FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151  
152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   162   163   164   165   166   167   168   169   170   171   172   173   174   175   176   >>   >|  
owed; there is no law to enjoin it. My father had, it is true, a hundred female slaves, but only one real, true wife, our mother Kassandane." "And I will be your Kassandane." "No, my Sappho, for what you will be to me, no woman ever yet was to her husband." "When shall you come to fetch me?" "As soon as I can, and am permitted to do so." "Then I ought to be able to wait patiently." "And shall I ever hear from you?" "Oh, I shall write long, long letters, and charge every wind with loving messages for you." "Yes, do so, my darling; and as to the letters, give them to the messenger who will bring Nitetis tidings from Egypt from time to time." "Where shall I find him?" "I will see that a man is stationed at Naukratis, to take charge of everything you send to him. All this I will settle with Melitta." "Yes, we can trust her, she is prudent and faithful; but I have another friend, who is dearer to me than any one else excepting you, and who loves me too better than any one else does, but you--" "You mean your grandmother Rhodopis." "Yes, my faithful guardian and teacher." "Ah, she is a noble woman. Croesus considers her the most excellent among women, and he has studied mankind as the physicians do plants and herbs. He knows that rank poison lies hidden in some, in others healing cordials, and often says that Rhodopis is like a rose which, while fading away herself, and dropping leaf after leaf, continues to shed perfume and quickening balsam for the sick and weak, and awaits in patience the wind which at last shall waft her from us." "The gods grant that she may be with us for a long time yet! Dearest, will you grant me one great favor?" "It is granted before I hear it." "When you take me home, do not leave Rhodopis here. She must come with us. She is so kind and loves me so fervently, that what makes me happy will make her so too, and whatever is dear to me, will seem to her worthy of being loved." "She shall be the first among our guests." "Now I am quite happy and satisfied, for I am necessary to my grandmother; she could not live without her child. I laugh her cares and sorrows away, and when she is singing to me, or teaching me how to guide the style, or strike the lute, a clearer light beams from her brow, the furrows ploughed by grief disappear, her gentle eyes laugh, and she seems to forget the evil past in the happy present." "Before we part, I will ask her whether she w
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151  
152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   162   163   164   165   166   167   168   169   170   171   172   173   174   175   176   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
Rhodopis
 

charge

 

letters

 

faithful

 

grandmother

 
Kassandane
 
enjoin
 

fervently

 
worthy
 

granted


perfume

 

quickening

 
balsam
 

continues

 
dropping
 

awaits

 
Dearest
 
patience
 

father

 

disappear


gentle

 

ploughed

 

furrows

 

clearer

 

Before

 

present

 

forget

 

strike

 

satisfied

 

fading


guests

 
teaching
 

singing

 

sorrows

 

stationed

 
Naukratis
 

Sappho

 
prudent
 

friend

 
settle

Melitta
 

tidings

 
permitted
 
patiently
 

messenger

 

husband

 
Nitetis
 

loving

 
messages
 

darling