Post by Deleted on May 31, 2016 11:35:33 GMT
From where I was, in the stands, I could see both the platform of execution, far above and to my left, and the wide surface, some ten paces in width, of the deep, stone-encased pool of death eels . The stones of the pool’s circular containing wall were cunningly fitted and bright with color, for the Pani have a finely developed aesthetic sense. The handle of a tool, a wooden hinge, a gatepost, the prow of a fisherman’s humble craft, the threshold of a peasant’s simple hut, may be models of carving. Even the roofings and walls of their fortresses, structures betokening the dark needs and sober exigencies of fearful times, are graceful, and companions to their background, not intruders. They are such as to be welcomed by the sky, the clouds, and mountains. Even the blades with which the Pani kill are beautiful. The water was still roiling for an attendant, but Ihn ago, had cast a bucket of scraps of raw tarsk into the water, not to feed the massed, swirling, snakelike fish but to excite them, to sharpen their hunger into a frenzy of anticipation.
Norman, John. Rebels of Gor (Gorean Saga Book 33) (Kindle Locations 4364-4371)
I was to one side , behind a silken screen, sitting cross-legged with Haruki, before another table . Such screens may afford privacy, for example, dividing a larger space into semi-secluded, individual dining areas. The screen, on the house side, so to speak, was decorated with a fanciful image, that of a large, winged, fearsome beast. “It is a dragon,” had said Haruki. Such images were not infrequently encountered in the islands, but, more commonly, one encountered images of a gentler, more tranquil nature, snow-capped mountains, forests, winding streams, placid villages, and such. There seemed to me many contrasts, if not paradoxes, in the Pani culture. Perhaps where life may be short, and jeopardy is often afoot, when the morning may not guarantee the evening, one is more likely to see and appreciate beauty, and fix it, as one can, for a moment of contemplation. It was a culture with a place for both the blossom and the glaive, a culture where one might, a sword within reach, unroll a painting and, bit by bit, meditate upon its elements, where a warrior might attend sensitively to the delicacy of his calligraphy and a general might compose poetry on the eve of battle.
Norman, John. Rebels of Gor (Gorean Saga Book 33) (Kindle Locations 5316-5324)
It had come as a surprise that Haruki was allowed the freedom of the garden. The garden, I gathered, was of interest to Lord Yamada. These aesthetic interests, surprisingly to a barbarian, were not that uncommon amongst the Pani nobility. Lord Okimoto, as I recalled, attended to the elegance of his calligraphy. Indeed, the fineness of his hand, I had gathered from Tajima, ruled out the possibility that he might be in league with an opposing house. I found the logic implicit in this assurance difficult to fathom. Lord Yamada, for example, who was apparently sensitive to the delicacy and hue of flowers, and the melodies of their arrangement , could strangle sons, behead enemies, burn and crucify dissidents, and tranquilly administer the test of twelve arrows.
Norman, John. Rebels of Gor (Gorean Saga Book 33) (Kindle Locations 8171-8177)
When the holding fell, as seemed likely, perhaps within days, presumably its goods, gold , silver, jade, jewels, furniture , screens, scrolls, and such, would be his for the gathering. To be sure, some of it might be destroyed, but that was not likely, as Pani tend to be reluctant to damage or destroy objects and materials of value. What Pani, at least of noble birth and refinement , would burn a well-wrought fan , a samisen, a lovely painted screen, or a poem?
Norman, John. Rebels of Gor (Gorean Saga Book 33) (Kindle Locations 869-872)
Norman, John. Rebels of Gor (Gorean Saga Book 33) (Kindle Locations 4364-4371)
I was to one side , behind a silken screen, sitting cross-legged with Haruki, before another table . Such screens may afford privacy, for example, dividing a larger space into semi-secluded, individual dining areas. The screen, on the house side, so to speak, was decorated with a fanciful image, that of a large, winged, fearsome beast. “It is a dragon,” had said Haruki. Such images were not infrequently encountered in the islands, but, more commonly, one encountered images of a gentler, more tranquil nature, snow-capped mountains, forests, winding streams, placid villages, and such. There seemed to me many contrasts, if not paradoxes, in the Pani culture. Perhaps where life may be short, and jeopardy is often afoot, when the morning may not guarantee the evening, one is more likely to see and appreciate beauty, and fix it, as one can, for a moment of contemplation. It was a culture with a place for both the blossom and the glaive, a culture where one might, a sword within reach, unroll a painting and, bit by bit, meditate upon its elements, where a warrior might attend sensitively to the delicacy of his calligraphy and a general might compose poetry on the eve of battle.
Norman, John. Rebels of Gor (Gorean Saga Book 33) (Kindle Locations 5316-5324)
It had come as a surprise that Haruki was allowed the freedom of the garden. The garden, I gathered, was of interest to Lord Yamada. These aesthetic interests, surprisingly to a barbarian, were not that uncommon amongst the Pani nobility. Lord Okimoto, as I recalled, attended to the elegance of his calligraphy. Indeed, the fineness of his hand, I had gathered from Tajima, ruled out the possibility that he might be in league with an opposing house. I found the logic implicit in this assurance difficult to fathom. Lord Yamada, for example, who was apparently sensitive to the delicacy and hue of flowers, and the melodies of their arrangement , could strangle sons, behead enemies, burn and crucify dissidents, and tranquilly administer the test of twelve arrows.
Norman, John. Rebels of Gor (Gorean Saga Book 33) (Kindle Locations 8171-8177)
When the holding fell, as seemed likely, perhaps within days, presumably its goods, gold , silver, jade, jewels, furniture , screens, scrolls, and such, would be his for the gathering. To be sure, some of it might be destroyed, but that was not likely, as Pani tend to be reluctant to damage or destroy objects and materials of value. What Pani, at least of noble birth and refinement , would burn a well-wrought fan , a samisen, a lovely painted screen, or a poem?
Norman, John. Rebels of Gor (Gorean Saga Book 33) (Kindle Locations 869-872)