Erich Maria Remarque. The life of a loan (№ 412547)

She's like a flame. See how she dances. Do you remember the Pompeian mosaics? Women created by art are so beautiful because everything that is accidental in them is discarded! Only their beauty is depicted. Have you seen the paintings in the palace of the legendary Minos in Crete? Have you seen pictures of Egyptian women from the time of Akhenaten? Remember these vicious dancers and young queens, narrow-faced, with elongated eyes? Fire is raging in all of them. Now look at the dance floor. Look at this even artificial hellfire that we have ignited with technology, glass and electricity; it seems that women are gliding right over him. I arranged such a platform to see all this. From below they are illuminated by artificial hellfire, fire engulfs their dresses, climbing higher and higher, and the cold light of the moon and stars falls on their faces and shoulders; you can laugh at this allegory if you wish, but you can also ponder for a few minutes. How beautiful are these women who prevent us from becoming demigods, turning us into fathers of families, into respectable burghers, into breadwinners; women who trap us in their snares, promising to turn us into gods. Aren't they beautiful? Each of them contains Circe. And the funny thing is, they don't believe it.