not because her fingers were stiff and unpracticed , not because the music was difficult and demandingher fingers were stiff and unpracticed , but her violin sang as it had never sung before ; the music was difficult and demanding , but seemed ridiculously , ludicrously easy in front of this manit was grueling because of what she saw in his eyes while she played : a lifetime of work , of love , of struggle , of joy , of tragedy : fierce blue eyes bright with tears one second , violent with joy another ; eyes that gave no quarter and asked for none ; eyes like those of a fellow comrades in a foxhole during a terrible battle where both know they are going to die but hate the enemy so ferociously , so profoundly , that it no longer matters .