Last one for today! (Thanks for all the help guys)
Do these sentences mean the same?
"Wheeling to their stations in the sky, the stars make the poor world-fret of no account."
And
"Wheeling to their stations in the sky, the stars make the world forget about its wretchedness."
Of what context is the "of no account" used in the first sentence?
"of nothingess" (as in Buddhist nothingness)
or
"of no importance" (belittling the fact that the world is a wretched place)
Lastly, how would you rewrite the first sentence?
Thanks again!
The image of "wheeling" is of circles and turning -- as the stars seem to do if you watch them long enough at night.
In comparison with the stars, which are always there and always following the same patterns ("wheeling to their stations"), the earth seems tiny and insignificant.
??
Yes, both sentences convey a similar meaning, with a slight difference in wording. In the first sentence, the phrase "of no account" indicates that the stars make the world-fret (the worries or concerns) of no importance. It suggests that the stars' movement in the sky diminishes the significance of the world's troubles.
To rewrite the first sentence while preserving its intended meaning, you could say: "As the stars glide to their positions in the sky, they render the troubles of the world unimportant."