Category Archives: The Phantasia Parlor

International Talk Like a Pirate Day: Talk Like a Real Pirate

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“At last, after many doubts and disputes among themselves, they resolved to hazard the assault and their lives after a most desperate manner. Thus they advanced towards the castle, with their swords in one hand and fire-balls in the other. The Spaniards defended themselves very briskly, ceasing not to fire at them with their great guns and muskets continually, crying withal: Come on, ye English dogs, enemies to God and our King; let your other companions that are behind come on too; ye shall not go to Panama this bout. …

“One of the Pirates was wounded with an arrow in his back, which pierced his body to the other side. This instantly he pulled out with great valour at the side of his breast; then taking a little cotton that he had about him, he wound it about the said arrow, and putting it into his musket, he shot it back into the castle. But the cotton being kindled by the powder, occasioned two or three houses that were within the castle, being thatched with palm-leaves, to take fire, which the Spaniards perceived not so soon as was necessary. For this fire meeting with a parcel of powder, blew it up, and thereby caused great ruin, and no less consternation to the Spaniards, who were not able to account for this accident, not having seen the beginning thereof.

“Thus the Pirates, perceiving the good effect of the arrow and the beginning of the misfortune of the Spaniards, were infinitely gladdened thereat.”

– The Buccaneers of America (1678), by Alexander O. Exquemelin, who sailed with Henry Morgan. See a virtual copy of this book on the Library of Congress’ website here.

Photos by ACF

The Heavy Dark

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Where are you from, ship, where have you come from?
I come from the curse and the heavy dark,
From the stormy hail and lightning, the dizzy wind,
I come from the City burnt by the thunderbolt.

– Anonymous Cretan poem, translated by Michael Llewellyn Smith

Yeah

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“Kublai asks Marco, ‘When you return to the West, will you repeat to your people the same tales you tell me?’

“‘I speak and speak,’ Marco says, ‘but the listener retains only the words he is expecting. The description of the world to which you lend a benevolent ear is one thing; the description that will go the rounds of the groups of stevedores and gondoliers on the street outside my house the day of my return is another; and yet another, that which I might dictate late in life, if I were taken prisoner by Genoese pirates and put in irons in the same cell with a writer of adventure stories. It is not the voice that commands the story: it is the ear.’”

– Italo Calvino, Invisible Cities, as reprinted in Marco Polo: From Venice to Xanadu