| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Second Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling: straightening, set it upright in a little hole in the ice,
firming it down with his mitten. It was almost as delicately
adjusted as a compass-needle, and now instead of listening they
watched. The thin rod quivered a little--the least little jar
in the world; then it vibrated steadily for a few seconds,
came to rest, and vibrated again, this time nodding to another
point of the compass.
"Too soon!" said Kotuko. "Some big floe has broken far away
outside."
The girl pointed at the rod, and shook her head. "It is the big
breaking," she said. "Listen to the ground-ice. It knocks."
The Second Jungle Book |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Wife, et al by Anton Chekhov: their tails between their legs gazing at them feelingly.
"We must take shelter somewhere," said Burkin. "Let us go to
Alehin's; it's close by."
"Come along."
They turned aside a nd walked through mown fields, sometimes
going straight forward, sometimes turning to the right, till they
came out on the road. Soon they saw poplars, a garden, then the
red roofs of barns; there was a gleam of the river, and the view
opened on to a broad expanse of water with a windmill and a white
bath-house: this was Sofino, where Alehin lived.
The watermill was at work, drowning the sound of the rain; the
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