Capítulo 9 de 20 · 5'50"
Over scallops and pigeon, one man tells the other that greatness is a problem he will only ever imagine. "I'd rather have these moments of genius than a lifetime of mediocrity" is both a boast and a ranking. The same edge follows them through age, a phone call, and a valley where three thousand years shrinks to nothing.
No Such Thing as a Haggis Hunt
At dinner one man tells the other that greatness is a problem he will only ever imagine. Scallops and pigeon arrive, Coleridge is set beside a pop song, and a haggis story warns that someone is taking you for a fool. A call sets tomorrow's photographer. On the fell, three thousand years is the blink of an eye, and Dove Cottage turns them away at five past five.
The meal is a contest in the shape of chat. "I'd rather be me than you" ranks two careers in one breath, a few flashes of genius against "a lifetime of mediocrity." "My career is not mediocre" never gets a real answer, because the plates arrive and the scoring changes costume. Setting Coleridge beside Olivia Newton-John "with varying degrees of success" sounds even-handed and still refuses either of them a clean win. The haggis bit is a trap told twice: "They've taken you for a fool," then the flat punchline that no such hunt exists. On the fell the scale flips. Three thousand years becomes "the blink of an eye" next to rock formed 400 million years ago, and the dinner's scoreboard suddenly looks small. Dove Cottage is shut at five past five, so the day ends on a closed door rather than a winner.
A1–C2 es la escala MCER. Las tarjetas por encima del nivel elegido se atenúan y la reproducción no se pausa en ellas.
“Yeah, and you'll always imagine, because it's not a problem you'll ever have to contend with.”
A put-down disguised as sympathy: you will only ever imagine it, because you will never face it.
Informal
“I'd rather be me than you, because I'd rather have these moments of genius than a lifetime of mediocrity.”
A defiant creed: I would rather have rare flashes of genius than a safe, ordinary life.
Informal
“You can't treat your entire life like a Radio 4 panel show.”
A very British rebuke: stop treating your whole life as a panel show to be quipped through.
Informal
“everything's exhausting when you're past 40.”
A compact, universal complaint about ageing that anyone past forty instantly recognises.
Informal
Siguiente · 10not unlikeLa escena: Turned Away at Dove CottageIt is a ranking, not a confession. He would rather be himself, with a few flashes of brilliance, than live what he calls the other man's ordinary career. The reply is "My career is not mediocre," and the plates arrive before it can be settled.
He answers "Hi, Emma." She is reminding him about a photographer named Yolanda, who will meet him at Hipping Hall tomorrow. Emma is coming up with her, and the photos are for the article they already discussed at the office.
The light is failing and it is late. One asks how far they are going. The other says a little bit further, then admits they shouldn't go much further "just because of the light."
They ask for two tickets and are told the last admission was 5:00. It is already five past. The visit ends at the door.
No. The pigeon is "a little like haggis," which sets up the warning that anyone who invites you on a haggis hunt has taken you for a fool. The line that closes it is "There's no such thing as a haggis hunt."
