Goodbye, my Emily, who's caused so much joy and ache.
Now, for the love of God, hold me in your arms and listen to what I'm about to tell
you.
"I've been fighting with my cousin Palamon over you for a long time, because of my love
for you and because of my jealousy.
Now, may Jupiter, who guides my soul so wisely, help me to articulate the fidelity, honor,
knighthood, wisdom, humility, nobility, noble birth, generosity, and everything else that
a worthy lover needs.
Just as I hope Jupiter to bear my soul away to the next life, I know that Palamon deserves
you more than anyone else alive, and will protect and look after her until the day he
dies.
If you're ever thinking of marrying again, my Emily, please consider Palamon.
And with those last words, Arcite began to lose his voice as death swept over him from
the tip of his toes to the top of his head.
He lost strength throughout his entire body until all that was left was his consciousness—and
even that too failed when his heart finally stopped beating.
The light began to leave his eyes and his breath became shallow in the final moments,
but he looked toward Emily and managed to speak one last time: "Mercy, Emily."
And then his soul left his body to a place I've never been before and can't really tell
you much about.
I'm no priest, so I'm not going to waste our time philosophizing about the meaning of death.
Arcite died, and Mars, the god of war, took care of his soul.
Emily screamed as Arcite passed, while Palamon howled.
Theseus took Emily in his arms and pulled her away from Arcite's body.
It wouldn't be any use for me to tell you how she pined for him all day and all night
because you know how it is when women lose their husbands—they mourn and grieve or
else wither away and die from sadness.
The entire city of Athens cried over Arcite's death—men, women, children, old people,
everyone.
The people of the ancient city of Troy didn't even cry as much when the Greek warrior Achilles
killed Hector, their chosen son.
The Athenians scratched their cheeks and pulled their hair as they grieved, asking each other
such questions as, "Why did he have to die?
He was so noble and had just won Emily!"
Even Theseus was glum, and no one could cheer him up at all except for his aging father
Aegeus, who was wise enough to know that both pleasure and pain comes and goes with the
passing of time.
He tried to brighten Theseus's mood by saying: "No man can die if he never was born to live
life on this earth, and nobody can live on this earth without having to die someday.
Life is a highway filled with pain and sadness, and we're travelers on that highway, going
back and forth.
Death is merely the final destination of every painful journey."
He said lots of things like this in order to help make Theseus and the people feel better.
Theseus then made the arrangements for a suitable funeral that would honor the noble Arcite.
He put a lot of thought into all the details of the funeral and ultimately decided that
he would hold the ceremony in the grove where he'd first seen Arcite and Palamon dueling
exactly a year ago.
Theseus instructed his men to cut down several of the largest oak trees in the grove and
lay them next to each other in the clearing in order to make a funeral pyre.
He then bought a coffin to the grove, which he draped with the best golden clothes that
he owned.
He also made sure that his men dressed the body of Arcite in the finest clothing, including
white gloves, a crown made of laurel, and a brand new sword.
Theseus kept the coffin open and placed it inside the hall of his palace so that the
people could see his body, mourn, and pay their respects.
Theseus himself cried bitterly over Arcite's body.
After Theseus came Palamon, dressed all in black, his hair and beard matted and tangled
from crying.
Emily followed him, and cried more than anyone else there.
Three white horses arrived with shiny steel bridles and draped in cloth bearing Arcite's
coat of arms.
Theseus had ordered these to pay special tribute to Arcite.
On one horse sat a man who carried Arcite's shield, while another man on the second horse
carried his spear.
The third rider carried Arcite's golden bow and arrows, which had been made far away in
Turkey.
They led the funeral procession at a slow and steady pace toward the grove.
The most noble of the Athenians carried Arcite's body on their shoulders through Athens, which
the people had draped in black cloth to express their sadness.
Theseus's father, Aegeus, walked to the right of Arcite's body, while Theseus walked on
the left and carried golden vessels filled with honey, milk, blood, and wine.
Palamon followed close behind, as did Emily, who carried a burning torch in her hand, which
was how they did things back then.
A lot of work had gone into making this funeral pyre.
It was very tall and about 120 feet long because it was made out of such tall trees.
Theseus's men had placed straw all over it to help make it light.
I'm not going to go into all the details about exactly how it was built, though, or what
other kinds of trees they used such as fir, birch, aspen, alder, poplar, willow, elm,
plane, ash, chestnut, laurel, maple, thorn, beech, hazel, yew, dogwood, or talk about
how all the magical forest creatures such as the fauns and the tree nymphs and birds
and animals all ran away when their trees were cut down.
I don't want to talk about how the plants on the forest floor were shocked to suddenly
see the light of day when the trees above had been cut down, or how Emily first set
fire to the straw, which then caught the smaller branches on fire, and then the bigger branches.
I don't really want to go into how everyone sprinkled gold and jewels and spices and milk
and honey and incense on Arcite's body.
I'm not going to tell you how Emily fainted after the fire started, and what she said
when she woke up, or how some knights tossed in weapons and bits of their armor to pay
tribute.
I don't want to talk about how the Athenians circled clockwise around the raging inferno
three times as they shouted and made as much noise as they could or how the women howled
out loud three times or how they played funeral sports and who won and who lost or that they
were out there all night until the next morning when they finally went home.
I'm also not going to mention how Arcite's body burned until there was nothing left but
ashes.
I'm just going to plow on and try to finish up this long story.
Well, several years passed, enough so that the most painful memories of Arcite's death
had begun to pass too.
And around this time it just so happened that the Athenian nobles had gotten together to
talk about politics and affairs of state.
They talked about the need to make new alliances, particularly an alliance with Thebes so that
there wouldn't be war between the two kingdoms.
An idea dawned on Theseus, and he immediately sent for Palamon to visit him in the palace.
Palamon wasn't sure why Theseus had summoned him, but he went to Athens, still wearing
black mourning clothes.
Theseus also asked Emily to come see him.
After both Palamon and Emily had arrived and had been quieting sitting with Theseus for
awhile, Theseus sadly said: "The Maker first created the chain of love
to bind the heavens and the earth together, the water and the fire and the air, and it
was good.
That same Maker, however, has put death and suffering in the world too, which place limitations
on what we can and cannot do.
You don't need to read books to teach you all this—experience alone does that.
Well, the Maker is eternal, and anyone who pays attention can see that everything is
part of something bigger because nature didn't come from nothing, you know.
Ah, listen to me babble: What I'm trying to say is that something comes from everything,
even the worst events.
"Take, for example, that oak tree over there.
See how tall and old it is—it's been a long time since it was just a little sapling.
And yet, one day it'll be dead and gone.
Or look at the rocks underneath our feet: It's hard and solid, but will someday no longer
be part of the road we walk on.
Rivers eventually dry up, great cities become towns and eventually ruins—everything has
an end.
"The same is true of people, whether they be men or women, young or old, king or commoner—everyone
will die.
Some will die in bed, others at sea, some out in their fields.
There really isn't anything anyone can do about it because that's just the way it is.
The god Jupiter decides that everything will return to the place from which it came no
matter how hard you or I or anyone else tries to prevent it.
"So, I've come to the conclusion that we just have to accept that death is inevitable.
People who complain about it are just plain stupid and set themselves against the Maker
who demands it.
Besides, it's better for a person to die honorably and with dignity that to ruin one's good name
foolishly trying to stop death.
And this also means that the friends of those who have died need to do honor to their memory
by not grieving forever until no one can remember whom they're grieving for in the first place.
"To try and do anything else is just plain stubborn.
We shouldn't whine and complain, and we shouldn't still be mourning for Arcite, that noble knight
who left us honorably and escaped the burdens of this world.
Why is it that his wife and his cousin are still mourning his passing so many years later?
Can he thank them?
No, he's dead and gone.
Besides, they're sullying his memory by continuing to grieve for him.
I've said pretty much everything there is to say about this matter except that we need
to move on and thank Jupiter for what we have instead of being sorry for what we don't have.
And before you two go, I suggest that we turn your two, solitary sorrows into a single joy
that will last forever.
"Emily, my sister-in-law," Theseus continued, "My advisors and I all agree that you would
do well if you took Palamon here—a knight who's served you from afar so faithfully since
the day he first laid eyes on you—to be your husband and lord.
Put your hand in mine and make this agreement with me—show me how merciful women are by
taking him as your husband.
He is the nephew of the king of Thebes, but would be worthy of you even if he were a poor
squire since he's doted on you—and definitely suffered for his love for you—for so many
long years, and that's more noble than blood."
Then Theseus turned to Palamon and said, "I suppose I don't have to say much to convince
you to marry Emily.
Come over here, and take Emily by the hand."
And then, in front of the entire Athenian council of nobles, Theseus married them so
that they finally became husband and wife.
And God, creator of the world, bless Palamon with happiness and health and success.
And Emily loved him deeply and he loved her equally for the rest of their lives together,
so much in fact that they never fought or suffered from jealousy or anything.
And that's the story of how Palamon finally won Emily, his lady love.
God bless them all—Amen.
THE END.