| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from The Republic by Plato: for his kind in our State; we prefer the rough, honest poet, and will not
depart from our original models (Laws).
Next as to the music. A song or ode has three parts,--the subject, the
harmony, and the rhythm; of which the two last are dependent upon the
first. As we banished strains of lamentation, so we may now banish the
mixed Lydian harmonies, which are the harmonies of lamentation; and as our
citizens are to be temperate, we may also banish convivial harmonies, such
as the Ionian and pure Lydian. Two remain--the Dorian and Phrygian, the
first for war, the second for peace; the one expressive of courage, the
other of obedience or instruction or religious feeling. And as we reject
varieties of harmony, we shall also reject the many-stringed, variously-
The Republic |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Nana, Miller's Daughter, Captain Burle, Death of Olivier Becaille by Emile Zola: work on hand! The journalist thought he knew where the old
gentleman passed his evenings and looked grave. But a mole, which
he noticed close to her mouth on the countess's left cheek,
surprised him. Nana had precisely the same mole. It was curious.
Tiny hairs curled up on it, only they were golden in Nana's case,
black as jet in this. Ah well, never mind! This woman enjoyed
nobody's embraces.
"I have always felt a wish to know Queen Augusta," she said. "They
say she is so good, so devout. Do you think she will accompany the
king?"
"It is not thought that she will, madame," he replied.
|
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Master and Man by Leo Tolstoy: somewhere!' said Vasili Andreevich.
Nikita said nothing. He seated himself in the sledge with his
back to the wind, took off his boots, shook out the snow that
had got into them, and taking some straw from the bottom of the
sledge, carefully plugged with it a hole in his left boot.
Vasili Andreevich remained silent, as though now leaving
everything to Nikita. Having put his boots on again, Nikita
drew his feet into the sledge, put on his mittens and took up
the reins, and directed the horse along the side of the ravine.
But they had not gone a hundred yards before the horse again
stopped short. The ravine was in front of him again.
Master and Man |
