| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Heart of the West by O. Henry: goodly promontory, the earth--particularly that portion of it known as
Quicksand--was to him no more than a pestilent congregation of
vapours. Overtaken by the megrims, the philosopher may seek relief in
soliloquy; my lady find solace in tears; the flaccid Easterner scold
at the millinery bills of his women folk. Such recourse was
insufficient to the denizens of Quicksand. Calliope, especially, was
wont to express his ennui according to his lights.
Over night Calliope had hung out signals of approaching low spirits.
He had kicked his own dog on the porch of the Occidental Hotel, and
refused to apologise. He had become capricious and fault-finding in
conversation. While strolling about he reached often for twigs of
Heart of the West |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Scenes from a Courtesan's Life by Honore de Balzac: known what it is to lof. Lof! I tink it is to grow tin."
"And where did you meet this innocent daisy?" asked Rastignac.
"In a carriage, at mitnight, in de forest of Fincennes."
"Describe her," said de Marsay.
"A vhite gaze hat, a rose gown, a vhite scharf, a vhite feil--a face
just out of de Biple. Eyes like Feuer, an Eastern color----"
"You were dreaming," said Lucien, with a smile.
"Dat is true; I vas shleeping like a pig--a pig mit his shkin full,"
he added, "for I vas on my vay home from tinner at mine friend's----"
"Was she alone?" said du Tillet, interrupting him.
"Ja," said the Baron dolefully; "but she had ein heiduque behind dat
|
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from The Divine Comedy (translated by H.F. Cary) by Dante Alighieri: So Mr. Coleridge, in his Religious Musings, v. 406.
Life is a vision shadowy of truth.
v. 88. --the eves
Of mine eyelids.]
Thus Shakespeare calls the eyelids "penthouse lids." Macbeth, a,
1. s, 3.
v. 108. As some cliff.]
A lake
That to the fringed bank with myrtle crown'd
Her crystal mirror holds.
Milton, P. L. b. iv. 263.
The Divine Comedy (translated by H.F. Cary) |
