A Brightness Long Ago: Remembering The Past That Once Was

As we live through our days, the memories of the past will cast their glittering remnants forward in time, forever remaining a presence in the lives of those who live in the present.

A Brightness Long Ago by Guy Gavriel Kay is a novel that explores this very concept, self-evident in the title that the narrative carries with it. Reliving the past through the present that is playing out before him, Guidanio Cerra takes the opportunity to reflect back on the winding river of his life, reminiscing on the formative moments of his past. Who we are as people can only be shaped by the events of the past and that is no different for Guidanio, who finds himself lost in the past as he undertakes yet another task for the Duke of Seressa he so loyally serves. In helping a young woman, raising her head defiantly against the harsh world around her, Guidanio can not help but recall another woman he met so long ago, a woman who navigated life with that same defiant radiance. A woman who, to this day, still holds Guidanio’s heart captive. 

And what Kay reminds us in A Brightness Long Ago is that it is not always the seemingly momentous events that can leave the greatest imprint on our lives; the quaint and brief can be just as profound, if not more meaningful. Guidanio only met Adria Ripoli twice; yet, her presence continues to dazzle ever so brightly in Guidanio’s mind. There is no escaping the bright light that formed Guidanio into the man he is today. No one can truly escape that light, for the past touches us all.

Kay masterfully demonstrates how these brief moments can spark a pivotal change in someone’s life, drastically altering the course of their very being. For Adria, her brief presence not only shone a light in Guidanio’s life to come, but also for the citizens of Bischio. Despite remaining unknown to the masses, her legendary race will engrave itself into the hearts of those who witnessed it. Her dazzling performance truly was a generational moment, bringing together the people of the Falcon district in a way that never occurred before. Her impact was such that many children born after the race were named after the moniker she donned during the race. Nevertheless, the race ended as quickly as it began; yet, the results shall forever stay in the hearts of those who witnessed it. The individual lives altered, however, are all deeply personal. Carderio is one such person who owes the course of his life to Adria's transient presence at the race. Adira placing the top three was the miracle Carderio needed to secure the winnings possible to save his daughter, Leora. As Carderio looks back on his days, that single day shall remain engraved in his heart, a day he will always be grateful for. 

Moreover, even Adria herself is not immune to the effects of imprints shaping her actions and behaviors. No matter how seemingly insignificant the words of another may seem, they can take root into the mind and herald change, even if the resulting outcome is ultimately trivial in the grander scheme of the world. For a single person, that intimate moment may be enough. For Adria, she learns from the healer Jelena the importance of communicating intimacy to another during their brief interaction with each other. Upon facing harsh, but warranted, rejection from Jelena, Adria comes to understand the price of her haughtiness in relation to forming more intimate bonds with others. Thus, when that opportunity for intimacy blossoms once again, this time with Guidanio, Adria reminds herself of Jelena’s harsh rebuke to her aloof invitation, so that the same mistake would not be repeated again. This time, she and Guidanio are able to share in their happiness. Here, the ripples of Adria’s past are not necessarily consequential to her core essence as a person; nevertheless, they guide her to change and become a more understanding and vulnerable version of herself. Through Adria’s internal realization, Kay demonstrates that regardless of whether the eventual change is miniscule or massive, these fleeting encounters can be enough in altering how we choose to live our lives. 

It is not only Guidanio, Adria, and the people around them that are fundamentally altered by these chance encounters. Antenami Sardi is another prime example of the power these fleeting moments can have on a person’s life. If not for his cursory tryst with Jelena, the now-steadfast Antenami may not have emerged from the shell of his flippant past self. Antenami’s near brush with death alongside meeting his savior opened his eyes to his lack of purpose and the wastefulness of his days. Those few weeks he spent convalescing were an inflection point for him. Jelena’s light illuminated a new path for Antenami’s future. She gave Antenami a renewed lease on life, and through that, he vowed to become a person worthy of Jelena’s love and his family’s legacy, which he held true to the end of his days. 

Folco and Teobaldo’s ancient and storied rivalry was built on small lies and small actions that festered for many years. The memories of the past remain unhealed, distorting into the ugliness that personifies their mutual bitter hatred. The singular battle in the forest that shaped their future history is the impetus for a decades-long contempt that echoes across Batiara. Through their enmity, Kay signals that these changes to a person’s core need not be positive. Just as likely as a brief encounter can blossom into a hope for a better future, a festering hatred can just as easily brew within someone. For both Folco and Teobaldo, they refuse to let go of their past, letting it linger within their hearts. As a result of Teobaldo’s own refusal to set aside the past clouding  his eyes for a brief period of mourning, it leads to his tragic murder. Just as much as the past can act as a beacon shining a light towards our future, it can also cloud our judgment, masking our eyes to whatever future may lie ahead, and chaining us to a dangerous road. 

Yet, it need not be a person that has the ability to impart these lasting changes. Looming in the backdrop of the story is the siege of Sarantium, the City of Cities. A city so ancient and revered that the people of Batiara can only be in awe of the radiant history contained within the walls of Sarantium. Its storied past exists as a reminder to the people under Jad, a reminder of their forebears illustrious past. Sarantium’s stature and name serves as a reminder of the glory and hallowed past that once was. Living their lives now, all people under Jad have to contend with living in the shadow of the acclaimed city that once was. Nardo Sarzerola is one such person in awe of the ancient glory of Sarnatium. Thus, when given the opportunity, Nardo chooses to honor it by protecting the city’s future. In spite of his efforts, however, Sarantium still falls. Sometimes we are powerless to enact change no matter how we feel it inside of us. That is the nature of living, after all.

Sarantium, that City of Cities, meets its end to the brutal onslaught of the Asharite invaders. Nevertheless, the memory of its past glory remains embedded within the Jaddite world, even those who have never been to that City of Cites. People mourn the glory that once was, the light it gave, the people that once lived there, and what it represented: The last bastion of Jaddite hope defending the western world from Asharite incursion. It may be gone, but its memories shall survive generations. In Sarantium, it exemplifies a past ideal long lost to erosion and destruction. With its fall, its brightness has been extinguished, its glory only able to live on in the memories and stories people tell. That is how those events must live. And perhaps, that can be the same for the people that dance into our lives and leave just as quickly?

Kay reminds us that many things are ephemeral, including those that inspired the heartfelt changes within us. Adria is now gone, yet she lives on, her radiance forever living on in the memory of the people who still remember her, who still attribute who they are in part to the dazzling beacon she once was. Even if they were only afforded a brief encounter, her radiance alone is undoubtedly enough to still burn brightly to this day. Just ask Guidanio.

Adria Ripoli is that brightness long ago that haunts Guidanio, in his joys and in his pains. Her brief appearance into his life will be something he carries with him through the rest of his days. And when Guidanio takes the opportunity to look back towards his past, it will be Adria’s radiance that will illuminate his vision of those bygone days. Now in the present, Adria can only survive in memory. Yet, that is how any person, or legend, persists to the present. One’s legacy can only be preserved by people willing to carry on that torch to the next generation, both to better the future and honor the past. Guidanio’s desire to provide a better life to Leonora Valeria is proof of Guidanio’s conviction to help another avoid Adria’s tragic fate. In that wish, Guidanio carries a piece of Adria within his heart as he walks towards the future. 

That is also how art can endure, with each passing generation preserving what they can, despite losing so much else to the sands of time. The art that people leave behind is ultimately a representation of a time that once was, demonstrating how people lived, thought, and transformed the world around them. People from any age, from any time will capture the beauty they can find in the art they create and protect it for those yet to come. It is only then that people of future generations can come to understand us. There is worth in sharing that light. 

Ultimately, Kay argues that the people, places, and actions of the past can, and will, echo towards the future, leaving their indelible marks on the people of the present. The size and impact of these events matters not, since to someone, those tiny moments may be all that is necessary. Whether it be a medical technique from Esperana saving a life in Batiara, a mosaicist’s historical rendering inspiring awe in the people of the future, or a playful verse said by a musician on a frigid winter’s night offering comfort to one desperately seeking companionship, the past will find a way to reverberate into the present, its light serving as a reminder of what once was and guiding towards a future that will be. 

The events that change our lives need not be monumental. A brief encounter, even if only fleeting, even if only incidental, may be all that is enough to alter who we are and who we grow into. Navigating through the seas of time, the compass of our heart, crafted through memories of the past, will serve as our guide through these tumultuous waters. And when we do finally look back at our lives, we remember the brightness from long ago illuminating our path forward, towards the person who we will become.