The terror of being judged sharpens the memory It sends an inevitable glare over that long-unvisited Past which has been habitually Recalled only in general phrases. Even without memory, the life is bound into one by a zone of dependence in growth and decay The terror of being judged sharpens the memory Lt sends an inevitable glare over that long- unvisited Past which has been habitually Recalled only in general phrases. With memory set smarting like a reopened wound A man's past is not simply a dead preparation of the history An outworn present it is not a repented error It is a still quivering part of himsell, bringing shudders and Bitter favors and the tinglings of a merited shame With memory set smarting like a reopened wound A man's past is not simply a dead history An outworn preparation of the present it is not a repented error When we believe something is wrong with us We are convinced we are in danger Our shame fuels ongoing fear The very fact that we feel fear seems to prove that we are broken or incapable.