Saturday, February 4, 2012

Commonplace Book

'January 28th

The Hamadryad has been taken ill. I am sorry, as I have found her wild and wilful personality strangely fascinating. I was quite surprised to discover how startled I was this morning by coming across her name written in the snow; it was like finding the foot-print of a drowned child on the sea-shore.

[...]

February 8th

The Hamadryad is dead. It was her they were carrying away last night. The death of a guest is never announced in a sanatorium until the corpse has been removed. It is necessary to diminish the startled shock such news give[s] to others. When a day or two has elapsed, like silly sheep in a butcher's field, they can be reassured.'

from Confessions by Llewelyn Powys (Chapter IV), in Confessions of Two Brothers by John Cowper Powys and Llewelyn Powys

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