| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from The Odyssey by Homer: and the roots of the eye sputtered in the fire. As a blacksmith
plunges an axe or hatchet into cold water to temper it--for it
is this that gives strength to the iron--and it makes a great
hiss as he does so, even thus did the Cyclops' eye hiss round
the beam of olive wood, and his hideous yells made the cave ring
again. We ran away in a fright, but he plucked the beam all
besmirched with gore from his eye, and hurled it from him in a
frenzy of rage and pain, shouting as he did so to the other
Cyclopes who lived on the bleak headlands near him; so they
gathered from all quarters round his cave when they heard him
crying, and asked what was the matter with him.
The Odyssey |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Salammbo by Gustave Flaubert: redoubled; the wounded lions roared in the shade.
In an instant the highest terrace of the palace was illuminated, the
central door opened, and a woman, Hamilcar's daughter herself, clothed
in black garments, appeared on the threshold. She descended the first
staircase, which ran obliquely along the first story, then the second,
and the third, and stopped on the last terrace at the head of the
galley staircase. Motionless and with head bent, she gazed upon the
soldiers.
Behind her, on each side, were two long shadows of pale men, clad in
white, red-fringed robes, which fell straight to their feet. They had
no beard, no hair, no eyebrows. In their hands, which sparkled with
Salammbo |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from The Deserted Woman by Honore de Balzac: to enchant any woman henceforth by the childish provocations, the
charming ways of a young heart, the soul's winning charm, the
body's grace, the swift communion of rapture, the whole divine
cortege of young love, in fine.
"Oh, you are a man now, you will obey your destiny, weighing and
considering all things. You will have cares, and anxieties, and
ambitions, and concerns that will rob /her/ of the unchanging
smile that made your lips fair for me. The tones that were always
so sweet for me will be troubled at times; and your eyes that
lighted up with radiance from heaven at the sight of me, will
often be lustreless for /her/. And besides, as it is impossible to
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