BY JOSE B. MAROMA JR.
WHEN one delivers a message, it’s not always smart to be frank and blunt. It may sometimes be preferable to talk in parables where meanings of words and phrases take a while to sink in.
I want to share three items from my collection of memorable passages – the first one from a popular song, the second from literature, and the third from legend.
From the popular song “Greenfields”:
Greenfields are gone now
Parched by the sun
Gone are the valleys
Where rivers used to run
Gone with the cold wind
That swept into my heart
Gone with the lovers
Who let their dreams depart
Simple words muffling the sobs of aching heart. Sad, but soothing like good wine.
From “A Song to Celia” by Ben Johson:
Drink to me only with thine eyes
And I will pledge with mine
Or leave a kiss but in the cup
And I will not look for wine
I am tickled to fantasize how Celia took the exquisite tribute. Maybe she was so spellbound that she exclaimed, “Oh my gosh, what are you doing to me? Come take me now and bring me to paradise.”
From a legend, one of my favorite one-liners:
When King Solomon first met Sheba at dinner, he did not impress her with flattery. Instead, he bent over and whispered to her gently and simply, “Sheba, I want to know you.”
Ah, the power of suggestion!/PN
