Croesus and Fate

Croesus on the pyre, Attic red-figure amphora, 500–490 BC, Louvre (G 197)

"Croesus and Fate" (AKA: "Croesus and Solon")[1] is a short story by Leo Tolstoy that is a retelling of a Greek legend, classically told by Herodotus, and Plutarch, about the king Croesus. It was first published in 1886 by Tolstoy's publishing company The Intermediary. Tolstoy's version is shorter than that by Herodotus, and Tolstoy's characterization of Croesus was designed to parallel the title character in his 1886 novella The Death of Ivan Ilych.[2]

Synopsis

Croesus is a rich king in ancient Lydia who is quite enamored with his own wealth. When the wise man Solon comes to visit his kingdom, Croesus asks Solon if he had ever seen greater opulence than his own. Solon replies that birds like peacocks are incomparable in their beauty. Croesus disagrees, and he tries to impress Solon with a list of vanquished foes and claimed territories. Solon still disagrees, telling Croesus that the happiest man he had ever met was a peasant in Athens. He explains that the peasant worked hard, raised a family, and was content with what he had. Croesus takes this as an insult and Solon leaves.

Soon after Solon's departure, tragedy befalls Croesus. His oldest son is killed in a hunting accident, and then Emperor Cyrus invades. Cyrus' army is triumphant, and Croesus' kingdom is ravaged and Croesus himself is captured and ordered to be executed. As Croesus is about to be burned on a pyre, he cries out Solon's name. Cyrus stops the pyre to hear what Croesus has to say. Croesus relates Solon's story to Cyrus, and Cyrus is moved by the notion that Fate can bring misery to a rich man and happiness to a poor man.[3] Croesus is freed and the emperor and the king become good friends.[4]

Bibliography

  • Black's Readers Service Company. The Works of Tolstoi. Roslyn, New York. 1928.
  • Medzhibovskaya, Inessa. Tolstoy and the Religious Culture of His Time: A Biography of a Long Conversion, 1845-1887. Lexington Books. Lanham, MD, 2008.
  • Taleb, Nassim N. Fooled by Randomness: The Hidden Role of Chance in Life and in the Markets. New York: Random House and Penguin. 2001. ISBN 0-8129-7521-9
  • Herodotus. The Histories Book 1: Clio. 440 BC.

See also

References

  1. ^ Leo Tolstoy (1911). "Master and man," and other parables and tales.
  2. ^ Medzhibovskaya, 2008, p. 318
  3. ^ Taleb, 2001. "Part I: Solon's Warning", Page 3.
  4. ^ Black's Readers Service Company, 1928.

Read other articles:

Jack Valenti

Jack Valenti Asisten Khusus untuk PresidenMasa jabatan22 November 1963 – 1 Juni 1966PresidenLyndon B. Johnson PendahuluDavid PowersPenggantiJoseph A. Califano Jr. Informasi pribadiLahirJack Joseph Valenti(1921-09-05)5 September 1921Houston, Texas, Amerika SerikatMeninggal26 April 2007(2007-04-26) (umur 85)Washington, D.C., Amerika SerikatMakamArlington National CemeterySuami/istriMary Wiley ​(m. 1962)​Anak3PendidikanUniversitas Houston (Sarjana Adm...

 

Aetobatus

AetobatusRentang fosil: 59–0 jtyl PreЄ Є O S D C P T J K Pg N Thanetian to Present[1] Aetobatus narutobiei Klasifikasi ilmiah Domain: Eukaryota Kerajaan: Animalia Filum: Chordata Kelas: Chondrichthyes Subkelas: Elasmobranchii Superordo: Batoidea Ordo: Myliobatiformes Famili: AetobatidaeWhite & Naylor, 2016 Genus: AetobatusBlainville, 1816 Spesies Lihat teks Aetobatus adalah genus ikan pari yang berasal dari Samudra Atlantik, Pasifik, dan Hindia.[2] Genus ini sebe...

 

Stasiun Tanjungsari

Stasiun Tanjungsari Tanjungsari+855 m Bekas stasiun Tanjungsari yang kini sudah menjadi kantor Persatuan Purnawirawan ABRI.LokasiJalan SSTanjungsari, Tanjungsari, Sumedang, Jawa BaratIndonesiaKoordinat6°54′15″S 107°48′10″E / 6.90417°S 107.80278°E / -6.90417; 107.80278Koordinat: 6°54′15″S 107°48′10″E / 6.90417°S 107.80278°E / -6.90417; 107.80278Ketinggian+855 mOperator Kereta Api IndonesiaDaerah Operasi II Bandung Letakkm ...

Banteng Kreta

Banteng KretaLukisan vas yang menceritakan Herakles menangkap Banteng Kreta.KediamanKretaPasanganPasifaeAnakMinotauroslbs Dalam mitologi Yunani, Banteng Kreta adalah hewan yang dicintai oleh Pasifae dan merupakan ayah dari Minotaur. Dalam mitologi Herakles menangkap Banteng Kreta. Detail mosaik Romawi dari Llíria (Spanyol). Setelah naik takhta di pulau Kreta, Minos bersaing dengan saudara-saudaranya sebagai penguasa. Minos berdoa kepada dewa laut Poseidon untuk mengiriminya banteng seputih s...

 

Battle of Sena Gallica (82 BC)

For similarly titled battles, see Battle of Sena Gallica. This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (June 2013) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) Battle of Sena GallicaPart of Sulla's Second Civil WarRoman coins bearing the image of Gaius Marcius Censorinus.DateApril, 82 BCLocationSenigallia, ItaliaResult Optimate VictoryBelligerents O...

 

Leif Rolland

Norwegian sport shooter Leif Steinar RollandRolland with Pushan JainPersonal informationNationalityNorwayCitizenshipNorwayBorn (1970-12-13) 13 December 1970 (age 53) Leif Steinar Rolland (born 13 December 1970) is a Norwegian sport shooter. He was born in Bergen. He competed at the 1996, 2000 and 2004 Summer Olympics.[1] He made World Record in the 10m Air Rifle category first in the 1997 Munich World Cup and then at the 2001 World Cup in Seoul.[2] He is the former coach ...

Gozo Stadium

Gozo StadiumIl-GrawndFull nameGozo StadiumFormer namesSilver Jubilee GroundLocation Xewkija, GozoCoordinates36°2′18″N 14°15′23″E / 36.03833°N 14.25639°E / 36.03833; 14.25639OwnerGovernment of MaltaOperatorGozo Football AssociationCapacity1,644[2]Field size102 m x 60 m (335 ft x 197 ft)SurfaceGrassConstructionOpened1936Renovated1995Expanded1975Construction cost£819.12s.3d.[1]TenantsGozo national football team Gozo Football League First Divis...

 

Pemilihan umum legislatif Indonesia 2019

Pemilihan umum legislatif Indonesia 20192014202417 April 2019 (2019-04-17)711 kursi Majelis Permusyawaratan Rakyat(Dewan Perwakilan Rakyat: 575; Dewan Perwakilan Daerah: 136)288 kursi untuk meraih status mayoritasJajak pendapatTerdaftar190.770.329[1]Kehadiran pemilih158.012.506 (81,97%)Kandidat   Partai pertama Partai kedua Partai ketiga   Ketua Megawati Soekarnoputri Airlangga Hartarto Prabowo Subianto Partai PDI-P Golkar Gerindra Aliansi Indonesia Kerja Indonesi...

 

Love Machine (The Miracles song)

1975 single by The MiraclesLove Machine (Part 1)Single by The Miraclesfrom the album City of Angels B-sideLove Machine (Part 2)ReleasedOctober 1975Recorded1975GenreDiscoLength2:55 (single version) 6:52 (album version)LabelTamla (T 54262)Songwriter(s) William Griffin Warren Moore Producer(s)Freddie PerrenThe Miracles singles chronology Gemini (1975) Love Machine (Part 1) (1975) Night Life (1976) Love Machine is a 1975 single recorded by Motown group the Miracles, taken from their album City of...

Austin Davis (politician)

American politician (born 1989) Austin DavisDavis in 202235th Lieutenant Governor of PennsylvaniaIncumbentAssumed office January 17, 2023GovernorJosh ShapiroPreceded byJohn FettermanMember of the Pennsylvania House of Representativesfrom the 35th districtIn officeFebruary 5, 2018 – December 7, 2022Preceded byMarc GergelySucceeded byMatt Gergely Personal detailsBornAustin Ankarie Davis (1989-10-04) October 4, 1989 (age 34)McKeesport, Pennsylvania, U.S.Political ...

 

Young People's Concerts

Gli Young People's Concerts alla New York Philharmonic sono la serie di concerti di musica classica per famiglie più longeva al mondo.[1] Indice 1 Storia 2 Gli Young People’s Concerts di Leonard Bernstein sulla CBS (1958–72) 2.1 Elenco delle trasmissioni 3 Young People's Concerts dopo Bernstein 4 Note 5 Bibliografia 6 Collegamenti esterni Storia Iniziarono nel 1924 sotto la direzione dello Zio Ernest Schelling. In precedenza le Family Matinees avevano iniziato nel lontano 1885 so...

 

Повітряні сили Збройних сил України

Ця стаття потребує додаткових посилань на джерела для поліпшення її перевірності. Будь ласка, допоможіть удосконалити цю статтю, додавши посилання на надійні (авторитетні) джерела. Зверніться на сторінку обговорення за поясненнями та допоможіть виправити недоліки. Мат...

2016年美國總統選舉

2016年美國總統選舉 ← 2012 2016年11月8日 2020 → 538個選舉人團席位獲勝需270票民意調查投票率55.7%[1][2] ▲ 0.8 %   获提名人 唐納·川普 希拉莉·克林頓 政党 共和黨 民主党 家鄉州 紐約州 紐約州 竞选搭档 迈克·彭斯 蒂姆·凱恩 选举人票 304[3][4][註 1] 227[5] 胜出州/省 30 + 緬-2 20 + DC 民選得票 62,984,828[6] 65,853,514[6]...

 

Gare Principale Lisieux

Bangunan utama stasiun Lisieux Gare de Lisieuxⓘ. Gare Principale merupakan stasiun kereta utama untuk kota kecil Lisieux dan dibangun oleh CF de l'Ouest pada tahun 1855. Stasiun ini dibangun dengan bentuk Y dan terletak di jalur utama Ligne Paris-Caen dari Paris hingga Caen, stasiun ini juga melayani Trouville-Deauville. Lihat pula Gare de Lisieux Le Grand-Jardin Wikimedia Commons memiliki media mengenai Gare Principale Lisieux. Artikel bertopik transportasi rel di Prancis ini adalah sebuah...

 

ヨハネス12世 (ローマ教皇)

ヨハネス12世 第130代 ローマ教皇 教皇就任 955年12月16日教皇離任 964年5月14日先代 アガペトゥス2世次代 レオ8世個人情報出生 937年スポレート公国（中部イタリア）スポレート死去 964年5月14日 教皇領、ローマ原国籍 スポレート公国親 父アルベリーコ2世（スポレート公）、母アルダその他のヨハネステンプレートを表示 ヨハネス12世（Ioannes XII、937年 - 964年5月14日）は、ロ...

哈萨克斯坦总统

此条目序言章节没有充分总结全文内容要点。 (2019年3月21日)请考虑扩充序言，清晰概述条目所有重點。请在条目的讨论页讨论此问题。 哈萨克斯坦總統哈薩克總統旗現任Қасым-Жомарт Кемелұлы Тоқаев卡瑟姆若马尔特·托卡耶夫自2019年3月20日在任任期7年首任努尔苏丹·纳扎尔巴耶夫设立1990年4月24日（哈薩克蘇維埃社會主義共和國總統） 哈萨克斯坦 哈萨克斯坦政府...

 

List of United States tornadoes from November to December 2009

Reflectivity (left) and relative velocity (right) radar loops of a thunderstorm that spawned an EF2 tornado in Longview, Texas, on December 23 Between November and December 2009, 51 tornadoes touched down across eight states.[note 1] Collectively, the tornadoes injured nine people and wrought $20.36 million,[note 2] much of which resulted from an EF3—the strongest tornado during the two-month period—that struck Lufkin, Texas, on December 23.[1...

 

Ione, Washington

Town in Pend Oreille County, Washington, United States Town in Washington, United StatesIoneTownIone, WashingtonIone and Ione BridgeLocation of Ione, WashingtonCoordinates: 48°44′26″N 117°25′13″W / 48.74056°N 117.42028°W / 48.74056; -117.42028CountryUnited StatesStateWashingtonCountyPend OreilleArea[1] • Total0.62 sq mi (1.60 km2) • Land0.53 sq mi (1.38 km2) • Water0.09 sq m...

XIII Assemblea nazionale del popolo

Elezione dei delegati della XIII Assemblea nazionale del popoloStato Cina LegislaturaXIII Leader Xi Jinping Wu Weihua Ding Zhongli Partiti Partito Comunista Cinese Società 3 Settembre Lega Democratica Cinese Voti -71,11% -2,15% Seggi 2 119 / 2 980 64 / 2 980 58 / 2 980 Differenza % 1,10% 2,15% 1,95% presidente elettoLi Zhanshu XII XIV Elezioni presidenziali in Cina del 2018 (presidente)Stato Cina Data17 marzo Eletto Xi JinpingPartito Partito Comunista Cine...

 

Where Is the Love (Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway song)

1972 single by Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway This article is about the Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway song. For the Hanson song, see Where's the Love. For the Black Eyed Peas song, see Where Is the Love? Where Is the LoveOne of side-A labels of the US singleSingle by Roberta Flack and Donny Hathawayfrom the album Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway B-sideMoodReleasedJune 1972Genre Soul easy listening[1] Length2:43LabelAtlanticSongwriter(s) Ralph MacDonald William Salter[2]...