Opening Reed

Famous quotes containing the words opening and/or reed:

    His reversed body gracefully curved, his brown legs hoisted like a Tarentine sail, his joined ankles tacking, Van gripped with splayed hands the brow of gravity, and moved to and fro, veering and sidestepping, opening his mouth the wrong way, and blinking in the odd bilboquet fashion peculiar to eyelids in his abnormal position. Even more extraordinary than the variety and velocity of the movements he made in imitation of animal hind legs was the effortlessness of his stance.
    Vladimir Nabokov (1899–1977)

    Boold was hir face, and fair, and reed of hewe.
    She was a worthy womman al hir lyve.
    Housbondes at chirche dore she hadde fyve,
    Withouten oother compaignye in youthe—
    But therof nedeth nat to speke as nowthe.
    Geoffrey Chaucer (1340?–1400)