| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Odyssey by Homer: began to fight, and Irus hit Ulysses on the right shoulder; but
Ulysses gave Irus a blow on the neck under the ear that broke in
the bones of his skull, and the blood came gushing out of his
mouth; he fell groaning in the dust, gnashing his teeth and
kicking on the ground, but the suitors threw up their hands and
nearly died of laughter, as Ulysses caught hold of him by the
foot and dragged him into the outer court as far as the
gate-house. There he propped him up against the wall and put his
staff in his hands. "Sit here," said he, "and keep the dogs and
pigs off; you are a pitiful creature, and if you try to make
yourself king of the beggars any more you shall fare still
The Odyssey |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Paz by Honore de Balzac: went out or came in without going first to Paz, as I would to my
father. My fortune is his; and Thaddeus knows that if danger
threatened him I would fling myself into it and drag him out, as I
have done before."
"And that is saying a good deal, my dear friend," said the countess.
"Devotion is like a flash of lightning. Men devote themselves in
battle, but they no longer have the heart for it in Paris."
"Well," replied Adam, "I am always ready, as in battle, to devote
myself to Paz. Our two characters have kept their natural asperities
and defects, but the mutual comprehension of our souls has tightened
the bond already close between us. It is quite possible to save a
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