The Spindle

Woman spinning flax using a drop spindle and distaff. MS Fr. 599, f. 40, Bibliotheque Nationale, Paris 15th c. France

The ancient Greeks believed that life was like to a thread, and that the three Moirai, or Fates, spun it, measured it, and cut it. The destination in all cases is the same: an empty spool. And the rest? Story of our lives: how well or badly they are spun, in colors pale or bright; and in the end, what we make together: a tapestry or a rag.

Spin, thou Spindle, tell thy tales –
Of gaiety and sadness, inexplicably entwined;
Of threads and curtains, sweat and blood;
Though threads be cut, the Spindle spins anon
Another yarn or tall tale for the cat to play with.

Published in: on Thursday, September 18th, 2008 at 18:04 pm Leave a Comment

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