In the Wrong Paradise, and Other StoriesLang, Andrew
Science
In the Wrong Paradise, and Other Stories
Lang, Andrew
Paranormal fiction; Science fiction, English; Short stories; Slavery -- Fiction
[Greek text], and bidden him begone to the crows for a cursed fellow, and
one that made false quantities in every Greek name he uttered. But his
little poems were much liked by young men of his own sort, and by some of
the young women. Now death had come to Figgins, and here he was in the
Fortunate Islands, the very paradise of those Greeks about whom he had
always been prating while he was alive. And yet he was not happy. A
little lyre lay beside him in the grass, and now and again he twanged on
it dolorously, and he tried to weave himself garlands from the flowers
that grew around him; but he knew not the art, and ever and anon he felt
for his button-hole, wherein to stick a lily or the like. But he had no
button-hole. Then he would look at himself in the well, and yawn and
wish himself back in his friends' studios in London. I almost pitied the
wretch, and, going up to him, I asked him how he did. He said he had
never been more wretched. "Why," I asked, "was your mouth not always
full of the 'Greek spirit,' and did you not mock the Christians and their
religion? And, as to their heaven, did you not say that it was a tedious
place, full of pious old ladies and Philistines? And are you not got to
the paradise of the Greeks? What, then, ails you with your lot?" "Sir,"
said he, "to be plain with you, I do not understand a word these fellows
about me say, and I feel as I did the first time I went to Paris, before
I knew enough French to read the Master's poems. {128} Again, every one
here is mirthful and gay, and there is no man with a divinely passionate
potentiality of pain. When I first came here they were always asking me
to run with them or jump against them, and one fellow insisted I should
box with him, and hurt me very much. My potentiality of pain is
considerable. Or they would have me drive with them in these dangerous
open chariots,--me, that never rode in a hansom cab without feeling
nervous. And after dinner they sing songs of which I do not catch the
meaning of one syllable, and the music is like nothing I ever heard in my
life. And they are all abominably active and healthy. And such of their
poets as I admired--in Bohn's cribs, of course--the poets of the
Anthology, are not here at all, and the poets who are here are tremendous
proud toffs" (here Figgins relapsed into his natural style as it was
before he became a Neopagan poet), "and won't say a word to a cove. And
I'm sick of the Greeks, and the Fortunate Islands are a blooming fraud,
and oh, for paradise, give me Pentonville." With these words, perhaps
the only unaffected expression of genuine sentiment poor Figgins had ever
uttered, he relapsed into a gloomy silence. I advised him to cultivate
the society of the authors whose selected works are in the Greek
Delectus, and to try to make friends with Xenophon, whose Greek is about
as easy as that of any ancient. But I fear that Figgins, like the Rev.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account