|