Matsuo Bashō · 224 pages
Rating: (454 votes)
“Sadly, I part from you;
Like a clam torn from its shell,
I go, and autumn too.”
― Matsuo Bashō, quote from Narrow Road to the Interior: And Other Writings
“Lonely stillness— a single cicada’s cry sinking into stone”
― Matsuo Bashō, quote from Narrow Road to the Interior: And Other Writings
“A warbler singing— somewhere beyond the willow, before the thicket”
― Matsuo Bashō, quote from Narrow Road to the Interior: And Other Writings
“The past remains hidden in clouds of memory.”
― Matsuo Bashō, quote from Narrow Road to the Interior: And Other Writings
“Spring passes
and the birds cry out—tears
in the eyes of fishes”
― Matsuo Bashō, quote from Narrow Road to the Interior: And Other Writings
Matsuo Bashō
Born place: in Matsuo Kinsaku, Japan
Born date January 1, 1644
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“Are you sure you won’t be too bored here, waiting for us to come back? We don’t know how long our time with the Pythia will last; I hope you’ll find something to do.”
“Of course I will,” I told him. “I’ll be exploring Delphi.”
“No you won’t,” my brothers responded in perfect unison. Then they took turns telling me exactly why I couldn’t do what I wanted.
“You wouldn’t be safe,” Castor said.
“You’d get lost if you went wandering around the city on your own,” Polydeuces added.
“It’s too big.”
“Too noisy.”
“Too confusing.”
“Too busy.”
“You could run into the wrong sort of people.”
“Dangerous types.”
“But sneaky enough so you couldn’t tell they’re dangerous until it’s too late.”
“We’re responsible for your safety.”
“We have to know where you are at all times.”
“It’s not that we don’t trust you, Helen.”
“It’s them.”
“It’s for your own good.”
I flopped down on my bed. “Fine. Go. I’ll stay here,” I told the ceiling.
Castor and Polydeuces each grabbed one of my wrists and pulled me back to my feet. “I don’t think so,” Castor said, chuckling. “You’d stay here, all right. You’d stay here just until you saw us go into Apollo’s temple, and then you’d be a little cloud of dust sailing out through the gates.”
“You don’t have to come with us,” Polydeuces said. “But if you want to tour this city, you’ll have to do it on our terms.”
With that, he left me in Castor’s company.
“Where’s he going?” I asked.
“Probably to see if the priests of Apollo have an oil jar big enough to stuff you inside for safekeeping.” He winked at me.
No matter how much I loved my brothers, I wasn’t in the mood for more teasing. “Aren’t you afraid you’ll insult the Pythia if you don’t go to see her right now? You were summoned. She could foretell terrible fates for the two of you if you keep her waiting.”
Castor didn’t seem worried. “If she’s truly blessed with the gift of prophecy, she already knows we’re going to be delayed. And if she can’t foretell that, she’s as much of an oracle as I am, so why should I care what she predicts?” He laughed out loud, then added, “But don’t tell Polydeuces I said that. He’s the devout one.”
― Esther M. Friesner, quote from Nobody's Princess
“The discussion itself is what most matters, the fact that we can reason together easily, with a blend of wit and seriousness, never descending into gossip or slander and always allowing room for alternative views.”
― Stephen Greenblatt, quote from The Swerve: How the World Became Modern
“I’m twenty-eight years old and I hate my life. I never have the time or the energy to work out how to change it. On Sundays I trail round a museum to keep warm, or lose myself in a library book, or fiddle with the wireless. But Monday’s already looming. And always I’ve got this panicky feeling inside, because I know I’m getting nowhere, just keeping myself alive. Tacked”
― Michelle Paver, quote from Dark Matter
“It is the middle of December now, and we are about to travel to Switzerland - where we plan to ski a little, relax a little, and shoot a Dutch politician a little.”
― Hugh Laurie, quote from The Gun Seller
“I came from rainbow fabric; I drank textile ink as mothers’ milk. I learned to sew before I could walk. I could never become a nun, purely because of the boring fashion choices.”
― Pepper Winters, quote from Debt Inheritance
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