This week's reading

Corpsey

bandz ahoy
'I was the unfortunate fruit of this return, being born ten months after, in a very weakly and infirm state; my birth cost my mother her life, and was the first of my misfortunes.'

Here's where Tolstoy's ears pricked up, I suppose.
 

Corpsey

bandz ahoy
his sighs, the convulsive pressure of his arms, witnessed that a bitter regret mingled itself with his caresses, though, as may be supposed, they were not on this account less ardent.

Okay, I like this.

But is this translation rubbish?

When he said to me, "Jean Jacques, let us talk of your mother," my usual reply was, "Yes, father, but then, you know, we shall cry," and immediately the tears started from his eyes. "Ah!" exclaimed he, with agitation, "Give me back my wife; at least console me for her loss; fill up, dear boy, the void she has left in my soul. Could I love thee thus wert thou only my son?" Forty years after this loss he expired in the arms of a second wife, but the name of the first still vibrated on his lips, still was her image engraved on his heart.

I mean really pfft
 

luka

Well-known member
I got bored after the pissing in the kettle bit sorry. I'll finish it later today
 

Corpsey

bandz ahoy
Genesis is bloody long isn't it?

I thought it was just the serpent story but that's over in the first three chapters
 

IdleRich

IdleRich
I remember reading something by Rousseau a few years back... well, I started, I actually lost it (as I seem to do with a lot of books) but on this occasion I was actually quite glad cos it was hard fucking work.
I've read the Bible cover to cover - albeit only skimming all that "And Jehosophat begat Jebosophat who begat Jebediah..." and so on that goes on for pages and pages. Didn't some vicar add all those up along with their ages to work out the total age of the Earth? I guess if you accept that Earth started with Adam and Eve (or four days before or whatever) and that the Bible is the literal word of God then just adding up the ages of all their descendants (presumably making an adjustment for overlaps, eg if Methusaleh lived to 913 and his son to 858 you can't just say that their period on Earth was the sum of those two numbers cos you need to subtract when they were both alive) until you get to vaguely documented history is a fairly sound methodology.
 

Corpsey

bandz ahoy
What I don't like about reading the bible is constantly getting exasperated at the illogic of it and the injustice of God (the LORD)

and then feeling like Ricky Gervais
 

Corpsey

bandz ahoy
'A whimsical look at the Bible!'

Mind you it is so presposterous - this guy lived 500 years and this guy lived 235 years and this guy lived 3546 years
 

IdleRich

IdleRich
'A whimsical look at the Bible!'
Mind you it is so presposterous - this guy lived 500 years and this guy lived 235 years and this guy lived 3546 years
No-one lived that long, I'm pretty sure that Methuselah was the oldest and compared to that he was a mere whippersnapper at nine hundred something.
But yeah God, I love all those bits when one person annoys him and then he smites like 30,000 people from the same tribe to teach them a lesson. Especially the bit - I think I remember this correctly - the Ark of the Covenant is about to fall over and some guy sticks out his hand to stop it falling... big mistake, punished by instant death for his blasphemy (and probably his 100,000 closest friends and relatives too but I'm not sure).
 
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