There is an autobiographical story of how Lu Xun became a writer, which I read many years ago and cannot forget: Lu Xun studied medicine in Japan, and prepared to be a doctor, for he wanted to relieve human suffering. When he saw that patients who nearly died from opium overdose immediately went back to opium after their treatment, he decided to take up writing instead — realizing that healing must […]
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“Four Quartets: III. Freedom” by T. S. Eliot
The Dry Salvages Eliot weaves together almost seamlessly the teachings of Eastern and Western religions and philosophies in “The Dry Salvages”. First, there is a lesson from the Hindu scripture The Bhagavad Gita, “Do not think of the fruit of action. Fare forward”, which seems very similar to the deontological ethics of Kant and the ancient Stoics. We’re not to think of the fruit of action, for it is not […]
Read more“The Cossacks” by Leo Tolstoy
Young Tolstoy in Love One must taste life once in all its natural beauty, must see and understand what I see every day before me–those eternally unapproachable snowy peaks, and a majestic woman in that primitive beauty in which the first woman must have come from her creator’s hands–and then it becomes clear who is living truly or falsely. Three months have passed since I first saw the Cossack girl. […]
Read more“Amores” by Ovid
Among Ovid’s love poems, there is one that stands out among the rest due to the stark reality of the subject. I believe it must have arisen from Ovid’s own love life. It is a personal, passionate and powerful poem against domestic violence. Excerpts: Put my hands in manacles (they are deserving of chains), if any friend of mine is present, until all my frenzy has departed. For frenzy has […]
Read more“The Art of Love” by Ovid
Twelve love tips from Roman gods and heroes 1. First and foremost, be confident that all women may be won. As the numberless ants come and go in lengthened train, when they are carrying their wonted food in the mouth that bears the grains; so rush the best-dressed women to the thronged spectacles. They come to see, and be seen. Romulus and his men swept the Sabine damsels off their […]
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“The Wars of the Jews” by Flavius Josephus
The Religious Sects Among the Jews The first are the Pharisees; the second, the Sadducees; and the third sect, which pretends to a severer discipline, are called Essenes. The Pharisees are those who are esteemed most skillful in the exact explication of their laws. These ascribe all to fate, and to God, and yet allow, that to act what is right, or the contrary, is principally in the power of […]
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“La Vita Nuova” by Dante Alighieri
The Death of Beatrice I was a-thinking how life fails with us Suddenly after such a little while; When Love sobb’d in my heart, which is his home. Whereby my spirit wax’d so dolorous That in myself I said, with sick recoil: ‘Yea, to my lady too this Death must come.’ And therewithal such a bewilderment Possess’d me, that I shut mine eyes for peace; And in my brain did […]
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