I'm sensing I'll be looking up a lot of the references! I was really struck by this one line:
With a philosophical flourish Cato throws himself on his sword; I quietly take to the ship.
Not being very well-versed in ancient Roman history, I looked Cato up, and (from Wikipedia):
According to Plutarch, Cato attempted to kill himself by stabbing himself with his own sword, but failed to do so due to an injured hand. Plutarch wrote:
Cato did not immediately die of the wound; but struggling, fell off the bed, and throwing down a little mathematical table that stood by, made such a noise that the servants, hearing it, cried out. And immediately his son and all his friends came into the chamber, where, seeing him lie weltering in his own blood, great part of his bowels out of his body, but himself still alive and able to look at them, they all stood in horror. The physician went to him, and would have put in his bowels, which were not pierced, and sewed up the wound; but Cato, recovering himself, and understanding the intention, thrust away the physician, plucked out his own bowels, and tearing open the wound, immediately expired.
I've never read Moby Dick before, so I'm definitely curious to see if the second part of this story comes into play at all. If taking to the ship is the piercing, then what is the defiant finishing of the task by hand?
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2016-01-04 01:17 am (UTC)With a philosophical flourish Cato throws himself on his sword; I quietly take to the ship.
Not being very well-versed in ancient Roman history, I looked Cato up, and (from Wikipedia):
According to Plutarch, Cato attempted to kill himself by stabbing himself with his own sword, but failed to do so due to an injured hand. Plutarch wrote:
Cato did not immediately die of the wound; but struggling, fell off the bed, and throwing down a little mathematical table that stood by, made such a noise that the servants, hearing it, cried out. And immediately his son and all his friends came into the chamber, where, seeing him lie weltering in his own blood, great part of his bowels out of his body, but himself still alive and able to look at them, they all stood in horror. The physician went to him, and would have put in his bowels, which were not pierced, and sewed up the wound; but Cato, recovering himself, and understanding the intention, thrust away the physician, plucked out his own bowels, and tearing open the wound, immediately expired.
I've never read Moby Dick before, so I'm definitely curious to see if the second part of this story comes into play at all. If taking to the ship is the piercing, then what is the defiant finishing of the task by hand?