| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Iliad by Homer: plunged into the depths of the sea. The gods rose from their
seats, before the coming of their sire. Not one of them dared to
remain sitting, but all stood up as he came among them. There,
then, he took his seat. But Juno, when she saw him, knew that he
and the old merman's daughter, silver-footed Thetis, had been
hatching mischief, so she at once began to upbraid him.
"Trickster," she cried, "which of the gods have you been taking
into your counsels now? You are always settling matters in secret
behind my back, and have never yet told me, if you could help it,
one word of your intentions."
"Juno," replied the sire of gods and men, "you must not expect to
The Iliad |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Camille by Alexandre Dumas: afford their lovers every day help to fasten deeper into the
heart, since we have no other word for it, the love which he has
for them.
Prudence next took her place in the box, and a man, whom I
recognised as the Comte de G., seated himself at the back. As I
saw him, a cold shiver went through my heart.
Doubtless Marguerite perceived the impression made on me by the
presence of this man, for she smiled to me again, and, turning
her back to the count, appeared to be very attentive to the play.
At the third entr'acte she turned and said two words: the count
left the box, and Marguerite beckoned to me to come to her.
Camille |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The Kreutzer Sonata by Leo Tolstoy: procure a quantity of bread, saying: "I will come back here and
will not leave until I have mown all the meadow, even if it
should take a whole week."
Hearing this, the little devil became thoughtful, saying: "That
Ivan is a koolak [hard case], and I must think of some other way
of conquering him."
Ivan soon returned with his sharpened scythe and started to mow.
The small devil hid himself in the grass, and as the point of the
scythe came down he buried it in the earth and made it almost
impossible for Ivan to move the implement. He, however,
succeeded in mowing all but one small spot in the swamp, where
The Kreutzer Sonata |
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 The Arrow of Gold by Joseph Conrad: changed the pose she had kept so long and folded her wonderfully
preserved white arms. She looked a perfect picture in silver and
grey, with touches of black here and there. Still I said nothing
more in my dull misery. She waited a little longer, then she woke
me up with a crash. It was as if the house had fallen, and yet she
had only asked me:
"I believe you are received on very friendly terms by Madame de
Lastaola on account of your common exertions for the cause. Very
good friends, are you not?"
"You mean Rita," I said stupidly, but I felt stupid, like a man who
wakes up only to be hit on the head.
The Arrow of Gold |
