--- title: The Sword of Damocles. — Fifty Famous Stories Retold · full text with trees description: The Sword of Damocles., «Fifty Famous Stories Retold» by James Baldwin: the whole chapter, every sentence with its dependency tree and pragmatics. It begins: There was once a king whose name was Di-o-nys'i-us. --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg18442/33/) [home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [corpora](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/) / [tales](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/) / [Fifty Famous Stories Retold](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg18442/) / The Sword of Damocles. # The Sword of Damocles. The Sword of Damocles. of «Fifty Famous Stories Retold» by James Baldwin: the whole text, 37 sentences and 505 words. Every sentence has its own page with its syntax tree and pragmatics, parsed by Mova itself; 1 of them are in the tales treebank and were checked by a teacher model. - [1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg18442/33/1/) — There was once a king whose name was Di-o-nys'i-us. - [2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg18442/33/2/) — He was so unjust and cruel that he won for himself the name of tyrant. - [3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg18442/33/3/) — He knew that almost everybody hated him, and so he was always in dread lest some one should take his life. — checked by a teacher - [4](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg18442/33/4/) — But he was very rich, and he lived in a fine palace where there were many beautiful and costly things, and he was waited upon by a host of servants who were always ready to do his bidding. - [5](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg18442/33/5/) — One day a friend of his, whose name was Dam'o-cles, said to him,-- - [6](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg18442/33/6/) — "How happy you must be! - [7](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg18442/33/7/) — You have here everything that any man could wish." - [8](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg18442/33/8/) — "Perhaps you would like to change places with me," said the tyrant. - [9](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg18442/33/9/) — "No, not that, O king!" said Dam-o-cles; "but I think, that, if I could only have your riches and your pleas-ures for one day, I should not want any greater hap-pi-ness." - [10](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg18442/33/10/) — "Very well," said the tyrant. " - [11](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg18442/33/11/) — You shall have them." - [12](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg18442/33/12/) — And so, the next day, Damocles was led into the palace, and all the servants were bidden to treat him as their master. - [13](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg18442/33/13/) — He sat down at a table in the banquet hall, and rich foods were placed before him. - [14](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg18442/33/14/) — Nothing was wanting that could give him pleasure. - [15](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg18442/33/15/) — There were costly wines, and beautiful flowers, and rare perfumes, and de-light-ful music. - [16](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg18442/33/16/) — He rested himself among soft cushions, and felt that he was the happiest man in all the world. - [17](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg18442/33/17/) — Then he chanced to raise his eyes toward the ceiling. - [18](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg18442/33/18/) — What was it that was dangling above him, with its point almost touching his head? - [19](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg18442/33/19/) — It was a sharp sword, and it was hung by only a single horse-hair. - [20](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg18442/33/20/) — What if the hair should break? - [21](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg18442/33/21/) — There was danger every moment that it would do so. - [22](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg18442/33/22/) — The smile faded from the lips of Damocles. - [23](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg18442/33/23/) — His face became ashy pale. - [24](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg18442/33/24/) — His hands trembled. - [25](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg18442/33/25/) — He wanted no more food; he could drink no more wine; he took no more delight in the music. - [26](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg18442/33/26/) — He longed to be out of the palace, and away, he cared not where. - [27](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg18442/33/27/) — "What is the matter?" said the tyrant. - [28](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg18442/33/28/) — "That sword! that sword!" cried Damocles. - [29](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg18442/33/29/) — He was so badly frightened that he dared not move. - [30](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg18442/33/30/) — "Yes," said Di-o-nys-i-us, "I know there is a sword above your head, and that it may fall at any moment. - [31](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg18442/33/31/) — But why should that trouble you? - [32](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg18442/33/32/) — I have a sword over my head all the time. - [33](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg18442/33/33/) — I am every moment in dread lest something may cause me to lose my life." - [34](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg18442/33/34/) — "Let me go," said Damocles. " - [35](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg18442/33/35/) — I now see that I was mis-tak-en, and that the rich and pow-er-ful are not so happy as they seem. - [36](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg18442/33/36/) — Let me go back to my old home in the poor little cot-tage among the mountains." - [37](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg18442/33/37/) — And so long as he lived, he never again wanted to be rich, or to change places, even for a moment, with the king. - ← previous: [Julius Caesar.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg18442/32/) - next →: [Damon and Pythias.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg18442/34/) - ↑ back to [Fifty Famous Stories Retold](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg18442/)