Quote by Leo Tolstoy

After dinner Natasha went to the clavichord, at Prince Andrey's request, and began singing. Prince Andrey stood at the window, talking to the ladies, and listened to her. In the middle of a phrase, Prince Andrey ceased speaking, and felt suddenly a lump in his throat from tears, the possibility of which he had never dreamed of in himself. He looked at Natasha singing, and something new and blissful stirred in his soul. He was happy, and at the same time he was sad. He certainly had nothing to weep about, but he was ready to weep. For what? For his past love? For the little princess? For his lost illusions? For his hopes for the future? Yes, and no. The chief thing which made him ready to weep was a sudden, vivid sense of the fearful contrast between something infinitely great and illimitable existing in him, and something limited and material, which he himself was, and even she was. This contrast made his heart ache, and rejoiced him while she was singing.

Summary

This quote from Leo Tolstoy's "War and Peace" describes Prince Andrey's emotional response to Natasha's singing. As he watches her, he experiences a mixture of happiness and sadness. The tears welling up in his eyes represent a depth of emotion that he had never before recognized in himself. Though there is no specific cause for his tears, they stem from a profound sense of contrast between the immense, spiritual aspects of human existence and the limitations of the material world. This revelation both pains him and brings him joy, highlighting the complexity of his emotional state in that moment.