Blue Sun Room FICTION - GENERAL
WHAT BEGINS WITH AN APPLE (11) Part (12)
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
River’s pursuit of the Salmon of Wisdom takes her to Inara’s door.
CATEGORY: FICTION TIMES READ: 5109 RATING: 9.0 (PG13) SERIES: FIREFLY
Comments
Wednesday, 11 July 2012 18:09
Well, folks, the blockquotes for the poetry quotations didn't quite work as expected, and then I tried to fix it, and that doesn't give me the format I was looking for, either. Oh well. I hope you enjoy this River POV. If it sounds like she's quoting something, she probably is.
Wednesday, 11 July 2012 18:20
I'm as baffled as Inara by the end of this. Thank goodness River isn't as confusing as this all the time! Ali D :~)
"You can't take the sky from me!"
"You can't take the sky from me!"
Wednesday, 11 July 2012 18:20
I'm as baffled as Inara by the end of this. Thank goodness River isn't as confusing as this all the time! Ali D :~)
"You can't take the sky from me!"
"You can't take the sky from me!"
Wednesday, 11 July 2012 18:20
I'm as baffled as Inara by the end of this. Thank goodness River isn't as confusing as this all the time! Ali D :~)
"You can't take the sky from me!"
"You can't take the sky from me!"
Wednesday, 11 July 2012 22:29
Good grief, you may have double posted on my fic but it seems I've triple posted on yours! Three sorries, Ebfiddler! Ali D :~)
"You can't take the sky from me!"
"You can't take the sky from me!"
GWG
Wednesday, 11 July 2012 23:21
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aengus
Aengus asked his father if he could live in the Brú for a day and a night, and the Dagda agreed. But Irish has no indefinite article, so "a day and a night" is the same as "day and night", which covers all time, and so Aengus took possession of the Brú permanently.
He found his girl, Caer Ibormeith. On November 1, Caer and the other girls would turn into swans for one year, every second Samhain. Aengus was told he could marry Caer if he could identify her as a swan. Aengus succeeded. He turned himself into a swan and they flew away, singing beautiful music that put all its listeners asleep for three days and nights. [
Aengus asked his father if he could live in the Brú for a day and a night, and the Dagda agreed. But Irish has no indefinite article, so "a day and a night" is the same as "day and night", which covers all time, and so Aengus took possession of the Brú permanently.
He found his girl, Caer Ibormeith. On November 1, Caer and the other girls would turn into swans for one year, every second Samhain. Aengus was told he could marry Caer if he could identify her as a swan. Aengus succeeded. He turned himself into a swan and they flew away, singing beautiful music that put all its listeners asleep for three days and nights. [
GWG
Wednesday, 11 July 2012 23:27
THE SONG OF WANDERING AENGUS by: W.B. Yeats
.................And some one called me by my name:
It had become a glimmering girl
With apple blossom in her hair
Who called me by my name and ran
And faded through the brightening air.
Though I am old with wandering
Through hollow lands and hilly lands,
I will find out where she has gone,
And kiss her lips and take her hands;
And walk among long dappled grass,
And pluck till time and times are done
The silver apples of the moon,
The golden apples of the sun.
.................And some one called me by my name:
It had become a glimmering girl
With apple blossom in her hair
Who called me by my name and ran
And faded through the brightening air.
Though I am old with wandering
Through hollow lands and hilly lands,
I will find out where she has gone,
And kiss her lips and take her hands;
And walk among long dappled grass,
And pluck till time and times are done
The silver apples of the moon,
The golden apples of the sun.
Thursday, 12 July 2012 12:28
Nice Star Trek reference. It will be interesting to see if River and the others can figure out what is bouncing around her brain before it is too late.
Thursday, 12 July 2012 13:19
Poor Inara at least she is trying to puzzle it out and maybe she will in time.
ZOESMOM
Thursday, 12 July 2012 13:31
The Angus and Caer story is beautiful, and well suited to the situation. I'll admit that I had to go look it up, though. Glad I did.
If Eris isn't that lady's real name, it should be!
I loved the Star Trek reference too. 500 years from now, that counts as a reference to classical literature, right?
If Eris isn't that lady's real name, it should be!
I loved the Star Trek reference too. 500 years from now, that counts as a reference to classical literature, right?
Thursday, 12 July 2012 18:15
Thanks for your comments, folks. As you can tell, this chapter is piled high and deep with references. River, as I imagine her, has read all kinds of things from wide-ranging and eclectic sources, and she collects all the shiny bits in her memory, pulls them out and integrates them when they seem applicable. She's wide ranging, from Star Trek and Galaxy Quest (anyone catch that one?), to heaps of Greek mythological references -- from the pervasive ones regarding the Trojan War, to the labors of Hercules, the Minotaur, the Odyssey, Aeschylus and Euripedes (and Dune?) -- to poets ranging from Marvell, Blake, Shelley, Poe, Sassoon, and Scott, not to mention the signature reference of this segment, W.B. Yeats's poem "The Song of Wandering Aengus" and the Celtic mythology it alludes to. (Phew! And that's just some of what I put in deliberately. :-) ) This isn't the last we'll see of Angus and Caer Ibormeith, whose tale I view as having persisted as a part of Rim folklore. That's why Inara doesn't recognize it, despite being such an educated woman. Sometimes a Core education doesn't cover all the bases.
Posting for the next few weeks is going to be spotty, as I'm going to be far away from my usual internet provider. I'll try to keep up the posting, but probably won't be able to stick to a strict schedule.
Posting for the next few weeks is going to be spotty, as I'm going to be far away from my usual internet provider. I'll try to keep up the posting, but probably won't be able to stick to a strict schedule.
Thursday, 12 July 2012 18:49
I'll admit, I had to look up several references, my Greek mythology has lapsed since I switched to teaching 11th grade English (which is mainly American authors, in the states) but the poetry, that stays with you. I guess it’s River’s integration of genre and period that has me confounded much, like Inara.
Enjoy your holiday, looking for more.
Enjoy your holiday, looking for more.
ZOESMOM
Friday, 13 July 2012 19:13
Oh, goodness me, there IS a Galaxy Quest reference in there! Immediately after the Star Trek reference, and referring to the star Trek reference, just as it should be. Wow, you're good!
BYTEMITE
Friday, 13 July 2012 20:11
This is a good point of view from Inara. Displaced a little from Mal in her anger, and she recovers some of her grace. Bouncing her off River allows you to show her intelligence and also to see how Saffron has played her.
Your River is excellent in this chapter. And how the crew deal with River when she's so not lucid is a very good read, because sometimes her caretakers even get frustrated. I have been trying to convince Riona to keep reading, at least this story because it falls in her range of interests - she actually wants to start some sort of day center or even over-night center for people suffering under a similar affliction as River, and so she's the most interested in stories showing how to handle those day to day aspects. Also she has a crush on Simon, and would like to see more brother and sister interaction. but this story is GREAT for this. But anyway, I'm trying, because I think if she doesn't read this she might miss out.
But anyway, the language and allegory itself. This chapter flows so well, and you have these layers of myths and references, and then self-references too. All the River lines are great like the one about her not being able to follow the salmon, but I think my favourite line is Inara thinking about how Mal can see through her armor and how he can expose it as nothing more than borrowed feathers. With all the woman turning into a swan references and Angus seeing through the swan, it's got all the dramatic irony I could ever ask for.
Your River is excellent in this chapter. And how the crew deal with River when she's so not lucid is a very good read, because sometimes her caretakers even get frustrated. I have been trying to convince Riona to keep reading, at least this story because it falls in her range of interests - she actually wants to start some sort of day center or even over-night center for people suffering under a similar affliction as River, and so she's the most interested in stories showing how to handle those day to day aspects. Also she has a crush on Simon, and would like to see more brother and sister interaction. but this story is GREAT for this. But anyway, I'm trying, because I think if she doesn't read this she might miss out.
But anyway, the language and allegory itself. This chapter flows so well, and you have these layers of myths and references, and then self-references too. All the River lines are great like the one about her not being able to follow the salmon, but I think my favourite line is Inara thinking about how Mal can see through her armor and how he can expose it as nothing more than borrowed feathers. With all the woman turning into a swan references and Angus seeing through the swan, it's got all the dramatic irony I could ever ask for.
Post Your Comments
You must log in to post comments.