10 June 2013

Break on through to the other side

This again. But let's look at it from a different perspective this time:
He stood in the next room, his head leaning against the doorpost, and heard shrieks, howls such as he had never heard before, and he knew that what had been Kitty was uttering those shrieks ... 
"Doctor! What is it? What is it? By God!" he said, snatching at the doctor's hand as he came up. 
"It is the end," said the doctor. And the doctor's face was so grave as he said it that Levin took "the end" as meaning her death.
 Beside himself, he ran into the bedroom ... Kitty's face he did not know. In the place where it had been was something that was fearful in its strained distortion and in the sounds that came from it. He fell down with his head on the wooden framework of the bed, feeling his heart was bursting. The awful scream never paused, it became still more awful, as though it had reached the utmost limit of terror, suddenly it ceased. Levin could not believe his ears, but there could be no doubt; the scream had ceased and he heard a subdued stir and bustle, and hurried breathing, and her voice, gasping, alive, tender, and blissful, uttered softly, "It's over!" 
He lifted his head. With her hands hanging exhausted on the quilt, looking extraordinarily lovely and serene, she looked at him in silence and tried to smile, and could  not. 
Falling on his knees before the bed, he held his wife's hand before his lips and kissed it, and the hand, with a weak movement of the fingers responded to his kiss. And meanwhile, there at the foot of the bed ... like a flickering light in a lamp, lay the life of a human creature which had never existed before, and which would now with the same right, with the same importance to itself, live and create its own image.
Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy

5 comments:

Leah said...

These are indeed the meditations of one so near to bringing the life of a human creature which had never existed before, and which would now with the same right, with the same importance to itself, live and create its own image into the world.

May God bless and keep you and may his face shine upon you and your little one in these next coming weeks Dawn. :)

Melrose said...

Once again my prayers are covering you moment by moment. I am overjoyed with you as your sweet baby draws so near to being in your arms. Christ keep you and your dear one in health and safety and may you soon, very soon, stand strong as you hold your baby to the font. ((()))

Rebekah said...

Oh, that book.

Oh, that condition.

Cathy said...

Wow. Having never read that book, I was on the edge of my seat wondering where that was going. Whew. As for your imminent labor, may our Lord and Savior protect and comfort you at this most blessed time.

Untamed Shrew said...

Just me, stalking. . . .