Ovid tells the story of the Phoenix as follows: "Most beings spring from other individuals; but there is a certain kind which reproduces itself. The Assyrians call it the Phoenix. It does not live on fruit or flowers, but on frankincense and odoriferous gums. When it has lived five hundred years, it builds itself a nest in the branches of an oak, or on the top of a palm tree. In this it collects cinnamon, and spikenard, and myrrh, and of these materials builds a pile on which it deposits itself, and dying, breathes out its last breath amidst odors. From the body of the parent bird, a young Phoenix issues forth, destined to live as long a life as its predecessor. When this has grown up and gained sufficient strength, it lifts its nest from the tree (its own cradle and its parent's sepulchre), and carries it to the city of Heliopolis in Egypt, and deposits it in the temple of the Sun."
from Thomas Bulfinch, Age of Fable: Vols. I & II: Stories of Gods and Heroes. 1913
It was of the size of an eagle, but its eyes were as mild and tender as those of the eagle are fierce and threatening. Its beak was the color of a rose, and seemed to resemble, in some measure, the beautiful mouth of Formosante. Its neck resembled all the colors of the rainbow, but more brilliant and lively. A thousand shades of gold glistened on its plumage. Its feet seemed a mixture of purple and silver; and the tail of those beautiful birds which were afterwards fixed to the car of Juno, did not come near the beauty of its tail.
from The Princess of Babylon, in The Works of M. de Voltaire, vol XXXVI (vol. XXVI of the prose works), London, MDCCLXIX, pp. 14-15.
Let us understand, dearly beloved, how the Master continually showeth unto us the resurrection that shall be hereafter; whereof He made the Lord Jesus Christ the firstfruit, when He raised Him from the dead. Let us behold, dearly beloved, the resurrection which happeneth at its proper season. Day and night show unto us the resurrection. The night falleth asleep, and day ariseth; the day departeth, and night cometh on. Let us mark the fruits, how and in what manner the sowing taketh place. The sower goeth forth and casteth into the earth each of the seeds; and these falling into the earth dry and bare decay: then out of their decay the mightiness of the Master's providence raiseth them up, and from being one they increase manifold and bear fruit.
Let us consider the marvelous sign which is seen in the regions of the east, that is, in the parts about Arabia. There is a bird, which is named the phoenix. This, being the only one of its kind, liveth for five hundred years; and when it hath now reached the time of its dissolution that it should die, it maketh for itself a coffin of frankincense and myrrh and the other spices, into the which in the fullness of time it entereth, and so it dieth. But, as the flesh rotteth, a certain worm is engendered, which is nurtured from the moisture of the dead creature and putteth forth wings. Then, when it is grown lusty, it taketh up that coffin where are the bones of its parent, and carrying them journeyeth from the country of Arabia even unto Egypt, to the place called the City of the Sun; and in the daytime in the sight of all, flying to the altar of the Sun, it layeth them thereupon; and this done, it setteth forth to return. So the priests examine the registers of the times, and they find that it hath come when the five hundredth year is completed.
Do we then think it to be a great and marvelous thing, if the Creator of the universe shall bring about the resurrection of them that have served Him with holiness in the assurance of a good faith, seeing that He showeth to us even by a bird the magnificence of His promise? For He saith in a certain place And Thou shalt raise me up, and I will praise Thee; and; I went to rest and slept, I was awaked, for Thou art with me.
from Clement of Rome's Epistle to the Church, 1Clement 24:1-26:1
AUGUST ROOSTER
According to the Gregorian calendar, it was the year Anno Domini 2011, somewhere between the Feast of the Epiphany and the Feast of St. Valentine.
Across parts of the world, strange things happened.
In Middleton, Colorado, lights dimmed in the homes of James Timothy Possible, Abel Stoppable, and others whose children were members of the Middleton H.S. Class of 2007.
In places of worship, like Temple Beth Shalom and St. Barnabas Church, Rabbi Immanuel Katz and Rev. Kelso Davis noticed a sudden glimmer from the sanctuary. They ran from their offices and stared in astonishment at the candles burning spontaneously.
In Wade Load's room, in the command centers of Global Justice, the WorldWide Evil Empire, Go Tower, and the lairs of dozens of arch-villains and former arch-villains, the computer monitors flickered.
Kim Possible and Ron Stoppable were riding in the Sloth. It was cruising over the ocean in rocket mode. Suddenly, the dashboard went dark. The rocket thrusters cut off.
Kim was stunned. "OhmyGod! What's going on?"
Ron, napping beside her, popped to instant wakefulness. "K.P.! What happened?"
Kim frantically pushed buttons, pulled knobs, and turned dials. "I don't know! Everything's dead! I can't even reach Wade!"
Rufus scampered out of Ron's pocket to his shoulder and clutched at the sleeve fabric, squealing in fright.
But the craft did not plummet into the ocean. It maintained a steady coasting flight.
Kim stared amazed, first at her Beloved…
"Ron…your hands!"
…Then at their immediate surroundings.
"Oh…my…God…"
Ron's hands were glowing blue. "Kim…it's my Mystical Monkey Power."
The Sloth was surrounded by the blue glow. Both humans and the naked mole rat craned their heads to look behind them and to either side. The glow, as best as they could observe from within it, was not a uniform circular shape. It had…a head. And…wings. And…a long feathered tail. They were flying in a great translucent blue bird. The Mahō no saru no nōryoku…the Mystical Monkey Power was indeed keeping them aloft.
Impulsively, Kim seized Ron's hands and kissed them. "I love you." Tears spilled from her eyes. "I don't know if I'll ever understand how you do some of the stuff you do…but I love you."
Ron was flabbergasted. "K.P…I don't know how this happening either. But he reached up and framed her face with his hands. Brushing back her fiery tresses, he gently kissed her lips.
And as best as they could in the Sloth's front bucket seats, they embraced passionately. Rufus only gazed dreamily at his two humans and sighed with contentment.
In Kyoto, called Japan, or Nihon, atop the Kinkaku-ji, the Temple of the Golden Pavilion, there was an ornamental bronze sculpture in the shape of a phoenix. In east Asian mythology, the phoenix was called the Fenghuang. Sometimes it was referred to by the Chinese name of the Kūnjī, or the August Rooster. Unnoticed perhaps by anyone, the object suddenly glowed.
Atop Mount Yamanouchi, in the windswept mountain fastness of Nihon, there was an ancient citadel. In his study, an old man in a bright red caftan, his beard long and white, his hair trimmed in a scalp lock, read his books and listened to Igor Stravinsky's Firebird Ballet Suite.
It was a thrilling piece, and never failed to move him
Suddenly the lights dimmed. He raised his head, as though listening to a far-off sound. An awareness came to him. He sighed deeply. A tear trickled down his cheek. He swallowed. Wiping tear from his cheek, he closed his eyes and sighed again. "Farewell, old friend. Rest in peace. May you rise to newness of life. May we meet face to face in a better world."
The music reached its crescendo and faded into silence.
A / N
The quotes from Ovid, Thomas Bullfinch, and Voltaire are from Wikipedia. The info on the Temple of the Golden Pavilion is from Wikipedia. The Epistle of Clement is found at Earlychristianwritings-dot-com.
Mr. Dr. P., Mr. Stoppable, Rabbi Katz, Kim Possible, Ron Stoppable, Rufus, the Sloth, Middleton and Middleton High School, Sensei, and Mount Yamanouchi, are from the Kim Possible TV show, written by Mark McCorckle and Bob Schooley, and directed by Steve Loter.
Igor Stravinsky's Firebird Ballet Suite can be heard in various versions at Youtube. It's more than worth a listen.
Pastor Davis has sort of been permanently hijacked by me & a bunch of others from Captainkodak1.
For my friend, whom I knew only through this medium, I say "Godspeed" and "Rest In Peace."