| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The People That Time Forgot by Edgar Rice Burroughs: any thought that I might entertain suspicion as to his
sincerity, I promptly and courteously accepted his invitation.
His satisfaction was evident, and as we set off toward his village,
he walked beside me, asking many questions as to the country
from which I came, its peoples and their customs. He seemed
much mystified by the fact that we could walk abroad by day or
night without fear of being devoured by wild beasts or savage
reptiles, and when I told him of the great armies which we
maintained, his simple mind could not grasp the fact that they
existed solely for the slaughtering of human beings.
"I am glad," he said, "that I do not dwell in your country
The People That Time Forgot |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Salome by Oscar Wilde: pas votre mere. Elle vous donne toujours de mauvais conseils. Il
ne faut pas l'ecouter.
SALOME. Je n'ecoute pas ma mere. C'est pour mon propre plaisir que
je demande la tete d'Iokanaan dans un bassin d'argent. Vous avez
jure, Herode. N'oubliez pas que vous avez jure.
HERODE. Je le sais. J'ai jure par mes dieux. Je le sais bien.
Mais je vous supplie, Salome, de me demander autre chose. Demandez-
moi la moitie de mon royaume, et je vous la donnerai. Mais ne me
demandez pas ce que vous m'avez demande.
SALOME. Je vous demande la tete d'Iokanaan.
HERODE. Non, non, je ne veux pas.
|
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The Country Doctor by Honore de Balzac: borne a part in every battle in which the Imperial Guard has struck a
blow; but everybody knows all about these events. A soldier has to
look after his horse, to endure hunger and thirst at times, to fight
whenever there is fighting to be done, and there you have the whole
history of his life. As simple as saying good-day, is it not? Then
there are battles in which your horse casts a shoe at the outset, and
lands you in a quandary; and as far as you are concerned, that is the
whole of it. In short, I have seen so many countries, that seeing them
has come to be a matter of course; and I have seen so many men die,
that I have come to value my own life at nothing."
"But you yourself must have been in danger at times, and it would be
|
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 Firm of Nucingen by Honore de Balzac: art. Promoters did not even publish the gigantic prospectuses with
which they stimulate the imagination, and at the same time make
demands for money of all and sundry."
"That only comes when nobody wishes to part with money," said Couture.
"In short, there was no competition in investments," continued Bixiou.
"Paper-mache manufacturers, cotton printers, zinc-rollers, theatres,
and newspapers as yet did not hurl themselves like hunting dogs upon
their quarry--the expiring shareholder. 'Nice things in shares,' as
Couture says, put thus artlessly before the public, and backed up by
the opinions of experts ('the princes of science'), were negotiated
shamefacedly in the silence and shadow of the Bourse. Lynx-eyed
|
