54 quotes found
"Change is the constant, the signal for rebirth, the egg of the phoenix."
"First in the ranks see Joan of Arc advance, The scourge of England and the boast of France! Though burnt by wicked Bedford for a witch, Behold her statue plac'd in glory's niche; Her fetters burst, and just releas'd from prison, A virgin phoenix from her ashes risen."
"When fame's loud trump hath blown its noblest blast, Though long the sound, the echo sleeps at last; And glory, like the phoenix midst her fires, Exhales her odours, blazes, and expires."
"Ask me no more if east or west The Phoenix builds her spicy nest; For unto you at last she flies, And in your fragrant bosom dies."
"And I said, I will perish with my nest, and I will multiply days as the phoenix. (Hebrew: chol)."
"The phoenix hope, can wing her way through the desert skies, and still defying fortune's spite; revive from ashes and rise."
"In the sunrise … the Phoenix effect!?! Now what the heck does that mean: freaky after-image of a very freak dream … or harbinger of something worse?"
"You forget, fuzzy elf … I'm Phoenix. If I die it's only to be reborn — hopefully better and brighter than before."
"The facts in my head, they're so jumbled up … I don't know anymore what's real and what isn't — what actually happened … what's a lie. But it doesn't matter. Because the clutter doesn't affect my emotional realities — perhaps, in turn, because the Phoenix by nature responds better to feelings than rationality. I know who I am — who I care for, who I don't — that's what matters. The rest I can take or leave."
"There is another holy bird, called the Phoenix, which I have never seen but in pictures. He rarely appears in Egypt — only once in every 500 years, so they say, in Heliopolis — and he is supposed to come when his father dies. If the painter describes him truly, his plumage is part golden and part red, and he is very like an eagle in shape and size. They say that this bird comes from Arabia, bringing the body of his father embalmed in myrrh to the temple of the sun, and there he buries him. First he molds an egg of myrrh; then he puts his father in the middle of it. Lastly, he covers up the body with myrrh. This is what they say this bird does. But I do not believe them."
"A chattering crow lives out nine generations of aged men, but a stag's life is four time a crow's, and a raven's life makes three stags old, while the phoenix outlives nine ravens, but we, the rich-haired Nymphs daughters of Zeus the aegis-holder, outlive ten phoenixes."
"Do not expect again a phoenix hour, The triple-towered sky, the dove complaining, Sudden the rain of gold and heart's first ease Traced under trees by the eldritch light of sundown."
"Hurry! We burn For Rome’s so near us, for the phoenix moment When we have thrown off this traveller’s trance And mother-naked and ageless-ancient Wake in her warm nest of renaissance."
"My mom was a phoenix who always expected to rise again from the ashes of her latest disaster. And in spite of her self-doubts, she had a very strong sense of who she was. She had a sense of self-worth. She loved being Judy Garland. Did she secretly long to be Frances Gumm Somebody, Minnesota housewife? Are you kidding? She'd have run off with a vaudeville troupe just the way my grandfather did."
"Most beings spring from other individuals; but there is a certain kind which reproduces itself. The Assyrians call it the Phoenix. It does not live on fruit or flowers, but on frankincense and odoriferous gums. When it has lived five hundred years, it builds itself a nest in the branches of an oak, or on the top of a palm tree. In this it collects cinnamon, and spikenard, and myrrh, and of these materials builds a pile on which it deposits itself, and dying, breathes out its last breath amidst odors. From the body of the parent bird a young Phoenix issues forth, destined to live a life as long as its predecessor. When this has grown up and gathered sufficient strength, it lifts its nest from the tree (its own cradle and its parent’s sepulcher), and carries it to the city of Heliopolis in Egypt, and deposits it in the temple of the Sun."
"I used to watch them as a kid. My granny told me about 'em. Some cold nights you see them dancin' in the sky over the Hub, burnin' green and gold..." "Oh, you mean the aurora coriolis," said Oats, trying to make his voice sound matter of fact. "But actually that's caused by magic particles hitting the-" "Dunno what it's caused by," said Granny sharply, "but what it is is the phoenix dancin'."
"Now I will believe That there are unicorns; that in Arabia There is one tree, the phoenix' throne, one phoenix At this hour reigning there."
"There'll be that crowd, that barbarous crowd, through all the centuries, And who can say but some young belle may walk and talk men wild Who is my beauty's equal, though that my heart denies, But not the exact likeness, the simplicity of a child, And that proud look as though she had gazed into the burning sun, And all the shapely body no tittle gone astray. I mourn for that most lonely thing; and yet God's will be done: I knew a phoenix in my youth, so let them have their day."
"Let us consider that wonderful sign [of the resurrection] which takes place in eastern lands, that is, in Arabia and the countries round about. There is a certain bird which is called a phœnix. This is the only one of its kind, and lives five hundred years. And when the time of its dissolution draws near that it must die, it builds itself a nest of frankincense, and myrrh, and other spices, into which, when the time is fulfilled, it enters and dies. But as the flesh decays a certain kind of worm is produced, which, being nourished by the juices of the dead bird, brings forth feathers. Then, when it has acquired strength, it takes up that nest in which are the bones of its parent, and bearing these it passes from the land of Arabia into Egypt, to the city called Heliopolis. And, in open day, flying in the sight of all men, it places them on the altar of the sun, and having done this, hastens back to its former abode. The priests then inspect the registers of the dates, and find that it has returned exactly as the five hundredth year was completed."
"As if the Phenix hasting to her rest Had gatherd all th’Arabian Spicerie T’enbalme her body in her Tombe, her nest,"
"The phœnix fair which rich Arabia breeds, When wasting time expires her tragedy, No more on Phœbus’ radiant rays she feeds, But heapeth up great store of spicery; And on a lofty towering cedar tree, With heavenly substance she herself consumes, From whence she young again appears to be, Out of the cinders of her peerless plumes."
"LET the bird of loudest lay On the sole Arabian tree, Herald sad and trumpet be, To whose sound chaste wings obey."
"I am the prince who decides the destiny of rolling rivers. I keep on the straight and narrow path the righteous who follow Enlil's counsel. My father Enlil brought me here. He let me bar the entrance to the mountains as if with a great door. If I fix a fate, who shall alter it? If I but say the word, who shall change it?"
"A wilful plough-ox should be put back in the track, a balking ass should be made to take the straight path."
"Come now, my Lugalbanda. I shall give you some advice: may my advice be heeded. I shall say words to you: bear them in mind."
"Fair fortune may conceal foul."
"Lugalbanda lies idle in the mountains, in the faraway places; he has ventured into the Zabu mountains. No mother is with him to offer advice, no father is with him to talk to him. No one is with him whom he knows, whom he values, no confidant is there to talk to him. In his heart he speaks to himself: "I shall treat the bird as befits him, I shall treat Anzud as befits him. I shall greet his wife affectionately. I shall seat Anzud's wife and Anzud's child at a banquet. An will fetch Ninguena for me from her mountain home -- the expert woman who redounds to her mother's credit, the expert who redounds to her mother's credit. Her fermenting-vat is of green lapis lazuli, her beer cask is of refined silver and of gold. If she stands by the beer, there is joy, if she sits by the beer, there is gladness; as cupbearer she mixes the beer, never wearying as she walks back and forth, Ninkasi, the keg at her side, on her hips; may she make my beer-serving perfect. When the bird has drunk the beer and is happy, when Anzud has drunk the beer and is happy, he can help me find the place to which the troops of Unug are going, Anzud can put me on the track of my brothers.""
"In the mountains where no cypresses grow, where no snake slithers, where no scorpion stings, in the midst of the mountains the buru-az bird had put its nest and laid therein its eggs; nearby the Anzud bird had set his nest and settled therein his young. It was made with wood from the juniper and the box trees. The bird had made the bright twigs into a bower. When at daybreak the bird stretches himself, when at sunrise Anzud cries out, at his cry the ground quakes in the Lulubi mountains. He has a shark's teeth and an eagle's claws. In terror of him wild bulls run away into the foothills, stags run away into their mountains."
"The bird uttered a cry of grief that reached up to heaven, his wife cried out "Woe!" Her cry reached the abzu. The bird with this cry of "Woe!" and his wife with this cry of grief made the Anuna, gods of the mountains, actually crawl into crevices like ants. The bird says to his wife, Anzud says to his wife, "Foreboding weighs upon my nest, as over the great cattle-pen of Nanna. Terror lies upon it, as when wild lions start butting each other. Who has taken my child from its nest? Who has taken the Anzud from its nest?""
"Let the power of running be in my thighs, let me never grow tired! Let there be strength in my arms, let me stretch my arms wide, let my arms never become weak! Moving like the sunlight, like Inana, like the seven storms, those of Iškur, let me leap like a flame, blaze like lightning! Let me go wherever I look to, set foot wherever I cast my glance, reach wherever my heart desires and let me loosen my shoes in whatever place my heart has named to me! When Utu lets me reach Kulaba my city, let him who curses me have no joy thereof; let him who wishes to strive with me never say "Just let him come!" I shall have the woodcarvers fashion statues of you, and you will be breathtaking to look upon. Your name will be made famous thereby in Sumer and will redound to the credit of the temples of the great gods."
"Anzud flew on high, Lugalbanda walked on the ground. The bird, looking from above, spies the troops. Lugalbanda, looking from below, spies the dust that the troops have stirred up."
"A bird that darts by in the heavens. The Anzud bird decides the fates with the Anuna gods."
"Well, as everybody in Scotland knows, of course Nessy exists so I think you're treading in some very dangerous waters here, if you don't mind me saying. You can patronise me, you can patronise the SNP, you can patronise Scotland. You've probably tried most of that this morning...but patronising Nessy? I think that's pretty dodgy."
"Behold the sea, great and immense, | where countless creatures move, | small and large animals. | Ships travel there | and there swims the leviathan whom you created to have fun. (Psalms)"
"On that day the Lord will punish | with the hard sword, large and strong, | the darting serpent Leviathan, | the tortuous serpent Leviathan | and he will slay the dragon that is in the sea. (Book of Isaiah)"
"The Mother-Abyss, | that formed everything, | has prepared Irresistible Weapons: | brought into the world [...] ferocious Leviathans, | to which it gave a frightening appearance | and surrounded with supernatural splendor, | thus equating them to the gods: | "Whoever sees them (he said) | lose consciousness! | And let them once launched, | never retreat!" (Enûma Eliš)"
"The representation of Leviathan is [...] for Job a celebration of the supreme lordship of the Creator who can even allow himself to "play with him like a sparrow, tying him up for the amusement of little girls" (40.29). This is why, according to a Jewish tradition, Leviathan will be killed and prepared for the messianic banquet of the righteous. (Gianfranco Ravasi)"
"We probably mean the crocodile, an animal similar to the alligator, but larger and more formidable, with a narrower snout and webbed feet up to the ends of the toes. [...] It seems that the word Leviathan refers to the crocodile in Ps. 74:14 and Isa. 27:1. But in Ps. 104:26, this term evidently applies to some sea monster, perhaps to the whale. Various large cetacean animals are found in the Mediterranean. (Philip Schaff)"
"You can fish Leviathan with the hook | and hold his tongue with a cord, | stick a reed in his nostrils | and pierce his jaw with a hook? | Perhaps he will make many supplications to you and will he speak sweet words to you? | Perhaps he will make an alliance with you, | so that you may take him as your servant forever? | You will joke with him like a sparrow, | tying it for your maidens? | The fishing companies will put it up for sale, | will the traders share it? | You will riddle his skin with arrows and with the harpoon his head? | Put your hand on him: | at the memory of the fight, I did not rebuke! (Book of Job)"
"You have divided the sea with power, | you have crushed the heads of the dragons upon the waters. | At Leviathan you broke the head, | you fed him to the sea monsters. (Psalms)"
"We have clear evidence throughout the biblical text that the Lord Yahweh was himself an aspect of the serpent's power. [...] We will not be surprised then to learn that the name of the priestly tribe of Levi, Yahweh's favorite, derived from the same verbal root as the term Leviathan and that, when paintings of the non-depictable god finally appeared, his form it was that of a god with serpent-shaped legs."
"As Ea defeated Apsu and Marduk defeated Tiamat, so Yahweh did with the sea monster Rahab (Job 26, 12-13) and with the Leviathan (Job 41 ; Psalms 74, 14)."
"The literatures of the Iron Age of both the Aryan Greeks and the Romans, and the Semites of the Near Levant repeat the theme of the defeat, by a solar hero, of a despicable monster belonging to a previous divine order and possessor of some treasure : a land, a maiden, gold or simply one's own power. The main biblical example is Yahweh's victory over the cosmic sea serpent, the Leviathan, of which he himself boasts to Job."
"Leviathan is the sacralized example of an alpha predator in a certain culture. Amba is another, Bäru yet another. Similar beliefs and traditions could be cited for jaguars, Nile crocodiles, pumas, reticulated pythons and all the other species of large predators that lived in uncomfortable contiguity alongside humans, of whom they sometimes preyed. The mythical dimension of alpha predators, reflected and amplified in those beliefs and traditions, has contributed significantly to shaping the vision developed by our species of its place in creation."
"This original Leviathan should not be confused with a whale. In later times the name took on this meaning generically, but the biblical Leviathan is something stranger and more frightening. It is a chimerical creature, half crocodile and half dragon, evoked for spiritual purposes by elements of psychological and zoological reality."
"According to one theory, this figure derives from a previous Phoenician monster called Lotan, a seven-headed dragon representing primordial chaos, defeated by the deity Baal. In the Jewish scriptures, Leviathan seems more firmly under divine power. Yahweh is Almighty. Leviathan is powerful, and then comes all the others. The passage quoted from Job is a portrait of the predatory servant of God, a creature who exists to remind humans - poor Job himself and all of us - that we are in third place, not higher, in the food chain of power and glory."
"As Ea defeated Apsu and Marduk defeated Tiamat, so he did Yahweh with the sea monster Rahab (Job 26, 12-13) and with the Leviathan (Job 41; Psalms 74, 14). (Joseph Campbell)"
"With force shakes the sea | and with intelligence tames Rahab. | At his breath the skies clear up, | his hand pierces the twisting serpent. (Book of Job)"
"God does not withdraw his anger: | under him the supporters of Rahab are crushed. (Book of Job)"
"Have you not torn Rahab in pieces, | did you not slay the dragon? (Book of Isaiah)"
"Rahab is the formidable Tiamat, which the Babylonian demiurge Marduk cut into two parts, from which heaven and earth arose. The Jews were able to learn about this myth even before the captivity. Traces of it are found in Job and in some psalms. (Alfred Loisy)"
"You dominate the pride of the sea, | you calm the tumult of its waves. | You have trampled Rahab like a vanquished man, | with a mighty arm you have scattered your enemies. (Ethan the Ezraite, Psalms)"
"Vain and useless is the help of Egypt; | therefore I call him «Rahab the idle». (Book of Isaiah)"
"Snakes in the Bible"