"Under Penda's leadership, a dozen similar, smaller barbarian states had already formed a coalition with the avowed purpose of invading the Empire, capturing Terra, destroying the Imperial military forces and making themselves masters. Few of them thought beyond the plunder to be had, though apparently some of them, like Cerdic, dreamed of maintaining and extending the Imperial domain under their own rule."
-Poul Anderson, "Tiger By The Tail" IN Anderson, Agent Of The Terran Empire (London, 1977), pp. 7-36 AT II, p. 18.
In the revised version, the Scothani Empire:
"...had made client states of several chosen societies, helping them start their own industrial revolutions and their own enforced unifications of their species. Under Penda, the coalition had grown sufficiently confident to plan war on the Empire."
-"Tiger By The Tail," p. 254.
Thus similar states have become client states and the aim of ruling the Terran Empire has been dropped in favor of merely appropriating some already colonized and civilized planets.
Original version:
"They had shrewd leaders, who would wait till one of the Empire's recurring political crises had reduced its fighting strength..."
-Agent Of The Terran Empire, p. 19.
Revised version:
"They would wait for the next of the Empire's recurrent internal crises - and Flandry had been on Llynathawr because a new one of those seemed to be brewing."
-ibid.
The completed Technic History not only recounts several of those crises but also presents a theoretical explanation for them.
In the original version, Flandry reflects that "...two or three rival imperia... (p. 19) would probably help Scotha whereas, in the revised version, it is explicit that the Mersians are in the background.
3 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
I remember that bit in the original version of "Tiger By The Tail," of Cerdic's dream of extending and maintaining the Imperial domain. It inspired me to write, in one of my letters to Anderson, to suggest it was possible a foreign, non human state, might conquer the Empire, and become Terran Emperors themselves, ruling from Terra. An alien dynasty which preserved, not destroyed the Empire. The analogy I suggested from real history being how, after the collapse of the Ming Dynasty in 1644, the neighboring Manchu empire invaded and conquered China, setting up the Ch'ing Dynasty (1644-1912). I also pointed out that for two centuries or so, Ch'ing rule was not so bad, with the Manchus becoming assimilated into China. And my speculation even intrigued Anderson!
Ad astra! Sean
Sean,
We are getting a lot out of "Tiger By The Tail" this time.
Paul.
Kaor, Paul!
Absolutely! Anderson made no grand claims for the pieces he wrote for PLANET STORIES (including "Tiger By The Tail"), but the pot boilers he wrote were very satisfying and substantial stews!
And here's another bit from the original text of "Tiger," near the very end, and worthy of thought: "I suppose that the Empire is decadent. But there's no reason why it can't someday have a renaissance. When the vigorous new peoples, such as yours are guided by the ancient wisdom of Terra, the Galaxy may see its greatest glory." This hopeful suggestion was omitted by Anderson in the revised, as that would be more in keeping with the Hordian analysis on the rise and fall of civilizations he came to adopt.
And the very last sentence of both versions is evocative! Original: "Far above them, the first of the descending Imperial ships glittered in the sunlight like a falling star." Revised: "Far above them, the first of the descending Imperial ships glittered in heaven like a falling star."
When Anderson revised any of his stories, whether "Tiger By The Tail or THE BROKEN SWORD, one of the things he did was to eliminate unnecessary verbiage. As in the example I quoted immediately above.
Ad astra! Sean
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