Arminell: A Social Romance, Vol. 2Baring-Gould, S. (Sabine)
General
Arminell: A Social Romance, Vol. 2
Baring-Gould, S. (Sabine)
English fiction -- 19th century
There are moments in the lives of most of us when we come on new scenes
that are epoch-making in our life’s history. I shall never forget as
such my first view of Mont Blanc, from the Col de Balme, and of a
portion of the moon’s surface through the Cambridge Observatory
telescope, or the first sight of death. Some of these first sights are
invested with pleasure unutterable, others with infinite pain; and of
such latter are often those peeps within ourselves which we sometimes
obtain.
What atmospheric effects, what changing lights, all beautiful, invest
the outer landscape with magic, even where the scenery is tame. How
rarely is it unpleasing to the eye. And it is the same when we turn our
eyes inwards, and contemplate the landscape of our own selves, what
glories of light flood all, what richness of foliage clothes all, how
picturesque are the inequalities! How vast the surface to the horizon!
And yet, it sometimes happens, not often, and not even to all, that a
shadow falls over the scene and blots out all its comeliness, and then
ensues a flare, a lightning flash, and we see all—no longer beautiful,
but infinitely ghastly.
Saint Theresa, in one of her autobiographical sketches, says that she
was shown her own self, on one occasion of introspection, not as she was
wont to view it, but as it was in naked reality, and she could never
after recall the vision without a shudder.
Who sees himself as he is? Who wishes to do so? Who would not be
offended were you to exhibit to his eyes a picture of himself as he is?
No one likes his own photograph, for the sun does not flatter. But no
photographs have yet been taken of man’s interior self; if they were, no
one would consent to look on his own; he would spend all his fortune in
buying up the copies and destroying the plates.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account