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Books at Bedtime By Calming Anxiety - A Moral Little Tale - By Lord Dunsany
Published 2 days, 16 hours ago
Description
A Moral Little Tale by Lord Dunsany — A Short Classic Fable for Sleep & Insomnia | Books at Bedtime
Drift off with A Moral Little Tale by Lord Dunsany, a short, witty and thought-provoking fable about joy, dancing and the people who would forbid them, read aloud by Martin Hewlett on Books at Bedtime, the sleep story series from Calming Anxiety.
There was once an earnest Puritan who held it wrong to dance, and for his principles he laboured hard. He discouraged dancing, helped to close Sunday entertainments, disapproved of fanciful poetry and always dressed in black. Everyone respected his honest face and his flowing white beard, and agreed he was a good man by his own lights.
Then one night, a most unexpected visitor appears to him in a dream and says, "Well done." What follows is a sharp and surprising conversation about laughter and music, butterflies on sunny hillsides, the warm west wind, village couples whispering under the harvest moon, and who really made them all. In just a few minutes, Dunsany turns everything the earnest man believed upside down.
This classic short story for adults is a gentle wind-down for a busy mind, with Dunsany's lyrical, dreamlike prose and Martin's calm, unhurried narration. Like all good fables, it carries a sting in its tail, so it's perfect for anyone who enjoys a little wit and wisdom before sleep.
If you enjoyed it, you'll also find Lord Dunsany's The Hen on Books at Bedtime, from the same collection, alongside Mary E. Wilkins Freeman's The Squirrel and L.M. Montgomery's Charlotte's Ladies.
A Moral Little Tale was first published in Fifty-One Tales (London: Elkin Mathews; New York: Mitchell Kennerley, 1915). Lord Dunsany (1878–1957).
Hosted by clinical hypnotherapist and former paramedic Martin Hewlett.
📱 Listen to Books at Bedtime in the Anchored app, offline and with the screen off, so you can fall asleep without a bright phone in your hand:
iPhone: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/anchored-panic-anxiety/id6785035669
Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.martinhewlett.anchored
🧡 For Martin's calming tips, visit: https://calminganxiety.org/calm
🌱 Try Thole, Martin's new health and wellness app, in beta on iPhone: https://testflight.apple.com/join/aUKB8W7N
Sleep well, my friend. And in everything, be kind.
Rate & Review: Leave a 5-star review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts to help us reach more listeners!
YouTube: Watch all episodes at https://www.youtube.com/c/calminganxiety?sub_confirmation=1
Social Media Support: For younger listeners struggling with social media stress, visit https://www.icanhelp.net/
Music: All music by Chris Collins at Indie Music Box
Ready for More Calm?Thank you for listening to the Calming Anxiety Podcast, featuring guided meditation, mindfulness, and sleep hypnosis sessions with Martin Hewlett. Our mission is to provide you with proven tools for anxiety relief, stress reduction, and a path toward deep relaxation. Use this episode anytime you need to calm your mind and feel more at ease.
Drift off with A Moral Little Tale by Lord Dunsany, a short, witty and thought-provoking fable about joy, dancing and the people who would forbid them, read aloud by Martin Hewlett on Books at Bedtime, the sleep story series from Calming Anxiety.
There was once an earnest Puritan who held it wrong to dance, and for his principles he laboured hard. He discouraged dancing, helped to close Sunday entertainments, disapproved of fanciful poetry and always dressed in black. Everyone respected his honest face and his flowing white beard, and agreed he was a good man by his own lights.
Then one night, a most unexpected visitor appears to him in a dream and says, "Well done." What follows is a sharp and surprising conversation about laughter and music, butterflies on sunny hillsides, the warm west wind, village couples whispering under the harvest moon, and who really made them all. In just a few minutes, Dunsany turns everything the earnest man believed upside down.
This classic short story for adults is a gentle wind-down for a busy mind, with Dunsany's lyrical, dreamlike prose and Martin's calm, unhurried narration. Like all good fables, it carries a sting in its tail, so it's perfect for anyone who enjoys a little wit and wisdom before sleep.
If you enjoyed it, you'll also find Lord Dunsany's The Hen on Books at Bedtime, from the same collection, alongside Mary E. Wilkins Freeman's The Squirrel and L.M. Montgomery's Charlotte's Ladies.
A Moral Little Tale was first published in Fifty-One Tales (London: Elkin Mathews; New York: Mitchell Kennerley, 1915). Lord Dunsany (1878–1957).
Hosted by clinical hypnotherapist and former paramedic Martin Hewlett.
📱 Listen to Books at Bedtime in the Anchored app, offline and with the screen off, so you can fall asleep without a bright phone in your hand:
iPhone: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/anchored-panic-anxiety/id6785035669
Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.martinhewlett.anchored
🧡 For Martin's calming tips, visit: https://calminganxiety.org/calm
🌱 Try Thole, Martin's new health and wellness app, in beta on iPhone: https://testflight.apple.com/join/aUKB8W7N
Sleep well, my friend. And in everything, be kind.
Rate & Review: Leave a 5-star review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts to help us reach more listeners!
YouTube: Watch all episodes at https://www.youtube.com/c/calminganxiety?sub_confirmation=1
Social Media Support: For younger listeners struggling with social media stress, visit https://www.icanhelp.net/
Music: All music by Chris Collins at Indie Music Box
Ready for More Calm?Thank you for listening to the Calming Anxiety Podcast, featuring guided meditation, mindfulness, and sleep hypnosis sessions with Martin Hewlett. Our mission is to provide you with proven tools for anxiety relief, stress reduction, and a path toward deep relaxation. Use this episode anytime you need to calm your mind and feel more at ease.