| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Jerusalem Delivered by Torquato Tasso: This said, three times he stretched his hands outright
And would in friendly arms the knight embrace,
And thrice the spirit fled, that thrice he twined
Naught in his folded arms but air and wind.
VII
Lord Hugo smiled, "Not as you think," quoth he,
"I clothed am in flesh and earthly mould,
My spirit pure, and naked soul, you see,
A citizen of this celestial hold:
This place is heaven, and here a room for thee
Prepared is among Christ's champions bold:"
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Enemies of Books by William Blades: centuries have thrown their spondees and dactyls at him.
Pierre Petit, in 1683, devoted a long Latin poem to his
dis-praise, and Parnell's charming Ode is well known.
Hear the poet lament :--
"Pene tu mihi passerem Catulli,
Pene tu mihi Lesbiam abstulisti."
and then--
"Quid dicam innumeros bene eruditos
Quorum tu monumenta tu labores
Isti pessimo ventre devorasti?
while Petit, who was evidently moved by strong personal feelings against the
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The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Peter Pan by James M. Barrie: "She is dead," he said uncomfortably. "Perhaps she is
frightened at being dead."
He thought of hopping off in a comic sort of way till he was
out of sight of her, and then never going near the spot any more.
They would all have been glad to follow if he had done this.
But there was the arrow. He took it from her heart and faced
his band.
"Whose arrow?" he demanded sternly.
"Mine, Peter," said Tootles on his knees.
"Oh, dastard hand," Peter said, and he raised the arrow to use
it as a dagger.
Peter Pan |
