| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from The Hated Son by Honore de Balzac: had that nobility of manner peculiar to souls on whom the ways of the
world have had no influence, and in whom all is noble because all is
natural. But in Gabrielle's veins there was also the blood of "la
belle Romaine," which had flowed there from two generations, giving to
this young girl the passionate heart of a courtesan in an absolutely
pure soul; hence the enthusiasm that sometimes reddened her cheek,
sanctified her brow, and made her exhale her soul like a flash of
light, and communicated the sparkle of flame to all her motions.
Beauvouloir shuddered when he noticed this phenomenon, which we may
call in these days the phosphorescence of thought; the old physician
of that period regarded it as the precursor of death.
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Jerusalem Delivered by Torquato Tasso: A noble flight, adventurous, brave, and bold,
Whereon a valiant prince might justly boast,
Three years he served in field, when scant begin
Few golden hairs to deck his ivory chin.
LXI
The horsemen past, their void-left stations fill
The bands on foot, and Reymond them beforn,
Of Tholouse lord, from lands near Piraene Hill
By Garound streams and salt sea billows worn,
Four thousand foot he brought, well armed, and skill
Had they all pains and travels to have borne,
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The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad: was at least one listener awake besides myself.
"I beg your pardon. I forgot the heartache which makes up
the rest of the price. And indeed what does the price matter,
if the trick be well done? You do your tricks very well.
And I didn't do badly either, since I managed not to sink
that steamboat on my first trip. It's a wonder to me yet.
Imagine a blindfolded man set to drive a van over a bad road.
I sweated and shivered over that business considerably,
I can tell you. After all, for a seaman, to scrape the bottom
of the thing that's supposed to float all the time under
his care is the unpardonable sin. No one may know of it,
Heart of Darkness |
