Elämän Tarina
A novel written in the late 19th century. The story centers around Jeanne, a young woman who has just completed her education at a convent school and is eager to embrace the freedoms and joys of life outside its walls, particularly as she anticipates spending the summer at her family's country estate. As she prepares for her journey, the narrative introduces her father, Baron Simon-Jacques, whose idealistic yet protective nature shapes her sheltered upbringing. The opening portion of the novel captures Jeanne's excitement and anticipation for her newfound freedom, contrasted with her father's reluctance to venture out due to the weather. As the rain pours incessantly, Jeanne contemplates her longing for life beyond the convent, dreaming of love and happiness. The dynamic between her caring but overbearing father and her desire for independence creates a delicate tension, setting the stage for her journey to family and the liberation she seeks. With rich descriptions of the setting and characters, the beginning of ''Elämän tarina'' establishes a foundation for exploring themes of love, freedom, and the struggles of youth against the constraints of family expectations.
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“One sometimes weeps over one's illusions with as much bitterness as over a death.””
— Guy de Maupassant
“After all, life is never so jolly or so miserable as people seem to think.””
— Guy de Maupassant
“Elle en voulait en son coeur à Julien de ne pas comprendre cela, de n'avoir point ces fines pudeurs, ces délicatesses d'instinct; et elle sentait entre elle et lui comme un voile, un obstacle, s'apercevant pour la première fois que deux personnes ne se pénètrent jamais jusqu'à l'âme, jusqu'au fond des pensées, qu'elles marchent côte à côte, enlacées parfois, mais non mêlées, et que l'être moral de chacun de nous reste éternellement seul par la vie.””
— Guy de Maupassant
“Alors, elle s'aperçut qu'elle n'avait plus rien à faire, plus jamais rien à faire... La douce réalité des premiers jours allait devenir la réalité quotidienne qui ferait la porte aux espoirs indéfinis,aux charmantes inquiétudes de l'inconnu. Oui, c'était fini d'attendre. Alors plus rien à faire aujourd'hui, ni demain, ni jamais.””
— Guy de Maupassant
“Then she added, no doubt in answer to her own thoughts: 'You see, life is never as good or as bad as one thinks.' ””
— Guy de Maupassant
“A small lighted window at the end of the yard indicated the farmhouse.It seemed to Jeanne that her mind was expanding, was beginning to understand the psychic meaning of things; and these little scattered gleams in the landscape gave her, all at once, a keen sense of the isolation of all human lives, a feeling that everything detaches, separates, draws one far away from the things they love.””
— Guy de Maupassant
“She hardly gave a thought to Julien; nothing in him surprised her any longer. But the double treachery of the Countess, her friend, disgusted her. Everyone in the world was a traitor, a liar, a deceiver, and tears came into her eyes. One sometimes weeps over one's illusions with as much bitterness as over a death.””
— Guy de Maupassant
“But this pleasure was not unalloyed with pain, and it seemed as if the universal joy of the awakening world could now only impart a delight which was half sorrow to her grief-crushed soul and withered heart.””
— Guy de Maupassant
“Savo širdyje ji pyko ant Žiuljeno, kad jis to nesupranta, kad visai neturi to subtilaus drovumo, to instinktyvaus delikatumo; ir ji pajuto tarp savęs ir jo tarsi uždangą, tarsi kažkokią kliūtį, pirmą kartą pastebėjusi, kad du žmonės niekada negali prasiskverbti iki vienas kito sielos, iki minčių gelmių, kad jie gali eiti šalia vienas kito, kartais apsikabinę, bet ne susilieję, ir kad dvasinė mūsų esmė visą gyvenimą klaidžioja vieniša.””
— Guy de Maupassant
