The Little White Horse

Informationen zum Autor Elizabeth Goudge Klappentext "I absolutely adored The Little White Horse."--J.K. Rowling, creator of the Harry Potter series Winner of the Carnegie Medal When orphaned young Maria Merryweather arrives at Moonacre Manor, she feels as if she's entered Paradise. Her new guardian, her uncle Sir Benjamin, is kind and funny; the Manor itself feels like home right away; and every person and animal she meets is like an old friend. But there is something incredibly sad beneath all of this beauty and comfort--a tragedy that happened years ago, shadowing Moonacre Manor and the town around it--and Maria is determined to learn about it, change it, and give her own life story a happy ending. But what can one solitary girl do? A terrible sound . . . In mid-gallop Maria was halted by a strange and terrible sound, a thin high screaming that came threading through the happy sounds of the wind and the crying gulls and Periwinkle's galloping feet, and pushing into her heart like a sharp needle . She pulled in her pony and sat listening, her heart beating fast with sudden fear. Away to her right, beyond a sombre belt of pine-trees, was a deep hollow filled with gorse and blackberry bushes, and from it came the frightening sound. Somewhere down there some child or animal was being hurt. She hesitated for only a moment, and then, gulping down the fear that had come up like a hard lump in her throat, she turned Periwinkle and rode hard for the hollow beyond the pines . . . . For imaginative readers . . . this tale will have a strong appeal. There are richness of detail and a lovely use of color and lightsunshine, moonlight, and shadows, symbolically contrastedto catch the fancy, and a spiritual quality in this parable of greed and pride vanquished by innocence and goodwill. The New York Times Fantasy and reality meet on equal terms in an exciting mystery story in which all of the characters, both humans and animals, come alive, and stay alive from start to finish. The Horn Book OTHER PUFFIN BOOKS YOU MAY ENJOY Five Children and It E. Nesbit Linnets and Valerians Elizabeth Goudge The Lost Flower Children Janet Taylor Lisle The Secret Garden Frances Hodgson Burnett Time Cat Lloyd Alexander The Little White Horse ELIZABETH GOUDGE Dedicated to WALTER HODGES With my thanks THE LITTLE WHITE HORSE IT was under the white moon that I saw him, The little white horse, with neck arched high in pride. Lovely his pride, delicate, no taint of self Staining the unconscious innocence denied Knowledge of good and evil, burden of days Of shame crouched beneath the flail of memory. No past for you, little white horse, no regret, No future of fear in this silver forest Only the perfect now in the white moon-dappled ride. A flower-like body fashioned all of light, For the speed of light, yet momently at rest, Balanced on the sheer knife-edge of perfection; Perfection of grass silver upon the crest Of the hill, before the scythe falls, snow in sun, Of the shaken human spirit when God speaks In His still small voice and for a breath of time All is hushed; gone in a sigh, that perfection, Leaving the sharp knife-edge turning slowly in the breast. The raised hoof, the proud poised head, the flowing mane, The supreme moment of stillness before the flight, The moment of farewell, of wordless pleading For remembrance of things lost to earthly sight Then the half-turn under the trees, a motion Fluid as the movement of light on water . . . Stay, oh stay in the forest, little white horse! . . ...

Auteur

Elizabeth Goudge

Texte du rabat

"I absolutely adored The Little White Horse."--J.K. Rowling, creator of the Harry Potter series

Winner of the Carnegie Medal

When orphaned young Maria Merryweather arrives at Moonacre Manor, she feels as if she's entered Paradise. Her new guardian, her uncle Sir Benjamin, is kind and funny; the Manor itself feels like home right away; and every person and animal she meets is like an old friend. But there is something incredibly sad beneath all of this beauty and comfort--a tragedy that happened years ago, shadowing Moonacre Manor and the town around it--and Maria is determined to learn about it, change it, and give her own life story a happy ending. But what can one solitary girl do?

Résumé
"I absolutely adored The Little White Horse."--J.K. Rowling, creator of the Harry Potter series

Winner of the Carnegie Medal

When orphaned young Maria Merryweather arrives at Moonacre Manor, she feels as if she's entered Paradise. Her new guardian, her uncle Sir Benjamin, is kind and funny; the Manor itself feels like home right away; and every person and animal she meets is like an old friend. But there is something incredibly sad beneath all of this beauty and comfort--a tragedy that happened years ago, shadowing Moonacre Manor and the town around it--and Maria is determined to learn about it, change it, and give her own life story a happy ending. But what can one solitary girl do?

Échantillon de lecture

A terrible sound . . .

In mid-gallop Maria was halted by a strange and terrible sound, a thin high screaming that came threading through the happy sounds of the wind and the crying gulls and Periwinkle’s galloping feet, and pushing into her heart like a sharp needle.

She pulled in her pony and sat listening, her heart beating fast with sudden fear. Away to her right, beyond a sombre belt of pine-trees, was a deep hollow filled with gorse and blackberry bushes, and from it came the frightening sound. Somewhere down there some child or animal was being hurt. She hesitated for only a moment, and then, gulping down the fear that had come up like a hard lump in her throat, she turned Periwinkle and rode hard for the hollow beyond the pines. . . .

“For imaginative readers . . . this tale will have a strong appeal. There are richness of detail and a lovely use of color and light—sunshine, moonlight, and shadows, symbolically contrasted—to catch the fancy, and a spiritual quality in this parable of greed and pride vanquished by innocence and goodwill.”

—The New York Times

“Fantasy and reality meet on equal terms in an exciting mystery story in which all of the characters, both humans and animals, come alive, and stay alive from start to finish.”

—The Horn Book

OTHER PUFFIN BOOKS YOU MAY ENJOY

Five Children and It    E. Nesbit

Linnets and Valerians    Elizabeth Goudge

The Lost Flower Children    Janet Taylor Lisle

The Secret Garden    Frances Hodgson Burnett

Time Cat    Lloyd Alexander

The
Little White Horse

ELIZABETH GOUDGE

Dedicated to

WALTER HODGES

With my thanks

THE LITTLE WHITE HORSE

IT was under the white moon that I saw him,

The little white horse, with neck arched high in pride.

Lovely his pride, delicate, no taint of self

Staining the unconscious innocence denied

Knowledge of good and evil, burden of days

Of shame crouched beneath the flail of memory.

No past for you, little white horse, no regret,

No future of fear in this silver forest —

Only the perfect now in the white moon-dappled ride.

A flower-like body fashioned all of light,

For the speed of light, yet momently at rest,

Balanced on the sheer knife-edge of perfection;

Perfection of grass silver upon the crest

Of the hill, before the scythe falls, snow in sun,

Of the shaken human spirit when God speaks

In His still small voice and for a breath of time

All is hushed; gone in a sigh, that perfection,

Leaving the sharp knife-edge turning slowly in the breast.

The raised hoof, the proud poised head, the flowing mane,

The supreme moment of stillness before the flig…