| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Village Rector by Honore de Balzac: ears with large edges discolored by the condition of his blood,--in
short, he was an ancient satyr in a black satin waistcoat, brown
frock-coat, and white cravat. His strong and vigorous shoulders, which
began life by bearing heavy burdens, were now rather bent; and beneath
this torso, unduly developed, came a pair of weak legs, rather badly
affixed to the short thighs. His thin and hairy hands had the crooked
fingers of those whose business it is to handle money. The habit of
quick decision could be seen in the way the eyebrows rose into a point
over each arch of the eye. Though the mouth was grave and pinched, its
expression was that of inward kindliness; it told of an excellent
nature, sunk in business, smothered possibly, though it might revive
|
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Cousin Pons by Honore de Balzac: jeu/; it is a question of my fortune." Therewith she explained her
position, and wished to know if her sordid hopes were likely to be
realized.
"Do you know what the /grand jeu/ means?" asked Mme. Fontaine, with
much solemnity.
"No, I haven't never seen the trick, I am not rich enough.--A hundred
francs! It's not as if it cost so much! Where was the money to come
from? But now I can't help myself, I must have it."
"I don't do it often, child," returned Mme. Fontaine; "I only do it
for rich people on great occasions, and they pay me twenty-five louis
for doing it; it tires me, you see, it wears me out. The 'Spirit'
|
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The Lesser Bourgeoisie by Honore de Balzac: "Assuredly," said the young man, "I am far from belonging to the
dynastic party; I am very far from approving of the rise of the
bourgeoisie to power. The bourgeoisie ought not, any more than the
aristocracy of other days, to assume to be the whole nation. But the
French bourgeoisie has now taken upon itself to create a new dynasty,
a royalty of its own, and behold how it treats it! When the people
allowed Napoleon to rise to power, it created with him a splendid and
monumental state of things; it was proud of his grandeur; and it nobly
gave its blood and sweat in building up the edifice of the Empire.
Between the magnificence of the aristocratic throne and those of the
imperial purple, between the great of the earth and the People, the
|
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 Iliad by Homer: rose heavenward. They cheered each other on to draw the ships
into the sea; they cleared the channels in front of them; they
began taking away the stays from underneath them, and the welkin
rang with their glad cries, so eager were they to return.
Then surely the Argives would have returned after a fashion that
was not fated. But Juno said to Minerva, "Alas, daughter of
aegis-bearing Jove, unweariable, shall the Argives fly home to
their own land over the broad sea, and leave Priam and the
Trojans the glory of still keeping Helen, for whose sake so many
of the Achaeans have died at Troy, far from their homes? Go about
at once among the host, and speak fairly to them, man by man,
The Iliad |
