| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen: where they last changed horses, see the postilions and try if
anything could be made out from them. His principal object
must be to discover the number of the hackney coach which
took them from Clapham. It had come with a fare from
London; and as he thought that the circumstance of a
gentleman and lady's removing from one carriage into another
might be remarked he meant to make inquiries at Clapham. If
he could anyhow discover at what house the coachman had
before set down his fare, he determined to make inquiries there,
and hoped it might not be impossible to find out the stand and
number of the coach. I do not know of any other designs that
Pride and Prejudice |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Kwaidan by Lafcadio Hearn: Komon hitotabi irite fukaki koto umi no gotoshi;
Kore yori shoro kore rojin
[Closely, closely the youthful prince now follows after the gem-bright maid;--
The tears of the fair one, falling, have moistened all her robes.
But the august lord, having one become enamored of her -- the depth of his
longing is like the depth of the sea.
Therefore it is only I that am left forlorn,
-- only I that am left to wander along.]
On the evening of the day after this poem had been sent, Tomotada was
summoned to appear before the Lord Hosokawa. The youth at once suspected
that his confidence had been betrayed; and he could not hope, if his letter
Kwaidan |
