| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from The Elixir of Life by Honore de Balzac: cold and lay it on a table in this room. Then put out the lamp;
the light of the stars should be sufficient. Take off my clothes,
reciting Aves and Paters the while, raising your soul to God in
prayer, and carefully anoint my lips and eyes with this holy
water; begin with the face, and proceed successively to my limbs
and the rest of my body; my dear son, the power of God is so
great that you must be astonished at nothing."
Don Juan felt death so near, that he added in a terrible voice,
"Be careful not to drop the flask."
Then he breathed his last gently in the arms of his son, and his
son's tears fell fast over his sardonic, haggard features.
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from The Passionate Pilgrim by William Shakespeare: Youth like summer brave, age like winter bare;
Youth is full of sport, age's breath is short;
Youth is nimble, age is lame;
Youth is hot and bold, age is weak and cold;
Youth is wild, and age is tame.
Age, I do abhor thee; youth, I do adore thee;
O, my love, my love is young!
Age, I do defy thee: O, sweet shepherd, hie thee,
For methinks thou stay'st too long.
XIII.
Beauty is but a vain and doubtful good;
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The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Life in the Iron-Mills by Rebecca Davis: Whatever was the mystery which the woman had seen on his face,
it came out now slowly, in the dark there, and became fixed,--a
something never seen on his face before. The evening was
darkening fast. The market had been over for an hour; the
rumbling of the carts over the pavement grew more infrequent:
he listened to each, as it passed, because he thought it was to
be for the last time. For the same reason, it was, I suppose,
that he strained his eyes to catch a glimpse of each passer-by,
wondering who they were, what kind of homes they were going to,
if they had children,--listening eagerly to every chance word in
the street, as if--(God be merciful to the man! what strange
Life in the Iron-Mills |
