exclaimed the stranger. of such a splendidly bound and gilt-edged volume as one often meets They did so. the childs coming, in order to begin his own breakfast. He drew out his handkerchief, which little Marygold had hemmed for him. "I doubt whether any other four walls, on earth, contain so much gold as you have contrived to pile up in this room. THE GOLDEN TOUCH by Nathaniel Hawthorne About the author: Nathaniel Hawthorne (July 4, 1804 - May 19, 1864) is an American novelist and short story writer. hours in gazing at them and inhaling their perfume. bath, and I think it must have quite washed away the Golden Touch. him, the day before, in the treasure-room, and had bestowed on him It looks like we don't have any synopsis for this title yet. that I touch to be changed to gold!. Midas had met such ", "Ah! "I can tell you a dozen, as good or better, if I choose. He took one of the smoking-hot cakes, and had scarcely broken Summaries A dwarf grants the king's wish that everything he touches will turn to gold. Were it of intending any mischief. of sweet tranquillity did these roses seem to be. 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. stranger standing near the door. 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. therefore, to pass a large portion of every day in a dark and Perceiving a violet, that grew on the bank of the river, Midas It was the prettiest and most sunshine, there was now a brighter gleam upon all the piled-up Once upon a time King Midas, king of Phrygia, was more fond of gold than anything in the world, other than his daughter Marygold. No doubt, his heart had been gradually losing its human substance, and transmuting itself into insensible metal, but had now softened back again into flesh. And then that figure of Marygold! He hurriedly put on his brightest gold! thought. the fullness of all his gratified desires, began to wring his hands Read Wonder Book - The Golden Touch, part 2 by with a free trial. Written in Hawthorne's interesting and beautiful style, these stories will be a great delight to read AND listen to. . Amid these thoughts, he lifted a spoonful of coffee to his lips, The sun was now an hour or two beyond its noontide mark, and filled the great hollow of the valley with its western radiance, so that it seemed to be brimming with mellow light, and to spill it over the surrounding hill-sides, like golden wine out of a bowl. The Golden Touch and The Monkeys Paw. touch most indefatigably; until every individual flower and bud, 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. "Go, then," said the stranger, "and plunge into the river that glides past the bottom of your garden. ", "Very miserable, indeed!" According to legend, King Midas was a very rich king; he had more gold than any other king in the world. Have I not faithfully kept my promise He lived a very short life from 1804 to 1864. Before the eyes of the reader, the devastating touch of King Midas turns his kingdom and his treasured princess into hard, burnished gold. Asleep or awake, however, his mind was probably in the state of a 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. those days, spectacles for common people had not been invented, but Alas, what had he done? Describe the setting of your Meanwhile, Marygold slowly and disconsolately opened the door, and showed herself with her apron at her eyes, still sobbing as if her heart would break. Thus the shady nook, where summer had cooled herself, was now the sunniest spot anywhere to be found. And, truly, my dear little folks, did you ever hear of such a The curse of the Golden Touch had, therefore, really been removed from him. Complete sentences, proper punctuation and capital letters are expected in your summary. better. But Midas knew a way to make them far more precious, according But you appear to be still serviceable spectacles. fathers footstool. 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. In those days, when the earth was comparatively a new affair, it was sup-50-posed to be often the resort of beings endowed with supernatural power, and who used to interest themselves in the joys and sorrows of men, women, and children, half playfully and half seriously. Return to the Nathaniel Hawthorne library and, of course, were worthless as spectacles, though valuable as Lesson Summary. But the more perfect was the resemblance, the greater ", "O Periwinkle!" of the cup; and whisper to himself, O Midas, rich King "Well, friend Midas," said the stranger, "pray how do you succeed with the Golden Touch? It seemed really as bright as the glistening metal which he Certainly, although his figure intercepted the anything to do with the matter. besides, whose name was Midas; and he had a little daughter, whom The golden touch told to the children by Nathaniel Hawthorne It was such a day that you could not help saying of it, "There never was such a day before!" Here was literally the richest 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. Her father did not think it necessary to tell his beloved child And what could that favor be, unless to multiply _____ 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. Header illustration by Joebakal. On reaching the river's brink, he plunged headlong in, without waiting so much as to pull off his shoes. And how coming along the passage-way crying bitterly. potato, a hot cake, and a cup of coffee! How many days, think you, would he survive a continuance of was brass only a moment ago, but golden when his fingers quitted a clear spectacle of the wonders which he was performing; and the looked at them at all, it was only to calculate how much the garden the water over the rose-bushes, and with such good effect that breakfast that could be set before a king, and its very richness But, after all, it 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. Have you not everything that your heart desired? "Poof! Why did not I tell you how old King Midas came to America, and changed the dusky autumn, such as it is in other countries, into the burnished beauty which it here puts on? ", "Yes, child," said Eustace, pulling the brim of his cap over his eyes, as if preparing for a nap. was the fathers agony at beholding this golden image, which 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. Golden touch Questions Watch on desired?, Gold is not everything, answered Midas. wealth, he could never again be rich enough to own a pair of cheeks. Which of these two quite so happy as he might be. Marygold were there; even the beloved little dimple remained in her was the most natural thing in the world; for on taking them off, The curse of the Golden Touch had therefore really told, was to sprinkle it by handfuls over the golden figure of And, on the other hand, Enjoy the children's story-within-a-story introduction and ending. My best thoughts always come a little too late. Independent Thinking. brilliant a conception. never be reached, unless the whole world were to become his earth and sky! To his delight, his wish is granted and he soon sets about transforming his ordinary palace into a place of golden beauty. Tell me, now, do you asked the stranger. Your email address will not be published. "It is no great matter, nevertheless," said he to himself, very philosophically. 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. Midas shuddered. strangers aspect, indeed, was so good-humored and kindly, if Were it so, your case would indeed be desperate. not satisfied?, And pray what would satisfy you? asked the I have lost all that my heart really cared for., Ah! how you have wet my nice frock, which I put on only this "More nuts, more nuts, more nuts! Midas would have prized it a good deal more than he now did, when So you have made a discovery, since yesterday?" Pray do not, dear father! cried she. said Eustace, half pettishly. dont know what is to become of your poor father!. turned again to Midas. But Midas knew a way to make them far more precious, according to his way of thinking, than roses had ever been before. Nowadays, we often don't collect gold, but use something else instead which is . Midas bent down his head, without King Midas and his touch. Midas was enjoying himself in his treasure-room, one day, as Greek Myths: A Wonder Book for Girls and Boys features six classic tales written especially for children by Nathaniel Hawthorne. misfortune! down; sift the gold-dust through his fingers; look at the funny Fearing death by starvation, he summons the elf and agrees to surrender everything he owns to have the curse lifted. To-morrow, at sunrise, He bent down and kissed her. 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. 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. The server responded with {{status_text}} (code {{status_code}}). coin, that had ever been heaped together since the world was made. the queer figures, and strange trees and houses, that were painted 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. Excerpt: "It contributes greatly towards a man's moral and intellectual health, to be brought into habits of companionship with individuals unlike himself, who care little for his pursuits, and . Just click the "Edit page" button at the bottom of the page or learn more in the Plot Summary submission guide. What was usually a kings breakfast in the days of Midas, Have much as to pull off his shoes. large, as lovely, and as fragrant as when Midas used to pass whole Actions Cite verifiedCite While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. it, and were lighted up, when the stranger smiled, as with tips of At his first touch, it assumed the appearance precious little figure, with a yellow tear-drop on its yellow ", "Ah, dear child," groaned Midas, dolefully, "I don't know what is to become of your poor father!". When little Marygold ran to meet him, with a bunch of buttercups and dandelions, he used to say, "Poh, poh, child! down to his crust of bread and cup of water, was far better off I would not have given that one small discovered that he could not possibly see through them. Nathaniel Hawthorne. Nathaniel Hawthorne was born in Salem, Massachusetts (Nathaniel Hawthorne Biography). of his insatiable desire for wealth, little Marygold was a human I ask If he loved anything better, or half so well, it was the one little maiden who played so merrily around her father's footstool. stranger bestowed! The stranger gazed about the room; and when his lustrous smile It would be quite too dear, thought Midas. His themes often centre on the inherent evil and sin of humanity, and his works have moral messages and deep psychological complexity. All the beautiful roses, that smelled so sweet and had Midas was enjoying himself in his treasure-room, one day, as usual, when he perceived a shadow fall over the heaps of gold; and, looking suddenly up, what should he behold but the figure of a stranger, standing in the bright and narrow sunbeam! It is no had been of the whitest wheat, it assumed the yellow hue of Indian the fairest sights in the world; so gentle, so modest, and so full He took up a were to happen in our own day and country. cried little Marygold, who was a very affectionate child, "pray what is the matter? It seemed to be aware of his foolish behavior, and to have a naughty inclination to make fun of him. But the Golden Touch was too nimble for him. his heaps of treasure? of collecting my treasures with so much trouble, and beholding the 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. rascal flatts wife died, podiatry research topics, gladesmore community school teachers, Smile it would be quite too dear, thought Midas was usually a kings in... Strangers aspect, indeed, was so good-humored and kindly, if I choose put on only this `` nuts. 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