The Salt Burners' Fires

Someone who boils sea water to obtain the salt.

"'There on the shore, the salt burners' fires await me.
Will their smoke be as the smoke over Toribe Moor?
Is this the parting at dawn we are always hearing of?
No doubt there are those who know.'

'I have always hated the word "farewell,"' said Saisho,
whose grief seemed quite unfeigned.
'And our farewells today are unlike any others.'"

Murasaki Shikibu, The Tale of Genji (11th Century).

Translated by Edward G. Seidensticker.

First One Over the Wall

In a battle, the first soldier to scale the enemy's fortification.

"All rewards and signes of honour, as the Civicke garland, The murall wreath, the enemies Prime horse, To him alone are proper."

Philip Massinger, The Picture (1629).

Gestures

"The gestures of an adult are those of a carpenter, the gestures of an infant those of a mason."

--Malcolm de Chazal.

Bellmen

A kind of town crier, who announced each passing hour in the night by ringing a bell and calling out the hour.

“None can forever conceal the truth. If the bellman is dead the wind will toll the bell.”

Bernard Malamud, The Fixer (1966).

A Daring Hero

"The virtues of industry and frugality can easily be corrupted to make men overscrupulous and stingy, as in the example of Moemon, who economized on his coat sleeves, would not buy a hat when he came of age to wear one, and slept with an abacus under his pillow to keep track of the money he made in dreams. But, somewhat like Gengobei, Moemon is one minute a ridiculous clerk and the next a daring hero who runs off with the most beautiful lady in town."

Wm. Theodore De Bary in the introduction to Ahira Saikaku, Five Women Who Loved Love (1686).

Arch Makers

Originally, a Roman worker who specialized in building rounded vaults or archways, arches being a Roman invention.

"The great latifundia had their own ceramic workshops producing pots for everyday use (opus doliare). Artistic pottery, on the other hand, was made in the towns, especially in Arezzo where production was constantly on the increase, but also at Mutina (Modena), Pollentia, Cumae, Capua, Rhegium and others. There were also many brick factories, for bricks were widely used for building in the Italian towns. The various crafts of the building trade were also to a large extent differentiated into lime burners (calcis coctores), masons (structores), makers of arches (arcuarii), builders of interior walls (parietarii), plasterers (albatrii) and many others."

Claude Mossé, The Ancient World of Work (1969)

[Translated by Janet Lloyd].

Senators

A legislator in ancient Rome.

"'To go to bed with your worthy host's wife would be a disgraceful failure in good manners. On the other hand, there's no reason why you shouldn't try to seduce Fotis; the girl is not only beautiful, lively and amusing but already half in love with you. Last night when you went to bed, she led you to your room, turned your sheets down, tucked you tenderly in, then gave you a charming good-night kiss and showed quite plainly how sorry she was to leave you. Remember how she kept stopping on her way to the door and looking back at you? The very best of luck to you, then, Lucius; but, whatever may come of it, good or bad, my advice is: go for Fotis.' My mind was now made up, and when I reached Milo's house I marched in as confidently as a Senator leading the Ayes into the division lobby."

Apuleius, The Golden Ass, (2nd Century A.D.)

[translated by Robert Graves].