| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from The Tanach: Daniel 10: 13 But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days; but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I was left over there beside the kings of Persia.
Daniel 10: 14 Now I am come to make thee understand what shall befall thy people in the end of days; for there is yet a vision for the days.'
Daniel 10: 15 And when he had spoken unto me according to these words, I set my face toward the ground, and was dumb.
Daniel 10: 16 And, behold, one like the similitude of the sons of men touched my lips; then I opened my mouth, and spoke and said unto him that stood before me: 'O my lord, by reason of the vision my pains are come upon me, and I retain no strength.
Daniel 10: 17 For how can this servant of my lord talk with this my lord? for as for me, straightway there remained no strength in me, neither was there breath left in me.'
Daniel 10: 18 Then there touched me again one like the appearance of a man, and he strengthened me.
Daniel 10: 19 And he said: 'O man greatly beloved, fear not! peace be unto thee, be strong, yea, be strong.' And when he had spoken unto me, I was strengthened, and said: 'Let my lord speak; for thou hast strengthened me.'
Daniel 10: 20 Then said he: Knowest thou wherefore I come unto thee? and now will I return to fight with the prince of Persia; and when I go forth, lo, the prince of Greece shall come.
The Tanach |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Ion by Plato: being recited, but is apt to go to sleep at the recitations of any other
poet. 'And yet, surely, he who knows the superior ought to know the
inferior also;--he who can judge of the good speaker is able to judge of
the bad. And poetry is a whole; and he who judges of poetry by rules of
art ought to be able to judge of all poetry.' This is confirmed by the
analogy of sculpture, painting, flute-playing, and the other arts. The
argument is at last brought home to the mind of Ion, who asks how this
contradiction is to be solved. The solution given by Socrates is as
follows:--
The rhapsode is not guided by rules of art, but is an inspired person who
derives a mysterious power from the poet; and the poet, in like manner, is
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The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from The Altar of the Dead by Henry James: occasions to show him his suspense had dropped. Yet it was,
incongruously, not indifference, but a refinement of delicacy that
had kept him from asking the sacristan, who would of course
immediately have recognised his description of her, whether she had
been seen at other hours. His delicacy had kept him from asking
any question about her at any time, and it was exactly the same
virtue that had left him so free to be decently civil to her at the
concert.
This happy advantage now served him anew, enabling him when she
finally met his eyes - it was after a fourth trial - to
predetermine quite fixedly his awaiting her retreat. He joined her
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