Saturday, January 09, 2016

jorge luis borges | contents of a certain chinese encyclopaedia


From The Celestial Emporium of Benevolent Knowledge

Animals are divided into: 
(a) those that belong to the Emperor; 
(b) embalmed ones; 
(c) those that are trained; 
(d) suckling pigs; 
(e) mermaids; 
(f) fabulous ones; 
(g) stray dogs; 
(h) those that are included in this classification; 
(i) those that tremble as if they were mad; 
(j) innumerable ones; 
(k) those drawn with a very fine camel's-hair brush; 
(l) et cetera; 
(m) those that have just broken the flower vase; 
(n) those that at a distance resemble flies.

Listed in 'a certain Chinese encyclopaedia' described in Jorge Luis Borges' short story "The Analytical Language of John Wilkins"