| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from The Voice of the City by O. Henry: his palace, greeting his guests. White, jewelled
bands signalled him from every side.
A glass of wine with this one and that, smiles for
all, a jest and repartee for any that might challenge
-- truly few princes could be so agreeable a host!
And what artist could ask for further appreciation
of his handiwork? Katy did not know that the
proudest consummation of a New Yorker's ambition
is to shake bands with a spaghetti chef or to receive
a nod from a Broadway head-waiter.
At last the company thinned, leaving' but a few
The Voice of the City |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Venus and Adonis by William Shakespeare: Else, suffer'd, it will set the heart on fire: 388
The sea hath bounds, but deep desire hath none;
Therefore no marvel though thy horse be gone.
'How like a Jade he stood, tied to the tree,
Servilely master'd with a leathern rein! 392
But when he saw his love, his youth's fair fee,
He held such petty bondage in disdain;
Throwing the base thong from his bending crest,
Enfranchising his mouth, his back, his breast. 396
'Who sees his true-love in her naked bed,
Teaching the sheets a whiter hue than white,
|
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from The Art of War by Sun Tzu: which is the reason why it is not included among the Nine
Situations.]
When there are means of communication on all four sides, the
ground is one of intersecting highways.
44. When you penetrate deeply into a country, it is serious
ground. When you penetrate but a little way, it is facile
ground.
45. When you have the enemy's strongholds on your rear, and
narrow passes in front, it is hemmed-in ground. When there is no
place of refuge at all, it is desperate ground.
46. Therefore, on dispersive ground, I would inspire my men
The Art of War |
