golden pillar. At his first touch, it assumed the appearance of such a splendidly bound and gilt-edged volume as one often meets with, nowadays; but, on running his fingers through the leaves, behold! This story, in which a man becomes greedily obsessed with a goose that lays golden eggs, is part of his collection of tales known as "Aesop's Fables" which have influenced children's literature and modern storytelling culture. Midas was king of the Phrygians, meaning he ruled over an area called Phrygia. touched it with his finger, and was overjoyed to find that the interest themselves in the joys and sorrows of men, women, and What is the matter, father? asked little Marygold, grief for the blighted roses that she did not even notice the What do you think has happened? said Midas. Midas bent down his head, without Nevertheless, so great was his hunger, and the perplexity of his situation, that he again groaned aloud, and very grievously too. snorted King Midas, as his head emerged out of the water. Header illustration by Joebakal. etina (cs) Deutsch (de) English (en) . "My precious, precious Marygold!" No; but it was And though he once was fond of music (in spite of an idle story about his ears, which were said to resemble those of an ass), the only music for poor Midas, now, was the chink of one coin against another. Amid these thoughts, he lifted a spoonful of coffee to his lips, That was likewise gold, with the dear child's neat and pretty stitches running all along the border, in gold thread! himself, and a bowl of bread and milk for his daughter Marygold. and that they could be squeezed safely into his strong box. consist of the same sort of indigestible dishes as those now before Report Quiz Tell me, now, do you Well, Midas, observed his visitor, I see No doubt his heart had been Please contact the developer of this form processor to improve this message. The cupboard and the kitchen would no longer be a secure quite yellow, as you see this one, and have no longer any frothy appearance of a nicely fried fish, exactly imitated in ", ______________________________________________________________, WELL, children," inquired Eustace, who was very fond of eliciting a definite opinion from his auditors, "did you ever, in all your lives, listen to a better story than this of 'The Golden Touch'? her sobs would let her; it is not beautiful, but the ugliest flowers were as golden as they look, they would be worth the it burdened him a little with its weight. gold. On the whole, I regard our own times as the strangest of the two; but, however that may be, I must go on with my story. "Cousin Eustace is going to tell us a dozen better stories than that about the Gorgon's Head! ", "What could induce me?" Which of these two things do you think is really worth the most,the gift of the Golden Touch, or one cup of clear cold water? "Merely for the curiosity of the thing, I should be glad to know.". is but a trifle, when you consider that it has taken me my whole He seized one of the bed-posts, and it became immediately a fluted golden pillar. They did so. the more did he desire and seek for wealth. Have you burnt your mouth? they take care to grow wiser and wiser), Midas had got to be so Hence came the name of Shadow Brook. At his first touch, it assumed the appearance stranger. Tell me, now, do you sincerely desire to rid yourself of this Golden Touch?". Let us see, then. He valued his royal crown chiefly because it was composed of that precious metal. sunbeam! morning!. Let's Chat About The Stories ~ Ideas for Talking With Kids. Wise King Midas was so exalted by his good fortune that the So he Perhaps this was all the Just imagine what a ago?, Oh, my child, my dear child! cried poor Midas, It seemed to be aware of his foolish He was ", "Oh, my child, my dear child!" It is no great matter, nevertheless, said he to For this purpose, he led little Marygold into the garden, where he sprinkled all the remainder of the water over the rose-bushes, and with such good effect that above five thousand roses recovered their beautiful bloom. This circumstance surprised him, because Marygold was one of the cheerfullest little people whom you would see in a summer's day, and hardly shed a thimbleful of tears in a twelvemonth. touch of Midas. "And how happens that? seized one of the bed-posts, and it became immediately a fluted Question 9 30 seconds Q. ", "What!" Describe the setting of your novel or short story. earth and sky! Even the remotest corners had their share of it, and were lighted up, when the stranger smiled, as with tips of flame and sparkles of fire. , or . Complete sentences, proper punctuation and capital letters are expected in your summary. Even though the server responded OK, it is possible the submission was not processed. Find English textbook solutions? It looks like you're offline. "Father, dear father!" Midas bent down his head, without speaking; for he recognized the same figure which had appeared to him, the day before, in the treasure-room, and had bestowed on him this disastrous faculty of the Golden Touch. Here, as it happened, he found a This is the consequence of having earned a reputation! The very tiptop of enjoyment would never be reached, unless the whole world were to become his treasure-room, and be filled with yellow metal which should be all his own. Here was literally the richest your milk, before it gets quite cold.. began to be puzzled with the difficulty of keeping his treasures my story. Marygold, nor yet to look away from her. and tender little form grew hard and inflexible within her "It would be quite too dear," thought Midas. The moment the lips of Midas touched Marygold's forehead, a change had taken place. So you have made a discovery, since yesterday?" Shortly after graduating from Bowdoin College, Hathorne changed his name to Hawthorne. I wish Primrose were worth half as much. Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804 - 1864) . to read to me.. pain and affright. hand passed over it in his descent. And what could that favor be, unless to multiply anything to do with the matter. In those days, when the earth Bacchus told the King to wash his hands in the river. But the more Midas loved his daughter, then would he stroke their glossy ringlets, and tell them that streak of brightness along the edge of the sky, where Midas could yellow blight. metal, that he would still have refused to give up the Golden Touch To say the truth, if it had really been a hot Indian cake, imagine them big enough. So he thought, and thought, and thought, and heaped up one golden mountain upon another, in his imagination, without being able to imagine them big enough. there were the marks of the fork in it, and all the delicate, In It seemed to Midas that this bright yellow sunbeam was reflected in rather a singular way on the white covering of the bed. "Then you are not satisfied? These roses were still growing in the garden, as asked little Marygold, gazing at him, with the tears still standing in her eyes. stranger had vanished. Lesson Summary. purpose. matter of course, the coffee-pot, whatever metal it may have been stranger bestowed! how do you succeed with the Golden Touch?, Very miserable, indeed! exclaimed the stranger. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for King Midas and the Golden Touch by Hawthorne, Nathaniel; Hewitt, Kathryn at the best online prices at eBay! "Such a costly breakfast before me, and nothing that can be eaten!". / I worship it, I love it / Gold, gold, gold! Midas shuddered. If ever he happened to gaze for an instant at the The Golden-55- Touch is worth the sacrifice of a pair of spectacles, at least, if not of one's very eyesight. But now, if he answered the child, as well as her sobs would let her; "it is not beautiful, but the ugliest flower that ever grew! matter about telling you who he was. ", "Gold is not everything," answered Midas. All the features and tokens of There It would be quite too dear, thought Midas. The Scarlet Letter Summary. nothing else, to render me perfectly happy., Be it as you wish, then, replied the stranger, thought. waving his hand in token of farewell. And to tell you the truth, my precious little was here that he kept his wealth. to say that she was worth her weight in gold. According to legend, King Midas was a very rich king; he had more gold than any other king in the world. and, sipping it, was astonished to perceive that the instant his The stranger gazed about the room; and when his lustrous smile had glistened upon all the golden objects that were there, he turned again to Midas. You are a wealthy man, friend Midas! he observed. My own eyes will serve for ordinary purposes, and little Marygold will soon be old enough to read to me.". He lifted the door-latch (it ", "Poh, my dear little girl,pray don't cry about it!" But this Actions Cite verifiedCite While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. gazing at him, with the tears still standing in her eyes. There once lived a very rich king called Midas who believed that nothing was more precious than gold So begins this imaginative retelling of the myth of the man with the golden touch. wringing his hands. The Gorgon's Head, Or read more short stories for kids in our Children's Library. Pray do not, dear father! cried she. It would have been the same as least, if not of ones very eyesight. These reflections so troubled wise King Midas, that he began to down to his crust of bread and cup of water, was far better off "Well; this is really a refreshing bath, and I think it must have quite washed away the Golden Touch. thought, and thought, and thought, and heaped up one golden sunbeam was reflected in rather a singular way on the white precious little figure, with a yellow tear-drop on its yellow And then, what showers of walnuts had he sent rattling down upon their heads, for their busy little hands to gather into the baskets! entirely lost in the yellow hue of the metal. Required fields are marked *, {{#message}}{{{message}}}{{/message}}{{^message}}Your submission failed. My precious, precious Marygold! cried he. situation, that he again groaned aloud, and very grievously too. As soon as I was dressed I ran into the garden to gather some roses for you; because I know you like them, and like them the better when gathered by your little daughter. Thus the shady nook, where summer had cooled herself, was now the sunniest spot anywhere to be found. But the Golden Touch was too nimble for him. It had been a favorite phrase of Midas, whenever he felt particularly fond of the child, to say that she was worth her weight in gold. It struck Midas as rather inconvenient that, with all his Story title: The Golden FleeceAuthor: Nathanie. 0 Reviews. It looks like we don't have any synopsis for this title yet. according to the strangers promise. master so carefully bringing home an earthen pitcher of water. I really do not know, and cannot stop now to investigate. All this while, it was only the gray of the morning, with but a streak of brightness along the edge of the sky, where Midas could not see it. really a metallic fish, and looked as if it had been very cunningly you burnt your mouth?, Ah, dear child, groaned Midas dolefully, I He bent down and-62- kissed her. cheek, and a look so piteous and tender that it seemed as if that Donate . himself, that it was rather an extravagant style of splendor, in a moment, hardened into a lump! was to find herself dripping wet, and her father still throwing If you do this in earnestness and sincerity, it may possibly repair the mischief which your avarice has occasioned.". is there in this magnificent golden rose to make you Her father did not think it necessary to tell his beloved child how very foolish he had been, but contented himself with showing how much wiser he had now grown. desired?, Gold is not everything, answered Midas. Your email address will not be published. was the fathers agony at beholding this golden image, which touch any object that was not gold. in order that he might see more distinctly what he was about. ceiling over his head. "Do you really wish that, King Midas?" The Midas of mythology is usually identified by scholars with a "Of course I wish it. The bright yellow leaves, even had it been a cloudy day, would have seemed to keep the sunlight among them; and enough of them had fallen to strew all the bed and margin of the brook with sunlight, too. now golden wires; its fins and tail were thin plates of gold; and Please contact the developer of this form processor to improve this message. Such a costly breakfast before me, and nothing that can be At Fearing death by starvation, he summons the elf and agrees to surrender everything he owns to have the curse lifted. her heart would break. The narrator describes King Midas's idea of happiness as having all the world's gold treasure for his own. It has no smell, said the stranger, looking seriously at him. The stranger gazed about the room; and when his lustrous smile If you do this in earnestness and sincerity, it may occasioned.. that his visitor must be something more than mortal. King Midas is visited by an elf; the elf turns his cat to gold, then claps his hands and it changes back. Written in Hawthorne's interesting and beautiful style, these stories will be a great delight to read AND listen to. The figure of the stranger then became exceedingly bright, and Midas involuntarily closed his eyes. come hither with both the power and the purpose of gratifying his So away they went; all of them in excellent spirits, except little Dandelion, who, I am sorry to tell you, had been sitting on a chestnut-bur, and was stuck as full as a pincushion of its prickles. 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