Saturday, March 24, 2018

He's Worse than a Smoky House

I'm doing research on corvids (like magpies and crows) for my work in progress and found myself today looking at Shakespeare's references to ravens.  I came across this speech in Henry IV, Part I - Hotspur is speaking about a problem companion - one who is longwinded and who doesn't know when to leave the party. 

You might want to read this over a couple of times. I did and thought, whoa,  Shakespeare is as good as they say.  Thanks for stopping by.  Stay tuned...


I cannot choose: sometime he angers me
With telling me of the mouldwarp and the ant,
Of the dreamer Merlin and his prophecies,
And of a dragon and a finless fish,
A clip-wing'd griffin and a moulten raven,
A couching lion and a ramping cat,
And such a deal of skimble-skamble stuff
As puts me from my faith. I tell you what;
He held me last night at least nine hours
In reckoning up the several devils' names
That were his lackeys: I cried 'hum,' and 'well, go to,'
But mark'd him not a word. O, he is as tedious
As a tired horse, a railing wife;
Worse than a smoky house: I had rather live
With cheese and garlic in a windmill, far,
Than feed on cates and have him talk to me
In any summer-house in Christendom.

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