Presenting Mark Twain's Five Boons of Life. The story will be posted one chapter per day, all five chapters.
CHAPTER ONE
In the morning of life came the good fairy with her
basket, and said:
"Here are gifts. Take one, leave the others.
And be wary, choose wisely; oh, choose wisely! for
only one of them is valuable."
The gifts were five: Fame, Love, Riches, Pleasure,
Death. The youth said eagerly:
"There is no need to consider," and he chose
Pleasure.
He went out into the world and sought out the
pleasures that youth delights in. But each in its
turn was short-lived and disappointing, vain and
empty; and each, departing, mocked him. In the
end he said: "These years have I wasted. If I
could but choose again, I would choose wisely."
basket, and said:
"Here are gifts. Take one, leave the others.
And be wary, choose wisely; oh, choose wisely! for
only one of them is valuable."
The gifts were five: Fame, Love, Riches, Pleasure,
Death. The youth said eagerly:
"There is no need to consider," and he chose
Pleasure.
He went out into the world and sought out the
pleasures that youth delights in. But each in its
turn was short-lived and disappointing, vain and
empty; and each, departing, mocked him. In the
end he said: "These years have I wasted. If I
could but choose again, I would choose wisely."
Word of the day: boon
3 comments:
Twain's writing takes many forms. This particular work reminds me of the form used by Kahlil Gibran in "The Prophet."
The preacher said, "Vanity of vanities, all is vanity."
Vee, he was a master of the language.
Chuck, perhaps this tale had its roots in Ecclesiastes.
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