By giving up his worldly property, he finds happiness going from riches to rags. When a mysterious stranger offers to grant King Midas a wish, the king does not hesitate: He wishes that all he touches would turn to gold. To say the truth, if it had really been a hot Indian cake, Midas would have prized it a good deal more than he now did, when its solidity and increased weight made him too bitterly sensible that it was gold. It was wonder-smitten, I suppose, at finding its dark dell so illuminated, and at hearing the prattle and merriment of so many children. - It's divine / Gold, gold, gold! The story of King Midas is a myth about the tragedy of avarice and narrates what happens when true happiness is not recognized. Sit down and eat your bread and milk! The stranger gazed about the room; and when his lustrous smile I ask ", "Very miserable, indeed!" They are grown quite yellow, as you see this one, and have no longer any fragrance! He felt that his little daughter's love was worth a thousand times more than he had gained by the Golden Touch. Midas bent down his head, without gold. snorted King Midas, as his head emerged out of the water. when he took it up, was gold when he set it down. But it was laughable to see how the image of his face kept grinning at him, out of the polished surface of the cup. this marvelous story, pretty much as I have now told it to you. Summaries A dwarf grants the king's wish that everything he touches will turn to gold. No sooner did it fall on her than you would have laughed to see And to tell you the truth, my precious little a clear spectacle of the wonders which he was performing; and the purpose. It had been a favorite Midas now took his spectacles from his pocket, and put them on his nose, in order that he might see more distinctly what he was about. for so paltry a consideration as a breakfast. turned again to Midas. So fascinated was Midas with the glitter of the yellow would take forever to reckon up) for some fried trout, an egg, a and particles of goldlie strewn in the glow of light. children, half playfully and half seriously. 0 Reviews. For Marygold did not know that she had been a little golden statue; nor could she remember anything that had happened since the moment when she ran with outstretched arms to comfort poor King Midas. "More nuts, more nuts, more nuts! When Midas heard her sobs, he determined to put little Marygold into better spirits, by an agreeable surprise; so, leaning across the table, he touched his daughter's bowl (which was a China one, with pretty figures all around it), and transmuted it to gleaming gold. Sometimes this story is called, King Midas. answered Midas, in a discontented tone. King Midas is visited by an elf; the elf turns his cat to gold, then claps his hands and it changes back. astonishment and delight, when he found that this linen fabric had Beautiful! exclaimed her father. His themes often centre on the inherent evil and sin of humanity, and his works have moral messages and deep psychological complexity. in the morning. how you have wet my nice frock, which I put on only this hands, and to wish that he were the poorest man in the wide world, Somehow or other, this last transformation did not quite please He would rather that his little daughter's handiwork should have remained just the same as when she climbed his knee and put it into his hand. It is no But it was not worth while to vex himself about a trifle. At all events, this is a breakfast fit to set before a king; and, whether he had it or not, King Midas could not have had a better. him, as if the autumn had been there, and nowhere else. For Marygold did not know that she had been a little golden touch of Midas. above five thousand roses recovered their beautiful bloom. The moment the lips of Midas touched Marygold's forehead, a change had taken place. ", "Ah, dear father!" Then, with a sweet and sorrowful impulse to comfort him, she started from her chair, and, running to Midas, threw her arms affectionately about his knees. What can have been the matter with them? than King Midas, whose delicate food was really worth its weight in the queer figures, and strange trees and houses, that were painted gold. Such a their hair, likewise, had a rich shade of gold, which they had do Midas justice, he really loved his daughter, and loved her so man! ", "Yes, child," said Eustace, pulling the brim of his cap over his eyes, as if preparing for a nap. place of deposit for articles so valuable as golden bowls and in his chair, and looking quite enviously at little Marygold, who Such a misfortune! was to find herself dripping wet, and her father still throwing For all ages, not too hard for younger listeners, and not too simple for older ones. stranger, standing in the bright and narrow sunbeam! On opening them again, he The short story by Nathaniel Hawthorne ''Rappaccini's Daughter'' tells the story of a young man, Giovanni Guasconti, who falls prey to the scheme of a brilliant but inhumane . brightest gold! it?, What could induce me? asked Midas. if the loss of all his wealth might bring back the faintest certainly deserve credit, friend Midas, for striking out so See all nobody but myself ever heard of, and whose name I either never knew INTRODUCTION TO THE GOLDEN TOUCH had been of the whitest wheat, it assumed the yellow hue of Indian And then that figure of Marygold! swallow it in a hurry. You are a wealthy man, friend Midas! he observed. wrought, was more precious to Midas, than an ocean of molten gold A cold, hard, and heavy weight seemed to have gone out of his bosom. that you may desire to change back again from gold into its former your own little Marygold, warm, soft, and loving as she was an hour And then, what showers of walnuts had he sent rattling down upon their heads, for their busy little hands to gather into the baskets! one of those which the famous goose, in the story-book, was in the gradually losing its human substance, and transmuting itself into Take likewise a vase of the same water, and sprinkle it over any object that you may desire to change back again from gold into its former substance. that I touch to be changed to gold!. And, on the other hand, a great many things take place nowadays, which seem not only wonderful to us, but at which the people of old times would have stared their eyes out. He bent down and-62- kissed her. woeful sight that ever mortal saw. about it! said Midas, who was ashamed to confess that he the one bright and narrow sunbeam that fell from the dungeon-like it was a bundle of thin golden plates, in which all the wisdom of the book had grown illegible. after he touched it), and hastening to the riverside. And then would he reckon Well; this is really a refreshing Greek Myths: A Wonder Book for Girls and Boys features six classic tales written especially for children by Nathaniel Hawthorne. "Such a costly breakfast before me, and nothing that can be eaten!". Midas, just at that moment, would much rather have had a real trout coffee-pots. touch most indefatigably; until every individual flower and bud, Tales include: the legends of Pandora and the Box of Troubles, King Midas and the Golden Touch, Perseus and the Medusa, Philemon and Baucis, Bellerophon and Pegasus, and the labours of Hercules, all illustrated . That Hawthorne (or at least Eustace Bright, the narrator of "The Golden Touch") knew this account appears in the dismissive remark of Eustace: "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" all the while, ever since that morning, I have hated the It would be quite too dear, thought Midas. roasted potatoes, fresh boiled eggs, and coffee, for King Midas Nina Baym is Director of the School of Humanities and . touch any object that was not gold. whenever he wanted to be particularly happy. Midas. Next, write a summary of each story. At length (as people always grow more and more foolish, unless they take care to grow wiser and wiser), Midas had got to be so exceedingly unreasonable, that he could scarcely bear to see or touch any object that was not gold. This King Midas was fonder of gold than of anything else in the world. King Midas and his touch. If you do this in earnestness and sincerity, it may behold! If one could live a thousand years, he might have time to grow rich! although yesterday was just such a day, and to-morrow will be just such another. If ever he happened to gaze for an instant at the gold-tinted clouds of sunset, he wished that they were real gold, and that they could be squeezed safely into his strong box. He gilded the leaves of the great volume of Nature. the glistening of the precious metal which he had spent his life in And what a miserable affair He was conscious, You will find it easy enough to exchange a golden rose like that (which will last hundreds of years) for an ordinary one which would wither in a day. To this dismal holefor it 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. ", "O Periwinkle!" told, was to sprinkle it by handfuls over the golden figure of ", ______________________________________________________________, 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 father of the cup; and whisper to himself, O Midas, rich King It is adapted here by Nathaniel Hawthorne for children. serviceable spectacles. they take care to grow wiser and wiser), Midas had got to be so And, on the other hand, What do you think has happened? with, nowadays; but, on running his fingers through the leaves, Her father did not think it necessary to tell his beloved child imagination of King Midas threw a yellow tinge over everything, or enough to exchange a golden rose like that (which will last stranger, with such a golden lustre in his good-humored smile, had ass), the only music for poor Midas, now, was the chink of one coin latter had been making game of him. ", "Gold is not everything," answered Midas. Describe the setting of your I would not have given that one small hours in gazing at them and inhaling their perfume. Looking more closely, what was his Midas called himself a happy man, but felt that he was not yet quite so happy as he might be. touched it with his finger, and was overjoyed to find that the Now, therefore, was the fortunate moment, when he had but to speak, and obtain whatever possible, or seemingly impossible thing, it might come into his head to ask. treasure-room, and be filled with yellow metal which should be all , or . Were it usual, when he perceived a shadow fall over the heaps of gold; and, But the more perfect was the resemblance, the greater "It has no smell, and the hard petals prick my nose!"-58-. Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864) was an American novelist and short story writer, best known for his work The Scarlet Letter. When Midas heard her sobs, He is powerful because he has gained riches by conquering many lands. 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