| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from The Odyssey by Homer: him face to face; for the gods use not to be strange one to
another, the immortals, not though one have his habitation
far away. But he found not Odysseus, the greathearted,
within the cave, who sat weeping on the shore even as
aforetime, straining his soul with tears and groans and
griefs, and as he wept he looked wistfully over the
unharvested deep. And Calypso, that fair goddess,
questioned Hermes, when she had made him sit on a bright
shining seat:
'Wherefore, I pray thee, Hermes, of the golden wand, hast
thou come hither, worshipful and welcome, whereas as of old
The Odyssey |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Herodias by Gustave Flaubert: But now a new tumult arose just within the gates. A file of white
mules entered the courtyard, mounted by men in priestly garb. These
were the Sadducees and the Pharisees, who were drawn to Machaerus by
the same ambition: the one party hoping to be appointed public
sacrificers, the other determined to retain those offices. Their faces
were dark, particularly those of the Pharisees, who were enemies of
Rome and of the tetrarch. The flowing skirts of their tunics
embarrassed their movements as they attempted to pass through the
throng; and their tiaras sat unsteadily upon their brows, around which
were bound small bands of parchment, showing lines of writing.
Almost at the same moment, the soldiers of the advance guard arrived.
Herodias |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from The Apology by Xenophon: I told him it ill became him to bring up his so in a tan-yard.[56]
What a scamp the fellow is! he appears not to know that of us two
whichever has achieved what is best and noblest for all future time is
the real victor in this suit. Well! well!" he added, "Homer[57] has
ascribed to some at the point of death a power of forecasting things
to be, and I too am minded to utter a prophecy. Once, for a brief
space, I associated with the son of Anytus, and he seemed to me not
lacking in strength of soul; and what I say is, he will not adhere
long to the slavish employment which his father has prepared for him,
but, in the absence of any earnest friend and guardian, he is like to
be led into some base passion and go to great lengths in depravity."
The Apology |
