Page 540 - the-brothers-karamazov
P. 540

hell, in spite of their certain knowledge and contemplation
       of the absolute truth; there are some fearful ones who have
       given themselves over to Satan and his proud spirit entirely.
       For such, hell is voluntary and ever consuming; they are
       tortured by their own choice. For they have cursed them-
       selves, cursing God and life. They live upon their vindictive
       pride like a starving man in the desert sucking blood out of
       his own body. But they are never satisfied, and they refuse
       forgiveness, they curse God Who calls them. They cannot
       behold the living God without hatred, and they cry out that
       the God of life should be annihilated, that God should de-
       stroy Himself and His own creation. And they will burn in
       the fire of their own wrath for ever and yearn for death and
       annihilation. But they will not attain to death....
          Here  Alexey  Fyodorovitch  Karamazov’s  manuscript
       ends. I repeat, it is incomplete and fragmentary. Biographi-
       cal details, for instance, cover only Father Zossima’s earliest
       youth.  Of  his  teaching  and  opinions  we  find  brought  to-
       gether sayings evidently uttered on very different occasions.
       His utterances during the last few hours have not been kept
       separate from the rest, but their general character can be
       gathered from what we have in Alexey Fyodorovitch’s man-
       uscript.
         The  elder’s  death  came  in  the  end  quite  unexpectedly.
       For although those who were gathered about him that last
       evening realised that his death was approaching, yet it was
       difficult to imagine that it would come so suddenly. On the
       contrary, his friends, as I observed already, seeing him that
       night apparently so cheerful and talkative, were convinced
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