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<!DOCTYPE html> | ||
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<title>the alchemist</title> | ||
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<h6>Author</h6> | ||
<h1>Paulo Coelho</h1> | ||
<h6>Brazilian lyricist</h6> | ||
<p id="paragraph"> | ||
“And I’d better read your books,” said the boy. | ||
THEY WERE STRANGE BOOKS. THEY SPOKE ABOUT MERCURY, salt, dragons, | ||
and kings, and he didn’t understand any of it. But there was one idea | ||
that seemed to repeat itself throughout all the books: all things are | ||
the manifestation of one thing only. | ||
In one of the books he learned that the most important text in | ||
the literature of alchemy contained only a few lines, and had been | ||
inscribed on the surface of an emerald. | ||
“It’s the Emerald Tablet,” said the Englishman, proud that he | ||
might teach something to the boy. | ||
“Well, then, why do we need all these books?” the boy asked. | ||
“So that we can understand those few lines,” the Englishman | ||
answered, without appearing really to believe what he had said. | ||
The book that most interested the boy told the stories of the | ||
famous alchemists. They were men who had dedicated their entire | ||
lives to the purification of metals in their laboratories; they believed | ||
that, if a metal were heated for many years, it would free itself of all | ||
its individual properties, and what was left would be the Soul of the | ||
World. This Soul of the World allowed them to understand anything | ||
on the face of the earth, because it was the language with which all | ||
things communicated. They called that discovery the Master | ||
Work—it was part liquid and part solid. | ||
“Can’t you just observe men and omens in order to understand | ||
the language?” the boy asked. | ||
“You have a mania for simplifying everything,” answered the | ||
Englishman, irritated. “Alchemy is a serious discipline. Every step | ||
has to be followed exactly as it was followed by the masters.” | ||
The boy learned that the liquid part of the Master Work was | ||
called the Elixir of Life, and that it cured all illnesses; it also kept the | ||
alchemist from growing old. And the solid part was called the | ||
Philosopher’s Stone. | ||
“It’s not easy to find the Philosopher’s Stone,” said the | ||
Englishman. “The alchemists spent years in their laboratories, | ||
observing the fire that purified the metals. They spent so much time | ||
close to the fire that gradually they gave up the vanities of the | ||
world. They discovered that the purification of the metals had led to | ||
a purification of themselves.” | ||
The boy thought about the crystal merchant. He had said that it | ||
was a good thing for the boy to clean the crystal pieces, so that he | ||
could free himself from negative thoughts. The boy was becoming | ||
more and more convinced that alchemy could be learned in one’s | ||
daily life. | ||
“Also,” said the Englishman, “the Philosopher’s Stone has a | ||
fascinating property. A small sliver of the stone can transform large | ||
quantities of metal into gold.” | ||
Having heard that, the boy became even more interested in | ||
alchemy. He thought that, with some patience, he’d be able to | ||
transform everything into gold. He read the lives of the various | ||
people who had succeeded in doing so: Helvétius, Elias, Fulcanelli, | ||
and Geber. They were fascinating stories: each of them lived out his | ||
Personal Legend to the end. They traveled, spoke with wise men, | ||
performed miracles for the incredulous, and owned the | ||
Philosopher’s Stone and the Elixir of Life. | ||
But when the boy wanted to learn how to achieve the Master | ||
Work, he became completely lost. There were just drawings, coded | ||
instructions, and obscure texts. | ||
“WHY DO THEY MAKE THINGS SO COMPLICATED?” HE asked the Englishman | ||
one night. The boy had noticed that the Englishman was irritable, | ||
and missed his books. | ||
“So that those who have the responsibility for understanding can | ||
understand,” he said. “Imagine if everyone went around | ||
transforming lead into gold. Gold would lose its value. | ||
“It’s only those who are persistent, and willing to study things | ||
deeply, who achieve the Master Work. That’s why I’m here in the | ||
middle of the desert. I’m seeking a true alchemist who will help me | ||
to decipher the codes.” | ||
“When were these books written?” the boy asked. | ||
“Many centuries ago.” | ||
</p> | ||
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<h5 class="pageNumber">Page 33</h5> | ||
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