{"id":843,"date":"2013-12-24T11:09:38","date_gmt":"2013-12-24T18:09:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cleverdialectic.com\/?p=843"},"modified":"2013-12-24T11:09:38","modified_gmt":"2013-12-24T18:09:38","slug":"et-tu-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cleverdialectic.com\/?p=843","title":{"rendered":"Et tu"},"content":{"rendered":"

Back in November, I suppose, I came across a news story about a researcher who found that he had brain activity that fit the profile of a psychopath<\/a>. I thought I’d been told that we stopped trying to identify criminals by their physiology since we condemned the Germans for being better at it<\/a>. But evidently Minority Report<\/em><\/a> was just too implausible to worry about, so the work goes on to identify the guilty without waiting for the crime.<\/p>\n

Perhaps one day they will discover that by some cosmic coincidence the human condition is not only fatal but also corrupt. In the meantime we must accept progress in the small steps that science offers.<\/p>\n

I learned something about this in college. No, not in the classes, and not from the instructors. Well, perhaps indirectly. I worked in the school library in the Course Reserves department, and I remember reading one of the selections on file that talked about the characteristics of abusive men. There was a list of something like 15 characteristics, of which offenders typically had at least seven or something like that. I qualified at something like six. Maybe more; I don’t remember if I made it all the way to a bona fide<\/em> criminal or just an apprentice.<\/p>\n

No, I learned more from my friend. He is still my friend, perhaps the only friend I have kept from that time. He is a man filled with pretensions. He is a man who wishes to control the world. He is a slave of his loves and a fugitive of his fears. In him I found a man I could understand, a man in whom I could see myself. At last I could see myself: my naked scheming, my pitiable attempts to present an edifice, my tar-baby battles with the shadows I cast. He is a man I can understand, a knowledge as damning as my comprehension of Browning’s poem Porphyria’s Lover<\/em><\/a>. It is one thing if you can understand the words; that means you are literate. But if you can understand the poem, that means you are a bad man.<\/p>\n

Max, here’s to you, my friend!<\/p>\n

\n

Porphyria’s Lover<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

by Robert Browning<\/p>\n

\n
\n
The rain set early in to-night,<\/div>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The sullen wind was soon awake,<\/div>\n
It tore the elm-tops down for spite,<\/div>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 And did its worst to vex the lake:<\/div>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 I listened with heart fit to break.<\/div>\n
When glided in Porphyria; straight<\/div>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 She shut the cold out and the storm,<\/div>\n
And kneeled and made the cheerless grate<\/div>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Blaze up, and all the cottage warm;<\/div>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Which done, she rose, and from her form<\/div>\n
Withdrew the dripping cloak and shawl,<\/div>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 And laid her soiled gloves by, untied<\/div>\n
Her hat and let the damp hair fall,<\/div>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 And, last, she sat down by my side<\/div>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 And called me. When no voice replied,<\/div>\n
She put my arm about her waist,<\/div>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 And made her smooth white shoulder bare,<\/div>\n
And all her yellow hair displaced,<\/div>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 And, stooping, made my cheek lie there,<\/div>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 And spread, o’er all, her yellow hair,<\/div>\n
Murmuring how she loved me \u2014 she<\/div>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Too weak, for all her heart’s endeavour,<\/div>\n
To set its struggling passion free<\/div>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 From pride, and vainer ties dissever,<\/div>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 And give herself to me for ever.<\/div>\n
But passion sometimes would prevail,<\/div>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Nor could to-night’s gay feast restrain<\/div>\n
A sudden thought of one so pale<\/div>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 For love of her, and all in vain:<\/div>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 So, she was come through wind and rain.<\/div>\n
Be sure I looked up at her eyes<\/div>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Happy and proud; at last I knew<\/div>\n
Porphyria worshipped me; surprise<\/div>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Made my heart swell, and still it grew<\/div>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 While I debated what to do.<\/div>\n
That moment she was mine, mine, fair,<\/div>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Perfectly pure and good: I found<\/div>\n
A thing to do, and all her hair<\/div>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 In one long yellow string I wound<\/div>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Three times her little throat around,<\/div>\n
And strangled her. No pain felt she;<\/div>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 I am quite sure she felt no pain.<\/div>\n
As a shut bud that holds a bee,<\/div>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 I warily oped her lids: again<\/div>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Laughed the blue eyes without a stain.<\/div>\n
And I untightened next the tress<\/div>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 About her neck; her cheek once more<\/div>\n
Blushed bright beneath my burning kiss:<\/div>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 I propped her head up as before,<\/div>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Only, this time my shoulder bore<\/div>\n
Her head, which droops upon it still:<\/div>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The smiling rosy little head,<\/div>\n
So glad it has its utmost will,<\/div>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 That all it scorned at once is fled,<\/div>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 And I, its love, am gained instead!<\/div>\n
Porphyria’s love: she guessed not how<\/div>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Her darling one wish would be heard.<\/div>\n
And thus we sit together now,<\/div>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 And all night long we have not stirred,<\/div>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 And yet God has not said a word!<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Back in November, I suppose, I came across a news story about a researcher who found that he had brain activity that fit the profile of a psychopath. I thought I’d been told that we stopped trying to identify criminals by their physiology since we condemned the Germans for being better at it. But evidently Minority Report was just too Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,4],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cleverdialectic.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/843"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cleverdialectic.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cleverdialectic.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cleverdialectic.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cleverdialectic.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=843"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cleverdialectic.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/843\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":844,"href":"https:\/\/cleverdialectic.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/843\/revisions\/844"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cleverdialectic.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=843"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cleverdialectic.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=843"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cleverdialectic.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=843"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}