The Last Leaves

The anxiety, which in this state of their attachment must be the portion of Henry and Catherine, and of all who loved either, as to its final event, can hardy extend, I fear, to the bosom of my readers, who will see in the tell-tale compression of the pages before them, that we are all hastening together to perfect felicity. The means by which their early marriage was effected can be the only doubt.

—Jane Austen, Northanger Abbey, Volume II Chapter 16.

The Lord's Doing

How soon did the gospel-lightning reach the island of Great Britain! Tertullian, who wrote in the second century, takes notice of it, Britannorum in accessa Romanis loca, Christo tamen subdita - The fastnesses of Britain, though inaccessible to the Romans, were occupied by Jesus Christ. This was the Lord's doing.

—Matthew Henry's Comprehensive Commentary on the Holy Bible, Matthew 24:23-31

Periphrastic Pleonasm

Long convoluted sentences, bifurcating into a plethora of dependent clauses, especially those with verbs deferred to the end, with the consequent effect of demanding close attention from the reader, as well as comprehension of sesquipedalian and abstruse words, or of highly specialized technical jargon, are rebarbative and should be sedulously avoided.

—Ralph P. Boas, Jr., "How to Publish Mathematics", AWM Newsletter 14 (1984), 9-12, quoted in Lion Hunting and other Mathematical Pursuits: A Collection of Mathematics, Verse, and Stories by Ralph P. Boas, Jr.

Watch, Ye Saints!

Watch, ye saints, with eyelids waking;
Lo! The powers of heaven are shaking;
Keep your lamps all trimmed an burning,
Ready for your Lord's returning.

(Refrain)
Lo! He comes, lo! Jesus comes;
Lo! He come, He comes all glorious!
Jesus comes to reign victorious,
Lo! He comes, yes, Jesus comes.

Lo! the promise of your Savior,
Pardoned sin and purchased favor,
Blood-washed robes and crowns of glory;
Haste to tell redemption's story.

Kingdoms at their base are crumbling,
Hark! His chariot wheels are rumbling;
Tell, O tell of grace abounding,
While the seventh trump is sounding.

Nations wane, though proud and stately;
Christ His kingdom hasteneth greatly;
Earth her latest pangs is summing;
Shout, ye saints, your Lord is coming.

Sinners, come, while Christ is pleading;
Now for you He's interceding;
Haste, ere grace and time diminished
Shall proclaim the mystery finished.

Phoebe Palmer Knapp, Watch, Ye Saints,
from Our High Calling by Christina

The Poetic Edda

Regin: 'The falls of Andvari
frothed and spouted
with fish teeming
in foaming pools.
There Otr sported,
mine own brother;
to snare salmon
sweet he thought it.

With stone smote him,
stripped him naked,
a robber roving
ruthless-handed;
at Hreidmar's house
hailed my father.
that fairest fell
for food offered.

There wrought Regin
by the red embers
rough iron hewing
and runes marking;
there Fáfner lay
by the fire sleeping,
fell-hearted son,
fiercely dreaming.

Hreidmar: "Redgolden rings,
ransom costly,
this fell must fill,
this fur cover."
From the foaming force
as a fish netted
was Dwarf Andvari
dragged and plundered.

All must Andvari,
all surrender,
light rings and heavy,
or life itself.
In Hreidmar's house
heaped he laid them,
gold ring on gold,
a great weregild.

Regin & Fáfner: "Shall not brethren share
in brother's ransom
their brief to gladden? -
gold is healing."
Hreidmar: "The wreathéd rings
I will rule alone,
as long as life is
they leave me never!"

Then Fáfner's heart
fiercely stung him;
Hreidmar he hewed
in his house asleep.
Fáfner's heart
as a fire burneth:
part nor portion
he pays to Regin.

In dragon's likeness
darkling lies he;
deep his dungeons,
and dread he knows not.
A helm of horror
his head weareth
on Gnitaheiði
grimly creeping.'

 —J.R.R. Tolkien, The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrún, V Regin.

The Eagle's Song

And before the Sun had fallen far from the noon out of the East there came a great Eagle flying, and he bore tidings beyond hope from the Lords of the West, crying:

'Sing now ye people of Minas Anor
for the realm of Sauron is ended for ever
"And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone ... forever and ever."
and the Dark Tower is thrown down.
"So will Babylon, the great city, be thrown down with violence, and will not be found any longer."

Sing and rejoice, ye people of the Tower of Guard
"Unless the LORD guards the city, The watchman keeps awake in vain."
for your watch hath not been in vain,
"Your labor in the Lord is not in vain."
and the Black Gate is broken,
"The last enemy that will be abolished is death."
and your King hath passed through,
"He will reign as king and act wisely and do justice and righteousness in the land."
and he is victorious.
"In His days Judah will be saved, And Israel will dwell securely"

Sing and be glad, all ye children of the West
"The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ; and He will reign forever and ever.... 'We give You thanks, O Lord God, the Almighty, who are and who were, because You have taken Your great power and have begun to reign.'"
for your King shall come again,
"Your eyes will see the King in His beauty"
and he shall dwell among you,
"My dwelling place also will be with them ..." 
all the days of your life.
"... forever."

And the Tree that was withered shall be renewed,
"Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter by the gates into the city."
and he shall plant it in the high places,
"The Lord GOD is my strength, and makes me walk on my high places."
and the City shall be blessed.
"The city has no need of the sun ... for its lamp is the Lamb. The nations will walk by its light, and ... bring their glory into it."

Sing all ye people!'

—The Lord of the Rings, Book VI Ch 6

Hyacinths blossoming in old blacking-bottles

'The flowers belonged to this poor boy,' said Tim; 'that's all. When it is fine weather, and he can crawl out of bed, he draws a chair close to the window, and sits there, looking at them and arranging them, all day long. We used to nod, at first, and then we came to speak. Formerly, when I called to him of a morning, and asked him how he was, he would smile, and say, "better;" but now he shakes his head, and only bends more closely over his old plants.... The night will not be long coming,' said Tim, 'when he will sleep, and never wake again on earth. We have never so much as shaken hands in all our lives, and yet I shall miss him like an old friend. Are there any country flowers that could interest me like these, do you think?'

—Charles Dickens, Nicholas Nickleby p 515.

Reading

"Reading is my favourite occupation when I have leisure for it, and books to read."

—Anne Brontë, Agnes Grey, p101.

In the Federal Convention

There are great seasons when persons with limited powers are justified in exceeding them, and a person would be contemptible not to risk it.

—Edmund Randolph, Governor of Virginia, quoted in Catherine Drinker Bowen, Miracle at Philadelphia.

In this World

I, in my time, was a soldier of this world, and understand many things. I know that regret and remembrance, no matter how far a man flees drag like dogs after him, and howl in the night-time. They give him no chance to sleep by their howling. What then shall he do?

—On the Field of Glory, Henryk Sienkiewicz, tr. Jeremiah Curtin, p132.