Word: soul
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Dates: during 1950-1959
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...they serve as a reminder that the higher one is, the more one is in danger of falling. "The Jews sinned in this matter worse than the Pagans not because they were further from God but because they were nearer to Him. For the Supernatural, entering a human soul, opens to it new possibilities both of good and evil. From that point the road branches: one way to sanctity, love, humility, the other to spiritual pride, self-righteousness, persecuting zeal ... If the Divine call does not make us better, it will make us very much worse...
Once at Settignano, a letter of invitation offering a glimpse at the phenomenon of I Tatti, "if it amuses you," was presented, and the gates swung open upon the heart and soul of Bernard Berenson...
Shall I tell you of the other ones? The squat little man with the crewcut who sold his soul and pen to an Elsie's wall mural for three blue punch cards. Or the intense young man with thinning hair and a changing voice who reads Wallace Stevens to a saxophone solo. Or the boy from the Bronx who writes Spanish poetry...
About houses Berenson has written, "It is a machine a vivre, if you like, as there is a similar machine our bodies, but like my body my house has a soul--I hope." It has indeed. The exterior of I Tatti with its light walls, gardens and terraces is one of those sumptuous affairs the romantics of old would have called a "typical Italian villa." Internally it is unique. Berenson has also observed that a house can be "part of one's raiment, the outerrost garment. ..." It is a perfect description of I Tatti, an instrument for and product...
...worn opulence. A recording of Verdi's Requiem rested upon one of two pianos. Copies of The Reporter and other magazines of contemporary interest covered a large center table. Aesthetics and history have both impassioned B.B., whose thirst for knowledge has been watered by immense energy. But Berenson's soul is of a renaissance tint and its tempo, plus, of course, the weight of his convictions, has led him to declare, "I pity you because you must live in this age of decadence and despair...