Tuesday, April 17, 2007

Ismaels Ax

After making sure that nobody was left in town, Ibrahim went towards the temple armed with an ax. Statues of all shapes and sizes were sitting there adorned with decorations. Plates of food were offered to them, but the food was untouched. "Well, why don't you eat? The food is getting cold." He said to the statues, joking; then with his ax he destroyed all the statues except one, the biggest of them. He hung the ax around its neck and left.--The Koran

E.D.E.N. Southworth's novel "Ishmael." is pretty well known in literary circles. In it, Ishmael is a young man who grows up in poverty, but falls in love with a wealthy young woman. His love is unrequited. Just after Claudia leaves Ishmael he becomes very ill, but he picks up an ax and begins to feverishly chop wood. The effort makes him more gravely ill. He later speaks of this as a "turning point" in his life. The chapter starts with part of a poem by Browning:
"With such wrong and woe exhausted,
what I suffered and occasioned—As a wild horse through a city, runs,
with lightning in his eyes,
And then dashing at a church's cold and passive wall impassioned,
Strikes the death into his burning brain,
and blindly drops and dies—So I fell struck down before her!
Do you blame me, friends, for weakness?
'Twas my strength of passion slew me! fell before her like a stone;
Fast the dreadful world rolled from me, on its roaring wheels of blackness!
When the light came, I was lying in this chamber—and alone."

(source: Bangkokker)

9 Comments:

At 3:57 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

You are to smart for me.

 
At 8:29 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Looks like no one got it.

 
At 12:52 PM, Blogger Teacher Laila Chris said...

I can't recall who you exactly are... It's been awfully long we don't talk

 
At 7:48 AM, Blogger The artist formerly known as the Bulb. said...

Ok.... for those who don't know... the guy who massacred the kids in the Virginia thing had "Ismaels Ax" tattooed on his arm.

 
At 10:38 AM, Blogger Sassy said...

I knew that! (cuz u told me)

 
At 4:34 AM, Blogger Chai said...

I wonder how come no one in the media picked up on this. The ones I've read mentions it but makes no reference to anything.

 
At 9:57 AM, Blogger fineartist said...

Interesting, the things that cause you to feel compelled to post.

I've been meaning to come back in here and read this when I had the time and the inclination to actually digest it.

Too bad the guy in Virginia didn't take his anger out on statues...

I really miss you.

 
At 12:46 PM, Blogger @TheOtherRosie said...

I know, I know.

I still miss you, Sassy, Lissa, and Rum. I guess I always will think about the 4 of you and wonder how you are and what has happened in your lives. I guess I will always miss you most of all. I miss your heart. When men dissappoint me, all I have to do is remember your heart. I'm very proud to have known you and to have called you my friend. Besides I no longer have someone to leave hundreds of offline messages. Well I guess I could leave them hundreds of messages but stalking has just lost it's charm. I'm happy with me and my life and I hope you are very happy.

Love always,
Roxey Rose
(Now known as Chantilly Rose)



~Rose~

 
At 12:15 PM, Blogger Sassy said...

I miss you too...shithead

 

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