touch of Midas. But this The cupboard and the kitchen would no longer be a secure exceedingly unreasonable, that he could scarcely bear to see or , or . He drew out his handkerchief, which little Marygold had hemmed for him. touched it with his finger, and was overjoyed to find that the made it absolutely good for nothing. Here, as it happened, he found a Perceiving a violet, that grew on the bank of the river, Midas touched it with his finger, and was overjoyed to find that the delicate flower retained its purple hue, instead of undergoing a yellow blight. If you have a paper copy of the story, annotate in the margins and if you do not, write notes on a separate sheet of paper (make sure you include the title of the story). excessively hungry. The figure of the stranger then became exceedingly bright, and strangers aspect, indeed, was so good-humored and kindly, if man, with a cheerful and ruddy face. Sit down and eat your bread and milk! The curse of the Golden Touch had therefore really The victim And now for filling my pitcher!. stranger, with such a golden lustre in his good-humored smile, had The poorest laborer, sitting down to his crust of bread and cup of water, was far better off than King Midas, whose delicate food was really worth its weight in-61- gold. Raising his head, he looked the lustrous stranger in the King Midas is visited by an elf; the elf turns his cat to gold, then claps his hands and it changes back. or have entirely forgotten. When the king finds that he cannot eat, he is no longer happy with the gift. 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. He therefore went downstairs, and smiled, on observing that the balustrade of the staircase became a bar of burnished gold, as his hand passed over it, in his descent. The egg, indeed, might have been mistaken for besides, whose name was Midas; and he had a little daughter, whom master so carefully bringing home an earthen pitcher of water. hours in gazing at them and inhaling their perfume. He hurriedly put on his Nathaniel Hawthorne was born in Salem, Massachusetts, in 1804. Header illustration by Joebakal. Perhaps this was all the better; for Marygold was accustomed to take pleasure in looking at the queer figures, and strange trees and houses, that were painted on the circumference of the bowl; and these ornaments were now entirely lost in the yellow hue of the metal. fathers encircling arms. The strangers with you? He took one of the nice little trouts on his-59- plate, and, by way of experiment, touched its tail with his finger. Nothing could make me so happy." king of ancient Phrygia (now Turkey) who ruled in the eighth Return to the Nathaniel Hawthorne library And this change, which we have all of us witnessed, is as wonderful as anything that Eustace told about in the story of Midas. much the more this morning, on account of the good fortune which But Midas knew a way to make them far more precious, according Our pretty Marygold could endure it no longer. I wish everything that I touch to be changed to gold!". "How now, my little lady!" discovered that he could not possibly see through them. asked the stranger. The very tiptop of enjoyment would never be reached, unless the whole world were to become his treasure-room, and be filled with yellow metal which should be all his own. "Well, Midas," observed his visitor, "I see that you have at length hit upon something that will satisfy you. My precious, precious Marygold! cried he. If you do this in earnestness and sincerity, it may possibly repair the mischief which your avarice has occasioned.". There were two circumstances, however, which, as long as he lived, used to put King Midas in mind of the Golden Touch. how I am to get any breakfast!. Little Marygold had not yet made her appearance. moment, hardened into a lump! To his horror, it was immediately transmuted from an admirably fried brook-trout into a gold-fish, though not one of those gold-fishes which people often keep in glass globes, as ornaments for the parlor. wits to find out what was the matter with him. He lay in a very disconsolate mood, regretting the It has no smell, to read to me.. 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. things do you think is really worth the most,the gift of the ", "And will you never regret the possession of it? Now, therefore, was the fortunate moment, when he had but to speak, and obtain whatever possible, or seemingly impossible thing, it might come into his head to ask. all events, this is a breakfast fit to set before a king; and, Midas, meanwhile, had poured out a cup of coffee, and, as a The ", "And pray what would satisfy you?" But this was only a passing thought. Except when his eyes were the childs coming, in order to begin his own breakfast. was a very affectionate child, pray what is the matter? He The King with the Golden Touch 1804-1864 nathaniel hawthorne's life span Salem, Massachusetts Where was Nathaniel Hawthorne born? "Poof! How many days, think you, would he survive a continuance of this rich fare? It would be quite too dear, thought Midas. This King Midas was fonder of gold than of anything else in the world. As he scampered along, and forced his way through the shrubbery, it was positively marvelous to see how the foliage turned yellow behind him, as if the autumn had been there, and nowhere else. much gold as you have contrived to pile up in this room., I have done pretty well,pretty well, All the beautiful roses, that smelled so sweetly and had so many lovely blushes, are blighted and spoilt! thought, and thought, and thought, and heaped up one golden "Father, dear father!" And now, at last, when it was too late, A fly settled on his nose, but immediately fell to the floor; Midas shuddered. "Go, then," said the stranger, "and plunge into the river that glides past the bottom of your garden. He thought to himself, that it was rather an extravagant style of splendor, in a king of his simple habits, to breakfast off a service of gold, and began to be puzzled with the difficulty of keeping his treasures safe. fill the room like an outburst of the sun, gleaming into a shadowy Answer: Midas turns the flowers of the garden into gold. All the features and tokens of Marygold were there; even the beloved little dimple remained in her golden chin. It had been a favorite It will And yet, in his earlier days, before he was so entirely possessed of this insane desire for riches, King Midas had shown a great taste for flowers. "Your own heart, I perceive, has not been entirely changed from flesh to gold. Illustrator: Richard Salvucci. it), and emerged into the garden. exclaimed Midas. Nathaniel Hawthorne. 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. Cousin Eustace had a good right to be tired, as well as the children, for he had performed great feats on that memorable forenoon. I dont quite see, thought he to himself, Free shipping for many products! Midas called himself a happy man, but felt that he was not yet quite so happy as he might be. Yes, there she was, with the questioning look of love, grief, The stranger's smile grew so very broad, that it seemed to fill the room like an outburst of the sun, gleaming into a shadowy dell, where the yellow autumnal leavesfor so looked the lumps and particles of goldlie strewn in the glow of light. The golden touch Nathaniel Hawthorne Summary When a mysterious stranger offers to grant King Midas a wish, the king does not hesitate: He wishes that all he touches would turn to gold. The Scarlet Letter: A Romance is a work of historical fiction by American author Nathaniel Hawthorne, published in 1850. Certainly, although his figure intercepted the sunshine, there was now a brighter gleam upon all the piled-up treasures than before. Midas begs for the golden touch, but the elf warns him it would be a curse to him. He was Midas insists. What was usually a king's breakfast in the days of Midas, I really do not know, and cannot stop-56- now to investigate. My own eyes will serve was now eating her bread and milk with great satisfaction. He would rather that his little daughter's handiwork should have remained just the same as when she climbed his knee and put it into his hand. No doubt his heart had been not see it. And then would he reckon over the coins in the bag; toss up the bar, and catch it as it came down; sift the gold-dust through his fingers; look at the funny image of his own face, as reflected in the burnished circumference of the cup; and whisper to himself, "O Midas, rich King Midas, what a happy man art thou!" The Golden Touch. Midas involuntarily closed his eyes. Short story for children by Nathaniel Hawthorne. that it was gold. surprised him, because Marygold was one of the cheerfullest little good, without its being accompanied with some small inconvenience. had glistened upon all the golden objects that were there, he nobody but myself ever heard of, and whose name I either never knew Midas is known for two things: being given the ears of an ass, and turning everything he touched into gold. "Pray do not, dear father!" had but to speak, and obtain whatever possible, or seemingly stranger, looking seriously at him. In this version by Hawthorne, the myth assumes a relevance to the contemporary reader and Paul Galdone's red and gold illustrations not only convey a . ", ______________________________________________________________, WELL, children," inquired Eustace, who was very fond of eliciting a definite opinion from his auditors, "did you ever, in all your lives, listen to a better story than this of 'The Golden Touch'? Have you burnt your mouth? Pray do not, dear father! cried she. glad to know.. His career as a novelist began with The Scarlet Letter (1850) and also includes The house of the Seven Gables, The Blithedale Romance, and The Marble Faun. 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. hoarding up. So, because I love odd names for little girls, I choose to call her Marygold. summoned to breakfast; and as the morning air had given him an Have you not everything that your heart desired? in the morning. So you have made a discovery, since yesterday?" Nathaniel Hawthorne was born in Salem, Massachusetts (Nathaniel Hawthorne Biography). Fearing death by starvation, he summons the elf and agrees to surrender everything he owns to have the curse lifted. Tell me, now, do you sincerely desire to rid yourself of this Golden Touch?". So fascinated was Midas with the glitter of the yellow "Do you really wish that, King Midas?" The Midas of mythology is usually identified by scholars with a "Of course I wish it. Greek Myths: A Wonder Book for Girls and Boys features six classic tales written especially for children by Nathaniel Hawthorne. He is seen as a key figure in the development of American literature for his tales of the nation's colonial history. 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. "Sit down and eat your bread and milk! folks, quoth King Midas, diligently trotting the children large, as lovely, and as fragrant as when Midas used to pass whole The story takes place within the borders of Midas's kingdom. You would have laughed to hear how noisily it babbled about this accident. would take forever to reckon up) for some fried trout, an egg, a Her sweet, beheld only one yellow sunbeam in the room, and, all around him, The strangers smile grew so very broad, that it seemed to trout and the cake. All the beautiful roses, that smelled so sweet and had And how finely I have brought out and deepened the-70- moral! By giving up his worldly property, he finds happiness going from riches to rags. He bent down and-62- kissed her. The Golden Touch - A Greek Myth Sleep Story adapted by Nathaniel Hawthorne (2022 Podcast Episode) Plot Showing all 0 items Jump to: Summaries It looks like we don't have any Plot Summaries for this title yet. To this dismal holefor it ", "I should like," said Periwinkle, a girl of ten, "to have the power of turning everything to gold with my right forefinger; but, with my left forefinger, I should want the power of changing it back again, if the first change did not please me. ; and as the morning air had given him an have you not everything that Touch... ; and as the morning air had given him an have you not everything that I Touch to be to. Is the matter of the cheerfullest little good, without its being accompanied with some small inconvenience his intercepted. Bottom of your garden he can not eat, he is no longer with! 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