Love

Passages

Every passage tagged with this emotion in the Vela corpus. Search the body text, narrow by source or register, click through to a book’s profile to see how the passage sits with the rest of the work.

Page 93 of 184 · 20 per page

• From Little Women (1868)

  Oh, when these hidden stores of ours Lie open to the Father's sight, May they be rich in golden hours, Deeds that show fairer for the light, Lives whose brave music long shall ring, Like a spirit-stirring strain, Souls that shall gladly soar and sing In the long sunshine after rain. "It's very bad poetry, but I felt it when I wrote it, one day when I was very lonely, and had a good cry on a rag bag. I never thought it would go where it could tell tales," said Jo, tearing up the verses the Professor had treasured so long. "Let it go, it has done its duty, and I will haf a fresh one when I read all the brown book in which she keeps her little secrets," said Mr. Bhaer with a smile as he watched the fragments fly away on the wind. "Yes," he added earnestly, "I read that, and I think to myself, She has a sorrow, she is lonely, she would find comfort in true love. I haf a heart full, full for her. Shall I not go and say, 'If this is not too poor a thing to gif for what I shall hope to receive, take it in Gott's name?'" "And so you came to find that it was not too poor, but the one precious thing I needed," whispered Jo. "I had no courage to think that at first, heavenly kind as was your welcome to me. But soon I began to hope, and then I said, 'I will haf her if I die for it,' and so I will!" cried Mr. Bhaer, with a defiant nod, as if the walls of mist closing round them were barriers which he was to surmount or valiantly knock down. Jo thought that was splendid, and resolved to be worthy of her knight, though he did not come prancing on a charger in gorgeous array. "What made you stay away so long?" she asked presently, finding it so pleasant to ask confidential questions and get delightful answers that she could not keep silent. "It was not easy, but I could not find the heart to take you from that so happy home until I could haf a prospect of one to gif you, after much time, perhaps, and hard work. How could I ask you to gif up so much for a poor old fellow, who has no fortune but a little learning?" "I'm glad you are poor. I couldn't bear a rich husband," said Jo decidedly, adding in a softer tone, "Don't fear poverty. I've known it long enough to lose my dread and be happy working for those I love, and don't call yourself old—forty is the prime of life. I couldn't help loving you if you were seventy!" The Professor found that so touching that he would have been glad of his handkerchief, if he could have got at it.

• From Heptaméron (1559)

  Married when she was little more than eleven years old, Louise of Savoy was left a widow before she had completed her eighteenth year, and thenceforth devoted herself with exemplary assiduity to the care of her children, who repaid her solicitude by the warm affection they always felt for their mother and for each other. She was a woman of remarkable beauty and capacity, and her character and conduct were deserving, in many respects, of the eulogies which her daugh- ter never wearied of lavishing upon them ; but less partial writers have convicted her of criminal acts which brought disasters upon her son and her country. In the first year of his reign, Francis I. committed the regency of the kingdom to his mother, and set out on his expedition to Italy. He was absent but a few months ; nevertheless, this first regency enabled IvOuise of Savoy to fill the most important offices with B (xvii) xviii MEMOIR OF MARGARET, men entirely devoted to her interests, and even to her caprices, and to gratify by any and every means the insatiable thirst for money with which she was cursed.

• From New Testament Words (1964)

  It would not be true to say that the NT never uses anything else but agapē and agapan to express the Christian love. Some few times philein is used. Philein is used for the Father’s love for the Son (John 5.20); of God’s love for men (John 16.27); of the devotion that men ought to bear to Jesus (I Cor. 16.22); but the occurrences of philein in the NT are comparatively few, while agapē occurs almost 120 times and agapan more than 130 times. Before we go on to examine their use in detail, there are certain things about these words and their meaning we must note. We must ask why Christian language abandoned the other Greek words for love and concentrated on these. It is true to say that all the other words had acquired certain flavours which made them unsuitable. Erōs had quite definite associations with the lower side of love; it had much more to do with passion than with love. Storgē was very definitely tied up with family affection; it never had in it the width that the conception of Christian love demands. Philia was a lovely word, but it was definitely a word of warmth and closeness and affection; it could only properly be used of the near and the dear, and Christianity needed a much more inclusive word than that. Christian thought fastened on this word agapē because it was the only word capable of being filled with the content which was required. The great reason why Christian thought fastened on agapē is that agapē demands the exercise of the whole man. Christian love must not only extend to our nearest and our dearest, our kith and kin, our friends and those who love us; Christian love must extend to the Christian fellowship, to the neighbour, to the enemy, to all the world. Now, all the ordinary words for love are words which express an emotion. They are words which have to do with the heart. They express an experience which comes to us unsought, and, in a way, inevitably. We cannot help loving our kith and kin; blood is thicker than water. We speak about falling in love. That kind of love is not an achievement; it is something which happens to us and which we cannot help. There is no particular virtue in falling in love. It is something with which we have little or nothing consciously to do; it simply happens. But agapē is far more than that. Agapē has to do with the mind: it is not simply an emotion which rises unbidden in our hearts; it is a principle by which we deliberately live. Agapē has supremely to do with the will. It is a conquest, a victory, and achievement. No one ever naturally loved his enemies. To love one’s enemies is a conquest of all our natural inclinations and emotions.

• From New Testament Words (1964)

  (ii) It is a love which is founded on gratitude (Luke 7.42, 47). The gifts of God’s love demand in return the whole love of our hearts. (iii) It is an obedient love. Repeatedly the NT lays it down that the only way we can prove that we love God is by giving him our unquestioning obedience (John 14.15, 21, 23, 24; 13.35; 15.10; I John 2.5; 5.2, 3; II John 6). Obedience is the final proof of love. (iv) It is an outgoing love. The fact that we love God is proved by the fact that we love and help our fellow men (I John 4.12, 20; 3.14; 2.10). Failure to help men proves that our love of God is unreal and untrue (I John 3.17). Obedience to God and loving help to men are the two things which prove our love. We now turn to the other side of the picture—man’s love for man. (i) Love must be the very atmosphere of the Christian life (I Cor. 16.14; Col. 1.4; I Thess. 1.3; 3.6; II Thess. 1.3; Eph. 5.2; Rev. 2.19). Love is the badge of the Christian society. A church where there is bitterness and strife may call itself a church of men, but it has no right to call itself a church of Christ. It has destroyed the atmosphere of the Christian life and is bound to be suffocated; it has lost the badge of the Christian life and is no longer recognizable as a church. (ii) Love is that by which the Church is built up (Eph. 4.16). It is the cement which holds the Church together; the climate in which the Church can grow; the food which nourishes the Church. (iii) The motive power of the Christian leader must be love (II Cor. 11.11; 12.15; 2.4; I Tim. 4.12; II Tim. 3.10; II John 1; III John 1). There ought to be no place in the Church for the man who takes office in the Church for the sake of prestige and prominence and power. The motive of the Christian leader must be solely to love and serve God and his fellow-men. (iv) At the same time the attitude of the Christian to his leaders must be that of love (I Thess. 5.13). Too often that attitude is an attitude of criticism and discontent and even resentment. The bond of the Christian army is the bond of love between those of all ranks within it. Christian love expands in ever widening circles. (i) The Christian love begins in the family (Eph. 5.25, 28, 33). It is a fact not to be forgotten that a Christian family is one of the finest witnesses in the world to Christianity. Christian love begins at home. The man who has failed to make his own family a centre of Christian love has little right to exercise authority in the wider family of the Church. (ii) The Christian love goes out to the brotherhood (I Peter 2.17).

• From The Swimming-Pool Library (1988)

  I caught up with him on the far side of the dance floor, was on him even before he recognised me, and flung my arms round him; we fell back against the wall, where he held me off a moment to look at me. ‘Will,’ he said, and smiled only a little. I was kissing him and then bundling him down the passage and through the swing door. A couple of guys were rolling joints on the edge of the washbasin and looked up nervously. A lock-up was empty and I pushed him in in front of me, falling back with amazement against the door when I had bolted it. I had almost no idea what I was doing. I prised open the top stud of his trousers—maroon cords, just as before—yanked down the zip, pulled them round his knees. Seeing again how his cock was held in his little blue briefs I was almost sick with love, fondled it and kissed it through the soft sustaining cotton. Then down they came, and I rubbed his cock in my fist. I knew it so well, the thick, short, veined shaft. I weighed it on my tongue, took it in and felt its blunt head against the roof of my mouth, pushing into my throat. Then I let it swing, went behind him, held his cheeks apart, flattened my face between them, tongued his black, sleek, hairless slot, slobbered his asshole and slid in a finger, then two, then three. Long convulsions went through him, indrawn breaths. Tears dripped from his chin onto the stretched encumbrance of his trousers and pants. He was sniffing and gulping. Slowly I came to my senses, slid my wet fingers from his ass, stood up behind him and pulled him gently to me. ‘Baby … Arthur … sweetest … love …’ I kissed the back of his neck, half turned him against me and kissed the submerged pale filament of his scar, cool tears over a burning face. He was reaching down, tugging up his clothes again. I helped him maladroitly. He said nothing; sniffed. I felt abjectly unhappy. We leant awkwardly together in the narrow, stinking box of the lavatory, and I ran my hand soothingly up and down his back. ‘Will … I got to go. My brother’s here. He’s waiting. I got to go with him.’ He looked at me with unspeakable sadness. ‘To do stuff for him. I got to go.’ He let himself out of the lock-up and left me standing stupidly in it. Someone else was hovering to get in, saying, ‘Have you finished?’ I almost fell past him, wandered out in a torment of confusion and self-disgust into the flashing darkness of the club—and then stood, looking on, but drowning in a world of my own.

• From Heptaméron (1559)

  Dagoucin thanked her for her good opinion. "The story I am going to relate," he said, " is calculated to show you how love infatuates the greatest and the best, and how difficult it is to overcome wickedness by dint of kindness." NOVEL XII. Incontinence and tyranny of a duke of Florence — Just punishment of his wickedness. At Florence there lived, about ten years ago, a duke of the house of Medicis, who had married Madame Mar garet, natural daughter of the Emperor Charles the Fifth. As the princess was still very young, and the duke would not sleep with her until she was of more mature age, he treated her very tenderly ; and to spare her he amused himself with some other ladies of the city, whom he used to visit by night whilst his wife slept. Among others, he took a fancy to a lady as beau- tiful as she was good and virtuous, the sister of a gen- tleman whom the duke loved as himself, and to whom he conceded such authority that he was obeyed like the duke himself. The latter had no secrets which he did not communicate to him, so that, in a manner, he might be called his second self. The duke, knowing that the gentleman's sister was a lady of the highest virtue, durst not at first speak to her of his passion ; but after having tried every other expedient, he at last addressed his favourite on the subject. " If there was anything in the world, my friend," he ."^aid, " which I would not do for you, I should be afraid to tell you what is in my thoughts, and still more to ask 8 114 '^^^^ HEPTAMERON OF THE \_N(n'd \ii. your aid. But I have so much friendship for you, that if I had a wife, a mother, or a daughter who could save your hfe, you may be assured you should not die. I am persuaded that you love me as much as I love you. If I, who am your master, have such an affection for you, that which you should have for me should be no less. I have a secret, then, to tell you. Through trying to con- ceal it, I have fallen into the state in which you now see me, from which I have no hope of escaping but by death, or by the service you may render me, if you will." Touched by these representations on the part of his master, and seeing his face bathed in tears, the gentle- man felt so much pity that he said, " I am your creature, my lord ; it is from you I hold all my wealth and hon- ours, and you may speak to me as to your own soul, being sure that whatever I can do is at your com- mand."

• From New Testament Words (1964)

  6.14). It is very interesting to note that that friendship is based on common Christian knowledge (I John 1.3). Only those who are friends with Christ can really be friends with each other. (ii) In the Christian life there is a koinōnia which means ‘practical sharing’ with those less fortunate. Paul three times uses the word in connexion with the collection he took from his churches for the poor saints at Jerusalem (Rom. 15.26; II Cor. 8.4; II Cor. 9.13; cp. Heb. 13.16). The Christian fellowship is a practical thing. (iii) In the Christian life there is a koinōnia which is a ‘partnership in the work of Christ’ (Phil. 1.5). Paul gives thanks for the partnership of the Philippians in the work of the gospel. (iv) In the Christian life there is a koinōnia ‘in the faith’. The Christian is never an isolated unit; he is one of a believing company (Eph. 3.9). (v) In the Christian life there is a ‘fellowship’ ( koinōnia ) in the Spirit’ (II Cor. 13.14; Phil. 2.1). The Christian lives in the presence, the company, the help and the guidance of the Spirit. (vi) In the Christian life there is a koinōnia ‘with Christ’. Christians are called to the koinōnia of Jesus Christ, the Son of God (I Cor. 1.9). That fellowship is found specially through the Sacrament (I Cor. 10.16). The cup and the bread are supremely the koinōnia of the body and the blood of Christ. In the sacrament above all Christians find Christ and find each other. Further, that fellowship with Christ is fellowship with his sufferings (Phil. 3.10). When the Christian suffers he has, amidst the pain, the joy of knowing that he is sharing things with Christ. (vii) In the Christian life there is koinōnia ‘with God’ (I John 1.3). But it is to be noted that that fellowship is ethically conditioned, for it is not for those who have chosen to walk in darkness (I John 1.6). The Christian koinōnia is that bond which binds Christians to each other, to Christ and to God. There are two other great NT words in the koinōnia group at which we must look. The first is the verb koinōnein . In classical Greek koinōnein means ‘to have a share in a thing’. It is used, for instance, of two people who have all things in common; it is used of ‘going shares’ with someone, and therefore of having ‘business dealings’ with him. It is used of ‘sharing an opinion’ with someone, and therefore agreeing with him. In the contemporary Greek of the papyri it has three main meanings. (i) It means to share ‘in an action’ with someone. For instance, when the authorities cannot track down some malefactors they come to the conclusion that those who ‘share’ in their misdeeds are sheltering them. (ii) It is used of sharing in ‘a common possession’. For instance, all men are said to ‘share’ in human nature.

• From Saint Thomas Aquinas Collection (22 Books) (2016)

  Thirdly, this consideration inflames the souls of men to the love of the divine goodness. For whatever goodness and perfection is generally apportioned among various creatures, is all united together in Him universally, as in the source of all goodness, as we proved in the First Book. Wherefore if the goodness, beauty, and sweetness of creatures are so alluring to the minds of men, the fountainhead of the goodness of God Himself, in comparison with the rivulets of goodness which we find in creatures, will draw the entranced minds of men wholly to itself. Hence it is said in the psalm, Thou hast given me, O Lord, a delight in Thy doings; and in the works of Thy hands I shall rejoice: and elsewhere it is said of the children of men: They shall be inebriated with the plenty of Thy house, that is of all creatures, and Thou shalt make them drink of the torrent of Thy pleasure. For with Thee is the fountain of life. Again it is said (Wis. 13:1) against certain men: By these good things that are seen, namely creatures that are good by participation, they could not understand Him that is, good to wit, nay more, that is goodness itself, as we have shown in the First Book. Fourthly, this consideration bestows on man a certain likeness to the divine perfection. For it was shown in the First Book that God, by knowing Himself, beholds all other things in Himself. Since then the Christian faith teaches man chiefly about God, and makes him to know, creatures by the light of divine revelation, there results in man a certain likeness to the divine wisdom. Hence it is said (2 Cor. 3:18): But we all beholding the glory of the Lord with open face, are transformed into the same image. Accordingly it is evident that the consideration of creatures helps to build up the Christian faith. Wherefore it is said (Ecclus. 42:15): I will … remember the works of the Lord, and I will declare the things I have seen: by the words of the Lord are His works. CHAPTER III THAT THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE NATURE OF CREATURES AVAILS FOR REFUTING ERRORS AGAINST GODTHE consideration of creatures is likewise necessary not only for the building up of faith, but also for the destruction of errors. For errors about creatures sometimes lead one astray from the truth of faith, in so far as they disagree with true knowledge of God. This happens in several ways.

• From Saint Thomas Aquinas Collection (22 Books) (2016)

  Reply to Objection 1: As Augustine says (ad Probam. Ep. cxxx), “to pray with many words is not the same as to pray long; to speak long is one thing, to be devout long is another. For it is written that our Lord passed the whole night in prayer, and that He ‘prayed the longer’ in order to set us an example.” Further on he says: “When praying say little, yet pray much so long as your attention is fervent. For to say much in prayer is to discuss your need in too many words: whereas to pray much is to knock at the door of Him we pray, by the continuous and devout clamor of the heart. Indeed this business is frequently done with groans rather than with words, with tears rather than with speech.” Reply to Objection 2: Length of prayer consists, not in praying for many things, but in the affections persisting in the desire of one thing. Reply to Objection 3: Our Lord instituted this prayer, not that we might use no other words when we pray, but that in our prayers we might have none but these things in view, no matter how we express them or think of them. Reply to Objection 4: One may pray continually, either through having a continual desire, as stated above; or through praying at certain fixed times, though interruptedly; or by reason of the effect, whether in the person who prays—because he remains more devout even after praying, or in some other person—as when by his kindness a man incites another to pray for him, even after he himself has ceased praying. Whether prayer is meritorious?Objection 1: It would seem that prayer is not meritorious. All merit proceeds from grace. But prayer precedes grace, since even grace is obtained by means of prayer according to Lk. 11:13, “(How much more) will your Father from heaven give the good Spirit to them that ask Him!” Therefore prayer is not a meritorious act. Objection 2: Further, if prayer merits anything, this would seem to be chiefly that which is besought in prayer. Yet it does not always merit this, because even the saints’ prayers are frequently not heard; thus Paul was not heard when he besought the sting of the flesh to be removed from him. Therefore prayer is not a meritorious act. Objection 3: Further, prayer is based chiefly on faith, according to James 1:6, “But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering.” Now faith is not sufficient for merit, as instanced in those who have lifeless faith. Therefore prayer is not a meritorious act. On the contrary, A gloss on the words of Ps. 34:13, “My prayer shall be turned into my bosom,” explains them as meaning, “if my prayer does not profit them, yet shall not I be deprived of my reward.” Now reward is not due save to merit. Therefore prayer is meritorious.

• From Heptaméron (1559)

  who was there pictured is the only one whom I love, revere, and adore, not as a woman merely, but as an earthly divinity, on whom my life and death depend. The only favour I ask of you, madam, is that the perfect passion, which has been life to me whilst concealed, may not be my death now that I have declared it. If I am worthy that you should regard me and receive me as your most impassioned servant, suffer me at least to live, as I have hitherto done, upon the blissful consciousness that I have dared to give my heart to a being so perfect, and so worthy of all honour, that I must be content to love her, though I can never hope to be loved in re- turn. If the knowledge you now possess of my intense love does not render me more agreeable to your eyes than heretofore, at least do not deprive me of life, which for me consists in the bliss of seeing you as usual. I now receive from you no other favour than that which is absolutely necessary for my existence. If I have less, you will have a servant the less, and will lose the best and most affectionate one you have ever had or ever will have." The queen, whether it vi^as that she might appear other than she really was, or that she might put his love for her to a longer proof, or that she loved another whom she would not forsake for him, or, lastly, that she was glad to have this lover in reserve in case her heart should become vacant through any fault which might possibly be committed by him whom she loved already, said to him, in a tone which expressed neither anger nor satisfaction, " I will not ask you, Elisor, although I know not the power of love, how you can have been so presumptuous and so extravagant as to love me ; for I know that the heart of man is so little at his own com- mand that one cannot love or hate as one chooses. But Third day.\ QUEEN OF NA VARRE. 2 4 1 since you have so well concealed your feelings, I desire to know how long you have entertained them ? " Elisor, looking in her beautiful face, and hearing her inquire about his malady, was not without hopes that she would afford him some relief ; but, on the other hand, seeing the self-command and the gravity with which she questioned him, he feared he had to do with a judge who was about to pronounce sentence against him. Not- withstanding this fluctuation between hope and fear, he protested that he had loved her since her early youth ; but that it was only within the last seven years he had been conscious of his pain, or rather of a malady so agreeable that he would rather die than be cured.

• From The Swimming-Pool Library (1988)

  The old bashful earnestness crossed Bill’s face, and as the train fiercely slowed and the inertia carried him towards me he said bravely: ‘I loves that boy.’ His innocence and embarrassment were revealed in the relish he summoned up in his tone, and even more in the tortured affectation of saying loves. The train abruptly stopped, tilting him backwards as he rose, and he bustled off with a sad and hasty goodbye. June 9, 1925: Back in London after nearly 2 years, & everyone complaining about the heat. Unable to wear shorts, open shirt & topi, I begin to see what they mean. The town, after Cairo & then Alexandria, is strikingly brisk & convenient—also much smaller, in detail if not in plan, than I’d expected; I’ve been going about with the sort of pleasure I used to have on getting back to Oxford after the vac, checking that it’s all there (which in fact it isn’t). At Brook St, Sandy had called already before I got in, & left a message, in his inimitable style, on a page torn out of a book; it was in French, & highly, if florally & indirectly, improper, about how ‘il y a une chose aussi bruyante que la souffrance, c’est le plaisir’, & so on. I was tantalised at the end of the page & only then turned to the message, which was florally and indirectly improper, but in English. I sat for a while in the little morning room, with the old brass clock ticking busily away, & some lovely calceolarias, & Poppy’s picture looking down sternly, & thought of all the days that have passed there since I went to Africa, with no more happening than occasional visits from Wilson with a duster. It was deliciously calming, like an Egyptian nobleman’s tomb, where the guide angles the sun in off an old piece of tin-foil, & the departed embrace the gods on the walls. After that a round of visits of a dutiful kind before seeking out Sandy at his bizarre address in Soho. For a while I thought I wasn’t going to find it, but after ringing at one house where I was welcomed by a vast, fair woman with pink feathers I heard his characteristic whistling of ‘La donna è mobile’ from way up above & stepping back saw him leaning over a balcony between 2 palm trees. He dropped down a key, & I made my way up. It was wonderful to see him & despite joyful exclamations I cd think of nothing to say at first, so we hugged each other for ages until we needed a drink.

• From Heptaméron (1559)

  These nocturnal confabulations continued every night until the departure of the captain, who never ventured to declare himself Only he made the fair devotee a present of a crucifix from our Lady of Pity, beseeching her, whenever she looked upon it, to think of him. The time of his departure being come, and having taken leave of the husband, who was falling asleep, he had last of all to take leave of the fair one, in whose eyes he saw tears, drawn forth by the kind feeling she entertained for him. His impassioned heart so thrilled at the sight that he almost fainted as he bade her farewell, and burst into such an extraordinary perspiration that he wept, so to speak, not only with his eyes, but with every part of his body. Thus he departed without any explanation, and the lady, who never before had seen such tokens of re- gret, was quite astonished at his emotion. She had not the less good opinion of him for all that, and her prayers ac- companied him on his way. A month afterwards, as she was returning to her own house one day, she was met by a gentleman, who delivered a letter to her from the captain, begging her to read it in private, and assuring her that he had seen him embark, fully resolved to per- form an expedition which should be pleasing to the king and advantageous to the faith. At the same time, the SWffnJi/aj)^.] QUEEN Of NAVARRE. I27 gentleman mentioned that he was going back to Mar. seilles to look after the captain's affairs. The lady went to the window and opened the letter, which consisted of two sheets of paper written all over. It was an elaborate declaration of the feelings which the writer had so care- fully concealed, and in it was enclosed a large handsome diamond, mounted in a black enamelled ring, which the lady was supplicated to put on her fair finger.

• From Dirty Pretty Things (2014)

  I couldn’t catch her. A trail of flowing red hair unfurling before me, like the tail of a kite cut free from its string. “Okay, okay . . . you win,” I shouted, slowing to an unsteady walk and stopping, hands on hips, breathing heavy. She turned around, jogging backward, her laughter floating toward me. “You’re a wimp, that’s what you are, and you owe me a hundred bucks!” We sat. Eyes staring out to sea, her arm wrapped around my shoulders. “I love you,” she said, kissing me on the cheek. “I love you too,” I replied. “You know, you can forget about paying me. Keep your money.” “No, you won, fair and square. A bet’s a bet and I always pay my debts,” I said, my fingers gently brushing away a tangled strand of wet hair from her face. “Ha! You don’t get it, do you? It’s me who should be paying you.” “I don’t follow. Well, unless I’m racing you on some beach after a night of a million vodkas.” Her smiling eyes met mine. “Do you remember when we first met? What I said to you after we fucked in the dunes, lying on our backs, smoking a joint and searching for shooting stars in the night sky?” “Not exactly but go on . . .” “I told you I wasn’t the kind of girl who was easily caught.” “Yes, now I remember, or I think I do, I was pretty wasted.” She took my hand and pressed it to her chest. I could feel her heart racing beneath the Mickey Mouse tee. “You have my heart,” she whispered. “You have all of me.” Echo I am hopelessly in love with a memory. An echo from another time, another place. Teach Me Such pretty things you said to me— Unbutton me some more. For I am yours to take tonight upon this forest floor. Let’s make a bed in autumn leaves, and leave no leaf unturned. Beneath these trees please teach me, please— To learn a love unlearned. Bedtime Story I love the moment when your eyes close and your lips open in slow motion. She Said “Romance is all well and good, but . . . it’s just that I am not in the mood for whispered sweet nothings or your fingers running softly through my hair. What I want, more than anything, is for you to treat me like your own personal sex doll. “Don’t kiss me—make me bite my lip.” Spellbound The very suggestion of your words, she said— bind my wrists tighter than any rope. Understatement “Unbutton, unzip, unclip, untie, undo, undress.” “Understood,” she replied. Encore I love to watch you touch yourself, on rainy afternoons. The wandering hands. The soft little moans. Hips twitching. Wet fingers fucking. A solo show, performed for one. Dirty You make me feel a little dirty, she said, and I fucking love it. By the Sea

• From New Testament Words (1964)

  1. The noun erōs and the verb eran are mainly used for love between the sexes. They can be used for such things as the passion of ambition and the intensity of patriotism; but characteristically they are the words for physical love. Gregory Nazianzen defined erōs as ‘the hot and unendurable desire’. Xenophon in the Cyropcedia (5.1.11) has a passage which exactly shows the meaning of erōs and eran. Araspas and Cyrus are discussing the different kinds of love and Araspas says: ‘A brother does not fall in love with his sister, but somebody else falls in love with her; neither does a father fall in love with his daughter, but somebody else does, for fear of God and the law of the land are sufficient to prevent such love’ (erōs). The predominant connexion of these two words is with sexual love. In the English language the word lover can bear a lower sense; and in Greek the meaning of these two words had degenerated so that they stood for lower things. Christianity could hardly have annexed these words for its own uses; and they do not appear in the NT at all. 2. The noun storgē and the verb stergein have specially to do with family affection. They can be used for the love of a people for their ruler, or for the love of a nation or household for their tutelary god; but their regular use is to describe the love of parents for children and children for parents. Plato writes: ‘A child loves (stergein) and is loved by those who begat him’ (Laws 754b). A kindred word occurs very often in wills. A legacy is left to a member of the family kata philostorgian, i.e. ‘because of the affection that I have for you’. These words do not occur in the NT but a kindred adjective does once. The adjective philostorgos occurs in Paul’s great ethical chapter, in Rom. 12.10, where the AV translates it kindly-affectioned. That is suggestive, because it implies that the Christian community is not a society, but a family. 3. The commonest words for love in Greek are the noun philia and the verb philein. There is a lovely warmth about these words. They mean to look on someone with affectionate regard. They can be used for the love of friendship and for the love of husband and of wife. Philein is best translated to cherish: it includes physical love, but it includes much else beside. It can sometimes even mean to kiss. These words have in them all the warmth of real affection and real love. In the NT philein is used of the love of father and mother and son and daughter (Matt. 10.37). It is used of the love of Jesus for Lazarus (John 11.3, 36); and once it is used of the love of Jesus for the beloved disciple (John 20.2). Philia and philein are beautiful words to express a beautiful relationship.

• From New Testament Words (1964)

  It tells a man where goodness lies; it shows him what goodness is; it gives him new standards for life; and it enables him to reach them and gives him the power which is not his own power to achieve them. (v) The Christian message is a word of reconciliation (II Cor. 5.19). The very essence of it is that God is not our enemy but our friend. It is not that God needed to be reconciled to us; the NT never puts it that way; it is we who needed to be reconciled to God. The great gift of the Christian message is that it removes the estrangement between man and God and makes possible the greatest friendship of all. (vi) The Christian message is a word of salvation (Acts 13.26). It is a word of rescue. It rescues a man from the evil bonds which bind him. It strengthens him to defeat the temptations of evil and to do the right. It rids him of the punishment which is his by right, if God were to treat him only with justice and not with love. It lifts a man out of the deadly situation in which he finds himself in this life, and in which he ought in justice to find himself in the life to come. (vii) The Christian message is a word of the Cross (I Cor. 1.18). It is the story of one who died for men. It is the story of a love which did not stop until it reached the very limits of sacrifice, and which thereby proved that there is nothing that God will not dare and suffer and sacrifice for the sake of man. The heart of the Christian logos is the Cross. In the NT there is one technical use of the word logos. It occurs in the Prologue to the Fourth Gospel, and it culminates in that great saying, ‘The Word (logos) was made flesh and dwelt among us’ (John 1.14). This is one of the greatest sayings in the NT and we shall have to dig deep if we wish to grasp something of its meaning. (i) We must begin by remembering that in Greek logos has two meanings, (a) It means word, and (b) it means reason, and these two meanings are always intertwined. (ii) We must begin with the Jewish background of this idea. In Jewish thought a word was more than a sound expressing a meaning; a word actually did things. The word of God is not simply a sound; it is an effective cause. In the creation story God’s word creates. God said, Let there be light, and there was light (Gen. 1.3). By the word of the Lord the heavens were made ... for he spake and it was done (Ps. 33.6, 9). He sent his word and healed them (Ps. 107.20). God’s word will accomplish that which God pleases (Isa.

• From The Swimming-Pool Library (1988)

  ‘He just kept ringing the bell, man. I stuck me head out the lav window, and there was this little nipper. He must a rung the bell ten times, fifteen times. So I thought, no ’arm in a little kid. So I went down. Very sure of ’imself, he was, come up ’ere, asked me who I was and that. Just a friend of Will’s, I said.’ He looked up into my eyes. ‘Anyway you come back after a bit.’ ‘How’s your face feeling?’ I asked. ‘James says he’ll come tomorrow and take the stitches out—just the ends, apparently, and the rest all dissolves.’ ‘Not too bad.’ I ran my hands over his soft half-open mauve lips. His tongue slid up and licked my fingers. I had certainly never fallen in love more inconveniently, and more and more I wanted it to end. Even when he spoke, in his basic, unimaginative way, I felt almost sick with desire and compassion for him. Indeed, the fact that he had not mastered speech, that he laboured towards saying the simplest things, that his vocal expressions were prompted only by the strength of his feelings, unlike the camp, exploitative, ironical control of my own speech, made me want him more. Loving him was all interpretation, creative in its way. We barely used language at all to communicate: he sulked and thought I was putting him down if I made complicated remarks, and sometimes I felt numb at the compromise and self-suppression I submitted to. Yet beyond that it was all guesswork; we were thinking for two. The darkened air of the flat was full of the hints we made. The stupidity and the resentment were dreadful at times. But then in sex he lost his awkwardness. He showed his capacity to change as I rambled over him now with my fingertips and watched him glow and gulp with desire; his clothes seemed to shrivel off him and he lay there making his naked claim for the only certainty in his life. It wasn’t something learnt, I suspected, from the guys before me who’d picked him up and fucked him and fucked him around. It was a kind of gift for giving, and while he did whatever I wanted it emerged as the most important thing there was for him. It was all the harder, then, when the resentment returned and I longed for him to go. After James had taken out Arthur’s stitches we took the Tube to the Corry together, leaving Arthur to do—whatever he did when I wasn’t there. ‘He watches telly most of the time, I think,’ I said. ‘Does he read or anything?’ James wanted to know. ‘He once asked me to buy him some War Picture Library comics, but I just couldn’t bring myself to do it in our local newsagents.’

• From Dirty Pretty Things (2014)

  Title : Dirty Pretty Things (Michael Faudet Book 1) Author: Faudet, Michael [image file=image_rsrc2GZ.jpg] [image file=image_rsrc2H0.jpg] [image file=image_rsrc2H1.jpg] [image file=image_rsrc2H2.jpg] For Lang. I write because you exist. Introduction I can write a whole book about Michael; in fact, I have written two. I don’t think there is anything more to say that cannot be found within their pages. So, instead, I will write about a different book entirely. One by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, known as The Little Prince. In every relationship, there is a defining piece of music, film, or literature. One that permeates through the length of every love story. The Little Prince is significant to Michael and I, in this respect. Though there have been several books that hold a special significance for us, this particular one trumps them all. The reason why is not a literal one and is difficult to put in words. Perhaps it has something to do with the connection between the Little Prince and the Rose. There is a fragile innocence and beauty to their story that resonates with ours. Before Michael and I knew each other, we had already shared a similar aesthetic, both in the visual and written form. In fact, it was how we met. He purchased a painting from me and through this transaction, a surprising narrative unfolded. However, though we shared the same appreciation for art, it was our writing that brought us together. Words were our matchmaker. As we began sharing our writing with each other, we would also share our love of other writers. Because there was such a strong correlation between our words—words that were bittersweet and melancholy—we often fell in love with each other’s endorsements. It was through this exchange that I came to know The Little Prince, to rediscover this charming tale as an adult and absorb it once again—not as a child, who can only imagine the exultation and perils of love, but as someone who has loved and lost. I often think about the love story between the Little Prince and his Rose. It is one that, like Michael, appeared in my life at the exact time when it was the most necessary. I believe it was the same for Michael, for he had rediscovered that long-forgotten joy the moment he pulled his dusty copy of The Little Prince from the back of his shelf to hand to me. The sentiment of The Little Prince can be glimpsed within the pages of my books. It can also be found scattered in parts of Dirty Pretty Things, the book you are holding in your very hands. Between these pages, you will find the remnants of a fierce and unbridled passion, intertwined with the ache of lost love. I hope you enjoy Dirty Pretty Things as much I have. For Michael and I, it has been a labor of love. Lang Leav, September 2014 The Rose Have you ever loved a rose, and watched her slowly bloom; and as her petals would unfold,

• From Dirty Pretty Things (2014)

  Surrender Imagine the possibilities, of a question posed by pretty knees, kneeling. Your eyes cast downward, pleading, red lips parted, and a mouth slowly opened. The answer given, a soft moan, swallowed. Raindrops We fell asleep as lovers do, listening to the raindrops pitter-patter on the old tin roof, hands entwined and souls secretly smiling. The Blindfold Sophia opened the pretty pink gift-wrapping paper and picked up the black velvet blindfold from inside. Attached was a note written in flowing ink, which read: Are you ready for instructions? She collapsed onto the bed, staring up at the cracks in the ceiling, a quiet smile gently touching each blushing cheek. The Visitor In soft candlelight you came, a pale white ghost, stepping shy from shadows, coy, slipping quietly into a restless sleep, where all modesty and demure lay discarded, stripped naked, by a fantasy awakened within a dream. The Race We ran. Faces flushed, bare feet sinking into wet sand, our warm breath little clouds of misty white, taken by the chilly morning air. A single wave broke, sending frothy foam sliding across our ankles, the cold biting deep. I couldn’t catch her. A trail of flowing red hair unfurling before me, like the tail of a kite cut free from its string. “Okay, okay . . . you win,” I shouted, slowing to an unsteady walk and stopping, hands on hips, breathing heavy. She turned around, jogging backward, her laughter floating toward me. “You’re a wimp, that’s what you are, and you owe me a hundred bucks!” We sat. Eyes staring out to sea, her arm wrapped around my shoulders. “I love you,” she said, kissing me on the cheek. “I love you too,” I replied. “You know, you can forget about paying me. Keep your money.” “No, you won, fair and square. A bet’s a bet and I always pay my debts,” I said, my fingers gently brushing away a tangled strand of wet hair from her face. “Ha! You don’t get it, do you? It’s me who should be paying you.” “I don’t follow. Well, unless I’m racing you on some beach after a night of a million vodkas.” Her smiling eyes met mine. “Do you remember when we first met? What I said to you after we fucked in the dunes, lying on our backs, smoking a joint and searching for shooting stars in the night sky?” “Not exactly but go on . . .” “I told you I wasn’t the kind of girl who was easily caught.” “Yes, now I remember, or I think I do, I was pretty wasted.” She took my hand and pressed it to her chest. I could feel her heart racing beneath the Mickey Mouse tee. “You have my heart,” she whispered. “You have all of me.” Echo I am hopelessly in love with a memory. An echo from another time, another place.

• From Saint Thomas Aquinas Collection (22 Books) (2016)

  2. It kindles the will with love of God; One of the Seraphim flew to me, and in his hand was a live coal; … and he touched my mouth. Is. 6:6. 3. It delights with spiritual sweetness; O, taste and see that the Lord is sweet; blessed is the man that hopeth in Him. Ps. 33:9. The memory of Josias is like the composition of a sweet smell made by the art of the perfumer. His remembrance shall be sweet as honey in every mouth. Ecclus. 49:1, 2. N. The shadow of the Spouse; I sat down under His shadow whom I desired. Cantic. 2:3. a. Taste of the affections; Hearken diligently to Me and eat that which is good, and your soul shall be delighted in fatness. Is. 55:2. b. Taste of the understanding; His fruit was sweet to my taste. Cantic. 2:3. 4. It strengthens the whole man in good; Thou waterest the hills from Thy chambers; the earth shall be filled with the fruits of Thy works, … that Thou mayest bring bread out of the earth … and that bread may strengthen man’s heart. Ps. 103:13–15. N. The second four fruits together; Eliseus went into the house, and behold the child lay dead on his bed. And going in he shut the door upon him and upon the child, and prayed to the Lord. And he went up and lay upon the child; and he put his mouth on his mouth, and his eyes on his eyes, and his hands on his hands, and he bowed himself upon him, and the child’s flesh grew warm. 4 Kings 4:32–34. Thanksgiving

• From Dirty Pretty Things (2014)

  and touching me, makes me blush in all the right places. Love Story To read in books of love well told, leaves nothing in the meaning. For the love we have is barely held, between pages of our reading. True Love True love is elusive, she said. Sometimes I think it’s as rare as a red moon on a cloudless night. First Love Petals unfurl from a delicate flower, closer to picked with each passing hour, losing the I and gaining an our. Hypnotized I am hypnotized. Sleepwalking to the rhythm of your words, Never wishing to wake— Love Letters The kind of love letters I write are the ones you read in bed, stretched out under the sheets with one hand between your legs. Dreams She turns her mind to countless things, then back again where it begins. This restless urge, and all it brings, to be someone— to do something. The Gift Her eyes were beautifully gift-wrapped; long black lashes of velvet ribbon— and every time she opened them, it felt like Christmas. Poetic Now’s not the time to be poetic, she said. Just pull my panties down and do me up against this tree. The End I could taste the sting of whiskey on your lips, a final kiss, before we said our last good-bye, without a word being said. Acknowledgments To my mum and dad, for all the freedom, love, and support you’ve always given me. My sister, Genevieve, who sacrifices so much of her life to help others. Respect. My grandparents, who spoiled me in the nicest possible way. To my ridiculously clever son, Oliver. I love you more than all the words in the world. My beautifully mad friends (you know who you are), thank you for the wine, conversation, and endless laughter. And last, but by no means least, a special thank-you to my readers, for your continued support and wonderful kindness. About the Author Michael Faudet has done many interesting things. Most notable was enjoying an eighteen-year career working for arguably one of the most creative advertising networks in the world. During his time at DDB, he held the positions of director on the Australian management board, managing partner in New Zealand, and executive creative director in the Auckland, Sydney, and Melbourne offices. He has tutored extensively, guest lectured at universities, sat on many industry judging panels, and has spoken at creative conferences around the world. Michael has also won numerous international awards in some of the most prestigious advertising shows. In 2013, he decided to walk away from advertising to focus on his own creativity and writing. He also helped launch the international best seller Love & Misadventure by author Lang Leav. Michael’s poetry and prose explores the many facets of love and relationships. His whimsical and sometimes erotic writing quickly went viral and continues to attract a growing cult following of readers from around the world.