The Artist (Wilde)
An artist was overcome with the desire to create a sculpture representing the pleasure that lasts for a moment. To do this, he needed bronze, so he set out into the world to find some.
ONE EVENING there came into his soul the desire to fashion an image of The Pleasure that abideth for a Moment.
However, he discovered that all the bronze in the world had vanished, and the only remaining piece was the bronze used in a sculpture he had previously made. This sculpture represented the sorrow that endures forever and was placed on the tomb of the person he had loved most in his life.
And in the whole world there was no other bronze save the bronze of this image.
The artist had created this sculpture as a symbol of undying love and eternal sorrow. With no other bronze available, he decided to use the bronze from his previous creation. He removed the sculpture from the tomb and placed it in a furnace, melting it down to create his new work.
Using the bronze from the sculpture of eternal sorrow, the artist successfully crafted a new sculpture representing the pleasure that abides for a moment.