（外文电子版资料）Giants in the Earth.doc

Giants in the Earth Esther M. Friesner Have you ever had one of those days where you just cant get a psalm started? King David sat back on the royal throne of all Israel and drummed his fingers on the gently curving cedar armrests. The opening lines the hardest part. Ive got everything else down pat: rhyme scheme, subject matter, nifty metaphors that do not involve sheep, for a change. Sheep! Dont get me started. You grow up as a simple shepherd boy—what the hell else is there to do in this country?—and right away you cant write a psalm without everyone picking it apart, looking for hidden references to sheep, sheep, sheep, til the cows come home. To say nothing of those so-called jokes the men used to tell about me back in my army days. Soldiers, feh! As if they never— Your Majesty was saying something about an opening line? Tirzah asked amiably. As concubine du jour she had certain assigned tasks, not the least of which was keeping King Davids conversation on track. When a man spends the better part of his youth on the lam from a crazy king like Saul and the rest of his salad days amassing a comfortably haimish empire, his body may cease wandering but his mind often does not. Oh, right, right, a catchy first line, yes, hmm . . . The ring-encrusted royal fingers, each adorned with a precious stone the size of the rock that slew Goliath, went back to drumming on the armrest. Listen, my subjects, and you shall hear . . . When that Goliath with his spears and arrows/The men of Israel had piercéd to the marrow . . . Whose sling this is, I think I know . . . There once was a giant from Gath . . . Perhaps Your Majesty should work on a different psalm? Tirzah suggested, popping a grape into her mouth. Ive found that when I reach a point where there doesnt seem to be any solution to the problem at hand, it helps to switch projects entirely. The king gave her a smarmy smile. Youre a concubine, my dear, he said. What problems do you face that cant be solved by a new necklac