| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from The Secret Sharer by Joseph Conrad: There must have been some glare in the air to interfere with one's sight,
because it was only just before the sun left us that my roaming eyes
made out beyond the highest ridges of the principal islet of the group
something which did away with the solemnity of perfect solitude.
The tide of darkness flowed on swiftly; and with tropical suddenness
a swarm of stars came out above the shadowy earth, while I lingered yet,
my hand resting lightly on my ship's rail as if on the shoulder of a
trusted friend. But, with all that multitude of celestial bodies staring
down at one, the comfort of quiet communion with her was gone for good.
And there were also disturbing sounds by this time--voices, footsteps forward;
the steward flitted along the main-deck, a busily ministering spirit;
 The Secret Sharer |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from The Beasts of Tarzan by Edgar Rice Burroughs: the palisaded village, waiting.
Presently from a great distance came a hideous sound.
Mugambi recognized the weird challenge of the ape-man.
Immediately from different points of the compass rose a
horrid semicircle of similar shrieks and screams, punctuated
now and again by the blood-curdling cry of a hungry panther.
Chapter 7
Betrayed
The two savages, Kaviri and Mugambi, squatting before
the entrance to Kaviri's hut, looked at one another--
Kaviri with ill-concealed alarm.
 The Beasts of Tarzan |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from The Divine Comedy (translated by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow) by Dante Alighieri: When he had called, throughout that whole assault
Had not a moment loosed its gaze on me.
"So may the light that leadeth thee on high
Find in thine own free-will as much of wax
As needful is up to the highest azure,"
Began it, "if some true intelligence
Of Valdimagra or its neighbourhood
Thou knowest, tell it me, who once was great there.
Currado Malaspina was I called;
I'm not the elder, but from him descended;
To mine I bore the love which here refineth."
 The Divine Comedy (translated by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow) |