| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Ferragus by Honore de Balzac: But I will not take upon myself to order it; nor will I advise it; in
consultation I shall oppose it."
Jules returned to his wife. For eleven days and eleven nights he
remained beside her bed, taking no sleep during the day when he laid
his head upon the foot of the bed. No man ever pushed the jealousy of
care and the craving for devotion to such an extreme as he. He could
not endure that the slightest service should be done by others for his
wife. There were days of uncertainty, false hopes, now a little
better, then a crisis,--in short, all the horrible mutations of death
as it wavers, hesitates, and finally strikes. Madame Jules always
found strength to smile at her husband. She pitied him, knowing that
Ferragus |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Twice Told Tales by Nathaniel Hawthorne: awe around my image of her, partly from its fabled virtues, and
partly because it was the handiwork of a dying woman, and,
perchance, owed the fantastic grace of its conception to the
delirium of approaching death.
After the ceremonial greetings had been paid, Lady Eleanore
Rochcliffe stood apart from the mob of guests, insulating herself
within a small and distinguished circle, to whom she accorded a
more cordial favor than to the general throng. The waxen torches
threw their radiance vividly over the scene, bringing out its
brilliant points in strong relief; but she gazed carelessly, and
with now and then an expression of weariness or scorn, tempered
Twice Told Tales |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from The Sportsman by Xenophon: still, even so, advance they must, come what come may, to the attack.
And now for a display of that hardihood which first induced them to
indulge a passion not fit for carpet knights[43]--in other words, they
must ply their boar-spears and assume that poise of body[44] already
described, since if one must meet misfortune, let it not be for want
of observing the best rules.[45]
[42] Reading {prosienai} [{ta probolia}]. [The last two words are
probably a gloss, and should be omitted, since {prosienai} (from
{prosiemi}) {ta probolia} = "ply," or "apply their boar-spears,"
is hardly Greek.] See Schneid. "Add. et Corr." and L. Dind. ad
loc.
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