The Most Reluctant Convert

 

It was the first beauty I'd ever known - a sensation of desire, but before I knew what I desired, the desire was gone, withdrawn, the world turned common again. 

Since then my constant endeavour was to get it again in reading every book, going on every walk, listening to every piece of music. Occasionally the sky would turn ; far more often I frightened it away by my greed to have it. I call this desire "joy". 

I doubt that anyone who has ever tasted joy would exchange it for all the pleasures in the world. But joy is never in our power, and pleasure is.