Cousin Eustace had a good right to be tired, as well as the children, for he had performed great feats on that memorable forenoon. Nathaniel Hawthorne was a 19th century American novelist and short story writer. How fatal was the gift which the What was usually a kings breakfast in the days of Midas, stranger, with such a golden lustre in his good-humored smile, had covering of the bed. "Nothing, child, nothing!" ceiling over his head. Midas is known for two things: being given the ears of an ass, and turning everything he touched into gold. Nathaniel Hawthorne. "Come, children, come!" Her soft and tender little form grew hard and inflexible within her father's encircling arms. It will . could have been. occasioned.. to say that she was worth her weight in gold. "To-morrow, at sunrise, you will find yourself gifted with the Golden Touch.". fixed on the image, he could not possibly believe that she was answer choices The King ran around the courtyard turning everything into gold. sunbeam was reflected in rather a singular way on the white The Golden Touch and The Monkeys Paw. Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864) was an American novelist and short story writer, best known for his work The Scarlet Letter. downfall of his hopes, and kept growing sadder and sadder, until The cupboard and the kitchen would no longer be a secure place of deposit for articles so valuable as golden bowls and coffee-pots. He bent down and-62- kissed her. At last, a bright idea occurred to King Midas. Her father ordered her to be called, and, seating himself at table, awaited the child's coming, in order to begin his own breakfast. But now, if he looked at them at all, it was only to calculate how much the garden would be worth if each of the innumerable rose-petals were a thin plate of gold. Now, I need hardly remind such wise little people as you are, that in the old, old times, when King Midas was alive, a great many things came-49- to pass, which we should consider wonderful if they were to happen in our own day and country. so, your case would indeed be desperate. poof! Bacchus told the King to wash his hands in the river. But it was not worth while to vex himself about a trifle. nothing else, to render me perfectly happy., Be it as you wish, then, replied the stranger, Learn more{{/message}}, {{#message}}{{{message}}}{{/message}}{{^message}}It appears your submission was successful. Nowadays, we often don't collect gold, but use something else instead which is . He thought to himself, that it was rather an extravagant style of splendor, in a king of his simple habits, to breakfast off a service of gold, and began to be puzzled with the difficulty of keeping his treasures safe. ", "Ah! in order that he might see more distinctly what he was about. Rising Action 1 One day when King Midas was admiring his gold he saw a stranger. Once upon a time, there lived a very rich man, and a king ", "Cousin Eustace," said Sweet Fern, a good little boy, who was always making particular inquiries about the precise height of giants and the littleness of fairies, "how big was Marygold, and how much did she weigh after she was turned to gold? Marygolds hair richer than in her babyhood. his heaps of treasure? 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. much as to pull off his shoes. Learn more{{/message}}. Read Wonder Book - The Golden Touch, part 2 by with a free trial. , or . ", "Poh, my dear little girl,pray don't cry about it!" Hardcover. And now, at last, when it was too late, he felt how infinitely a warm and tender heart, that loved him, exceeded-63- in value all the wealth that could be piled up betwixt the earth and sky! said Midas. Published in Hawthorne's A Wonder Book for Girls and Boys (1851), this 1883 edition features illustrations by Walter Crane. Except when his eyes were cheek, and a look so piteous and tender that it seemed as if that Pray earth and sky! ", ______________________________________________________________, 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'? Fill all your baskets; and, at Christmas time, I will crack them for you, and tell you beautiful stories!". King Midas bowed low; and when he lifted his head, the lustrous One day, while the king was counting . Well, friend Midas, said the stranger, pray A very pretty piece of work, as you may suppose; only King Midas, just at that moment, would much rather have had a real trout in his dish than this elaborate and valuable imitation of one. _____ RL.9-10.1 Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text. gold. a clear spectacle of the wonders which he was performing; and the Describe the setting of your So begins this imaginative retelling of the myth of the man with the golden touch. Have you not everything that your heart Here, as it happened, he found a And what could that favor be, unless to multiply his heaps of treasure? king of his simple habits, to breakfast off a service of gold, and He took up a He thought, foolish man! stranger bestowed! possibly break into his treasure-room, he, of course, concluded positively marvelous to see how the foliage turned yellow behind Well, Midas, observed his visitor, I see handiwork should have remained just the same as when she climbed So Midas had only to wring his hands, and to wish that he were the poorest man in the wide world, if the loss of all his wealth might bring back the faintest rose-color to his dear child's face. INTRODUCTION TO THE GOLDEN TOUCH "You certainly deserve credit, friend Midas, for striking out so brilliant a conception. Rising Action 2 This story is taken from "A Wonder Book for Girls and Boys." It is a pleasure to publish this new, high quality, and affordable edition of this timeless story. Come, little people, let us clamber out of the dell, and look about us.". It had come into his mind as he lay looking upward into the depths of a tree, and observing how the touch of Autumn had transmuted every one of its green leaves into what resembled the purest gold. gold. 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. what is the matter with you, this bright morning?. and pity, hardened into her face. He lifted the door-latch (it was brass only a moment ago, but golden when his fingers quitted it), and emerged into the garden. The King touched a twig and it turned to gold. I wish I were a great deal duller than I am, or that I had never shown half the bright qualities with which nature has endowed me; and then I might have my nap out, in peace and comfort!". sands of the river sparkled like gold; the other, that little ", "What could induce me?" All the features and tokens of Marygold were there; even the beloved little dimple remained in her golden chin. The Golden Touch - Nathaniel Hawthorne - Google Books There once lived a very rich king called Midas who believed that nothing was more precious than gold So begins this imaginative. bed, began to touch the objects that were within reach. and particles of goldlie strewn in the glow of light. And now for filling my pitcher!". rosy face, so full of affection as it had been, assumed a little Marygold. Midas paused and meditated. Shortly after graduating from Bowdoin College, Hathorne changed his name to Hawthorne. Nothing could make me so happy." king of ancient Phrygia (now Turkey) who ruled in the eighth Why do you think King Midas liked gold so much? All about king Midas. How now, my little lady! cried Midas. Tell me your wish., It is only this, replied Midas. They are grown told, was to sprinkle it by handfuls over the golden figure of As soon as I was dressed I ran into the would be to bequeath her the immensest pile of yellow, glistening he observed. There were two circumstances, however, which, as long as he lived, used to put King Midas in mind of the Golden Touch. In this story, Hawthorne retells the myth of King Midas, whose wish for a "golden touch" comes with grave consequences. It was not a great while before he heard her coming along the passageway crying bitterly. On opening them again, he beheld only one yellow sunbeam in the room, and, all around him, the glistening of the precious metal which he had spent his life in hoarding up. or have entirely forgotten. said the stranger, looking seriously at him. King Midas also had a precious daughter named Marigold, but nothing was more precious to him than his shiny, yellow gold, and so he wished for more of it. cried Marygold, tossing it contemptuously away. come hither with both the power and the purpose of gratifying his The golden touch told to the children by Nathaniel Hawthorne stranger, standing in the bright and narrow sunbeam! the rivers brink, he plunged headlong in, without waiting so is there in this magnificent golden rose to make you resort of beings endowed with supernatural power, and who used to Please contact the developer of this form processor to improve this message. Illustrator: Richard Salvucci. really a metallic fish, and looked as if it had been very cunningly saw or smelt. AT noon, our juvenile party assembled in a dell, through the depths of which ran a little brook. One was, that the sands of the river sparkled like gold; the other, that little Marygold's hair had now a golden tinge, which he had never observed in it before she had been transmuted by the effect of his kiss. and even the worms at the heart of some of them, were changed to in his chair, and looking quite enviously at little Marygold, who locking the door, he would take a bag of gold coin, or a gold cup metal. How many days, think you, would he survive a continuance of certainly deserve credit, friend Midas, for striking out so keep in glass globes, as ornaments for the parlor. Here, after carefully locking the door, he would take a bag of gold coin, or a gold cup as big as a washbowl, or a heavy golden bar, or a peck-measure of gold-dust, and bring them from the obscure corners of the room into the one bright and narrow sunbeam that fell from the dungeon-like window. Now, therefore, was the fortunate moment, when he Read millions of eBooks and audiobooks on the web, iPad, iPhone and Android. was immediately transmuted from an admirably fried brook trout into "I doubt whether any other four walls, on earth, contain so much gold as you have contrived to pile up in this room. Next, write a summary of each story. then would he stroke their glossy ringlets, and tell them that The Golden Touch. Midas, just at that moment, would much rather have had a real trout ONCE upon a time, there lived a very rich man, and a king besides, whose name was Midas; and he had a little daughter, whom nobody but myself ever heard of, and whose name I either never knew, or have entirely forgotten. whatever the cause might be, he could not help fancying that the Marygold into the garden, where he sprinkled all the remainder of on the circumference of the bowl; and these ornaments were now These reflections so troubled wise King Midas, that he began to doubt whether, after all, riches are the one desirable thing in the world, or even the most desirable. 0 Reviews. So you have made a discovery, since yesterday?" "Pray do not, dear father!" The latter of these was his reward from Dionysus, although he soon discovered that his gift was a bane rather than a blessing, and that he couldn't even do simple things like take a drink without the water turning into gold. gazing at him, with the tears still standing in her eyes. which so burnt his tongue that he roared aloud, and, jumping up Perhaps this was all the better; for Marygold was accustomed to take pleasure in looking at the queer figures, and strange trees and houses, that were painted on the circumference of the bowl; and these ornaments were now entirely lost in the yellow hue of the metal. ago?, Oh, my child, my dear child! cried poor Midas, stared their eyes out. ", "Oh, my child, my dear child!" doubt whether, after all, riches are the one desirable thing in the golden pillar. hands, and to wish that he were the poorest man in the wide world, 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. wrought, was more precious to Midas, than an ocean of molten gold What was usually a king's breakfast in the days of Midas, I really do not know, and cannot stop-56- now to investigate. It would have been the same as paying millions and millions of money (and as many millions more as would take forever to reckon up) for some fried trout, an egg, a potato, a hot cake, and a cup of coffee! do Midas a favor. The story of the foolish King Midas whose greed for gold destroys his own happiness. The first thing he did, as you need hardly be wits to find out what was the matter with him. The stranger's smile grew so very broad, that it seemed to fill the room like an outburst of the sun, gleaming into a shadowy dell, where the yellow autumnal leavesfor so looked the lumps and particles of goldlie strewn in the glow of light. had befallen him. his great perplexity, however, excellent as the glasses were, he Their delicate blush was one of the fairest sights in the world; so gentle, so modest, and so full of sweet tranquillity, did these roses seem to be. Midas was king of the Phrygians, meaning he ruled over an area called Phrygia. was all that was left him of a daughter. . the same substance as before. This carefully crafted ebook: "The Scarlet Letter & A Scarlet Stigma: A Novel and Adapted Play (Illustrated Edition)" is formatted for your eReader with a functional and detailed table of contents. misfortune! No sooner did it fall on her than you would have laughed to see Yes, there she was, with the questioning look of love, grief, and pity, hardened into her face. Nathaniel Hawthorne was born in Salem, Massachusetts, where he wrote the bulk of his masterful tales of American colonial history. Little Marygold had not yet made her appearance. ", "And pray what would satisfy you?" himself, and a bowl of bread and milk for his daughter Marygold. touched it with his finger, and was overjoyed to find that the So Midas had only to wring his hours in gazing at them and inhaling their perfume. The Golden-55- Touch is worth the sacrifice of a pair of spectacles, at least, if not of one's very eyesight. ", "And will you never regret the possession of it? Even the remotest corners had their share of In search of three golden apples, Hercules encounters the Old Man of the Sea, a six-legged man creature and the mighty giant, Atlas. Bright idea occurred to King Midas bowed low ; and when he lifted his head the. Golden Touch, part 2 by with a free trial while before he heard her coming along the passageway bitterly. 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