Nick Drake (poet): Doing

“Do not indulge yourself in a self-pitying, self-gratifying revenge.”

Nick Drake (poet)

ibid
The Rahotep series, Book 3: Egypt: The Book of Chaos (2011)
Context: Death makes us strangers to ourselves... Do not indulge yourself in a self-pitying, self-gratifying revenge. More than likely you would simply end up dead as well.

Revenge

“Perhaps it is the human imagination that is the monster,’ he said. ‘I believe no animal suffers from the torments of the imagination. Only man…’
‘The imagination is capable of enacting the very best in us, and the very worst,’ agreed Hor, ‘and I know what mine would like to do to some people.’
‘Your verse is torment enough,’ quipped the architect.
‘And that is why civilized life, morality, ethics and so on, matter. We are half-enlightened, and half-monstrous,’ said Nakht assertively. ‘We must build our civility upon reason and mutual benefit.’
Sobek raised his cup.
‘I salute your reason. I wish it every success.”

Nick Drake (poet)

ibid
The Rahotep series, Book 2: Tutankhamun

Life , People , Imagination , Suffering

“Maybe I’ve finally learned the bitter truth that I can’t beat them, even if I’ll never join them. But I’m not going to lose the one thing I can still call my own: my life. And you should wise up and do the same, especially with a new child on the way.”

Nick Drake (poet)

Ch 4
The Rahotep series, Book 3: Egypt: The Book of Chaos (2011)

Life , Truth , Way , Learning

“Come on, Rahotep. How do you think Royal Envoy Nakht gets his information about events in the north, and in the war? The army has its intelligence, and the palace has its own, too. The days when an invasion or an attack took place and no one heard about it for months are long gone. This war’s all about speed and information, and you can be sure Nakht has a very efficient system. The problem is, each system is always trying to infiltrate the other. And there’s always the danger of spies.”

Nick Drake (poet)

ibid
The Rahotep series, Book 3: Egypt: The Book of Chaos (2011)

War , Intelligence , Problem , Thinking

“The tale survives of two men
Who fell in love "at first sight";
Who shared everything
In unbounded intimacy
Including the pillow
And the red embroidered coverlet
Which had been in the family
For generations.
Whether they had bad days,
Domestic arguments
Or inappropriate dreams
We do not know –
No doubt such burrs
Were worked away by time
Polishing its story;
How they found each other
And lived together all their lives,
And died on the same day,
And were buried by the grieving town
On Mount Luofo's peak
With their pillow and red coverlet;
And a pine tree grew
Out of the grave
Like the character for longevity
And true love.Such is the legend.
I like to think of them,
Pan Zhang and Wang Zhangxian,
In the crowd of well-wishers
Waiting in the April sunshine,
Yes, under white cherry trees
In full bloom, for us
Here and now, on this day
Early in the century,
In our very best suits and ties,
With our new rings
Growing warm on our fingers
Like keepsakes of light
Saved from the stars.”

Nick Drake (poet)

From the Song Dynasty

Love , Men , Family , Dreams

“‘These ambassadors are all the same. They have the eyes of Anubis. And they make me feel like a servant. Like a shabti in a tomb. “Here I am. I will do it!”’”

Nick Drake (poet)

Ch 12
The Rahotep series, Book 3: Egypt: The Book of Chaos (2011)

Feeling