Apollo was passionately fond of a youth named Hyacinthus. He accompanied him in his sports, carried the nets when he went fishing, led the dogs when he went to hunt, followed him in his excursions1 in the mountains, and neglected for him his lyre2 and his arrows. One day they played a game of quoits3 together, and Apollo, heaving aloft the discus,4 with strength mingled with skill, sent it high and far. Hyacinthus watched it as it flew and excited with the sport, ran forward to seize it, eager to make his throw, when the quoit bounded from the earth and stuck him in the forehead. He fainted and fell. The god, as pale as himself, raised him and tried all his art to stanch5 the wound and retain the flitting life, but all in vain; the hurt was past the power of medicine. Q1 As, when one has broken the stem of a lily in the garden, it hangs its head and turns its flowers to the earth, so the head of the dying boy, as if too heavy for his neck, fell over on his shoulder. “Thou diest, Hyacinth,” so spoke Phoebus,6 “robbed of thy youth by me. Thine is the suffering, mine the crime. Would that I could die for thee! But since that may not be thou shalt live with me in memory and in song. My lyre shall celebrate thee, my song shall tell thy fate, and thou shalt become a flower inscribed with my regret.” While Apollo spoke, behold the blood which had flowed of hue more beautiful than the Tyrian7 sprang up, resembling the lily, if it were not that this is purple and that silvery white.8 And this was not enough for Phoebus; but to confer still greater honor, he marked the petals with his sorrow, and inscribed “Ah! Ah!” upon them, as we see to this day. The flower bears the name of Hyacinthus, and with every returning spring revives the memory of his fate. Q2
It means life that is passing away quickly. Referring to Death.
Explanation:
"The god, as pale as himself, raised him and tried all his art to stanch the wound and retain the flitting life, but all in vain; the hurt was past the power of medicine."
From the passage above it can be seen that the god Apollo was trying to save the life of his friend hyacinthus but life was slipping away too qiukly from the young man. So much so that even Apollo could do nothing about his dying friend.
The men were the masters of the house and family. During the day they would work outside of the house. If you were a poor man then you would have to start your day early in the morning. You would not have much for breakfast so you would just eat bread. Then for the rest of the day you would either work in a workshop or out in the fields.
If you were a rich man, you would have a big breakfast of bread, cheese, honey, and water. Before leaving for town, you would pray to the household shrine. The rich man's work might consist of writing letters to other Romans, seeing clients, and going to meet other businessman. After lunch you might take a nap, and finish your work for the day. In late afternoon all Roman men went to the public bathes, then went home to enjoy a meal with family and friends.
<span>Taft reserved public lands. He reformed antiturust suits. He supported the children's bureau. He supported the 16th & 17th Amendments. He also reformed the Mann-Elkins Act-ICC, which regulated telecommunications and RR industries.</span>
The literary device that Gordimer employs in the excerpt is Imagery.
Imagery is a literary device used to represent objects, actions, and ideas in such a way that it appeals to our physical senses. Usually it is thought that imagery makes use of particular words that create visual representation of ideas in our minds.
