Here is an excerpt from Mark Twain's account of his early days in Bombay, sometime in 1895. You need to guess who he is referring to.
'He has been reincarnated more times than Shiva; and he has kept a sample of each incarnation, and fused it into his constitution. In the course of his evolutionary promotions, his sublime march toward ultimate perfection, he has been a gambler, a low comedian, a dissolute priest, a fussy woman, a blackguard, a scoffer, a liar, a thief, a spy, an informer, a trading politician, a swindler, a professional hypocrite, a patriot for cash, a reformer, a lecturer, a lawyer, a conspirator, a rebel, a royalist, a democrat, a practicer and propagator of irreverence, a meddler, an intruder, a busybody, an infidel, and a wallower in sin for the mere love of it. The strange result, the incredible result, of this patient accumulation of all damnable traits is, that he does not know what care is, he does not know what sorrow is, he does not know what remorse is; his life is one long thundering ecstasy of happiness, and he will go to his death untroubled, knowing that he will soon turn up again as an author or something, and be even more intolerably capable and comfortable than ever he was before'.
'He has been reincarnated more times than Shiva; and he has kept a sample of each incarnation, and fused it into his constitution. In the course of his evolutionary promotions, his sublime march toward ultimate perfection, he has been a gambler, a low comedian, a dissolute priest, a fussy woman, a blackguard, a scoffer, a liar, a thief, a spy, an informer, a trading politician, a swindler, a professional hypocrite, a patriot for cash, a reformer, a lecturer, a lawyer, a conspirator, a rebel, a royalist, a democrat, a practicer and propagator of irreverence, a meddler, an intruder, a busybody, an infidel, and a wallower in sin for the mere love of it. The strange result, the incredible result, of this patient accumulation of all damnable traits is, that he does not know what care is, he does not know what sorrow is, he does not know what remorse is; his life is one long thundering ecstasy of happiness, and he will go to his death untroubled, knowing that he will soon turn up again as an author or something, and be even more intolerably capable and comfortable than ever he was before'.
8 comments:
who is it??? I'm curious, :)
Nandhiniii... you need to guess. Will reveal the answer soon. Think think... and no cheating, ok!
My first guess would be an Indian actor - because of the various roles mentioned and the "everlasting" sentiment. But 1895 makes that a little unlikely. Then... I dunno! An animal that will "evolve" but not really "know" any emotion?
what? a bacterium? or some such organism? though it's debatable what a bacterium feels...
am curious too...
Bombay itself?
@ Angika
You came close with your last line..
@ Sujaan
Think more macroscopically
Hint - There is a popular tale about hard work that am sure all of us have read in primary school. It has the same protagonist.
@ Platinum Carbide
No, not Bombay.. nice guess though.. Take a look at the other comments and the hint.
I have no idea. Who? Mark Twain is a colorful, American original. He also had a famous encounter at the Egyptian pyramids with a guy trying to sell him souvenirs. After the guy had followed him to an elevated place on a pyramid and still begging Twain to purchase something, Twain said, "I'll pay you $1,000 to jump". Let me know who this is.
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