carnal prayer mat

an early 17th century erotic novel

“He had become so expert in his specialty that a fleeting glance from far off, from a distance of as much as twenty yards, sufficed to tell him whether a woman was pretty or not. He had no need of closer inspection. If in his travels he found a woman worthy of his attention, he looked her full in the face. If she was modest by nature, she lowered her eyes and passed him by, without responding to his glance. But if she was afflicted with the same weakness as himself, she answered his gaze, and between the two of them there arose that silent understanding, that “exchange of love letters from the corner of the eye,” which, alas, is fraught with such infinite perils for both parties. For a He as well as a She, such a pair of eyes is indeed a disasterous gift of nature. Only too frequently the loss of honor and reputation can be traced back to the possession of such eyes. This by way of warning. May you take it to heart, esteemed reader, should my remarks apply to you.”

Li, Yu. 1967. Jou pu tuan; the prayer mat of flesh. New York: Grove Press. Translated by Richard Martin from the German version by Franz Kuhn. p.6-7.