| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Songs of Innocence and Experience by William Blake: To rise from generation free:
Then what have I to do with thee?
The sexes sprung from shame and pride,
Blowed in the morn, in evening died;
But mercy changed death into sleep;
The sexes rose to work and weep.
Thou, mother of my mortal part,
With cruelty didst mould my heart,
And with false self-deceiving tears
Didst blind my nostrils, eyes, and ears,
Didst close my tongue in senseless clay,
Songs of Innocence and Experience |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Dream Life and Real Life by Olive Schreiner: is everything to me; there is nothing else in the world. You, who are so
great, and strong, and clever, and who care only for your work, and for men
as your friends, you cannot understand what it is when one person is
everything to you, when there is nothing else in the world!"
"And what do you want me to do?"
"Oh, I don't know!" She looked up. "A woman knows what she can do. Don't
tell him that I love him." She looked up again. "Just say something to
him. Oh, it's so terrible to be a woman; I can't do anything. You won't
tell him exactly that I love him? That's the thing that makes a man hate a
woman, if you tell it him plainly."
"If I speak to him I must speak openly. He is my friend. I cannot fence
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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 A Start in Life by Honore de Balzac: sub-lieutenant, and was decorated by,--there are no informers here,
I'm sure,--by the Emperor."
"What! are you decorated?" cried Oscar. "Why don't you wear your
cross?"
"The cross of 'ceux-ci'? No, thank you! Besides, what man of any
breeding would wear his decorations in travelling? There's monsieur,"
he said, motioning to the Comte de Serizy. "I'll bet whatever you
like--"
"Betting whatever you like means, in France, betting nothing at all,"
said Mistigris's master.
"I'll bet whatever you like," repeated Georges, incisively, "that
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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 Les Miserables by Victor Hugo: "You don't seem glad to see me."
Marius held his peace; she remained silent for a moment, then exclaimed:--
"But if I choose, nevertheless, I could force you to look glad!"
"What?" demanded Marius. "What do you mean?"
"Ah! you used to call me thou," she retorted.
"Well, then, what dost thou mean?"
She bit her lips; she seemed to hesitate, as though a prey to some
sort of inward conflict. At last she appeared to come to a decision.
"So much the worse, I don't care. You have a melancholy air,
I want you to be pleased. Only promise me that you will smile.
I want to see you smile and hear you say: `Ah, well, that's good.'
Les Miserables |
