| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Chouans by Honore de Balzac: after a pause, "there is hope."
At this moment they distinctly heard the owl's cry, and Francine
entered from the dressing-room.
"Pierre has come!" she said with a joy that was like delirium.
The marquise and Francine dressed Montauran in Chouan clothes with
that amazing rapidity that belongs only to women. As soon as Marie saw
her husband loading the gun Francine had brought in she slipped
hastily from the room with a sign to her faithful maid. Francine then
took the marquis to the dressing-room adjoining the bed-chamber. The
young man seeing a large number of sheets knotted firmly together,
perceived the means by which the girl expected him to escape the
 The Chouans |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Odyssey by Homer: Telemachus and the son of Nestor stayed their horses at the
gate, whereon Eteoneus servant to Menelaus came out, and as soon
as he saw them ran hurrying back into the house to tell his
Master. He went close up to him and said, "Menelaus, there are
some strangers come here, two men, who look like sons of Jove.
What are we to do? Shall we take their horses out, or tell them
to find friends elsewhere as they best can?"
Menelaus was very angry and said, "Eteoneus, son of Boethous,
you never used to be a fool, but now you talk like a simpleton.
Take their horses out, of course, and show the strangers in that
they may have supper; you and I have staid often enough at other
 The Odyssey |