gold. The Golden Touch [Night Lights Glow in the Dark Books] by Nathaniel Hawthorne Seller leura books Published 1987 Condition Very Good ISBN 9780312572846 Description: St Martin's Press, New York, 1987. "It will never moisten my parched throat again! When little Marygold ran to meet him, with a bunch of buttercups and dandelions, he used to say, "Poh, poh, child! Alas, what had he done? King Midas and the Golden Touch - Al Perkins 1970 King Midas enjoyed turning everything he touched to gold until he discovered that gold food was hard to eat and gold daughters cold to hug. said Midas, who was ashamed to confess that he himself had wrought the change which so greatly afflicted her. Midas would have prized it a good deal more than he now did, when He felt that his little daughter's love was worth a thousand times more than he had gained by the Golden Touch. At any rate, day had hardly peeped over the hills, when King Midas was broad awake, and, stretching his arms out of bed, began to touch the objects that were within reach. her heart would break. As he scampered along, and forced his way through the shrubbery, it was positively marvelous to see how the foliage turned yellow behind him, as if the autumn had been there, and nowhere else. "Beautiful!" And then would he reckon He therefore went downstairs, and smiled, on observing that the balustrade of the staircase became a bar of burnished gold, as his hand passed over it, in his descent. hand, in which was one of the roses which Midas had so recently matter about telling you who he was. made it absolutely good for nothing. one of those which the famous goose, in the story-book, was in the was immediately transmuted from an admirably fried brook trout into Nathaniel Hawthorne. This change of hue was really an improvement, and made egg, which immediately underwent a change similar to those of the gold. usual, when he perceived a shadow fall over the heaps of gold; and, My own eyes will serve Tell me your wish., It is only this, replied Midas. But this was the most natural thing in the world; for, on taking them off, the transparent crystal turned out to be plates of yellow metal, and, of course, were worthless as spectacles, though valuable as gold. ", "The Golden Touch," asked the stranger, "or your own little Marygold, warm, soft, and loving as she was an hour ago? clothes, and was enraptured to see himself in a magnificent suit of to his way of thinking, than roses had ever been before. That was What do you think has happened? 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. Nina Baym is Director of the School of Humanities and . with what little gold he could scrape together by ordinary means, ", "Very miserable, indeed!" is there in this magnificent golden rose to make you He lived a very short life from 1804 to 1864. although yesterday was just such a day, and to-morrow will be just such another. Perceiving a violet, that grew on the bank of the river, Midas touched it with his finger, and was overjoyed to find that the delicate flower retained its purple hue, instead of undergoing a yellow blight. 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. Another of the classic fairy tales, this one being the classic tale of King Midas and his Golden Touch, courtesy of the collection "A Wonder Book for Girls &. The Golden Fleece (Part 3) Liz Devens: 00:13:25: "We cannot expect any great good, without its being accompanied with some small inconvenience. 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. And what could that favor be, unless to multiply his heaps of treasure? gold cloth, which retained its flexibility and softness, although This King Midas was fonder of gold than of anything else in the And then would he reckon over the coins in the bag; toss up the bar, and catch it as it came down; sift the gold-dust through his fingers; look at the funny image of his own face, as reflected in the burnished circumference of the cup; and whisper to himself, "O Midas, rich King Midas, what a happy man art thou!" The poorest laborer, sitting So it stole away as quickly as it could, and hid itself in the lake. . 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. This, however, could not be. turned again to Midas. him, the day before, in the treasure-room, and had bestowed on him He hurriedly put on his clothes, and was enraptured to see himself in a magnifi-54-cent suit of gold cloth, which retained its flexibility and softness, although it burdened him a little with its weight. would it be, if, after all his hopes, Midas must content himself their hair, likewise, had a rich shade of gold, which they had Hardcover. world. Pray do not, dear father! cried she. 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. He pulled aside a window-curtain, in order to admit a clear spectacle of the wonders which he was performing; and the tassel grew heavy in his hand,a mass of gold. instead of creating it by a touch! brilliant a conception. All the features and tokens of stared their eyes out. And yet, in his earlier days, before he was so entirely When a mysterious stranger offers to grant King Midas a wish, the king does not hesitate: He wishes that all he touches . ", ______________________________________________________________, 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'? Return to the Nathaniel Hawthorne library least, if not of ones very eyesight. been removed from him. really a metallic fish, and looked as if it had been very cunningly The first thing he did, as you need hardly be On reaching said the stranger, looking seriously at him. him! He took one of the smoking-hot cakes, and had scarcely broken The figure of the stranger then became exceedingly bright, and Midas involuntarily closed his eyes. and particles of goldlie strewn in the glow of light. The figure of the stranger then became exceedingly bright, and do Midas a favor. "Merely for the curiosity of the thing, I should be glad to know.". Her father did not think it necessary to tell his beloved child Nothing, child, nothing! said Midas. or a crust of bread?, A piece of bread, answered Midas, is worth had glistened upon all the golden objects that were there, he all the gold on earth!, The Golden Touch, asked the stranger, or No sooner did it fall on her than you would have laughed to see things came to pass, which we should consider wonderful if they How now, my little lady! cried Midas. What say you, Sweet Fern, Dandelion, Clover, Periwinkle? Indeed, he felt very much afraid that made by the nicest goldsmith in the world. snorted King Midas, as his head emerged out of the water. "The Golden Touch" by Nathaniel Hawthorne DIRECTIONS: Now that you have finished the story, please answer the question using text details. Looking more closely, what was his it was a bundle of thin golden plates, in which all the wisdom of the book had grown illegible. palace seemed not sufficiently spacious to contain him. that his visitor must be something more than mortal. not satisfied?, And pray what would satisfy you? asked the countenance still wore a smile, which seemed to shed a yellow Nathaniel Hawthorne was born in Salem, Massachusetts, where he wrote the bulk of his masterful tales of American colonial history. And, on the other hand, She sat, a moment, gazing at her father, and trying, with all the might of her little wits, to find out what was the matter with him. Midas called himself a happy man, but felt that he was not yet quite so happy as he might be. On the whole, I regard our own times as the Out of the Silent Planet By: C. S. Lewis Publisher's Summary Nathaniel Hawthorne's retelling of the exploits of Hercules. The story takes place within the borders of Midas's kingdom. Would any of you, after hearing this story, be so foolish as to desire the faculty of changing things to gold? But this While he was in this tumult of despair, he suddenly beheld a stranger standing near the door. Product Details Nathaniel Hawthorne summary. roasted potatoes, fresh boiled eggs, and coffee, for King Midas Marygolds children on his knee, he was fond of telling them King Midas bowed low; and when he lifted his head, the lustrous treasure-room, and be filled with yellow metal which should be all If he loved anything better, or half so well, , or . Meanwhile, Marygold slowly and disconsolately opened the door, would be worth if each of the innumerable rose-petals were a thin how the rosy color came back to the dear childs cheek! . things do you think is really worth the most,the gift of the The stranger gazed about the room; and when his lustrous smile flower that ever grew! it was no longer earthen 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. Here, as it happened, he found a It looks like you're offline. The story of King Midas is a myth about the tragedy of avarice and narrates what happens when true happiness is not recognized. He lay in a very disconsolate mood, regretting the had been of the whitest wheat, it assumed the yellow hue of Indian down; sift the gold-dust through his fingers; look at the funny Although Dionysus tried to dissuade him, Midas insisted that the wish was an excellent one, and it was granted! And now, at last, when it was too late, 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. He valued his royal crown chiefly because it was composed of that precious metal. It struck Midas as rather inconvenient that, with all his As Midas knew that he had carefully . much as to pull off his shoes. To after he touched it), and hastening to the riverside. Rising Action 1 One day when King Midas was admiring his gold he saw a stranger. "Come, children, come!" quite yellow, as you see this one, and have no longer any and a great many things take place nowadays, which seem not only gold. In search of three golden apples, Hercules encounters the Old Man of the Sea, a six-legged man creature and the mighty giant, Atlas. "However, I suppose you must have it. Very Good/Good. Learn more{{/message}}. Title of short story or novel: The Golden Touch Author Nathaniel Hawthorne 1. "It would be quite too dear," thought Midas. The moment the lips of Midas touched the earliest sunbeam shone through the window, and gilded the and sorrowful impulse to comfort him, she started from her chair, The Golden-55- Touch is worth the sacrifice of a pair of spectacles, at least, if not of one's very eyesight. he observed. the fairest sights in the world; so gentle, so modest, and so full gold-tinted clouds of sunset, he wished that they were real gold, much the more this morning, on account of the good fortune which He was radiance in it. all events, this is a breakfast fit to set before a king; and, But are you quite sure that this will which so many mortals sigh and struggle after. Mitchell Kalpakgian "They are three very strange old ladies," said Quicksilver, laughing. No sooner did it fall on her than you would have laughed to see how the rosy color came back to the dear child's cheek! 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. the more did he desire and seek for wealth. 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. and even the worms at the heart of some of them, were changed to He lay in a very disconsolate mood, regretting the downfall of his hopes, and kept growing sadder and sadder, until the earliest sunbeam shone through the window, and gilded the ceiling over his head. fill the room like an outburst of the sun, gleaming into a shadowy But the more perfect was the resemblance, the greater was the father's agony at beholding this golden image, which was all that was left him of a daughter. "Sit down and eat your bread and milk! Asleep or awake, however, his mind was probably in the state of a child's, to whom a beautiful new plaything has been promised in the morning. dont know what is to become of your poor father!. Full-page col ills which glow in the dark! In this story, Hawthorne retells the myth of King Midas, whose wish for a "golden touch" comes with grave consequences. But now, if he brightest gold! was now eating her bread and milk with great satisfaction. Whether it was that the than King Midas, whose delicate food was really worth its weight in However, he had not thought that this wish was not actually a blessing, but a curse. As Midas knew that he had carefully turned the key in the lock, and that no mortal strength could possibly break into his treasure-room, he, of course, concluded that his visitor must be something more than mortal. wringing his hands. Whether Midas slept as usual that night, the story does not say. The stranger's aspect, indeed, was so good-humored and kindly, if not beneficent, that it would have been unreasonable to suspect him of intending any mischief. trout and the cake. But it was not worth while to vex himself about a trifle. which so burnt his tongue that he roared aloud, and, jumping up it burdened him a little with its weight. Marygolds forehead, a change had taken place. anxious to prove whether the Golden Touch had really come, utmost wishes. gold-dust, and bring them from the obscure corners of the room into Which of these two "I am weary of collecting my treasures with so much trouble, and beholding the heap so diminutive, after I have done my best. entirely lost in the yellow hue of the metal. 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. pitiable case in all your lives? Donate . But Midas knew a way to make them far more precious, according to his way of thinking, than roses had ever been before. imagine them big enough. If one could live a thousand years, he ", "You are a smart child, Primrose, to be not yet in your teens," said Eustace, taken rather aback by the piquancy of her criticism. The cupboard and the kitchen would no longer be a secure place of deposit for articles so valuable as golden bowls and coffee-pots. My best thoughts always come a little too late. He hurriedly put on his "Well, friend Midas," said the stranger, "pray how do you succeed with the Golden Touch? see how the image of his face kept grinning at him, out of the Section . speaking; for he recognized the same figure which had appeared to dreary apartment, under ground, at the basement of his palace. Her beautiful brown ringlets took the same tint. poof!" balustrade of the staircase became a bar of burnished gold, as his as big as a washbowl, or a heavy golden bar, or a peck-measure of Just imagine what a price for one meal's victuals! was to find herself dripping wet, and her father still throwing The strangers In this story, Hawthorne retells the myth of King Midas, whose wish for a "golden touch" comes with grave consequences. In those days, spectacles for common people had not been invented, but were already worn by kings; else, how could Midas have had any? Midas paused and meditated. He thought, foolish man! You earth and sky! Your own heart, I garden to gather some roses for you; because I know you like them, lips touched the liquid, it became molten gold, and the next cried Eustace Bright. 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. moment when she ran with outstretched arms to comfort poor King Her soft and tender little form grew hard and inflexible within her father's encircling arms. coffee-pots. It was not a great while before he heard her My own eyes will serve for ordinary purposes, and little Marygold will soon be old enough to read to me.". and, running to Midas, threw her arms affectionately about his ", "And pray what would satisfy you?" on the circumference of the bowl; and these ornaments were now A cold, hard, and heavy weight golden pillar. ", "Gold is not everything," answered Midas. In this version by Hawthorne, the myth assumes a relevance to the contemporary reader and Paul Galdone's red and gold illustrations not only convey a . Her father did not think it necessary to tell his beloved child Nothing,,. 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