Gryphon's Word of the Day, Jan 7, 2007

The word of the day* for January 7, 2007 is "beleaguer" - 1 : BESIEGE. 2 : TROUBLE, HARASS <beleaguered parents> <an economically beleaguered city>.

We've been going down to the city park on the river to feed the birds for the past few weeks. There are Canadian geese, mallard ducks, two breeds of gulls, starlings, pigeons, and crows. Usually we either buy the off-code bread from the bread outlet, but once in a while we buy a 50 lb. bag of game corn, which cost about the same per feeding. The game corn is probably better for the birds but the bread is easier to get.

Yesterday, the ungrateful gulls anointed the car while we were tossing out the corn. I suppose that's because the gulls prefer bread. In fact, if we toss out an entire slice of bread, the gulls will converge on whichever bird picks up the bread and a melee ensues. They don't do that when we feed corn. Perhaps they just like an excuse for a scrum.

The quote† for today is from William Shakespeare (1564-1616):

       When forty winters shall besiege thy brow
       And dig deep trenches in thy beauty's field,
       Thy youth's proud livery, so gaz'd on now,
       Will be a tatter'd weed of small worth held.
       Then being ask'd where all thy beauty lies,
       Where all the treasure of thy lusty days,
       To say, within thine own deep-sunken eyes
       Were an all-eating shame and thriftless praise.
       How much more praise deserv'd thy beauty's use
       If thou couldst answer, 'This fair child of mine
       Shall sum my count and make my old excuse,'
       Proving his beauty by succession thine!
       This were to be new made when thou art old
       And see thy blood warm when thou feel'st it cold.

--Jan

* The definition is from either Merriam-Webster Online, 10th Edition (http://www.m-w.com/) or The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition (http://www.bartleby.com/61/) and is used by permission.

† The quote is from either Bartleby: Great Books on Line (http://www.Bartleby.com/bartlett) or The Quotation Pages (http://www.quotationspage.com/) and is used by permission.

P.S.: Comments and word requests are welcome.

Tags: word of the day, quote for the day, humor