The Passionate Shepherd to His Love

Poet: Christopher Marlowe
Year Published: 1599

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The Passionate Shepherd to His Love



Come live with me and be my love,


And we will all the pleasures prove

That valleys, groves, hills, and fields,

Woods, or steepy mountain yields.



And we will sit upon rocks,

Seeing the shepherds feed their flocks,

By shallow rivers to whose falls

Melodious birds sing madrigals.



And I will make thee beds of roses

And a thousand fragrant poises,

A cap of flowers, and a kirtle

Embroidered all with leaves of myrtle;



A gown made of the finest wool

Which from our pretty lambs we pull;

Fair lined slippers for the cold,

With buckles of the purest gold;



A belt of straw and ivy buds,

With coral clasps and amber studs;

And if these pleasures may thee move,

Come live with me, and be my love.



The shepherds's swains shall dance and sing

For thy delight each May morning:

If these delights thy mind may move,

Then live with me and be my love.


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This poem is among the most famous and controversial pieces during the Renaissance period. It manifests the pastoral style of writing, which is an early example of its kind during that era.  
 
Written by the English poet Christopher Marlowe, the poem was published six years after the poet's death. It tackles about a young shepherd who falls in love and courts his beloved.
 
In the first stanza, you can already see the lover's desire to be with his beloved. The first line is an invitation to the beloved to live with him and share his lifestyle.
 
The following stanzas further talks about the sweet promises of the shepherd just to make the beloved come with him. He promises to make her a gown, slippers and buckles out of materials from the field.
 
As you may have noticed, the poem is on the style of romanticism, and idealism. The persona promises to do everything for the beloved even to the point of exaggeration.

And Then There Were None

Type: Prose
Genre: Novel (Fiction, Mystery)
Author: Agatha Christie
Published: 2001
Publisher: St. Martin's Press


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Summary


Ten individuals from different walks of life were summoned as guests to a private island in Devon. It was a vacation that each of them looked forward to. Until, they discovered that their millionaire host was nowhere to be found. Apart from that, each of the guests wicked past was revealed by a mysterious voice from a gramophone record. It was the signal of the game. Each of them were players chased to pay for the crimes they committed. Their hours are numbered and all of them are prey to the unknown killer. There are no clues as to who will be the next victim. What they only have is the childish nursery rhyme hung on every room that hints the manner of death of every victim.



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And Then There Were None is a charming mystery novel that leads the reader to the next page till he's left unaware that he's come to the end.


It is a mystery that will intrigue you till the last chapter which only proves that Agatha Christie is really the Queen of Crime.

There are only 10 characters in the story. Each of them is suspicious. Each could be a suspect. From the very start, you'll already start wondering, who is their host. Who is the killer whn everyone seems to be innocent yet suspicious.

You will start analyzing the whole situation and have suspects. But then when you reach the last chapters, you'll be lost for you will realize that you were wrong all along for suspecting a certain character. Worst, you don't have any idea again on who's the villain.

Well, just read the book now for yourself. I'm sure you'll never even put it down.


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Memorable Lines from the Book



"Self-preservation's a man's first duty." - Philip Lombard

"In the midst of life we are in death." - Emily Brent

"Providence leaves the work of conviction and chastisement to us mortals - and the process is often fraught with difficulties. There are no short cuts." - William Henry Blore

"When a man's neck's in danger, he doesn't stop to think too much about sentiment." - William Henry Blore

"No good result can come from recrimination." - Justice Wargrave.

Booksale launches new website

Behold, one of our favorite Philippine bookstores finally has its own website!

Booksale is Philippine's biggest source of low-priced unused, as well as previously-owned books and bargain publications from the U.S., Canada, U.K., and Australia. It has been in the business for 3o years and currently has 91 stores nationwide.

Well, the site is just new so there's nothing much on it yet. As of now, the interesting things in the website are the schedules of 'sales', list of branches and the things they offer

Hopefully, we'll get more from Booksale as they continue to improve on their site. But for now, just stay tuned and wait for further updates.

Booksale site: http://www.booksale.com.ph

A Nadie

Composer: Liliana Felipe
Source: "The Law of Love" by Laura Esquivel
Year Published: 1995

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A Nadie


What kind of thing is love, it seems so much
like pain,
It never touched me, never touched you,
Never knew how to, or wished to, or tried to.
That's why you aren't with me...


Because we never even met
And in all the time we lost
Each one of us lived his part
But each one always apart.
Because you can't extinguish
What has never been ignited,
Because you can't restore to health
Something that never has languished.
Because you'd never understand
My weariness, my manias,
Because to you it'd be just the same
If I fell into the abyss.
This love you've scorned so long
Because you never even looked for me
Where I wouldn't have been anyway,
Nor would you have loved me.


That's why you aren't with me.
That's why I'm not with you.


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Taken from Laura Esquivel's "Law of Love", this is actually a song rendered by Liliana Felipe. It shows the sadness and pain of unrequited love.


In the first stanza, the persona compares love to pain. The persona here understands that love is very much like pain. Something that he/she haven't grasped for he/she know nothing about it yet because the beloved doesn't see her/him and is not with him/her.


The second stanza makes us understand the real situation of the persona. The persona here loves someone whom he/she hasn't even met. It's loving from a distance. Like loving a celebrity - you know the person but that person doesn't even know that you exist. Thus, the persona can't even say that he/she is in pain for he/she was not even rejected by the beloved. And, how can he/she be rejected if there's not even anything going on between them.

Because you can't extinguished

What has never been ignited,

Because you can't restore to health

Something that never has languished.

At the end, the persona doesn't even say that he/she is hoping for the beloved to love him/her back. And yet somehow there's like a hint that if only the things on the second stanza would happen then perhaps they would have been together.

Amelia falls in love

Type: Prose
Genre: Fiction
Author: Laura James
Year Published: 2005
Publisher: Ryland Peters and Small

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Summary

This book is a story about a lady named Amelia who grew up in an island. She was a well-pampered child. She and her parents lead a happy and contented life in their place. Until one day, a circumstance came which forced her to embark on a journey. She started to live in the city and experience little adventures like falling in love and having a broken heart.



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The book is a perfect companion while sipping a cup of latte in your favorite coffee shop. It has a very short story filled with brilliant ideas, wonderful illustrations, fabulous recipes and helpful tips. You can say that it's like a magazine in a hardcover. Yes, it's hard bound too!


The first time I laid eyes on the book, I thought it was a children's book misplaced in the wrong shelf. But as I scanned the pages, I was totally awed and decided to buy it. It's so attractive that you won't be able to resist it.


About the story, it is very to understand and is also perfect for teenagers. Although I must say that the beginning part was really deceiving and would make you think its just another fairytale.


Well, if you want to give your girl friends a gift, this one is a good choice. :)