The quoting-others-and-asking-questions svithe

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PAPA above!
..............Regard a Mouse
O’erpowered by the Cat;
Reserve within thy Kingdom
A “mansion” for the Rat!

Sung in seraphic cupboards
To nibble all the day,
While unsuspecting cycles
Wheel pompously away.

...........................Emily Dickinson

Question one: If this were Theric's svithe, what would he be trying to say?

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Question two: If this were your svithe, what would this album cover be used to illustrate?

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He hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.

He was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

Question three: Why not Isaiah?

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There are those," continued the
stranger (and for the first time she saw
that he was of a noble presence, that his
gentle, child-like eyes could also command),"
whose Better Self lies slain by
their own hand and troubles them no
more. But yours, my child, you have
let grow too strong; it will ever be your
master. You must obey. Flee from it
and it will follow you ; you cannot escape
it. Insult it and it will chastise you with
burning shame, with stinging self-
reproach from day to day." The sternness
faded from the beautiful face, the
tenderness crept back. He laid his hand
upon the young girl's shoulder." You
will marry your lover," he smiled."
With him you will walk the way of
sunlight and of shadow."

And the girl, looking up into the
strong, calm face, knew that it would be
so, that the power of resisting her Better
Self had passed away from her for ever. "
Now," said the stranger, " come to
the door with me. Leave-takings are
but wasted sadness. Let me pass out
quietly. Close the door softly behind
me."

She thought that perhaps he would
turn his face again, but she saw no more
of him than the odd roundness of his
back under the tightly buttoned coat, before
he faded into the gathering fog.

Then softly she closed the door.

...........................from the short-story version of Jerome K Jerome's "The Passing of the Third Floor Back"

Question four: Why can't a funny guy write something serious now and then?

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I said unto them that I knew that I had spoken hard things against the wicked, according to the truth; and the righteous have I justified, and testified that they should be lifted up at the last day; wherefore, the guilty taketh the truth to be hard, for it cutteth them to the very center. And now, if ye were righteous and were willing to hearken to the truth and give heed unto it that ye might walk uprightly before God, then ye would not murmur because of the truth, and say: Thou speakest hard things against us.

Question five: Heh heh heh. Thanks, Nephi, for demonstrating my point in sort of an opposite way.

Um....you were kidding, right?

last week's svithe