| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Father Sergius by Leo Tolstoy: horrified by the definiteness of his desire. He was so alarmed
that he wrote about it to the starets. And in addition, to keep
himself in hand, he spoke to a young novice and, conquering his
sense of shame, confessed his weakness to him, asking him to keep
watch on him and not let him go anywhere except to service and to
fulfil his duties.
Besides this, a great pitfall for Sergius lay in the fact of his
extreme antipathy to his new Abbot, a cunning worldly man who was
making a career for himself in the Church. Struggle with himself
as he might, he could not master that feeling. He was submissive
to the Abbot, but in the depths of his soul he never ceased to
|
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from In a German Pension by Katherine Mansfield: would like to go away--I hate this talk. I will not hear it. No, it is
too much." She leaned both elbows on the table--cupped her face in her
hands and pouted.
But the outer door suddenly opening, she sprang to her feet and laughed.
It was the Young Man again. He ordered more port, and brought no book this
time.
"Don't go and sit miles away," he grumbled. "I want to be amused. And
here, take my coat. Can't you dry it somewhere?--snowing again."
"There's a warm place--the ladies' cloak-room," she said. "I'll take it in
there--just by the kitchen."
She felt better, and quite happy again.
|
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Georgics by Virgil: Strange leaves admires and fruitage not its own.
Nor of one kind alone are sturdy elms,
Willow and lotus, nor the cypress-trees
Of Ida; nor of self-same fashion spring
Fat olives, orchades, and radii
And bitter-berried pausians, no, nor yet
Apples and the forests of Alcinous;
Nor from like cuttings are Crustumian pears
And Syrian, and the heavy hand-fillers.
Not the same vintage from our trees hangs down,
Which Lesbos from Methymna's tendril plucks.
Georgics |
