carmen fernandez de cordoba

I try to find, in names such as Lucentum or Al-Laqant, some clue that might explain the contrast—or perhaps some trace linking names so closely associated with light to the slow erosion caused by an enduring sense of loss. It is difficult to reconcile this with such a white and luminous city, crowned by so perfect a castle upon so clear and open a hill. Is it a paradox? Perhaps. Or perhaps it is simply another expression of the duality that accompanies the human experience: the permanent...

I came burdened with vicissitudes, and my restless worries gnawed at you. You cried out for attention, but all you ever received was distraction and a measure of pity. You envied my friendships, and sorrow overwhelmed you. And you wept, with reason, round tears of heartbreak. You showed me devotion with so much love, but your manners undid you. And I needed neither pride nor rigid molds, but warmth, stability, and tenderness. And you gorged yourself on bitterness and madness, while I...

It was becoming increasingly difficult for him to find opponents to play tennis with. Some of his regular partners had already embraced the idea that “a timely retreat is a victory,” while others had diversified their sporting activities and were far less consistent than he was, or simply more accustomed to jumping from one sport to another. Faced with this reality, he turned to his own family circle. His children, trained through hours spent on the fronton court, had always regarded it as...