| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from The Art of War by Sun Tzu: after him in order to ensure his marching thither; we must arrive
before him in order to capture the place without trouble. Taken
thus, the present passage lends some support to Mei Yao-ch`en's
interpretation of ss. 47.]
67. Walk in the path defined by rule,
[Chia Lin says: "Victory is the only thing that matters,
and this cannot be achieved by adhering to conventional canons."
It is unfortunate that this variant rests on very slight
authority, for the sense yielded is certainly much more
satisfactory. Napoleon, as we know, according to the veterans of
the old school whom he defeated, won his battles by violating
The Art of War |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from The Pupil by Henry James: "I'M your doctor," said the young man, taking his arm and drawing
him tenderly on again.
Morgan proceeded and after a few steps gave a sigh of mingled
weariness and relief. "Ah now that we look at the facts it's all
right!"
CHAPTER VII
They looked at the facts a good deal after this and one of the
first consequences of their doing so was that Pemberton stuck it
out, in his friend's parlance, for the purpose. Morgan made the
facts so vivid and so droll, and at the same time so bald and so
ugly, that there was fascination in talking them over with him,
|
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Droll Stories, V. 1 by Honore de Balzac: gently tempered with those little indulgences in which there is no
danger. From this cause sprang the diabolical pleasures of the game
invented by the ladies, who since the death of Francis the First
feared the contagion, but wished to gratify their lovers. To these
cruel delights, in order to properly play his part, Lavalliere could
not refuse his sanction. Thus every evening the mournful Marie would
attach her guest to her petticoats, holding his hand, kissing him with
burning glances, her cheek placed gently against his, and during this
virtuous embrace, in which the knight was held like the devil by a
holy water brush, she told him of her great love, which was boundless
since it stretched through the infinite spaces of unsatisfied desire.
Droll Stories, V. 1 |
