busy"The Love of Brothers"
Ariston and Sophos were apprentices
to the alchemist Archimedes.
Of all the young men in his service,
Ariston was the strongest
and Sophos was the smartest.
To defend the city of Syracuse
they helped build the Claw of Archimedes,
which lifted enemy ships out of the water;
and also the Mirror of Archimedes,
which lit ships on fire with the power of the sun.
Now Ariston had an eye for young ladies,
but Sophos never did, nor was he
attracted to young men instead.
It was personality rather than beauty
which appealed to Sophos,
and the loyalty of Ariston grew on him
like the leaves coming out on an olive tree.
Sophos took to following Ariston
everywhere around the city.
At first Ariston brushed him off
and told Sophos to find himself a girl.
Sophos just smiled and
trotted along beside him,
plying Ariston with souvlaki
and baklava and wine.
Then one day, the young lady to whom
Ariston had unwisely entrusted his heart
dashed it to the pavement of her father's courtyard
where it shattered like a cheap amphora.
Ariston ran back to the dormitory
and wept on Sophos' shoulder.
"Eros is like a torch, my friend,"
Sophos said to him.
"If you clutch it to your breast,
it is certain to burn you."
That type of passion frightened Sophos
and so he preferred to avoid it.
Lust and romance just got you in trouble;
surely there were better foundations
for supporting a relationship.
After Ariston finished weeping,
Sophos washed the salt from his cheeks
and then took him out into the city.
They went to see a comedy in the theatre
and then listened to a lyre player
who had put out his hat beside a fountain.
As they walked through the streets,
Ariston bumped his shoulder against Sophos
and Sophos gently nudged him back.
When they made their way down to the beach
to watch the sun set over the waves,
Ariston quietly slipped his fingers
into Sophos' hand.
The two friends went everywhere together.
Oh, Ariston still spent the odd night with a woman,
but he no longer sought to keep them,
for Sophos was always there for him instead.
Sophos had no interest in bedsports or courtship,
and although he was wooing Ariston in a sense,
it was altogether different in kind.
People leaped to the wrong conclusions anyhow,
for they were beautiful young men
and nobody could imagine
them spending so much time together
without mounting one another.
"It is not like that for us," Sophos grumbled.
"Then what is it like?" everyone asked.
"Hē philía tōn adelphṓn," Ariston replied.
The love of brothers.
This was what it came to mean to them,
what the two of them made it mean:
something that they could stand on
when they needed to move the world aside,
something that could warm them
if they focused on it carefully enough.
Ariston and Sophos were
the apprentices of Archimedes.
Love was never so simple a thing as physics,
but they were strong enough and smart enough
to figure it out anyway.
* * *
Notes:
the love of brothers
ἡ φιλία των ἀδελφών
hē philía tōn adelphṓn
Ariston and Sophus have a queerplatonic relationship. This often entails picking and choosing different aspects through which to express affection. You can see them just beginning to piece together what things they want to do.
Archimedes was a famous historic figure, associated with science and alchemy. The Claw of Archimedes and Mirror of Archimedes are two examples of his inventions. For the purposes of this series, it is stipulated that alchemy makes both of those effective.
Greek food includes such delicacies as souvlaki and baklava. Greek wine was often stored in a container called an amphora. Also it was an everyday beverage, not something primarily intended for getting drunk at parties.
February 10 2014, 21:31:19 UTC 7 years ago
Some of the events here are passing familiar... in the full etymological sense of that word. :)
Yay!
February 10 2014, 22:03:02 UTC 7 years ago
I am gratified to have an astute audience with a deep understanding of humanity. Lucky is he who has experience with many forms of love.
>> Some of the events here are passing familiar... in the full etymological sense of that word. :) <<
<3 And a passing fine day it is, too.
Re: Yay!
February 11 2014, 05:25:19 UTC 7 years ago
And speaking of etymology...
February 10 2014, 22:14:36 UTC 7 years ago Edited: February 10 2014, 22:15:06 UTC
In the time of Archimedes it would be Classical Attic Greek:
ἡ φιλία των ἀδελφών
hē philía tōn adelphṓn
(I hope those come out right for everyone) with
• rough breathing on the eta (ἡ) to show the initial /h/ that the modern language has lost
• smooth breathing on the initial alpha (ἀ) to show its absence
• the eta as a long e, /ē/, rather than the /i/ it has become
Macrons (¯) aren't easy to get if you don't know how. I can tell you for Mac, maybe point you to where for other systems.
Re: And speaking of etymology...
February 11 2014, 03:10:37 UTC 7 years ago
I'm glad this worked for you. I wanted to make them a good match, without making them too similar to each other.
>> In the time of Archimedes it would be Classical Attic Greek: <<
Thanks everso for fixing this! I love my audience.
Re: And speaking of etymology...
February 11 2014, 04:31:20 UTC 7 years ago
(bows) My pleasure to be
pedanticof assistance.Re: And speaking of etymology...
February 11 2014, 04:34:42 UTC 7 years ago
In case you're curious, I got these from:
Ariston: http://www.behindthename.com/names/usage/ancient-greek
Sophos: http://www.behindthename.com/names/usage/ancient-greek/2