| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Scenes from a Courtesan's Life by Honore de Balzac: belongings--so appropriate to the bohemian existence of the girl who
knelt stricken in her unbuttoned garments, like a horse dying in
harness under the broken shafts entangled in the reins--did the whole
strange scene suggest any thoughts to the priest? Did he say to
himself that this erring creature must at least be disinterested to
live in such poverty when her lover was young and rich? Did he ascribe
the disorder of the room to the disorder of her life? Did he feel pity
or terror? Was his charity moved?
To see him, his arms folded, his brow dark, his lips set, his eye
harsh, any one must have supposed him absorbed in morose feelings of
hatred, considerations that jostled each other, sinister schemes. He
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Augsburg Confession by Philip Melanchthon: past the Penitential Canons increased, whereof we still see
some traces in the satisfactions.
Again, the authors of traditions do contrary to the command of
God when they find matters of sin in foods, in days, and like
things, and burden the Church with bondage of the law, as if
there ought to be among Christians, in order to merit
justification a service like the Levitical, the arrangement of
which God had committed to the Apostles and bishops. For thus
some of them write; and the Pontiffs in some measure seem to
be misled by the example of the law of Moses. Hence are such
burdens, as that they make it mortal sin, even without offense
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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 Within the Tides by Joseph Conrad: half-closed, looked down on his head - so that to a beholder (such
as Professor Moorsom, for instance) she would appear to be turning
over in her mind profound thoughts about that man sitting at her
feet, his shoulders bowed a little, his hands listless - as if
vanquished. And, indeed, the moral poison of falsehood has such a
decomposing power that Renouard felt his old personality turn to
dead dust. Often, in the evening, when they sat outside conversing
languidly in the dark, he felt that he must rest his forehead on
her feet and burst into tears.
The professor's sister suffered from some little strain caused by
the unstability of her own feelings toward Renouard. She could not
Within the Tides |
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 Chouans by Honore de Balzac: to Barbette, who had sought him out as soon as she had reached
Fougeres.
"Have you got eyes? Look at the rocks of Saint-Sulpice, there, my good
man, to the right of Saint-Leonard."
Corentin, who was with Hulot, looked towards the summit in the
direction pointed out by Barbette, and, as the fog was beginning to
lift, he could see with some distinctness the column of white smoke
the woman told of.
"But when is he coming, old woman?--to-night, or this evening?"
"My good man," said Barbette, "I don't know."
"Why do you betray your own side?" said Hulot, quickly, having drawn
The Chouans |
