'Yes, that old oak with which I saw eye to eye was here in this forest,' thought Prince Andrei. 'But whereabouts?' he wondered again, looking at the left side of the road and, without realizing, without recognizing it, admiring the very oak he sought. The old oak, quite transfigured, spread out a canopy of dark, sappy green, and seemed to swoon and sway in the rays of the evening sun. There was nothing to be seen now of knotted fingers and scars, of old doubts and sorrows. Through the rough, century-old bark, even where there were no twigs, leaves had sprouted, so juicy, so young that it was hard to believe that aged veteran had borne them.
'Yes, it is the same oak,' thought Prince Andrei, and all at once he was seized by an irrational, spring-like feeling of joy and renewal. All the best moments of his life of a sudden rose to his memory. Austerlitz, with that lofty sky, the reproachful look on his dead wife's face, Pierre at the ferry, that girl thrilled by the beauty of the night, and that night itself and the moon and ... everything suddenly crowded back into his mind.
'No, life is not over at thirty-one,' Prince Andrei decided all at once, finally and irrevocably. 'It is not enough for me to know what I have in me- everyone else must know it too: Pierre, and that young girl who wanted to fly away into the sky; all of them must learn to know me, in order that my life may not be lived for myself alone.
From War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
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This is only part of a love letter Napoleon wrote
Je ne sais pas quel sort mâattend ; mais sâil mâĂ©loigne plus longtemps de toi, il me [devient] insupportable ; mon courage ne va pas jusque-lĂ . Il fut un temps oĂč je mâenorgueillissais de mon courage, et quelquefois, en jetant les yeux sur le mal que pourraient me faire les hommes, sur le sort que pourrait me rĂ©server le destin, je fixais les malheurs les plus inouĂŻs sans froncer le sourcil, sans me sentir Ă©tonnĂ©. Mais aujourdâhui, lâidĂ©e que ma JosĂ©phine pourrait ĂȘtre mal, lâidĂ©e quâelle pourrait ĂȘtre malade, et surtout la cruelle, la funeste pensĂ©e quâelle pourrait mâaimer moins, flĂ©trit mon Ăąme, arrĂȘte mon sang, me rend triste, abattu, ne me laisse pas mĂȘme le courage de la fureur et du dĂ©sespoir⊠Je me disais souvent jadis : les hommes ne peuvent rien Ă celui qui meurt sans regret ; mais aujourdâhui, mourir sans ĂȘtre aimĂ© de toi, mourir sans cette certitude, câest le tourment de lâenfer, câest lâimage vive et frappante de lâanĂ©antissement absolu. Il me semble que je me sens Ă©touffer. Mon unique compagne, toi que le sort a destinĂ©e pour faire avec moi le voyage pĂ©nible de la vie, le jour oĂč je nâaurai plus ton cĆur sera celui oĂč la nature aride sera pour moi sans chaleur et sans vĂ©gĂ©tation⊠Je mâarrĂȘte, ma douce amie ; mon Ăąme est triste, mon corps est fatiguĂ©, mon esprit est Ă©tourdi. Les hommes mâennuient. Je devrais bien les dĂ©tester : ils mâĂ©loignent de mon cĆur.
Je suis Ă Port-Maurice, prĂšs Oneille ; demain, je suis Ă Albenga. Les deux armĂ©es se remuent ; nous cherchons Ă nous tromper. Au plus habile la victoire. Je suis assez content de Beaulieu ; sâil manĆuvre bien, il est plus fort que son prĂ©dĂ©cesseur. Je le battrai, jâespĂšre, de la belle maniĂšre. Sois sans inquiĂ©tude, aime-moi comme tes yeux ; mais ce nâest pas assez : comme toi ; plus que toi, que ta pensĂ©e, ton esprit, ta vie, ton tout. Douce amie, pardonne-moi, je dĂ©lire ; la nature est faible pour qui sent vivement, pour celui que tu animes. [...]
Adieu, adieu, je me couche sans toi, je dormirai sans toi, je tâen prie, laisse-moi dormir. VoilĂ plusieurs jours oĂč je te serre dans mes bras, songe heureux mais, mais, ce nâest pas toiâŠ
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I donât know what fate awaits me; but if it keeps me away from you any longer, it [becomes] unbearable to me; my courage only goes so far. There was a time when I prided myself on my courage, and sometimes, casting my eyes on the harm that men could do to me, on the fate that destiny could have in store for me, I stared at the most incredible misfortunes without frowning, without feeling surprised. But today, the idea that my JosĂ©phine could be unwell, the idea that she could be ill, and above all the cruel, fatal thought that she could love me less, withers my soul, stops my blood, makes me sad, dejected, does not even leave me with the courage of fury and despair⊠I often used to say to myself: men can do nothing to those who die without regret; but today, to die without being loved by you, to die without this certainty, is the torment of hell, it is the vivid and striking image of absolute annihilation. I seem to be suffocating. My only companion, you whom fate has destined to make with me the painful journey of life, the day when I will no longer have your heart will be the day when arid nature will be for me without heat and without vegetation⊠I stop, my sweet friend; my soul is sad, my body is tired, my mind is dizzy. Men bore me. I should hate them: they take me away from my heart.
I am in Port-Maurice, near Oneille; tomorrow I'm in Albenga. The two armies move; we seek to deceive each other. The most skilful wins. I am quite happy with Beaulieu; if he maneuvers well, he is stronger than his predecessor. I will beat him, I hope, in a good way. Don't worry, love me like your eyes; but thatâs not enough: like you; more than you, than your thought, your spirit, your life, your everything. Sweet friend, forgive me, I am delirious; nature is weak for those who feel keenly, for those whom you animate. [...]
Goodbye, goodbye, I'm going to bed without you, I'll sleep without you, please let me sleep. It's been several days since I held you in my arms, happy dream but, but, it's not youâŠ
link to the entire letter on napoleonica
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Fandom Peeps to Get to Know Better
@kkoraki Thanks for tagging! :3 Oh my GOD I forgot how many Marguerite O'Henry books we read independently. Every time I think of horse breeds I think of Justin Morgan and King of the Wind; and Misty of Chincoteague lives in my head rent free.
3 Ships You Like: Hmm. I really don't ship anymore, other than OCs. Fallen London is kind of bereft of in-game ships; it's all OC/game chars. Harvestar's Sunless Skies Amelia/Driver is awesome though. Maybe Paul/Chani in honor of Dune 2 coming out? So many fucking problems with that ship, lol. Hm. Jesper/Wylan from Six of Crows 'cause I can't think of another ship.
First Ship Ever: Jenna/Balto from Balto. :') Actually no, if we're going REALLY far back, it would've been adult!Napoleon/Nancy from the Napoleon movie 1995 which was my FIRST FORAY INTO FANFIC and I started looking online for 'places to post stories'. God, I forgot about that. If I'd been older when I was into Call of the Wild I probably would've shipped Dave/Buck. Listen. I had a very active imagination and was trapped indoors with a bunch of books. What do you want from me?
Last Song You Heard: Eastward of Eden by Amelia Day on repeat.
Favorite Childhood Book: Call of the Wild got banned to the box because I read it so much. :') Otherwise: Girl with the Silver Eyes, by Willo Roberts.
Currently Reading: Hoping to pick up Neverwhere this week!
Currently Watching: Mashle (anime)
Currently Consuming: Large Earl Grey, hot
Currently Craving: Something for Dinner ((I am not picky))
Tagging: @harvestar, @ardenrosegarden Keeping it short but if anyone else would like to do it, please do!!
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