James Lileks pens a bittersweet Bleat today that touched a chord.
"Books are different - I see a stack of 50s or 60s children books and I get this twinge of regret. Each book is a remainder of a unremarkable moment now made precious by the passage of time."
I recently began to collect the books of my childhood. I clearly recall the day I chose which to store in Gran's attic and which to take to the Goodwill. At age twenty-three they were excess baggage as I headed overseas on my first adult adventure.
Did any make their way to the Twin Cities for James to ponder? (Mine will have the occasional tiny, ornate pencil drawing in the margins)
I recently found several "Harvard Classics" first editions that I once loved. Æsop’s Fables* remain apt lessons in human nature and as pertinent today as they were in Sixth century Greece:
The war on terror is not a new concept:
"The Swallow and the Other Birds"It happened that a Countryman was sowing some hemp seeds in a field where a Swallow and some other birds were hopping about picking up their food. “Beware of that man,” quoth the Swallow. “Why, what is he doing?” said the others. “That is hemp seed he is sowing; be careful to pick up every one of the seeds, or else you will repent it.” The birds paid no heed to the Swallow’s words, and by and by the hemp grew up and was made into cord, and of the cords nets were made, and many a bird that had despised the Swallow’s advice was caught in nets made out of that very hemp. “What did I tell you?” said the Swallow.
Destroy the seed of evil, or it will grow up to your ruin.
The anti-war protestors bleat and bray, but it is not a new story they tell either:
The Wolf and the KidA Kid was perched up on the top of a house, and looking down saw a Wolf passing under him. Immediately he began to revile and attack his enemy. “Murderer and thief,” he cried, “what do you here near honest folks’ houses? How dare you make an appearance where your vile deeds are known?”
“Curse away, my young friend,” said the Wolf.
“It is easy to be brave from a safe distance.”
The last is for our dear friends, the French and Germans:
The Two Fellows and the BearTwo Fellows were travelling together through a wood, when a Bear rushed out upon them. One of the travellers happened to be in front, and he seized hold of the branch of a tree, and hid himself among the leaves. The other, seeing no help for it, threw himself flat down upon the ground, with his face in the dust. The Bear, coming up to him, put his muzzle close to his ear, and sniffed and sniffed. But at last with a growl he shook his head and slouched off, for bears will not touch dead meat. Then the fellow in the tree came down to his comrade, and, laughing, said “What was it that Master Bruin whispered to you?”
“He told me,” said the other,
“Never trust a friend who deserts you at a pinch.”
*retold by Joseph Jacobs, 1894 edition
Posted by feste at April 1, 2003 04:20 PMthis always made me think of the UN:
A man, his son, and his donkey were on their way to market.
On the way, the met a man who told them, "What's the use of having a donkey if you don't ride on it?"
So the father put the boy on the donkey's back and the continued their journey.
When they passed by a group of men, one said, 'That boy must be too lazy. He rides while his father walks."
So, the father asked his boy to get off, and he rode on the donkey.
On the way, a group of women saw them, and one said, "What a shame for that old man to let the child walk!"
Thus, the father took the boy up to ride with him.
But they met a passerby who said, "Poor little donkey."
So, the man and his son got off. Then, they got a pole, tied the donkey's legs to it and carried the ends of the poles on their shoulders.
At their sight, people began laughing at them.
When they got to the market bridge, the donkey began kicking and one of his legs got loose.
The boy dropped his end of the pole and the donkey fell in the water and drowned.
Moral:
Do not let anybody decide for you and do not mind too much what other people say. You'll go crazy if you do and you cannot please everyone anyway.