| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain: those bright beings pictured in the sunny walks
of fancy's Eden by the romantic and young, a
queen of beauty unadorned save by her own
transcendent loveliness. So soft was her step, it
failed to make even a sound, and but for the
magical thrill imparted by her genial touch, as
other unobtrusive beauties, she would have glided
away un-perceived -- unsought. A strange sadness
rested upon her features, like icy tears upon
the robe of December, as she pointed to the
contending elements without, and bade me contemplate
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Kwaidan by Lafcadio Hearn: that dawn, he could no longer tarry. But neither could he resign himself to
part with the girl; and, when everything had been prepared for his journey,
he thus addressed her parents:--
"Though it may seem thankless to ask for more than I have already
received, I must again beg you to give me your daughter for wife. It would
be difficult for me to separate from her now; and as she is willing to
accompany me, if you permit, I can take her with me as she is. If you will
give her to me, I shall ever cherish you as parents... And, in the
meantime, please to accept this poor acknowledgment of your kindest
hospitality."
So saying, he placed before his humble host a purse of gold ryo. But the
Kwaidan |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Montezuma's Daughter by H. Rider Haggard: the populace, moved to fury by the destruction of nearly twenty
thousand of their soldiers, would have delivered us as a peace
offering into the hands of the Spaniards.
On each of these occasions Otomie had triumphed by her eloquence,
by the greatness of her name and the majesty of her presence. Now
things were far otherwise, and even had she not scorned to use
them, such arts would have availed us nothing in this extremity.
Now her great name was but a shadow, one of many waning shadows
cast by an empire whose glory had gone for ever; now she used no
passionate appeal to the pride and traditions of a doomed race, now
she was no longer young and the first splendour of her womanhood
Montezuma's Daughter |
