| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Gambara by Honore de Balzac: of the whole is worked out in the details; for what could be more
perfectly in contrast with the tumult of devils tossing in the pit
than that wonderful air given to Alice? '/Quand j'ai quitte la
Normandie/.'
"The golden thread of melody flows on, side by side with the mighty
harmony, like a heavenly hope; it is embroidered on it, and with what
marvelous skill! Genius never lets go of the science that guides it.
Here Alice's song is in B flat leading into F sharp, the key of the
demon's chorus. Do you hear the tremolo in the orchestra? The host of
devils clamor for Robert.
"Bertram now reappears, and this is the culminating point of musical
 Gambara |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Fairy Tales by Hans Christian Andersen: "Go to the right, into the dark pine forest; thither I saw Death take his way
with thy little child!"
The roads crossed each other in the depths of the forest, and she no longer
knew whither she should go! then there stood a thorn-bush; there was neither
leaf nor flower on it, it was also in the cold winter season, and ice-flakes
hung on the branches.
"Hast thou not seen Death go past with my little child?" said the mother.
"Yes," said the thorn-bush; "but I will not tell thee which way he took,
unless thou wilt first warm me up at thy heart. I am freezing to death; I
shall become a lump of ice!"
And she pressed the thorn-bush to her breast, so firmly, that it might be
 Fairy Tales |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Tao Teh King by Lao-tze: And therein is his might.'
Thus we say, 'Men's wills he bends,
That they with him unite.'
Thus we say, 'Like Heaven's his ends,
No sage of old more bright.'
69. 1. A master of the art of war has said, 'I do not dare to be the
host (to commence the war); I prefer to be the guest (to act on the
defensive). I do not dare to advance an inch; I prefer to retire a
foot.' This is called marshalling the ranks where there are no ranks;
baring the arms (to fight) where there are no arms to bare; grasping
the weapon where there is no weapon to grasp; advancing against the
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