Komodo Dragon
(Illustration: Maxfield Parrish, Cadmus Sowing the Dragon's Teeth)
It’s on DK Discovery Kids, the Discovery Channel's kid's channel,
I watched the strolling drooling tongue flicking Komodo Dragon.
The tongue flicking is to smell with, it tastes scents in the air,
And the drool, ugh, is septic, infectious, poisonous stuff,
Along with the dragon's teeth….
”Running towards the tuft of trees, he beheld the head and fiery eyes of an immense serpent or dragon, with the widest jaws that ever a dragon had, and a vast many rows of horribly sharp teeth. Before Cadmus could reach the spot, this pitiless reptile had killed his poor companions, and was busily devouring them, making but a mouthful of each man.”
The Dragon’s Teeth
Nathaniel Hawthorne
The Komodo Dragon had bitten on the back leg a water buffalo, a grievous wound, infected from the dragon’s mouth, and the buffalo stumbled along, and then fell.
""What shall I do?" cried he aloud. "It were better for me to have been devoured by the dragon, as my poor companions were."
"Cadmus," said a voice but whether it came from above or below him, or whether it spoke within his own breast, the young man could not tell--"Cadmus, pluck out the dragon's teeth, and plant them in the earth.""
The Dragon’s Teeth
Nathaniel Hawthorne
The water buffalo, after suffering from the infection for fifteen days, died and was devoured by the Komodo Dragon.
"A moment afterwards, the whole surface of the ground was broken by a multitude of polished brass helmets, coming up like a crop of enormous beans. So rapidly did they grow, that Cadmus now discerned the fierce countenance of a man beneath every one."
The Dragon’s Teeth
Nathaniel Hawthorne
In the news, a boy with a bad tooth whose family was poor. An infection set in that wasn’t attended to. Hospitalised, the boy almost recovered, but told his mom at the end of one of her visits to pray for him. She didn’t see him again alive, as he worsened that evening and died.
The story in all the news prompted families everywhere to call dentists.
"Up sprouted also a great many trumpeters; and with the first breath that they drew, they put their brazen trumpets to their lips, and sounded a tremendous and ear-shattering blast, so that the whole space, just now so quiet and solitary, reverberated with the clash and clang of arms, the bray of warlike music, and the shouts of angry men. So enraged did they all look, that Cadmus fully expected them to put the whole world to the sword. How fortunate would it be for a great conqueror, if he could get a bushel of the dragon's teeth to sow!
"Cadmus," said the same voice which he had before heard, "throw a stone into the midst of the armed men.""
The Dragon’s Teeth
Nathaniel Hawthorne
I am asked if there is ham in the split pea soup. No, I hesitate….
Are you sure? They ask again.
And I look at the questioner….for a moment, are they afraid? To reveal their faith?
Yes…I’m sure…it’s okay.
The shadow of fear and prejudice passed like vultures’ shadows.
"So Cadmus seized a large stone, and flinging it into the middle of the earth army, saw it strike the breastplate of a gigantic and fierce-looking warrior. Immediately on feeling the blow, he seemed to take it for granted that somebody had struck him; and, uplifting his weapon, he smote his next neighbor a blow that cleft his helmet asunder, and stretched him on the ground. In an instant, those nearest the fallen warrior began to strike at one another with their swords, and stab with their spears. The confusion spread wider and wider. Each man smote down his brother, and was himself smitten down before he had time to exult in his victory. The trumpeters, all the while, blew their blasts shriller and shriller; each soldier shouted a battle cry, and often fell with it on his lips. It was the strangest spectacle of causeless wrath, and of mischief for no good end, that had ever been witnessed; but, after all, it was neither more foolish nor more wicked than a thousand battles that have since been fought, in which men have slain their brothers with just as little reason as these children of the dragon's teeth. It ought to be considered, too, that the dragon people were made for nothing else; whereas other mortals were born to love and help one another."
The Dragon’s Teeth
Nathaniel Hawthorne
Mother Komodo Dragon’s take great pains to lay eggs. Two pregnant dragons fight over a nesting spot for days. After the eggs hatch, the dragons abandon the baby dragons.
"The five old soldiers of the dragon's teeth grew very fond of these small urchins, and were never weary of showing them how to shoulder sticks, flourish wooden swords, and march in military order, blowing a penny trumpet, or beating an abominable rub-a-dub upon a little drum.
But King Cadmus, lest there should be too much of the dragon's tooth in his children's disposition, used to find time from his kingly duties to teach them their A B C--which he invented for their benefit, and for which many little people, I am afraid, are not half so grateful to him as they ought to be."
The Dragon’s Teeth
Nathaniel Hawthorne
For Hawthorne’s whole story see this site:
http://www.classicreader.com/read.php/sid.6/bookid.2111/
It’s on DK Discovery Kids, the Discovery Channel's kid's channel,
I watched the strolling drooling tongue flicking Komodo Dragon.
The tongue flicking is to smell with, it tastes scents in the air,
And the drool, ugh, is septic, infectious, poisonous stuff,
Along with the dragon's teeth….
”Running towards the tuft of trees, he beheld the head and fiery eyes of an immense serpent or dragon, with the widest jaws that ever a dragon had, and a vast many rows of horribly sharp teeth. Before Cadmus could reach the spot, this pitiless reptile had killed his poor companions, and was busily devouring them, making but a mouthful of each man.”
The Dragon’s Teeth
Nathaniel Hawthorne
The Komodo Dragon had bitten on the back leg a water buffalo, a grievous wound, infected from the dragon’s mouth, and the buffalo stumbled along, and then fell.
""What shall I do?" cried he aloud. "It were better for me to have been devoured by the dragon, as my poor companions were."
"Cadmus," said a voice but whether it came from above or below him, or whether it spoke within his own breast, the young man could not tell--"Cadmus, pluck out the dragon's teeth, and plant them in the earth.""
The Dragon’s Teeth
Nathaniel Hawthorne
The water buffalo, after suffering from the infection for fifteen days, died and was devoured by the Komodo Dragon.
"A moment afterwards, the whole surface of the ground was broken by a multitude of polished brass helmets, coming up like a crop of enormous beans. So rapidly did they grow, that Cadmus now discerned the fierce countenance of a man beneath every one."
The Dragon’s Teeth
Nathaniel Hawthorne
In the news, a boy with a bad tooth whose family was poor. An infection set in that wasn’t attended to. Hospitalised, the boy almost recovered, but told his mom at the end of one of her visits to pray for him. She didn’t see him again alive, as he worsened that evening and died.
The story in all the news prompted families everywhere to call dentists.
"Up sprouted also a great many trumpeters; and with the first breath that they drew, they put their brazen trumpets to their lips, and sounded a tremendous and ear-shattering blast, so that the whole space, just now so quiet and solitary, reverberated with the clash and clang of arms, the bray of warlike music, and the shouts of angry men. So enraged did they all look, that Cadmus fully expected them to put the whole world to the sword. How fortunate would it be for a great conqueror, if he could get a bushel of the dragon's teeth to sow!
"Cadmus," said the same voice which he had before heard, "throw a stone into the midst of the armed men.""
The Dragon’s Teeth
Nathaniel Hawthorne
I am asked if there is ham in the split pea soup. No, I hesitate….
Are you sure? They ask again.
And I look at the questioner….for a moment, are they afraid? To reveal their faith?
Yes…I’m sure…it’s okay.
The shadow of fear and prejudice passed like vultures’ shadows.
"So Cadmus seized a large stone, and flinging it into the middle of the earth army, saw it strike the breastplate of a gigantic and fierce-looking warrior. Immediately on feeling the blow, he seemed to take it for granted that somebody had struck him; and, uplifting his weapon, he smote his next neighbor a blow that cleft his helmet asunder, and stretched him on the ground. In an instant, those nearest the fallen warrior began to strike at one another with their swords, and stab with their spears. The confusion spread wider and wider. Each man smote down his brother, and was himself smitten down before he had time to exult in his victory. The trumpeters, all the while, blew their blasts shriller and shriller; each soldier shouted a battle cry, and often fell with it on his lips. It was the strangest spectacle of causeless wrath, and of mischief for no good end, that had ever been witnessed; but, after all, it was neither more foolish nor more wicked than a thousand battles that have since been fought, in which men have slain their brothers with just as little reason as these children of the dragon's teeth. It ought to be considered, too, that the dragon people were made for nothing else; whereas other mortals were born to love and help one another."
The Dragon’s Teeth
Nathaniel Hawthorne
Mother Komodo Dragon’s take great pains to lay eggs. Two pregnant dragons fight over a nesting spot for days. After the eggs hatch, the dragons abandon the baby dragons.
"The five old soldiers of the dragon's teeth grew very fond of these small urchins, and were never weary of showing them how to shoulder sticks, flourish wooden swords, and march in military order, blowing a penny trumpet, or beating an abominable rub-a-dub upon a little drum.
But King Cadmus, lest there should be too much of the dragon's tooth in his children's disposition, used to find time from his kingly duties to teach them their A B C--which he invented for their benefit, and for which many little people, I am afraid, are not half so grateful to him as they ought to be."
The Dragon’s Teeth
Nathaniel Hawthorne
For Hawthorne’s whole story see this site:
http://www.classicreader.com/read.php/sid.6/bookid.2111/
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