ophelia among the flowers

“It is extraordinary that nobody nowadays under the stress of great troubles is turned into stone or a bird or a tree or some inanimate object; they used to undergo such metamorphoses in ancient times (or so they say), though whether that is myth or a true story I know not. Maybe it would be better to change one’s nature into something that lacks all feeling, rather than be so sensitive to evil. Had that been possible, these calamities would in all probability have turned me to stone.”

“Moments of peace are fleeting. All other moments are significantly longer. Understanding this is also wisdom. But because they are so short, we must live in these moments as if it were only then that we lived”

The moon, this night [...] is full of idyllic and magnetic influence⁠—