A Rose for Ecclesiastes by Roger Zelazny

Gallinger is just about to turn in for the night when Braxa shows up in his room wanting to hear the poem he wrote about her. During the course of a late night translation session, he finds an intriguing passage that alludes to a sort of apocalypse among the Martians. He is also given a room in the Temple, as well, where he can study the scrolls day or night. Gallinger eventually concludes his study of the language and is then given access to the sacred texts. When he shows M’Cwyie his poem the next day, she doesn’t understand the references to the flower because Mars is an arid planet devoid of flora & fauna, so Gallinger asks the Expedition’s hydroponics man to grow a red rose to better demonstrate his bewitchment with Braxa’s performance. Scratch and scramble agelessly my flight.

Zelazny’s continued usage of metaphor & simile as a vehicle for the visualizations of the storyline kicks into high gear at this point– Gallinger is so aroused by Braxa that after the performance, he retires to his quarters and immediately writes a poem about her. This is considered an honor as no other human being has been privy to the Martians only written history before because no one else has ever been considered sharp enough to master their high language.Īfter a few weeks of intense tutelage under M’Cwyie, Gallinger is treated to a sacred dance performed by a young, Martian female named Braxa.

Although Sci-Fi fans may already be aware that Zelazny is noted more for his Chronicles of Amber series, Ecclesiastes was nominated for the prestigious Hugo Award in 1964.Įcclesiastes details the story of Gallinger, who is part of a mission from Earth studying the Martian “high language.” Gallinger is regarded by his boss and co-workers as self-absorbed & arrogant, but nevertheless, sufficiently impresses the Martian Matriarch M’Cwyie to earn an invitation to study the sacred scrolls of Locar located in the Citadel of Tirellian. A Rose for Ecclesiastes is a short story written by Roger Zelazny and published in the magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction in November 1963.

A Rose for Ecclesiastes by Roger Zelazny