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- # Yoomy Relates A Legend (continued)
## Overview
This is a subsection from Chapter XCIII of Herman Melville's novel *Mardi: And a Voyage Thither*, extracted from the text file [mardi_vol1.txt](arke:01KG89J1HYC04JWXEK48P07WPK). It is the continuation of a legend told by the character Yoomy.
## Context
This subsection is part of [CHAPTER XCIII. Babbalanja Steps In Between Mohi And Yoomy; And Yoomy Relates A Legend](arke:01KG8AJWVTKMC0EZ4WMWPFQ2BB) which is part of the novel [Mardi: And a Voyage Thither](arke:01KG8AJA6157W2830190N652KA), found within the [Melville Complete Works](arke:01KG89HMDZKNY753EZE1CJ8HZW) collection. It directly follows the subsection [Yoomy Relates A Legend](arke:01KG8AKKBPTYX4FN8RR9XR91E3) and precedes [Babbalanja Steps In Between Mohi And Yoomy; And Discussion Resumes](arke:01KG8AKKBT1S4SF5P9N43AW4VR).
## Contents
This subsection continues Yoomy's legend about a race of diminutive people inhabiting the shores of Tupia. It describes their interactions with the sea, including making love to mermaids, racing with sea-urchins, and tormenting sea creatures. The legend also details the adornments of these little people, such as girdles of fragrant leaves and necklaces of aromatic seeds for the manikins, and pearls and porpoise teeth bracelets for the damsels. The narrative is interrupted by Mohi's skeptical questions, and at the end of the section, Mohi questions the credibility of Yoomy's story.
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- Yoomy Relates A Legend (continued)
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- “Then the little manikins would dive down into the sea, and rove about
in the coral groves, making love to the mermaids. Or, racing round,
make a mad merry night of it with the sea-urchins:—plucking the
reverend mullets by the beard; serenading the turtles in their cells;
worrying the sea-nettles; or tormenting with their antics the touchy
torpedos. Sometimes they went prying about with the starfish, that have
an eye at the end of each ray; and often with coral files in their
hands stole upon slumbering swordfish, slyly blunting their weapons. In
short, these stout little manikins were passionately fond of the sea,
and swore by wave and billow, that sooner or later they would embark
thereon in nautilus shells, and spend the rest of their roving days
thousands of inches from Tupia. Too true, they were shameless little
rakes. Oft would they return to their sweethearts, sporting musky
girdles of sea-kelp, tasseled with green little pouches of grass,
brimful of seed-pearls; and jingling their coin in the ears of the
damsels, throw out inuendoes about the beautiful and bountiful
mermaids: how wealthy and amorous they were, and how they delighted in
the company of the brave gallants of Tupia. Ah! at such heartless
bravadoes, how mourned the poor little nymphs. Deep into their arbors
they went; and their little hearts burst like rose-buds, and filled the
whole air with an odorous grief. But when their lovers were gentle and
true, no happier maidens haunted the lilies than they. By some mystical
process they wrought minute balls of light: touchy, mercurial globules,
very hard to handle; and with these, at pitch and toss, they played in
the groves. Or mischievously inclined, they toiled all night long at
braiding the moon-beams together, and entangling the plaited end to a
bough; so that at night, the poor planet had much ado to set.”
Here Yoomy once more was mute.
“Pause you to invent as you go on?” said old Mohi, elevating his chin,
till his beard was horizontal.
Yoomy resumed.
“Little or nothing more, my masters, is extant of the legend; only it
must be mentioned, that these little people were very tasteful in their
personal adornings; the manikins wearing girdles of fragrant leaves,
and necklaces of aromatic seeds; and the little damsels, not content
with their vines, and their verdure, sporting pearls in their ears;
bracelets of wee little porpoise teeth; and oftentimes dancing with
their mates in the moonlit glades, coquettishly fanned themselves with
the transparent wings of the flying fish.”
- title
- Yoomy Relates A Legend (continued)