Summary | Not for Sale | Anon

Summary           ' Not for Sale ' by an anonymous writer is a heart touching story of a young couple madly in love who overcome all obstacles for the sake of their love and togetherness. The author was on a vacation when he came across a painting of a young woman . The painting was extraordinary and very expressive. He wished to buy it. But the woman in charge of the shop denied saying that the painting belonged to the owner of the shop and he did not wish to sell it. However, the painting was so touching that it kept haunting the author. Whenever he got a chance, he would drive all the way through Taos and to the gallery and see the painting. Finally, the woman shopkeeper told him the story behind the painting. Two young students, a man and a woman, fell madly in love while they studied painting and arts in New York, far from their homes . They decided to get married and have a promising career in painting.           How...

The Louse and the Mosquito | Vikram Seth

About the Poet

    Vikram Seth (1952), born in India and educated at Oxford, Stanford and Nanjing Universities, is a trained economist. But he is known more as a writer: novelist, poet, translator, biographer and travel writer. His most important work so far is 'A Suitable Boy' (1993), considered the longest modern novel. It created quite a sensation when it was published, both for its literary novelty and for the huge sum of royalty it received from the publishers. It won him the WH Smith Literary Award and the Commonwealth Writers Prize. His other works include The Golden Gate: A Novel in Verse; From Haven Lake: Travels through Sinkiang and Tibet and four volumes of poetry. An Equal Music (1999) is his most recent novel.

     Vikram Seth's latest work is Two Lives (2005). A memoir of the marriage of his great uncle and aunt.

The Louse and the Mosquito

In the King's bed, Creep the louse

Lived in her ancestral house.

They had dwelt here as of right

For three decades, and each night

She and her enormous brood

Drank the King's blood for their food.

Once the signal came from Creep

That the King was fast asleep,

Quietly, discreetly, they

Nipped and sipped and drank away.

Sons and grandsons, sisters, brothers,

Great-granddaughters, great-grandmothers,

Second cousins and their wives

Thus pursued their gentle lives

Lives of undisturbed delight

Growing plump and smooth and white.


One day a mosquito flew

Through the window. As he drew

Closer to the velvet bed

Canopied with gold, he said:

"Lovely! Just the place for me.

Ah, what perfume let me see-

Rose no, jasmine. And the quilt

Smooth as banks of Ganges silt!

Let me test the bedsprings now."

So he jumped up and somehow,

In a parabolic leap,

Landed not too far from Creep.


"Sir Mosquito, flap your wings.

Leave at once. This bed's the King's."

"Who may you be, Lady Louse?"

"I'm the guardian of this house."

"House?" "This quilt, It's mine," said Creep;

"There's no place for you, Sir Leap."

"Let me sleep here for one night

And I'll catch the morning flight."

Thus the sad mosquito pleaded,

And at last his prayers were heeded

For the tender-hearted Creep

Could not bear to watch him weep.


"Well, come in," she said at last,

"But tonight you'll have to fast,

For on no account may you

Bite him, as we're trained to do.

We can drink and cause no pain,

Loss of royal sleep, or stain.

You, I fear, would cause all three.

I can't risk my family."

But the glib mosquito cried:


"Now you've let me come inside,

Lady Louse, how can you be

Cold in hospitality?

Just one bite I ask no more

For I've learned from learned lore

That the royal blood contains

Remedies for aches and pains

Ginger, honey, sugar, spice,

Cardamom, and all things nice.

Save me. I'm in broken health.

Let me bite him once by stealth.

He won't even shift or sigh.

Cross my heart and hope to die."


Finally the louse agreed.

"Right!" she said, "but pay close heed.

Wait till wine, fatigue, or deep

Dream-enriched, unbroken sleep

Has enveloped him. Then go:

Lightly nip his little toe."

"Yes, yes, yes. That's all old hat."

Said Sir Leap: "I know all that.

Keep your stale advice." He smiled:

"Seriously I'm not a child."


It was only afternoon

Fairly early, fairly soon

When the King came for a snooze,

Doffed his crown and shirt and shoes,

Lay down on the bed, and sighed.

The mosquito almost died

From excitement, shock, and sweat.

"No!" the louse cried: "No! Not yet!"

But too late! The self-willed bumbler

Oh, if only he'd been humbler

Rushing to the rash attack,

Leapt upon the royal back,

And with fierce and fiery sting

Deeply dirked the dozing king.


"Help! a scorpion! a snake!"

Screamed the King, at once awake.

"I've been bitten! Search the bed!

Find and strike the creature dead!"

When they made a close inspection

The mosquito foiled detection,

Hidden in the canopy;

But the louse clan could not flee.

All were killed without ado.

Meanwhile, the mosquito flew,

Looking out for further prey,

Humming mildly on his way.

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