Under The Mallee Bough

  Souls..(A confession). Chapter five..Hearts.. ‘Farewell Ye Mountains’ (1861) by Luigi Bianchi. “They settled the question, by deciding that misfortunes most commonly happen to us from our own misconduct or imprudence; but sometimes from causes independent of ourselves; that the most innocent and prudent conduct cannot always preserve us from them; and that, whether they arise from our own fault or not, trust in God softens them, and renders them useful in preparing us for a better life. Although this was said by poor peasants, it appears to us so just, that we offer it here as the moral of our story.” (Final paragraph of “The Betrothed” by Alessandro Manzoni). Chapter 5. And so thirty years passed. Thirty years..without sight nor sound of her person or her name. That is not to say I had forgotten about her or the feelings I had for her…They lay dormant but strong in my memory..and I would sometimes go to the internet to seek her n...

  Souls.. (A confession). Chapter four..Peace..   Pierre-Auguste Renoir – In the Garden… Chapter 4.. “The only class which could at all dispute with the hereditary leisure class the honour of an habitual bellicose frame of mind is that of the lower-class delinquents. In ordinary times, the large body of the industrial classes is relatively apathetic touching warlike interests. When unexcited, this body of the common people, which makes up the effective force of the industrial community, is rather averse to any other than a defensive fight; indeed, it responds a little tardily even to a provocation which makes for an attitude of defence. In the more civilized communities, or rather in the communities which have reached an advanced industrial development, the spirit of warlike aggression may be said to be obsolescent among the common people. This does not say that there is not an appreciable number of individuals among the industrial classe...

  Souls..(A confession). Chapter three..Wilderness..  “Wanderer above a sea of fog”..c; 1818..Casper David Friedrich. Chapter 3. Perdatur ille pessime qui feminam Duxit secundus, nam nihil primo imprecor! Ignorus ut puto mali primus fuit. “Foul fall him that brought the second match to pass, The first I wish no harm, poor man, alas! He knew not what he did, nor what it was.” (Eubulus..in ’Chrysilla’..from Burton’s ; Anatomy of Melancholy). * The Ballad of an Innocent Man. ’Twas not me wot done it, I can tell you that first hand, For what stands ‘ere afore you, Is the form of an innocent man! Never have I deliberately lusted, Nor crossed a madam’s palm, The demon drink has rarely touched these lips, Of this innocent man. I rise each and every morning, Aft’ the sleep of a babe, I wash the night-dreams from my eyes, And confront a busy day, For I knows full well the devil’s work, That idle hands will play, But for my ...