Penelope and her suitors by John William Waterhouse |
Hear, hear!
Of the land of Tenderness, a magical land where amazing cities such as those of Sensibility, of Constant Friendship, Kindness and Sincerity can make a man rich!
To reach this land, a man must cross the Dangerous Sea, cross the River of Gratitude, and continue south parallel to the Inclination River.
But be wary not to tarry in such towns as those of Complaisance, Negligence, or even Perfidy, for those are towns filled with evil and brigands! Drift too far East and you may get yourself lost around the banks of the Lake of Indifference.
Though the obstacles be great, the rewards are worth the risk, and every man (and woman alike) should tempt the adventure!
OK, so technically this 17th c. map (Carte de Tendre) shows three ways for an adventurer to gain a lady's affections, and all start in the Town of New Friendship, then the wooer may proceed north:
1. via the River Inclination (the fastest route) to Tenderness Upon Inclination;
2. via the towns of Love Letters, Little Trinkets, and many others to end at Tenderness Upon Esteem; or
3. via the towns of Patience, Faithfulness and Constant Attention to end at the town of Tenderness Upon Gratitude.
Straying from these routes leads one either towards the Lake of Indifference, or the Sea of Enmity. And going beyond those three Cities of Tenderness one reaches then the town of Passion, on the edges of the Sea of Danger, beyond which lie unknown lands...
Either way, there is no more enchanting land than the land of Tenderness that has made every single human being dream...
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