Looking back

THE FAERIE QUEENE by Edmund Spenser is one of the masterpieces of Elizabethan literature and one of the longest English poems. An allegorical epic romance, it was written in honour of Elizabeth I partly and Spenser had planned 12 books in all in 1579. The first three were published in 1590, the next three in 1596. Several others must have been written but were destroyed in fire in 1598. Queen Elizabeth was suitably impressed with the beautiful poetry but her lord treasurer was not. She instructed the lord treasurer to pay Spenser £ 500 as reward. The treasurer retorted: "What ! All this for a song?" Thus, Baron William Cecil gave us the expression ‘going for a song’.

An interesting tale lies behind the expression ‘hanging by a thread’. The same story explains the origin of ‘Damocles’ sword’. Damocles was an over-active sycophant in the court of Dionysius the elder in the 4th century B.C. in Greece. Being very eloquent in his flattery, he once went overboard in congratulating the Greek ruler on his good fortune in enjoying the pleasures of power. Dionysius invited him to his palace for a banquet, to show his appreciation of the fulsome praise. During the feast, Damocles looked up and saw a sword hanging from a single horsehair, exactly above his head. Naturally enough, he could not enjoy the meal after that as he was in great agony whenever he looked up at the dangling sword. The ruler’s message was loud and clear: a ruler’s good fortune is not roses all the way. Every moment, he has worries and responsibilities weighing him down. Just as Damocles could not totally enjoy the banquet, a ruler cannot enjoy his power and prestige as responsibility and duty never let go of him.

If the sword had fallen, would it have been a mere accident or a tragic accident?As, the word ‘accident’ did not have the connotation of disaster or mishap that it has today. It simply meant happen to or fall to, since it came from the Latin cadre meaning fall, and ad, meaning to. This led to the Latin phrase res accidens, meaning a thing happening. This phrase soon came to be used as a noun. Thus etymologically, an accident was something which happens or an event. Subsequently, it took on the present shape of accident and the meaning developed into something which happens by chance or a mishap.

Tap-root

Today’s dak bungalow has a rich past. In ancient times, a bangla was located every 40 to 50 miles along highways. Initially, these were constructed only along the Grand Trunk Road. By and by, these dak chowkis came to be known as dakbanglas and then as dak bungalows when they were constructed on every highway. From being used only by the dakias or postmen, they graduated to transit accommodation for government servants.

— Deepti