[MPlayer-DOCS] CVS: homepage/src news.src.en,1.201,1.202

Diego Biurrun diego at biurrun.de
Tue Jul 12 09:11:27 CEST 2005


On Tue, Jul 12, 2005 at 01:20:21AM +0200, Dominik 'Rathann' Mierzejewski wrote:
> On Monday, 11 July 2005 at 17:20, Diego Biurrun CVS wrote:
> [...]
> > +Nevertheless all that glistens is not gold and while we have won an
> 
> The saying goes "all that glitters is not gold". ;)

"All that glitters.." has way more Google hits, but glisten seems to be
in use as well, there's even a movie by that name:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0305202/

A famous quote that uses glitter is from Tolkien:

  All that is gold does not glitter,
  Not all those who wander are lost;
  The old that is strong does not wither,
  Deep roots are not reached by the frost.
  From the ashes a fire shall be woken,
  A light from the shadows shall spring;
  Renewed shall be blade that was broken,
  The crownless again shall be king.

  -- J.R.R. Tolkien (from 'The Lord of the Rings')

But the original is actually a Shakespeare quote:

  All that glisters is not gold;
  Often have you heard that told.
  Many a man his life hath sold
  But my outside to behold.
  Gilded tombs do worms enfold.
  Had you been as wise as bold,
  Young in limbs, in judgment old,
  Your answer had not been inscroll'd:
  Fare you well; your suit is cold. 

  -- The Merchant of Venice (II, vii)

The ancient word glister seems to have been exchanged by glitter (or
glisten) in modern times, they mean almost the same anyway.  The
following everything2 node is quite exhaustive:

http://www.everything2.com/index.pl?node_id=493500

And it reveals another important literary quote a bit younger than
Shakespeare:

  'Tis an old saying, the Devil lurks behind the cross. All is not gold
  that glitters. From the tail of the plough, Bamba was made King of
  Spain; and from his silks and riches was Rodrigo cast to be devoured
  by the snakes.

  --Don Quixote (1615)

I'll go against the grain and keep glisten - now in the firm knowledge
that the world should improve its Shakespeare a bit ;)

> Nice entry otherwise.

:)

Diego




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