Jennings, of Course!


"I am appalled to think of a grown man treating the boys in his care in this high-handed manner, and riding roughshod over their feelings"

Jennings and Darbyshire listened with a warm glow of approval. Miss Thorpe had the right ideas! It was not often they had the pleasure of hearing Mr Wilkin's character torn to shreds by one of his own age group.

But her next words shattered the warm glow and wiped the satisfied smile from their lips. " It simply isnt good enough! i shall go straight up to Linbury Court and lodge a complaint in the strongest possible terms"

Jennings caught his breath in dismay and Darbyshire was so shaken that he clutched at the table for support.

The boy slave by kola onadipe





It was on this girl fatima therefore that i fixed my gaze. She blushed as i did so. She hid her face and when she looked up again I was still looking at her. I liked this girl very much and wanted to speak with her. But I could not speak to her.

pompeii by robert harris


There was no sense of panic in neapolis, a sleepy place at the best of times. He had far outpaced the weary, laden refugees emerging from beneath the hail of rock and no word of the catastrophe enveloping Pompeii had yet reached the city.

My Beloved

Classic Messages of Love


henriette to casanova

I have been forced to leave you, my only friend, but do not add to your grief by thinking of mine. . . . we can boast that we were perfectly happy for three whole months; how many mortals can say as much?

I do not even know who you are, but there is no one in the world so familiar with your every thought as i am. I shall never have another lover in my life, but in this you must not imitate me. I hope that you will love again, and that your good genius will help you to find another henriette. Adieu adieu.


( )

Lord Byron to Contessa Guiccioli


You sometimes tell me that i have been your first real love- and i assure you that you shall be my last passion.I may well hope not to fall in love again, now that everything has become indifferent to me. Before i knew you- i felt an interest in many women, but never in one only. Now i love you, there is no other woman in the world for me.

My sweetest treasure- i am trembling as i write to you, as i trembled when i saw you- but no longer- with such sweet heavy heartbeats. i have a thousand things to say to you- and, alas, how many Sighs! Love me, not as i love you, for that would make you too unhappy, love me not as i deserve, for that would be too little, but as your heart commands. Do not doubt me- i am and always shall be your most tender lover.

PS  How much happier than i is this letter: which in a few days will be in your hands- and perhaps may even be brought to yuor lips. With such a hope I am kissing it before it goes. Goodbye- my soul.

John Keats to Fanny Browne

I see in life nothing but the certainty of your Love- convince me of it my sweetest. If i am not somehow convinced i shall die of agony.

I do not pretend to say i have more feeling than my fellows- but i wish you seriously to look over my letters both kind and unkind and consider whether the Person who wrote them can be able to endure much longer the agonies and uncertainties which you are so peculiarly made to create

My recovery of bodily health will be of no benefit to me if you are not all mine when i am well. For God's sake save me- or tell me my passion is of too awful a nature for you. Again, God bless you.

Robert Burns to Aretha M'lehose


Oh, Clarinda! What do i owe to Heaven for blessing me with such a piece of exalted excellence as you! . . . Tell me, were you studious to please me last night? I am sure you did it to transport. . . .

Samuel Coleridge to Mary Evans


Too long has my heart been the torture house of suspense. After infinite struggles of irresolution, i will at last dare request of you, Mary, that you will communicate to me whether or not you are engaged to Mr ______. I conjure you not to consider this request as presumptious indelicacy.

For four years i have endeavoured to smother a very ardent attachment; in what degree i have succeeded you must know better than I can.

At first i voluntarily invited the recollection of (your) qualities into my mind. I made them the perpetual object of my reveries, yet i entertained no one sentiment beyond that of the immediate pleasure annexed to the thinking of you. At length it became a habit. I awoke from the delusion, and found that I had unwittingly harboured a passion which i felt neither the power nor the courage to subdue.

Henry VIII to Anne Boleyn

Myne awne Sweetheart, this shall be to advertise you of the great ellingness that i find here since your departing, for i ensure you, me thinketh the Tyme longer since your departing now last than i was wont to do a whole Fortnight; i think your Kindness and my Fervence of Love causeth it. . . .

wishing myself (specially an Evening) in my Sweethearts Armes whose pritty Lips I trust shortly to kysse. . . .

William Thackeray to Isabella Shaw

My love for you is greater than I thought, for it has withstood this terrible three days trial. i have tried to leave you & you will hardly credit me that i felt obliged to return- for i do not beleive in spite of this heartlessness on your part, that you can ever be other than my wife. . .

memoirs of an arabian princess


That the Arab treats his partner contemptuously is a myth. Our creed alone would prevent this, and if by it's terms woman is in some respects rated man's inferior, she is at the same time recommended to his protection because of her weakness. A devout, God-fearing Moslem displays just as much kindness as a well-bred, cultivated European, perhaps even governs himself with more rigour, since he never forgets the omnipresence of the lord, nor till his last breath relinquishes his firm belief in Divine retribution.


Of course you find wretches everywhere who deny their wives the proper amiability and consideration, but i can conscientiously affirm that here i have heard of tender husbands who beat their wivesthan at home; a good Arab would think he was dishonouring himself did he thus transgress. With the Negroes the matter stands differently on the plantations. I have often interfered and made peace between a pair lustily belabouring each other.

@ maclatunji

coffee fueled

Tpia@ tell me: Do rational women like love letters?

maclatunji:

Tpia@ tell me: Do rational women like love letters?

strange question.

why do you ask?

jennings and darbyshire






"Excuse me", Jennings repeated,"but my friend and i were wondering whether you'd mind frightfully if we came on board and took a snap of you for our mag."

No answer. Puzzled stares greeted the polite inquiry, and after ten seconds of embarassing silence Jennings felt that more explanation was called for. "What i mean is , we thought you'd make a supersonic picture just sitting there . . . .with those nets."

"Comment?" It was the smallest of the Frenchmen who spoke; a thin, dark haired man with beetling brows and a chin like emery paper.

"What did he say?" whispered Darbyshire.

"I'm not sure. It sounded like 'come on!'

"I know it did, but I think he really said comment. That means how many or what, or something in french. At least, I think it does"

tpia@:

strange question.

why do you ask?

Typical Nigerian you are: answering a question with a question. I ask because some of your quotes I believe are from love letters and that got me thinking: Would any sensible woman truly value a love letter?

I ask because some of your quotes I believe are from love letters

yes, i placed the book title at the beginning of the post.

it's


My Beloved

Classic Messages of Love


and is a collection of love letters written in olden days, some centuries ago. Mostly by famous people.

and that got me thinking: Would any sensible woman truly value a love letter?

i dont see why not [even if she doesnt date the guy].

love [or infatuation] is a fact of life.

i think email and globalization has reduced the trend somewhat, as in a lot of men no longer write love letters or even know what they are.

possibly because they no longer need to court women.

the focus has changed, that's all.

Okay!

My posting the quotes however doesnt mean i'm supporting love scams aka yahoo yahoo.

Examining the writers of the letters will show people who cut across a whole spectrum and the reader is supposed to draw his or her own conclusion about the character of the writer based on their actions, not their love letters.

For example, the first letter was from one of casanova's lovers. I think we all know who casanova is.

My point is the fact remains love (or infatuation) does not permanently change a man (or person)'s character. The man may modify himself temporarily while in love, but he will sooner or later return to his actual self.

My two cents.

So anyway, i'm not endorsing letting go of common sense just because a man professes love oh.

There are so many other factors involved.

And no, nothing wrong with perusing love letters once in a while, and with the benefit of hindsight.

Tpia@ why are you going back and forth- are you afraid someone will misquote you? I really enjoy Victorian era literature- love letters and all. I think the British reached the peak of their abilities in the 19th century.

You will be surprised to know that those who write letters these days (in Nigeria at least) are those that shouldn't be doing so- primary and secondary school students. You see students that can write simple definitions of concepts taking time to write letters expressing their "undying love" for some girl/boy.

^^your question surprised me, that's all.

Would any sensible woman truly value a love letter?

why shouldnt a woman [sensible or not] value a love letter?

**scam letters not included**


someone writing a love letter is merely expressing his feelings- the validity of those feelings is what's left to be determined, not only or maybe not just necessarily the value the recipient places on the letter.

You will be surprised to know that those who write letters these days (in Nigeria at least) are those that shouldn't be doing so- primary and secondary school students. You see students that can write simple definitions of concepts taking time to write letters expressing their "undying love" for some girl/boy.

some people can use those letters to sharpen their letter writing skills.

as per whether they should or shouldnt be writing them- well, the girl doesnt have to agree.

but these days it could be embarassing so i guess such letters are no longer needed.

in which case, how do you suggest a guy gets over a crush?

tpia@:

^^your question surprised me, that's all.



why shouldnt a woman [sensible or not] value a love letter?

**scam letters not included**


someone writing a love letter is merely expressing his feelings- the validity of those feelings is what's left to be determined, not only or maybe not just necessarily the value the recipient places on the letter.


some people can use those letters to sharpen their letter writing skills.

as per whether they should or shouldnt be writing them- well, the girl doesnt have to agree.

but these days it could be embarassing so i guess such letters are no longer needed.

in which case, how do you suggest a guy gets over a crush?

The highlighted is the locus of my thoughts on this matter. I have found that there is an abysmal inability of young women in Nigeria to respond appropriately to expressions of affection. It is like if a man expresses his affection for a woman these days, she takes it as license to treat him like garbage either because of empty pride or just a lack of of social skills.

Let me give an example:

Guy writes girl letter:


Dear Eve,

I find it impossible not to express my true love for you. Try as I might, I just can't get over the thought of you, all I ask is for you to give me a chance to show you that my intentions are pure and noble."

The typical Nigerian lady's response would be:

See me see trouble O. Even if I was to go for a man, is it your type we are talking about?


The ideal response should be something like this:

Thank you for your very kind letter, I was highly flattered and humbled to know that you think of me in such terms. However, I must be honest with you and say that I cannot reciprocate the great feelings that you have for me and think it best to let things be as they are. I hope you understand and wish you all the best.

As for primary and secondary school crushes- I say kill them (crush i.e.).

maclatunji:

The highlighted is the locus of my thoughts on this matter. I have found that there is an abysmal inability of young women in Nigeria to respond appropriately to expressions of affection. It is like if a man expresses his affection for a woman these days, she takes it as license to treat him like garbage either because of empty pride or just a lack of of social skills.

some women, not necessarily all.

but i agree a lot of people these days arent too polite.

Let me give an example:

Guy writes girl letter:


Dear Eve,

I find it impossible not to express my true love for you. Try as I might, I just can't get over the thought of you, all I ask is for you to give me a chance to show you that my intentions are pure and noble."

The typical Nigerian lady's response would be:

See me see trouble O. Even if I was to go for a man, is it your type we are talking about?


The ideal response should be something like this:

Thank you for your very kind letter, I was highly flattered and humbled to know that you think of me in such terms. However, I must be honest with you and say that I cannot reciprocate the great feelings that you have for me and think it best to let things be as they are. I hope you understand and wish you all the best.

haba, it's not that bad i hope.

but in any case, a girl who responds rudely like that, has shown the guy she might not be the one for him, not so?

unless that's the type of woman he likes.

tpia@:


some women, not necessarily all.

but i agree a lot of people these days arent too polite.





haba, it's not that bad i hope.

but in any case, a girl who responds rudely like that, has shown the guy she might not be the one for him, not so?

unless that's the type of woman he likes.

Yup!

as per primary and secondary school crushes:

primary school crush is definitely leading nowhere.

secondary school crush- maybe a 60/40 chance [60=unlikely, 40=likely], or 70/30.

it also depends on the age of the person/s involved.

but a lot of times it's just infatuation which vanishes after a while.

imo.

btw @ maclatunji

you contradicted yourself.

first you ask if a rational or sensible woman would take love letters seriously.

then, you castigate women for not taking guys' advances seriously.

which one you actually dey?

^Yeah, I talked about rational women because the irrational ones are of no use for the benefit of this discussion.

I don't expect a rational woman to say yes to every advance whether it is in the form of letter or not but I expect that she should be able to appreciate that someone has made an emotional investment in having feelings for her.

I suspect that some rational women actually overlook this part even if they are very intelligent.

I think we have a serious problem in the world these days, irrational women end-up choosing the wrong man whilst rational women have allowed logic to blind them as they seem to feel that no serious-minded man can truly love them the way they are without having ulterior motives. Hence, they miss out on such men because they couldn't take the chance of accepting one of the few good men that came their way.

^^hmm.

I don't expect a rational woman to say yes to every advance whether it is in the form of letter or not but I expect that she should be able to appreciate that someone has made an emotional investment in having feelings for her.

i'm sure many women do.

how they respond to the guy can also depend on their level of maturity [at the time] and also exposure.

an adolescent for example might not care about niceties when reacting to love letters.

in addition, let's not forget the fact that writing a love letter doesnt mean the guy is a keeper or that the feelings expressed therein will even last.

men tend to be notorious for things like that.

wbb sha.

ok, back from my coffee break

evbu my love



When she got back from the bathroom, she found Jide waiting for her. As soon as he saw her, he jumped up and gathered her into his arms.

"Hmm, darling. . .  you smell nice and fresh," he said, kissing her. She found it difficult to think this was the man who was contemplating marriage with some other girl.