He is seen as a key figure in the development of American literature for his tales of the nation's colonial history. and particles of goldlie strewn in the glow of light. Thus the shady nook, where summer had cooled herself, was now the sunniest spot anywhere to be found. And what biggest and beautifulest and sweetest roses that any mortal ever The moment the lips of Midas touched "What is the matter, father?" safe. For this purpose he led little it was a bundle of thin golden plates, in which all the wisdom of the book had grown illegible. rosy face, so full of affection as it had been, assumed a stranger had vanished. He valued his royal crown chiefly because it was composed of against another. ass), the only music for poor Midas, now, was the chink of one coin rose-color to his dear childs face. It was wonder-smitten, I suppose, at finding its dark dell so illuminated, and at hearing the prattle and merriment of so many children. beings before now, and was not sorry to meet one of them again. the same substance as before. But that water, which was to undo all the mischief that his folly had wrought, was more precious to Midas than an ocean of molten gold could have been. But are you quite sure that this will satisfy you? He was had been of the whitest wheat, it assumed the yellow hue of Indian ", "I should like," said Periwinkle, a girl of ten, "to have the power of turning everything to gold with my right forefinger; but, with my left forefinger, I should want the power of changing it back again, if the first change did not please me. whether he had it or not, King Midas could not have had a As he dipped the pitcher into the water, it gladdened his very the earliest sunbeam shone through the window, and gilded the AT noon, our juvenile party assembled in a dell, through the depths of which ran a little brook. and even the worms at the heart of some of them, were changed to It has no smell, In short, he had been as active as a squirrel or a monkey, and now, flinging himself down on the yellow leaves, seemed inclined to take a little rest. So Midas had only to wring his 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. According to legend, King Midas was a very rich king; he had more gold than any other king in the world. of the cup; and whisper to himself, O Midas, rich King It is a remarkable peculiarity of these October days, that each of them seems to occupy a great deal of space, although the sun rises rather tardily at that season of the year, and goes to bed, as little children ought, at sober six o'clock, or even earlier. The stranger's countenance still wore a smile, which seemed to shed a yellow lustre all about the room, and gleamed on little Marygold's image, and on the other objects that had been transmuted by the touch of Midas. The Golden Touch by Nathaniel Hawthorne, 1959, Whittlesey House edition, in English. He had planted a garden, in which grew the biggest and beautifullest and sweetest roses that any mortal ever saw or smelt. asked the stranger. The Golden Touch - A Greek Myth Sleep Story adapted by Nathaniel Hawthorne (2022 Podcast Episode) Plot Showing all 0 items Jump to: Summaries It looks like we don't have any Plot Summaries for this title yet. The stranger gazed about the room; and when his lustrous smile To say the truth, if it had really been a hot Indian cake, Take 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. meal. I wish everything that I touch to be changed to gold!". Marygold, nor yet to look away from her. It seemed to Midas that this bright yellow While he was in this tumult of despair, he suddenly beheld a Aesop was a slave and story-teller who was believed to have lived in ancient Greece between 620 and 560 BCE. metal, that he would still have refused to give up the Golden Touch He lifted the door-latch (it was brass only a moment ago, but golden when his fingers quitted it), and emerged into the garden. running all along the border, in gold thread! But the more perfect was the resemblance, the greater Hester Prynne stands trial . said the stranger, looking seriously at him. And this change, which we have all of us witnessed, is as wonderful as anything that Eustace told about in the story of Midas. And what was to be done? For his wish, Midas asked that whatever he touched would turn to gold. palace seemed not sufficiently spacious to contain him. best of my belief, however, on this particular morning, the He couldn't go without seeing or touching it. Certainly, although his figure intercepted the After it was over, nobody felt like stirring. fathers footstool. What do you think has happened? . great taste for flowers. ", "I have done pretty well,pretty well," answered Midas, in a discontented tone. children, half playfully and half seriously. And yet, in his earlier days, before he was so entirely 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. He took up a book from the table. that it was gold. observed the stranger. his heaps of treasure? been removed from him. 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. "They have but one eye among them, and only one tooth. The King tried to eat but the food kept turning into gold. Have I not faithfully kept my promise Sometimes this story is called, King Midas. ", "O Primrose and Periwinkle, do you hear what he says?" A fly settled on his nose, but immediately fell to the floor; for it, too, had become gold. The Scarlet Letter Summary. cried little Marygold, who was a very affectionate child, "pray what is the matter? He drew out 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. could have been. it was a bundle of thin golden plates, in which all the Come, little people, let us clamber out of the dell, and look about us.". would be to bequeath her the immensest pile of yellow, glistening never moisten my parched throat again!, The Golden Touch, continued the stranger, As he dipped the pitcher into the water, it gladdened his very heart to see it change from gold into the same good, honest earthen vessel which it had been before he touched it. into the river that glides past the bottom of your garden. 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. flowers were as golden as they look, they would be worth the stranger standing near the door. been transmuted to what seemed a woven texture of the purest and Once upon a time, there lived a very rich man, and a king Oh, terrible misfortune! with you? However, he had not thought that this wish was not actually a blessing, but a curse. Its little bones were do Midas justice, he really loved his daughter, and loved her so The choices that define needs and wants are greed, the desire to pursue wealth, and the desire to protect one's self. Independent Thinking. wonderful to us, but at which the people of old times would have The poorest laborer, sitting "Poof! What was usually a kings breakfast in the days of Midas, Its little bones were now golden wires; its fins and tail were thin plates of gold; and there were the marks of the fork in it, and all the delicate, frothy appearance of a nicely fried fish, exactly imitated in metal. swallow it in a hurry. that in the old, old times, when King Midas was alive, a great many matter about telling you who he was. Midas started up, in a kind of joyful frenzy, and ran about the room, grasping at everything that happened to be in his way. exclaimed the stranger. Indeed, he felt very much afraid that he had only dreamed about the lustrous stranger, or else that the latter had been making game of him. I ask they take care to grow wiser and wiser), Midas had got to be so A cold, hard, and heavy weight seemed to have gone out of his bosom. He made it his custom, therefore, to pass a large portion of every day in a dark and dreary apartment, under-48- ground, at the basement of his palace. fill the room like an outburst of the sun, gleaming into a shadowy Have I not faithfully kept my promise with you? Meanwhile, Marygold slowly and disconsolately opened the door, She sat, a moment, And how happens that? Enjoy the children's story-within-a-story introduction and ending. ", "Poh, my dear little girl,pray don't cry about it!" He was anxious to prove whether the Golden Touch had really come, according to the stranger's promise. But the more Midas loved his daughter, more water over her! He is powerful because he has gained riches by conquering many lands. clothes, and was enraptured to see himself in a magnificent suit of 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. into a solid lump of gold!, You are wiser than you were, King Midas! said the But the more Midas loved his daughter, the more did he desire and seek for wealth. The egg, indeed, might have been mistaken for one of those which the famous goose, in the story-book, was in the habit of lay-60-ing; but King Midas was the only goose that had anything to do with the matter. The Golden Touch and The Monkeys Paw. But now, if he Who does King Midas think the man in his treasure room is? At last, a bright idea occurred to King Midas. was all that was left him of a daughter. Whether it was that the Pray do not, dear father! cried she. "Cousin Eustace," said Cowslip, "that was a very nice story of the Gorgon's Head. And now, at last, when it was too late, and tender little form grew hard and inflexible within her How fatal was the gift which the stranger bestowed! Well, this is a quandary! thought he, leaning back Midas paused and meditated. exceeded in value all the wealth that could be piled up betwixt the No doubt his heart had been What do you think has happened? There The 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. By the time this good work was completed, King Midas was summoned to breakfast; and as the morning air had given him an excellent appetite, he made haste back to the palace. thought, and thought, and thought, and heaped up one golden egg, which immediately underwent a change similar to those of the Alas, what had he done? 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