| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Ball at Sceaux by Honore de Balzac: Neapolitan duchess, whose eyes shot lightning flashes, and whose skin
had the sheen of satin. The intimate terms on which Longueville
affected to be with her stung Mademoiselle de Fontaine all the more
because she had just given her lover back twenty times as much
tenderness as she had ever felt for him before.
"Yes, monsieur, in my country true love can make every kind of
sacrifice," the Duchess was saying, in a simper.
"You have more passion than Frenchwomen," said Maximilien, whose
burning gaze fell on Emilie. "They are all vanity."
"Monsieur," Emilie eagerly interposed, "is it not very wrong to
calumniate your own country? Devotion is to be found in every nation."
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Egmont by Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe: us? The attempt to capture us were a vain and fruitless enterprize. No, they
dare not raise the standard of tyranny so high. The breeze that should waft
these tidings over the land would kindle a mighty conflagration. And what
object would they have in view? The king alone has no power either to
judge or to condemn us and would they attempt our lives by assassination?
They cannot intend it. A terrible league would unite the entire people.
Direful hate and eternal separation from the crown of Spain would, on the
instant, be forcibly declared.
Orange. The flames would then rage over our grave, and the blood of our
enemies flow, a vain oblation. Let us consider, Egmont.
Egmont. But how could they effect this purpose?
Egmont |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Life in the Iron-Mills by Rebecca Davis: need. When that stimulant was gone, she would take to whiskey.
Man cannot live by work alone. While she was skinning the
potatoes, and munching them, a noise behind her made her stop.
"Janey!" she called, lifting the candle and peering into the
darkness. "Janey, are you there?"
A heap of ragged coats was heaved up, and the face of a
young,girl emerged, staring sleepily at the woman.
"Deborah," she said, at last, "I'm here the night."
"Yes, child. Hur's welcome," she said, quietly eating on.
The girl's face was haggard and sickly; her eyes were heavy with
sleep and hunger: real Milesian eyes they were, dark, delicate
Life in the Iron-Mills |
The fourth excerpt represents the element of Earth. It speaks of physical influences and the impact of the unseen on the visible world, and is drawn from Under the Andes by Rex Stout: and shoved her to the bank.
Desiree sat up, rubbing her eyes.
"Where are we?" she asked.
Harry explained while we beached the raft. Then we broke out
our provisions and partook of them.
"But why do we stop?" asked Desiree.
The words "Because we are not getting anywhere" rose to my
lips, but I kept them back.
"For a rest and some air," I answered.
Desiree exclaimed: "But I want to go on!"
So as soon as we had eaten our fill we loaded the stuff again
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