Reading is fun!

Tales to remember

Hello, there!!!! I haven't written a line since last year yet. L.O.L. Okay, I'll go straight to the point. Ready? Let's start!
Spending a time surfing the net has its reward in the end. In fact, I've just found this tale written by the Grimm Brothers which is so up-to-date because of Disney's latest film Tangled and its forthcoming launch in Spain . Honestly, I didn't remember the story like that, but I've found out this handy Indian website, www.appuseries.com, where we can find lots of titles in several languages. Among its resources, it provides us with these talking books so useful for English learners. Finally, I must confess I love cartoons, so I've added the trailer of the above mentioned film. Just for fun. I hope you enjoy both!

To all Twilight's fans...

Here you are the famous soundtrack for the motion picture Twilight. Do you understand everything? Make an effort and enjoy it! The story comes to its end soon.


Lyrics | Decode lyrics

From LYRICSMODE.COM lyrics archive

Lyrics | Paramore lyrics - Decode lyrics

New Moon

On the occasion of the imminent release of the 2nd. part of the successful Twilight's saga in cinemas, New Moon promises to become a blockbuster this autumn. Moreover, this event has also attracted the most reluctant readers as it has turned out to be one of the most appealing titles of fiction, keeping suspense until the very end. This fact has brought about Twilight to be read all over the world. In addition to this phenomenon, we must bear in mind a film only takes a couple of hours to tell a story. So, if you want to know what really happens in this new episode, don't wait to be told! This is my recommended book for this holiday. I hope you enjoy it!

A Tribute to Alfred Lord Tennyson

Photos:
Left: I'm half-sick of shadows, said the Lady of Shalott.
Right: The Lady of Shalott. Both painted by John William Waterhouse (1849-1917).

The Lady of Shalott tells the story of a woman who lives in a tower in Shalott, which is an island on a river that runs, along with the road beside it, to Camelot, the setting of the legends about King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. Every day, the woman weaves a tapestry picture of the landscape that is visible from her window, including Camelot. There is, however, a curse on her; the woman does not know the cause of the curse, but she knows that she cannot look directly out of the window, so she views the subjects of her artwork through a mirror that is beside her. The woman is happy to weave, but is tired of looking at life only as a reflection. One day, Sir Lancelot rides by, looking bold and handsome in his shining armor, and singing. The woman goes to the window to look directly out of it, and the moment she does, she knows that the curse is upon her. So she leaves the tower, finds a boat at the side of the river, writes The Lady of Shalott on the side of the boat, and floats off down the river toward Camelot. As she drifts along, singing and observing all of the sights that were forbidden to her before, she dies. The boat floats past Camelot, and all of the knights make the sign of the cross upon seeing a corpse go by, but Lancelot, seeing her for the first time, notes, "She has a lovely face."

The Lady of Shalott by Alfred Lord Tennyson

Part I

On either side the river lie
Long fields of barley and of rye,
That clothe the wold and meet the sky;
And thro' the field the road runs by
To many-tower'd Camelot;
And up and down the people go,
Gazing where the lilies blow
Round an island there below,
The island of Shalott.


Willows whiten, aspens quiver,
Little breezes dusk and shiver
Thro' the wave that runs for ever
By the island in the river
Flowing down to Camelot.
Four gray walls, and four gray towers,
Overlook a space of flowers,
And the silent isle imbowers
The Lady of Shalott.

By the margin, willow veil'd,
Slide the heavy barges trail'd
By slow horses; and unhail'd
The shallop flitteth silken-sail'd
Skimming down to Camelot:
But who hath seen her wave her hand?
Or at the casement seen her stand?
Or is she known in all the land,
The Lady of Shalott?

Only reapers, reaping early
In among the bearded barley,
Hear a song that echoes cheerly
From the river winding clearly,
Down to tower'd Camelot:
And by the moon the reaper weary,
Piling sheaves in uplands airy,
Listening, whispers " 'Tis the fairy
Lady of Shalott."

Part II

There she weaves by night and day
A magic web with colours gay.
She has heard a whisper say,
A curse is on her if she stay
To look down to Camelot.
She knows not what the curse may be,
And so she weaveth steadily,
And little other care hath she,
The Lady of Shalott.

And moving thro' a mirror clear
That hangs before her all the year,
Shadows of the world appear.
There she sees the highway near
Winding down to Camelot:
There the river eddy whirls,
And there the surly village-churls,
And the red cloaks of market girls,
Pass onward from Shalott.

Sometimes a troop of damsels glad,
An abbot on an ambling pad,
Sometimes a curly shepherd-lad,
Or long-hair'd page in crimson clad,
Goes by to tower'd Camelot;
And sometimes thro' the mirror blue
The knights come riding two and two:
She hath no loyal knight and true,
The Lady of Shalott.

But in her web she still delights
To weave the mirror's magic sights,
For often thro' the silent nights
A funeral, with plumes and lights
And music, went to Camelot:
Or when the moon was overhead,
Came two young lovers lately wed:
"I am half sick of shadows," said
The Lady of Shalott.

Part III

A bow-shot from her bower-eaves,
He rode between the barley-sheaves,
The sun came dazzling thro' the leaves,
And flamed upon the brazen greaves
Of bold Sir Lancelot.
A red-cross knight for ever kneel'd
To a lady in his shield,
That sparkled on the yellow field,
Beside remote Shalott.

The gemmy bridle glitter'd free,
Like to some branch of stars we see
Hung in the golden Galaxy.
The bridle bells rang merrily
As he rode down to Camelot:
And from his blazon'd baldric slung
A mighty silver bugle hung,
And as he rode his armour rung,
Beside remote Shalott.

All in the blue unclouded weather
Thick-jewell'd shone the saddle-leather,
The helmet and the helmet-feather
Burn'd like one burning flame together,
As he rode down to Camelot.
As often thro' the purple night,
Below the starry clusters bright,
Some bearded meteor, trailing light,
Moves over still Shalott.

His broad clear brow in sunlight glow'd;
On burnish'd hooves his war-horse trode;
From underneath his helmet flow'd
His coal-black curls as on he rode,
As he rode down to Camelot.
From the bank and from the river
He flash'd into the crystal mirror,
"Tirra lirra," by the river
Sang Sir Lancelot.

She left the web, she left the loom,
She made three paces thro' the room,
She saw the water-lily bloom,
She saw the helmet and the plume,
She look'd down to Camelot.
Out flew the web and floated wide;
The mirror crack'd from side to side;
"The curse is come upon me," cried
The Lady of Shalott.

Part IV

In the stormy east-wind straining,
The pale yellow woods were waning,
The broad stream in his banks complaining,
Heavily the low sky raining
Over tower'd Camelot;
Down she came and found a boat
Beneath a willow left afloat,
And round about the prow she wrote
The Lady of Shalott.

And down the river's dim expanse
Like some bold seer in a trance,
Seeing all his own mischance--
With a glassy countenance
Did she look to Camelot.
And at the closing of the day
She loosed the chain, and down she lay;
The broad stream bore her far away,
The Lady of Shalott.

Lying, robed in snowy white
That loosely flew to left and right--
The leaves upon her falling light--
Thro' the noises of the night
She floated down to Camelot:
And as the boat-head wound along
The willowy hills and fields among,
They heard her singing her last song,
The Lady of Shalott.

Heard a carol, mournful, holy,
Chanted loudly, chanted lowly,
Till her blood was frozen slowly,
And her eyes were darken'd wholly,
Turn'd to tower'd Camelot.
For ere she reach'd upon the tide
The first house by the water-side,
Singing in her song she died,
The Lady of Shalott.

Under tower and balcony,
By garden-wall and gallery,
A gleaming shape she floated by,
Dead-pale between the houses high,
Silent into Camelot.
Out upon the wharfs they came,
Knight and burgher, lord and dame,
And round the prow they read her name,
The Lady of Shalott.

Who is this? and what is here?
And in the lighted palace near
Died the sound of royal cheer;
And they cross'd themselves for fear,
All the knights at Camelot:
But Lancelot mused a little space;
He said, "She has a lovely face;
God in his mercy lend her grace,
The Lady of Shalott."

The Arthurian legend has inspired to many poets. This has been the case of The Lady of Shalott, written by Alfred Lord Tennyson (1809-1892).

This poem was first published in 1832, when Tennyson was 23 years old, in a volume called Poems. Up to that point, Tennyson had received great critical acclaim and had won national awards, but the critics savagely attacked the 1832 book, mostly because of poems such as "The Lady of Shalott" that dealt with fantasy situations instead of realistic ones. Fantasy is what we shouldn't wipe out from our lives. Fortunately, his play has overcome the passage of time. The Canadian singer, Loreena McKennitt based her homonym song on Tennyson's poem. Of Scottish and Irish descents, she's famous for writing, composing and performing world music with Celtic and Middle Eastern themes. As a harpist, pianist and composer, she has found in traditional and classical plays her source of inspiration for her lyrics. Among the most famous ones, Tennyson's, Shakespeare's, Lampman's, St. John's (of the Cross), Blake's, Yeats' and Noyes'.

Like in ancient times, poetry is still sung like minstrels did. Enjoy this beautiful song and pay attention to the rhyme.

The Time Traveler's Wife

Although its film adaptation is being released this month, the bestseller The Time Traveler's Wife was published in 2003. It is the debut novel of American author Audrey Niffenegger. She tells the love story about a man with a genetic disorder that causes him to travel through time unpredictably, and about his wife, an artist who has to cope with his frequent absences and dangerous experiences. Many critics have labelled it as science fiction and romance. Despite this classification, after its reading, we can watch the film and then, compare both versions. Only then, we can declare it's a good adaptation or if it's just a distant reminiscence of the novel. Anyway, cinema becomes the best showcase for literature. It is a very effective lure for attracting new readers. This has been the case of blockbusters such as Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings or Twilight. Let's wait and see how The Time Traveler's Wife works. Enjoy!

Don Quixote and Sancho Panza speak Spanglish

If you have ever visited Gibraltar, Puerto Rico or Mexico, you may have heard something like:"Juan, come here now, que vas a coger frío y luego get a cold". It's a mixture between Spanish and English known as Spanglish. In United States, many Latin Americans include English words to their mother tongue.
Professor Ilan Stavans knows this reality and he has finished the translation of the first part of The Quixote. This piece of news has not been welcomed by Spanish Academicians who are considered old-fashioned scholars anchored in strict laws. Stavans has declared English has not liked it either, although from his viewpoint "it's the best way to fight against Washington authoritarism".Anyway, to cut a long story short, here you are. This is the beginning of the first book. Stavans' work won't be published until the translation of the second volume, so you can have your own opinion by reading this fragment meanwhile.

In un placete de la Mancha of which nombre no quiero remembrearme, vivía, not so long ago, uno de esos gentlemen who always tienen una lanza in the rack, una buckler antigua, a skinny caballo y un grayhound para el chase. A cazuela with más beef than mutón, carne choppeada para la dinner, un omelet pa' los sábados, lentil pa' los viernes, y algún pigeon como delicacy especial pa' los domingos.

Reading during summertime

When we go on holiday, many people think that reading is not a leisure activity. In fact, many youngsters admit to being obliged while studying, and they are not used to doing it in their spare time. However, they would change their minds if they visited Porto. This city in the North of Portugal houses one of the most fascinating bookshops in Europe, the Livraria Lello & Irmao. Opened in 1869, it keeps its magnificence with a spectacular facade in the neogothic style. Inside this two-storey building, its spiral staircase catches the visitors' attention. Meanwhile, anyone can have a cup of coffee and peep at J.K. Rowling's stories upstairs. Don't you wonder why hers? Yes, this bookshop was used as the setting for many Harry Potter's adventures at Hogwarts. Now, there's no excuse to go straight past a bookshop. Get in and find an enjoyable title for a hot sleepless night...a door to new worlds is opened to you waiting to be found somewhere.