Today's Stichomancy for Friedrich Nietzsche

The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Massimilla Doni by Honore de Balzac:

fairy tale!"

The Sicilian perched herself on the bed with the artless freedom of an animal, the yearning of a plant for the sun, the airy motion of a branch waltzing to the breeze. As she unbuttoned the wristbands of her sleeves, she began to sing, not in the pitch that won her the applause of an audience at the /Fenice/, but in a warble tender with emotion. Her song was a zephyr carrying the caresses of her love to the heart.

She stole a glance at Emilio, who was as much embarrassed as she; for this woman of the stage had lost all the boldness that had sparkled in her eyes and given decision to her voice and gestures when she dismissed the Duke. She was as humble as a courtesan who has fallen in

The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Malbone: An Oldport Romance by Thomas Wentworth Higginson:

"Fear?"

"Yes, fear. That is just what troubles me. I know precisely how he loves her. Il se laisse aimer. Philip likes to be petted, as much as any cat, and, while he will purr, Hope is happy. Very few men accept idolatry with any degree of grace, but he unfortunately does."

"Unfortunately?" remonstrated Hal, as far as ever from being satisfied. "This is really too bad. You never will do him any justice."

"Ah?" said Aunt Jane, chilling again, "I thought I did. I observe he is very much afraid of me, and there seems to be no

The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Salome by Oscar Wilde:

me fait mal, ma couronne de roses. On dirait que ces fleurs sont faites de feu. Elles ont brule mon front. [Il arrache de sa tete la couronne, et la jette sur la table.] Ah! enfin, je respire. Comme ils sont rouges ces petales! On dirait des taches de sang sur la nappe. Cela ne fait rien. Il ne faut pas trouver des symboles dans chaque chose qu'on voit. Cela rend la vie impossible. Il serait mieux de dire que les taches de sang sont aussi belles que les petales de roses. Il serait beaucoup mieux de dire cela . . . Mais ne parlons pas de cela. Maintenant je suis heureux. Je suis tres heureux. J'ai le droit d'etre heureux, n'est-ce pas? Votre fille va danser pour moi. N'est-ce pas que vous allez danser pour

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 Eugenie Grandet by Honore de Balzac:

can't disguise my thoughts; I speak roughly. Thunder! it is sublime!"

"Th-then s-s-sublime th-things c-c-cost d-dear," answered the goodman, as the banker warmly wrung his hand.

"But this, my dear Grandet,--if the president will excuse me,--is a purely commercial matter, and needs a consummate business man. Your agent must be some one fully acquainted with the markets,--with disbursements, rebates, interest calculations, and so forth. I am going to Paris on business of my own, and I can take charge of--"

"We'll see about t-t-trying to m-m-manage it b-b-between us, under the p-p-peculiar c-c-circumstances, b-b-but without b-b-binding m-m-myself to anything th-that I c-c-could not do," said Grandet, stuttering;

Eugenie Grandet