| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from La Grande Breteche by Honore de Balzac: dull hum of the wings of some hurrying wood-pigeon. The earth is dank;
you must be on the watch for lizards, vipers, and frogs, wandering
about with the wild freedom of nature; above all, you must have no
fear of cold, for in a few moments you feel an icy cloak settle on
your shoulders, like the Commendatore's hand on Don Giovanni's neck.
"One evening I felt a shudder; the wind had turned an old rusty
weathercock, and the creaking sounded like a cry from the house, at
the very moment when I was finishing a gloomy drama to account for
this monumental embodiment of woe. I returned to my inn, lost in
gloomy thoughts. When I had supped, the hostess came into my room with
an air of mystery, and said, 'Monsieur, here is Monsieur Regnault.'
La Grande Breteche |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Off on a Comet by Jules Verne: less than it ought to have been.
The professor, however, had ascertained all that he wanted to know.
By estimating his comet at a third as much again as its proper weight,
he had found that his calculations were always at variance with the observed
situation of the satellite, which was immediately influenced by the mass
of its primary.
But now, besides enjoying the satisfaction of having punished
old Hakkabut, Rosette was able to recommence his calculations
with reference to the elements of Nerina upon a correct basis,
a task to which he devoted himself with redoubled energy.
It will be easily imagined that Isaac Hakkabut, thus caught in his own trap,
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| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Almayer's Folly by Joseph Conrad: the tray of pastry, it was her mission to sell, skilfully
balanced on her head. During the great heat of the day she
usually sought refuge in Almayer's campong, often finding shelter
in a shady corner of the verandah, where she squatted with her
tray before her, when invited by Nina. For "Mem Putih" she had
always a smile, but the presence of Mrs. Almayer, the very sound
of her shrill voice, was the signal for a hurried departure.
To this girl Nina often spoke; the other inhabitants of Sambir
seldom or never heard the sound of her voice. They got used to
the silent figure moving in their midst calm and white-robed, a
being from another world and incomprehensible to them. Yet
Almayer's Folly |
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 Ancient Regime by Charles Kingsley: inclinations, standing up for oppressed and suffering virtue against
all wrong, promoting the advancement of men of merit, and in every
way facilitating the acquirement of knowledge and science;"--of this
honest silly man, and his attempts to carry out all his fine
projects by calling himself Spartacus, Bavaria Achaia, Austria
Egypt, Vienna Rome, and so forth;--of Knigge, who picked his honest
brains, quarrelled with him, and then made money and fame out of his
plans, for as long as they lasted;--of Bode, the knight of the
lilies of the valley, who, having caught Duke Ernest of Saxe Gotha,
was himself caught by Knigge, and his eight, nine, or more ascending
orders of unwisdom;--and finally of the Jesuits who, really with
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