| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Almayer's Folly by Joseph Conrad: Such women live a long time," said Babalatchi, with a slight
tinge of regret in his voice. "She has dollars, and she has
buried them, but we know where. We had much trouble with those
people. We had to pay a fine and listen to threats from the
white men, and now we have to be careful." He sighed and
remained silent for a long while. Then with energy:
"There will be fighting. There is a breath of war on the
islands. Shall I live long enough to see? . . . Ah, Tuan!" he
went on, more quietly, "the old times were best. Even I have
sailed with Lanun men, and boarded in the night silent ships with
white sails. That was before an English Rajah ruled in Kuching.
Almayer's Folly |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Somebody's Little Girl by Martha Young: the little girl's cheek, like a soft white dream-touch.
And that little girl had on a night-gown that was long, and soft,
and white, and on that little white night-gown was worked, oh so
carefully, in linen thread: ``Bessie Bell.''
Then the few people who walked about the world in Fever-time came in
to that big house, and they took up that little tiny girl that
breathed so softly and so quickly--just so!
And they read on her little white night-gown the words written with
the linen thread: ``Bessie Bell.''
And they said: ``Let us take this little girl with us.''
They put a big soft white blanket around the little girl and walked
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The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Reminiscences of Tolstoy by Leo Tolstoy: posthumous works attentively to see that the idea of leaving home
and radically altering his whole way of life had presented itself
to him long since and was a continual temptation to him.
This was the cherished dream that always allured him, but
which he did not think himself justified in putting into practice.
The life of the Christian must be a "reasonable and happy life
in all possible circumstances," he used to say as he
struggled with the temptation to go away, and gave up his own soul
for others.
I remember reading in Gúsef's memoirs how my father
once, in conversation with Gusoryóf, the peasant, who had
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