Quick Excerpts, from a Library of 492 Titles

Generated 2022-07-28 13:25:43

Excerpt #1, from Primitive & Mediaeval Japanese Texts, by F. Victor Dickins

…TSUMADOHI Sekai no wonoko atenaru mo iyashiki mo ikade kono Kaguyahime wo yeteshi gana miteshi gana to oto ni kikimedete madofu. Sono atari no kaki ni mo ihe no to ni mo woru hito dani tahayasaku mirumazhiki mono wo yaru ha yasuki imonezu yami no yo ni [idete] mo [ana wo kuzhiri] koko kashiko yori nozoki kaimami madohi aheri. Saru toki yori namu yobahi to ha ihikeru. Hito no monoshi[24] mo senu tokoro madohi arikedomo nani no shirushi arubeku mo miyezu ihe no hitodomo ni ihamu tote ihikakaredomo kotahe[25] mo sezu. Atari wo hanarenu kindachi yo wo akashi hi wo kurasu hito ohakari. Orokanaru[26] hito ha yaunaki[27] ariki ha yoshi nakarikeri tote kozu nari ni keri. Sono naka ni naho ihikeru ha irogonomi to iharuru kagiri go nin omohi yamu toki naku yoru hiru kikeri. Sono na hitori ha Ishidzukuri no miko hitori ha Kuramochi no miko hitori ha Sadaizhin Abe no Miushi hitori ha Dainagon Ohotomo no Miyuki hitori ha Chiunagon Iso no kami no Marotada kono hitobito narikeri. Yo no naka ni ohokaru hito wo dani sukoshi mo katachi yoshi to kikite ha mirumahoshiusuru hitobito[28] nareba Kaguyahime wo mimahoshiushite mono mo kuhazu omohitsutsu kano ihe ni yukite tatadzumi arikikeredomo kahi arubeku mo arazu fumi wo kakite yaredomo kaheri koto mo sezu…

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Excerpt #2, from Bel Ami; Or, The History of a Scoundrel: A Novel, by Guy de Maupassant

…to read it, but the figures danced before her eyes; she handed the paper to Duroy. “Here, pay it for me; I cannot see.” At the same time, she put her purse in his hand. The total was one hundred and thirty francs. Duroy glanced at the bill and when it was settled, whispered: “How much shall I give the waiter?” “Whatever you like; I do not know.” He laid five francs upon the plate and handed the purse to its owner, saying: “Shall I escort you home?” “Certainly; I am unable to find the house.” They shook hands with the Forestiers and were soon rolling along in a cab side by side. Duroy could think of nothing to say; he felt impelled to clasp her in his arms. “If I should dare, what would she do?” thought he. The recollection of their conversation at dinner emboldened, but the fear of scandal restrained him. Mme. de Marelle reclined silently in her corner. He would have thought her asleep, had he not seen her eyes glisten whenever a ray of light penetrated the dark recesses of the carriage. Of what was she thinking? Suddenly she moved her foot, nervously, impatiently. That movement caused him to tremble, and turning quickly, he cast himself upon her, seeking her lips with his. She uttered a cry, attempted to repulse him and then…

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Excerpt #3, from Planet of Sand, by Murray Leinster

…yacht before she left it. When at last he landed and was sure the Erebus was under the starlit sand about him, he looked at the power gauge and tensed his lips. He pressed his space helmet close to Esther’s, until it touched. He spoke, and his voice carried by metallic conduction without the use of radio. “We might make it if we try now. But we’re going to need a lot of power at best. I’m going to gamble the local yokels can’t trace a skid drive and wait for morning, to harness the whirlwinds to do our digging for us.” Her voice came faintly back to him by the same means of communication. “All right, Stan.” She couldn’t guess his intentions, of course. They were probably insane. He said urgently: “Listen! The yacht’s buried directly under us. Maybe ten feet, maybe fifty, maybe Heaven knows how deep! There’s a bare chance that if we get to it we can do something, with what I know now about the machines in use here. It’s the only chance I know, and it’s not a good one. It’s only fair to tell you–” “I’ll try anything,” said her voice in his helmet, “with you.” He swallowed. Then he stayed awake and desperately alert, his suit-microphones at their highest pitch of sensitivity, during the long…

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Excerpt #4, from Diego Collado’s Grammar of the Japanese Language, by Diego Collado

…speak elegantly, we use one of the seven particles conata, qixo, qifó, gofen, qiden, conatasama, and sonatasama. When speaking to persons of high rank, if we place the name of their office before sama, it serves as a pronoun; e.g., Padresama gozare ‘will the Father come.’ Conata, cochi, and conofǒ mean ‘I, mine,’ but in the distributive sense of ‘from me, or what concerns me.’ In the same way sochi, sonofó, and sonata mean ‘you, from you, or what concerns you.’ The plurals are formed by adding the particles listed above to the pronouns according to the different degrees of honor. Vonore domo, varera, and sochira mean ‘you’ when speaking to inferiors. Vare tachi and sonata domo mean ‘you’ with persons of the same rank. Qifó tachi, vocatagata, and vono vono mean ‘you’ to persons requiring honor. The declension of these honorable expressions follows the declension (15 of common particles. {120} Third Person Pronouns–Ille, illa, illud[66] The two particles care care and are are mean ‘this (ille, illa, illud)’ when speaking of inferior things.[67] There are four particles; aitçu, aitçume, areme, and caitçume which mean ‘this’ when one wants to show disrespect for the things being spoken about. This idea is emphasized if one adds ga to those forms that end in me; e.g., aitçuga and aitçumega ‘this humble man.’ Cono means ’this (_hic,…

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Excerpt #5, from The Prose Tales of Alexander Pushkin, by Aleksandr Sergeevich Pushkin

…“Interesting!” said Troekouroff: “she knows him already. He taught her music for three whole weeks, and thank God, took nothing for his lessons.” Then Kirila Petrovitch began to relate the story of the pretended French tutor. Maria Kirilovna felt as if she were sitting upon needles. Vereisky, listening with deep attention, found it all very strange, and changed the subject of conversation. On returning from the drive, he ordered his carriage to be brought, and in spite of the earnest requests of Kirila Petrovitch to stay for the night, he took his departure immediately after tea. Before setting out, however, he invited Kirila Petrovitch to pay him a visit and to bring Maria Kirilovna with him, and the proud Troekouroff promised to do so’; for taking into consideration his princely dignity, his two stars, and the three thousand serfs belonging to his estate, he regarded Prince Vereisky in some degree as his equal. CHAPTER XIV. Two days after this visit, Kirila Petrovitch set out with his daughter for the abode of Prince Vereisky. On approaching Arbatova, he could not sufficiently admire the clean and cheerful-looking huts of the peasants, and the stone manor-house built in the style of an English castle. In front of the house stretched a close green lawn, upon which…

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Excerpt #6, from The King James Version of the Bible

…of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth. 49:7 Thus saith the LORD, the Redeemer of Israel, and his Holy One, to him whom man despiseth, to him whom the nation abhorreth, to a servant of rulers, Kings shall see and arise, princes also shall worship, because of the LORD that is faithful, and the Holy One of Israel, and he shall choose thee. 49:8 Thus saith the LORD, In an acceptable time have I heard thee, and in a day of salvation have I helped thee: and I will preserve thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, to establish the earth, to cause to inherit the desolate heritages; 49:9 That thou mayest say to the prisoners, Go forth; to them that are in darkness, Shew yourselves. They shall feed in the ways, and their pastures shall be in all high places. 49:10 They shall not hunger nor thirst; neither shall the heat nor sun smite them: for he that hath mercy on them shall lead them, even by the springs of water shall he guide them. 49:11 And I will make all my mountains a way, and my highways shall be exalted. 49:12 Behold, these shall come from far: and, lo, these from the north and from the west; and these from the land of Sinim….

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Excerpt #7, from To Cuba and Back, by Richard Henry Dana

…over to Regla, to-morrow morning, to see a lot of slaves offered for sale to him, and asks me if I have ever seen a sale of slaves. I never have seen that sight, and accept his invitation. We are to leave here at half-past six, or seven, at the latest. All work is early here; I believe I have mentioned that the hour of ’Change for merchants is 7.30 A.M. XX. HAVANA: Slaves, Lotteries, Cockfights and Filibusters Rise early, and walk to the sea-baths, and take a delightful float and swim. And refreshing it is, after a feverish night in my hot room, where I did not sleep an hour all night, but heard every quarter-hour struck, and the boatswain’s whistle of the watchmen and their full cry of the hour and the weather, at every clock-strike. From the bath, I look out over the wall, far to the northeast, in the hope of catching a glimpse of the “Cahawba’s” smoke. This is the day of her expected arrival. My New York friends and myself feel that we have seen Havana to our satisfaction, and the heat is becoming intense. We are beginning to receive advice against eating fruit after café au lait, or bananas with wine, and in favor of high-crowned hats at noon to prevent congestion from heat, and to avoid fogs in the morning. But there is no “Cahawba” in sight, and I hear only the bray of trumpets and roll of…

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Excerpt #8, from Japanese Fairy Tales, by Yei Theodora Ozaki

…Then she set to work to make the winter clothes for the three of them. She set up her simple wooden spinning-wheel and spun the thread before she began to weave the stuffs. In the intervals of her work she directed the little girl’s games and taught her to read the old stories of her country. Thus did the wife find consolation in work during the lonely days of her husband’s absence. While the time was thus slipping quickly by in the quiet home, the husband finished his business and returned. It would have been difficult for any one who did not know the man well to recognize him. He had traveled day after day, exposed to all weathers, for about a month altogether, and was sunburnt to bronze, but his fond wife and child knew him at a glance, and flew to meet him from either side, each catching hold of one of his sleeves in their eager greeting. Both the man and his wife rejoiced to find each other well. It seemed a very long time to all till—the mother and child helping—his straw sandals were untied, his large umbrella hat taken off, and he was again in their midst in the old familiar sitting-room that had been so empty while he was away. As soon as they had sat down on the white mats, the father opened a bamboo basket that he had brought in with him, and took out a beautiful doll and a lacquer box full of cakes….

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Excerpt #9, from The philosophy of biology, by James Johnstone

…mechanism (or series of mechanisms) out of many. A motor habit, or path, is then established and will persist. [25] Or more generally effector mechanism. This enables us to include reactions, such as secretory ones, which are not motor. Such a conception is clear and reasonable in principle, and all work on nervous physiology tends to show that it is a good working hypothesis. We cannot read modern books without feeling that immense advances will be made by its aid. But the complexity of the brain of the higher vertebrate is so incredibly great, and the difficulties of imagining the nature of the necessary physico-chemical reactions in the synapses, and elsewhere, are so immense that experimental verification may be impossible. And all that we have said applies to a single elemental stimulus, yet in any common action the stimulus is a synthesis of almost innumerable simple ones, while the response is also a synthesis. The optical image of almost any object contains a very great number of tints and colours differing almost imperceptibly: there must at least be as many simple stimuli as there are rod or cone elements in the part of the retina covered by the image. The motor responses consist of a multitude of delicately adjusted and co-ordinated muscular contractions and relaxations. If we are to accept a mechanistic hypothesis of action, of this kind, and which includes only such processes as…

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Excerpt #10, from Emma, by Jane Austen

…abstained. She was quite determined not to utter a word that should hurt Jane Fairfax’s feelings; and they followed the other ladies out of the room, arm in arm, with an appearance of good-will highly becoming to the beauty and grace of each. CHAPTER XVII When the ladies returned to the drawing-room after dinner, Emma found it hardly possible to prevent their making two distinct parties;—with so much perseverance in judging and behaving ill did Mrs. Elton engross Jane Fairfax and slight herself. She and Mrs. Weston were obliged to be almost always either talking together or silent together. Mrs. Elton left them no choice. If Jane repressed her for a little time, she soon began again; and though much that passed between them was in a half-whisper, especially on Mrs. Elton’s side, there was no avoiding a knowledge of their principal subjects: The post-office—catching cold—fetching letters—and friendship, were long under discussion; and to them succeeded one, which must be at least equally unpleasant to Jane—inquiries whether she had yet heard of any situation likely to suit her, and professions of Mrs. Elton’s meditated activity. “Here is April come!” said she, “I get quite anxious about you. June will soon be here.” “But I have never fixed on June or any other month—merely looked…

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Excerpt #11, from The War of the Worlds, by H. G. Wells

…description. “Way!” my brother heard voices crying. “Make way!” It was like riding into the smoke of a fire to approach the meeting point of the lane and road; the crowd roared like a fire, and the dust was hot and pungent. And, indeed, a little way up the road a villa was burning and sending rolling masses of black smoke across the road to add to the confusion. Two men came past them. Then a dirty woman, carrying a heavy bundle and weeping. A lost retriever dog, with hanging tongue, circled dubiously round them, scared and wretched, and fled at my brother’s threat. So much as they could see of the road Londonward between the houses to the right was a tumultuous stream of dirty, hurrying people, pent in between the villas on either side; the black heads, the crowded forms, grew into distinctness as they rushed towards the corner, hurried past, and merged their individuality again in a receding multitude that was swallowed up at last in a cloud of dust. “Go on! Go on!” cried the voices. “Way! Way!” One man’s hands pressed on the back of another. My brother stood at the pony’s head. Irresistibly attracted, he advanced slowly, pace by pace, down the lane. Edgware had been a scene of confusion, Chalk Farm a riotous tumult, but…

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Excerpt #12, from Wild Animals I Have Known, by Ernest Thompson Seton

…and torn, as well as to see all his favorite feeding-grounds, the cosy nooks, and the pathways he had made with so much labor, forced from him by this hateful brute. Unhappy Rag realized that to the victor belong the spoils, and he hated him more than ever he did fox or ferret. How was it to end? He was wearing out with running and watching and bad food, and little Molly’s strength and spirit were breaking down under the long persecution. The stranger was ready to go to all lengths to destroy poor Rag, and at last stooped to the worst crime known among rabbits. However much they may hate each other, all good rabbits forget their feuds when their common enemy appears. Yet one day when a great goshawk came swooping over the Swamp, the stranger, keeping well under cover himself, tried again and again to drive Rag into the open. Once or twice the hawk nearly had him, but still the briers saved him, and it was only when the big buck himself came near being caught that he gave it up. And again Rag escaped, but-was no better off. He made up his mind to leave, with his mother, if possible, next night and go into the world in quest of some new home when he heard old Thunder, the hound, sniffing and searching about the outskirts of the swamp, and he resolved on playing a desperate game. He deliberately crossed the hound’s view, and the chase that then began was fast and furious. Thrice around the Swamp they went till Rag had made sure that his mother was hidden safely…

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