Amyntas

 Amyntas: A Sylvan Fable by Torquato Tasso, translated by Frederic Whitmore, 72 pages

Amyntas, also known as Aminta, is a short verse play by the author of Jerusalem Delivered, centering on the young shepherd Amyntas and the nymph Sylvia, the object of his unrequited love.

     A simple girl, heedless as she is fair,

     And ignorant how hot are beauty's arms

     To sear, how edged to pierce; whose smiles and tears

     Slay, and slay all un'ware e'en that they wound.

Despite the efforts of the other shepherds and nymphs to convince Sylvia to submit herself to Love, she refuses, until unexpected events finally melt her hardened heart.  But will it be too late?

     In sooth, the laws of Love wherewith he rules

     In lasting sway, are ne'er unjust and hard;

     His works fulfilled with foresight, mystical,

     We blindly do condemn.  What skill is his!

The Alchemist

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho          208 Pages

This short novel was recommended to me by a friend. I’d had it on my shelf for many years, but had never gotten around to reading it.  But based on my friend’s endorsement, I grabbed it and started reading. It was nothing like I expected. I imagined a traditional novel, not a fable.

The Alchemist is the story of Santiago, a young Andalusian shepherd boy. He travels from his home in Spain to Morocco and across the Egyptian desert in search of a treasure buried at the Pyramids. Along the way he meets many spiritual advisors who are represented in such forms as a camel driver and a well-read Englishman. It’s in one of the Englishman’s books that Santiago learns the definition of an alchemist---one who believes that if metal is heated for many years, it frees itself of all individual properties.

Along his journey, Santiago does meet an alchemist who helps him find the true meaning of finding the treasure. It’s a story of becoming self-empowered and believing in your dreams.

I found this book very similar to Joan Brady’s God on a Harley. I didn’t relate to it as much, but it was still a wonderful read.  I give it four out of five stars.