| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Father Sergius by Leo Tolstoy: entering the sanctuary he bowed, crossing himself as usual and
bending double before the icons. Then, raising his head but
without turning, he glanced out of the corner of his eye at the
Abbot, whom he saw standing beside another glittering figure.
The Abbot was standing by the wall in his vestments. Having freed
his short plump hands from beneath his chasuble he had folded
them over his fat body and protruding stomach, and fingering the
cords of his vestments was smilingly saying something to a
military man in the uniform of a general of the Imperial suite,
with its insignia and shoulder-knots which Father Sergius's
experienced eye at once recognized. This general had been the
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from The Chouans by Honore de Balzac: Nid-aux-Crocs and that portion of the Saint-Sulpice rocks which
overhang the lower end of the valley of the Nancon. The Chouans, thus
hemmed in to the narrow fields of the gorge, seemed in danger of
perishing to the last man, so cleverly and sagaciously were the
commandant's measures taken. But Hulot's cannon were powerless at
these two points; and here, the town of Fougeres being quite safe,
began one of those desperate struggles which denoted the character of
Chouan warfare.
Mademoiselle de Verneuil now comprehended the presence of the masses
of men she had seen as she left the town, the meeting of the leaders
at d'Orgemont's house, and all the other events of the night,
The Chouans |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Salome by Oscar Wilde: imaginer des choses qui n'existent pas, et quand on les porte dans
la main on peut rendre les femmes steriles. Ce sont des tresors de
grande valeur. Ce sont des tresors sans prix. Et ce n'est pas
tout. Dans un coffret d'ebene j'ai deux coupes d'ambre qui
ressemblent e des pommes d'or. Si un ennemi verse du poison dans
ces coupes elles deviennent comme des pommes d'argent. Dans un
coffret incruste d'ambre j'ai des sandales incrustees de verre.
J'ai des manteaux qui viennent du pays des Seres et des bracelets
garnis d'escarboucles et de jade qui viennent de la ville
d'Euphrate. . . Enfin, que veux-tu, Salome? Dis-moi ce que tu
desires et je te le donnerai. Je te donnerai tout ce que tu
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