| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Bureaucracy by Honore de Balzac: miraculous waistcoats, in trousers that were tight, half-tight,
pleated, or embroidered; in superfine boots, well-made coats which
outlined his elegant figure; in bewitching collars, spotless gloves,
and immaculate hats. A ring with a coat of arms adorned his hand,
outside his glove, from which dangled a handsome cane; with these
accessories he endeavoured to assume the air and manner of a wealthy
young man. After the office closed he appeared in the great walk of
the Tuileries, with a tooth-pick in his mouth, as though he were a
millionaire who had just dined. Always on the lookout for a woman,--an
Englishwoman, a foreigner of some kind, or a widow,--who might fall in
love with him, he practised the art of twirling his cane and of
|
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Black Dwarf by Walter Scott: safe and skaithless, sae there's nae ill happened yet but what
may be suffered or sustained;--Wad ye but come out a gliff; man,
or but say ye're listening?--Aweel, since ye winna answer, I'se
e'en proceed wi' my tale. Ye see I hae been thinking it wad be a
sair thing on twa young folk, like Grace and me, to put aff our
marriage for mony years till I was abroad and came back again wi'
some gear; and they say folk maunna take booty in the wars as
they did lang syne, and the queen's pay is a sma' matter; there's
nae gathering gear on that--and then my grandame's auld--and my
sisters wad sit peengin' at the ingle-side for want o' me to ding
them about--and Earnscliff, or the neighbourhood, or maybe your
|
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from King James Bible: then they shall both of them die, both the man that lay with the woman,
and the woman: so shalt thou put away evil from Israel.
DEU 22:23 If a damsel that is a virgin be betrothed unto an husband,
and a man find her in the city, and lie with her;
DEU 22:24 Then ye shall bring them both out unto the gate of that city,
and ye shall stone them with stones that they die; the damsel, because
she cried not, being in the city; and the man, because he hath humbled
his neighbour's wife: so thou shalt put away evil from among you.
DEU 22:25 But if a man find a betrothed damsel in the field, and the
man force her, and lie with her: then the man only that lay with her
shall die.
King James Bible |
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 Hidden Masterpiece by Honore de Balzac: "He loves me no longer!" thought Gillette, when she was once more
alone.
She regretted her promise. But before long she fell a prey to an
anguish far more cruel than her regret; and she struggled vainly to
drive forth a terrible fear which forced its way into her mind. She
felt that she loved him less as the suspicion rose in her heart that
he was less worthy than she had thought him.
CHAPTER II
Three months after the first meeting of Porbus and Poussin, the former
went to see Maitre Frenhofer. He found the old man a prey to one of
those deep, self-developed discouragements, whose cause, if we are to
|
