It was a long head. It was a wedge, a sliver, a grotesque slice in which it seemed the features had been forced to stake their claims, and it appeared that they had done so in a great hurry and with no attempt to form any kind of symmetrical pattern for their mutual advantage. The nose had evidently been first upon the scene and had spread itself down the entire length of the wedge, beginning among the grey stubble of the hair and ending among the grey stubble of the beard, and spreading on both sides with a ruthless disregard for the eyes and mouth which found precarious purchase. The mouth was forced by the lie of the terrain left to it, to slant at an angle which gave to its right-hand side an expression of grim amusement and to its left, which dipped downwards across the chin, a remorseless twist. It was forced by not only the unfriendly monopoly of the nose, but also by the tapering character of the head to be a short mouth; but it obvious by its very nature that, under normal conditions, it would have covered twice the area. The eyes in whose expression might be read the unending grudge they bore against the nose were as small as marbles and peered out between the grey grass of the hair. This head, set at a long incline upon a neck as wry as a turtle's cut across the narrow vertical black strip of the window. Steerpike watched it turn upon the neck slowly. It would not have surprised him if it had dropped off, so toylike was its angle. As he watched, fascinated, the mouth opened and a voice as strange and deep as the echo of a lugubrious ocean stole out into the morning. Never was a face so belied by its voice. The accent was of so weird a lilt that at first Steerpike could not recognize more than one sentence in three, but he had quickly attuned himself to the original cadence and as the words fell into place Steerpike realised he was staring at a poet.
Mervyn Peake
Related I like to open for a band as it brings on sort of a challenge and it makes things more interesting. ... KELLY JONES You must save what you can of your life; you musn't lose it all simply because you've lost a part. HENRY JAMES (All the grief she had suffered over her lifetime had moulded her face into a mask of eternal sadnes... JEAN SASSON She wasn't bitter. She was sad, though. But it was a hopeful kind of sad. The kind of sad that just ... STEPHEN CHBOSKY So, I guess we are who we are for alot of reasons. And maybe we'll never know most of them. But even... STEPHEN CHBOSKY I love my mom so much. I don't care if that's corny to say. I think on my next birthday, I'm going t... STEPHEN CHBOSKY We Are All Infinite STEPHEN CHBOSKY You can't just sit there and put everyone's lives ahead of yours and think that counts as love. You ... STEPHEN CHBOSKY I saw other people there. Old men sitting alone. Young girls with blue eye shadow and awkward jaws. ... STEPHEN CHBOSKY That one moment when you know you are not a sad story. You are ALIVE. STEPHAN CHBOSKY Somos quienes somos por un montón de razones.Quizás nunca conozcamos la mayoría de ellas.Pero aun... STEPHEN CHBOSKY Ambos dijeron que tomara asiento y parecían hablar en serio, así que me senté. STEPHEN CHBOSKY I know these will all be stories some day, and our pictures will become old photographs. We all beco... STEPHEN CHBOSKY So I guess we are who we are for a lot of reasons. And maybewe'll never know most of them. STEPHEN CHBOSKY So I guess we are who we are for a lot of reasons. And maybe we'll never know most of them. STEPHEN CHBOSKY There's nothing like the deep breathes after laughing that hard. Nothing in the world like a sore st... STHEPHEN CHBOSKY no more pencils, no more books, no more teachers' dirty looks, when the teacher rings the bell, drop... STEPHEN CHBOSKY I don't know the significance of this, but I find it very interesting. STEPHEN CHBOSKY Maybe it’s sad that these are now memories. And maybe it’s not sad. STEPHEN CHBOSKY Love is a growing, or full constant light, And his first minute, after noon, is night. JOHN DONNE Empathy is the new measurement of everything. It doesn't matter what religion you have, what God you... C. JOYBELL C. I am often asked how it is that I am able to value people to such a deep degree. Apparently, I exhib... C. JOYBELL C. I was very grateful to have heard it again. Because I guess we all forget sometimes. And I think eve... STEPHEN CHBOSKY I guess we are who we are for a lot of reasons. And maybe we'll never know most of them. But even if... STEPHEN CHBOSKY The only way he could have her was to shatter this stubborn faith of hers. In doing so, would he sha... FRANCINE RIVERS We begin to fight. The wind and I. Horns locked. Battling each other with elements. LAURA DOCKRILL In a world in which the common rule which binds and regulates what the general masses feel is underm... ERNEST AGYEMANG YEBOAH You deserve to be with somebody, who knows you're the one, from that very first moment he lays eyes ... C. JOYBELL C. If I provide for this life and turn away from the Lord, I am wise for a moment, but lost forever. FRANCINE RIVERS The only way he could have her was to shatter this stubborn faith of hers. In doing so, would he sha... FRANCINE RIVERS The unfortunate thing is that, sometimes, we slip, but, fortunately, consciously or unconsciously, w... ERNEST AGYEMANG YEBOAH Absoballylutely top hole, wot. A and B the C of D I'd say. . . Above and Beyond the Call of Duty. BRIAN JACQUES I liked myths. They weren't adult stories and they weren't children's stories. They were better than... NEIL GAIMAN I was suddenly very aware of the fact it was me standing up in that tunnel with the wind over my fac... STEPHEN CHBOSKY The only perspective is to really be there. STEPHEN CHBOSKY I didn't feel like reading that night, so I went downstairs and watched a half-hour long commercial ... STEPHEN CHBOSKY Why is England manufacturing bigger and better airplanes and bombs and at the same time churning out... ANNE FRANK You're full of contradictions, Ms. Wallace." I looked up at him and arched a brow. "I'm a girl... TAMMARA WEBBER Well, you can't know it without something having been sneezed. A.A. MILNE We'll be Friends Forever, won't we, Pooh?' asked Piglet. Even longer,' Pooh answered.” ... A.A. MILNE She said 'Over my dead body!' so I took her at her word. DIANA WYNNE JONES The end of the world is a strange concept. The world is always ending, and the end is always being a... NEIL GAIMAN What is the Other?" they ask. The Other is the one who taught me whatI should be like, but not ... PAULO COELHO I don't know if I have a favorite color. KATE MIDDLETON It's very special having a new little girl. KATE MIDDLETON Look, my friends!' he called. 'Here's a pretty hobbit-skin to wrap an elven princeling in! If it wer... J.R.R. TOLKIEN Some people never take a chance and never know what it's like to live life to the full. CHLOE THURLOW May I never neither turn left nor turn right in my journey of life, but may I go straight to Christ ... ERNEST AGYEMANG YEBOAH the room of the spirit is the mind and the seat of the spirit is the heart. What we give room to muc... ERNEST AGYEMANG YEBOAH The mark of a real man, is a man who can allow himself to fall deeply in love with a woman. But the ... C. JOYBELL C. Hail to you gods, on that day of the great reckoning. Behold me, I have come to you, without sin, wi... THE BOOK OF THE DEAD When a man takes one step toward God, God takes more steps toward that man than there are sands in t... THE WORK OF THE CHARIOT If Stephen King was a killer, he will be the best killer ever existed, check out his novels, check o... DEYTH BANGER We have tears in our eyes As we wave our goodbyes, We so loved being with you, we three. ROALD DAHL Here was one with an air of high nobility such as Aragorn at times revealed, less high perhaps, yet ... J.R.R. TOLKIEN Anyways, that very same night there was a fight in the casino on B Deck. Some of the passengers got ... CHRISTINA ENGELA I just want you to know that you’re very special… and the only reason I’m telling you is that ... STEPHEN CHBOSKY I thought I would write a love letter. But then, I wrote a book." - Suzy Davies, on "Johari's Window SUZY DAVIES The Dream of a Queer Fellow I write the words again and they appear doubly pregnant with meaning. It... JOHN MIDDLETON MURRY If you have read this far in the chronicle of the Baudelaire orphans - and I certainly hope you have... LEMONY SNICKET It's all to do with the training: you can do a lot if you're properly trained. QUEEN ELIZABETH II Like all best families, we have our share of eccentricities, of impetuous and wayward youngsters and... QUEEN ELIZABETH II My husband has quite simply been my strength and stay all these years, and I owe him a debt greater ... QUEEN ELIZABETH II It is easy enough to define what the Commonwealth is not. Indeed this is quite a popular pastime. QUEEN ELIZABETH II I have to be seen to be believed. QUEEN ELIZABETH II I have in sincerity pledged myself to your service, as so many of you are pledged to mine. Throughou... QUEEN ELIZABETH II I hope that tomorrow we can all, wherever we are, join in expressing our grief at Diana's loss, ... QUEEN ELIZABETH II I myself prefer my New Zealand eggs for breakfast. QUEEN ELIZABETH II The British constitution has always been puzzling and always will be. QUEEN ELIZABETH II I have behind me not only the splendid traditions and the annals of more than a thousand years but t... QUEEN ELIZABETH II To what greater inspiration and counsel can we turn than to the imperishable truth to be found in th... QUEEN ELIZABETH II What were once only hopes for the future have now come to pass; it is almost exactly 13 years since ... QUEEN ELIZABETH II First, I want to pay tribute to Diana myself. She was an exceptional and gifted human being. In good... QUEEN ELIZABETH II I cannot lead you into battle. I do not give you laws or administer justice but I can do something e... QUEEN ELIZABETH II To all those who have suffered as a consequence of our troubled past I extend my sincere thoughts an... QUEEN ELIZABETH II Grief is the price we pay for love. QUEEN ELIZABETH II The upward course of a nation's history is due in the long run to the soundness of heart of its ... QUEEN ELIZABETH II At its heart, engineering is about using science to find creative, practical solutions. It is a nobl... QUEEN ELIZABETH II At Christmas, I am always struck by how the spirit of togetherness lies also at the heart of the Chr... QUEEN ELIZABETH II For many, Christmas is also a time for coming together. But for others, service will come first. QUEEN ELIZABETH II The lessons from the peace process are clear; whatever life throws at us, our individual responses w... QUEEN ELIZABETH II I declare before you all that my whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your s... QUEEN ELIZABETH II Therefore I am sure that this, my Coronation, is not the symbol of a power and a splendor that are g... QUEEN ELIZABETH II We lost the American colonies because we lacked the statesmanship to know the right time and the man... QUEEN ELIZABETH II Madam President, speaking here in Dublin Castle it is impossible to ignore the weight of history, as... QUEEN ELIZABETH II These wretched babies don't come until they are ready. QUEEN ELIZABETH II I know of no single formula for success. But over the years I have observed that some attributes of ... QUEEN ELIZABETH II The events that I have attended to mark my Diamond Jubilee have been a humbling experience. It has t... QUEEN ELIZABETH II In remembering the appalling suffering of war on both sides, we recognise how precious is the peace ... QUEEN ELIZABETH II Like all the best families, we have our share of eccentricities, of impetuous and wayward youngsters... QUEEN ELIZABETH II No one who knew Diana will ever forget her. Millions of others who never met her, but felt they knew... QUEEN ELIZABETH II I have been aware all the time that my peoples, spread far and wide throughout every continent and o... QUEEN ELIZABETH II She herself is a haunted house. She does not possess herself; her ancestors sometimes come and peer ... ANGELA CARTER The profound ability to use aural and written language has enabled our species to collectively explo... KATHERINE VUCICEVIC No, sweet one. See, my precious: if we has it, then we can escape, even from Him, eh? Perhaps we gro... J.R.R. TOLKIEN His face spreads into a warm smile. “As a matter of fact, no, I have never slept under the stars �... J.A. REDMERSKI Each man lives in his own universe and when he dies the world is over BANGAMBIKI HABYARIMANA She was infamous once upon a time. She's legendary now. The girl is a definite force to be reckoned ... REBECCA HARRIS From the Kindle Book Reflections in the Mirror of Life: “In a slum somewhere in India As... THE PROPHET OF LIFE Never give up on you. In order to make a difference you would have to somehow be different. JOHNNIE DENT JR.
More Mervyn Peake
Life is too fleet for onomatopoeia. MERVYN PEAKE There is a kind of laughter that sickens the soul. Laughter when it is out of control: when it screa... MERVYN PEAKE Each day I live in a glass room unless I break it with the thrusting of my senses and pass through t... MERVYN PEAKE I am clever enough to know that I am clever. MERVYN PEAKE Take him away. Prepare a feast. Forget nothing. My crown: the golden cutlery. The poison bottles; an... MERVYN PEAKE This tower, patched unevenly with black ivy, arose like a mutilated finger from among the fists of k... MERVYN PEAKE What is Time... That you speak of it so subserviently? Are we to be the slaves of the sun, that seco... MERVYN PEAKE In great thick dusty books he read And hardly ever went to bed Before it was eleven. ... MERVYN PEAKE If seeing her an hour before her last Weak cough into all blackness I could yet Be held by... MERVYN PEAKE She had expressed herself, as women will, in a smug broadside of pastel shades. 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In a house or a tree.' Fuchsia started to chew at a fre... MERVYN PEAKE The moon slid inexorably into its zenith, the shadows shrivelling to the feet of all that cast them,... MERVYN PEAKE The crumbling castle, looming among the mists, exhaled the season, and every cold stone breathed it ... MERVYN PEAKE And there shall be a flame-green daybreak soon. And love itself will cry for insurrection! For tomor... MERVYN PEAKE Mount and begone. The world awaits you. MERVYN PEAKE Seeing an Earl as an owl on a mantelpiece, and having part of one's face removed by a cat, both on t... MERVYN PEAKE Swelter's eyes meet those of his enemy, and never has there held between four globes of gristle so s... MERVYN PEAKE Yet not with all of me am I in love. Too much of my own quietness is with me. MERVYN PEAKE For what use are books to anyone whose days are like a rook's nest with every twig a duty. MERVYN PEAKE It was not certain what significance the ceremony held... but the formality was no less sacred for i... MERVYN PEAKE In the presence of real tragedy you feel neither pain nor joy nor hatred, only a sense of enormous s... MERVYN PEAKE When he at least reached the door the handle had cease to vibrate. Lowering himself suddenly to his ... MERVYN PEAKE His was not the hatred that arises suddenly like a storm and as suddenly abates. It was, once the in... MERVYN PEAKE Gormenghast, that is, the main massing of the original stone, taken by itself would have displayed a... MERVYN PEAKE There is a love that equals in its power the love of man for woman and reaches inwards as deeply. It... MERVYN PEAKE Something to remember, that: cats for missiles. MERVYN PEAKE For death is life. It is only living that is lifeless. MERVYN PEAKE Oh how I hate people! MERVYN PEAKE Why break the heart that never beat from love? MERVYN PEAKE We are all imprisoned by the dictionary. We choose out of that vast, paper-walled prison our convict... MERVYN PEAKE I sometimes think about old tombs and weeds That interwreathe among the bones of kings Wit... MERVYN PEAKE That night, I hated father. He smelt of cabbage. There was cigarette ash all over his trousers. His ... MERVYN PEAKE my memories are made of scars and tattoos,they will last forever MERVYN We wanted to wear them down because we knew they had a long bus ride up here and I think that defini... ROY PEAKE Everybody goes through it. He carried us earlier in the season, and it's a good thing that he did. W... ROY PEAKE Would you approve of your young sons, young daughters -- because girls can read as well as boys -- r... MERVYN GRIFFITH-JONES A psychiatrist is a man who goes to the Folies-Berg?re and looks at the audience. BISHOP MERVYN STOCKWOOD When I was a graduate student at Harvard, I learned about showers and central heating. Ten years lat... MERVYN A. KING