“And through the recitation of the psalms, arouse the Rose of Sharon to sing with a voice that is pleasant, with ecstasy and joy… and unite the Bride of Youth with her Beloved in love, brotherhood, and companionship.” – from "Prayer Before Reciting Tehillem"

"if i have made,my lady,intricate imperfect various things chiefly which wrong your eyes(frailer than most deep dreams are frail) songs less firm than your body’s whitest song upon my mind—"

The sales pitch was lofty—universal access to all knowledge. The reality was more blunt: one of the largest corporate land grabs of cultural memory in modern history.

“O, what will all the lads do When Maggy gangs away? There's no' a heart in a' the glen That does not grieve the day.”

In both tales, the outsider’s profound bond with another young woman hints at the possibility of solidarity across profound cultural barriers...