Cloud Cuckoo Land

Zeno’s Translation. In Zeno’s translation of Cloud Cuckoo Land, Aethon is finally happy because he is a crow and can fly through the sky. He flies around looking for Cloud Cuckoo Land but gets caught in a terrible storm that throws him off course.

Anna. In May of 1453, the siege of Constantinople enters its sixth week. At this point, Maria has lost her vision altogether and is barely coherent. Hoping to provide Maria with some comfort in what seem to be her final days, Anna continues reading Cloud Cuckoo Land aloud to her. In the story, Aethon continues through the storm, still believing he will find Cloud Cuckoo Land. Maria admires Aethon for continuing his journey despite his suffering.

Omeir. Outside the city walls, Omeir watches as Tree and Moonlight continue to labor under the eye of their harsh taskmaster. At the moment, they are dragging cannonballs to the canon, which are then fired upon the city. After a great struggle, Moonlight finally collapses, unable to go any further. Omeir watches in misery as the men in charge of Moonlight put him out of his misery and then butcher him for meat. Omeir thinks back upon his early childhood, when Moonlight and Tree were playful calves. The following day, Tree’s strength gives out as well, and he suffers the same fate as his brother.

Anna. Back inside the city, Anna is still reading to Maria, whose health has grown even worse. At this point, Maria can barely function at all. As Anna moves closer to the end of Cloud Cuckoo Land, it grows difficult to understand, as the manuscript is partially damaged.

From what Anna is able to read, Aethon continues his journey through the sky, feeling disappointed because he could not find Cloud Cuckoo Land. Just as he feels like giving up, he sees what looks like Cloud Cuckoo Land amongst the clouds. At this point, the manuscript is completely illegible, so Anna does not read any further. However, she continues narrating the story for Maria, making up her own description for what the mythical land looks like. Shortly after Maria hears the end of the story, she dies.

Omeir. Meanwhile, because his livestock are no longer valuable, Omeir is put on latrine duty. Time begins to feel meaningless to him as he works in miserable conditions and thinks about the violence the sultan’s conflict has let seep into his life. As June arrives, the Ottomans have almost broken through Constantinople’s defenses. Omeir is told that there will be an assault coming soon where untrained men like Omeir will be sent to attack the city’s weak spots. Sickened by the violence of the entire affair, Omeir decides he does not mind joining the final assault, as his death will be a relief at this point.

Anna. The night before the final assault, Anna helps others who are standing on the top of Constantinople’s walls and dropping large rocks on those attempting to infiltrate the city down below. When she returns to the convent, one of the nuns, Chryse, warns her that the city is about to fall. She also tells Anna that she will likely become a sex slave once the city falls. Fearing such a fate, Anna allows Chryse to cut off all of her hair.

The following day, just before the city is about to fall, Theodora passes out nightshade (a poisonous flower) to all of the woman remaining in the convent. Theodora and the other women intend to ingest the nightshade together, seeing it as a preferable fate than whatever the Ottomans have in store for them. However, Chryse believes Anna can escape the Ottomans because of the craftiness she has shown throughout her life. She gives Anna food and tells her to leave immediately before the city is completely overthrown. Anna departs as the rest of the women prepare to kill themselves.

Omeir. Outside the city walls, night falls and the Ottomans prepare for the final assault. Omeir thinks about the purpose of the Ottomans’ objective and cannot find a way to justify their horrible use of violence. He knows now that they have tricked many men and boys with false promises to achieve their goals. He contemplates his life back home, thinking about what his mother and Grandfather would want from him. Ultimately, he decides he cannot participate in the final assault. He gets up and walks out of the Ottoman camp.

Anna. Inside the city, Anna makes her escape. She finds Himerius’s old raft and rows herself toward the city walls, which the Ottomans have now breached. Anna struggles to stay upright on the raft and has to avoid the Ottoman troops, who are coming into the city. However, eventually, she manages to row herself out past the city walls.