Today's Stichomancy for George Orwell
| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Rise and Fall of Cesar Birotteau by Honore de Balzac: suppose I content myself with letting the poor fool swim at the end of
a line I'll hold for him?"
Honest minds are devoid of tact; their excellence is uncalculating,
even unreflecting, because they are wholly without evasions or mental
reservations of their own. Birotteau now brought about his downfall;
he incensed the tiger, pierced him to the heart without knowing it,
made him implacable by a thoughtless word, a eulogy, a virtuous
recognition,--by the kind-heartedness, as it were, of his own
integrity. When the cashier entered, du Tillet motioned him to take
notice of Cesar.
"Monsieur Legras, bring me ten thousand francs, and a note of hand for
Rise and Fall of Cesar Birotteau |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Egmont by Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe: even then my heart was filled with grief and anguish to behold thee thus.
Thy doom is real! Is certain! No, I cannot command myself. Who will
counsel, who will aid me, to meet the inevitable?
Egmont. Hearken then to me! If thy heart is impelled so powerfully in my
favour, if thou dost abhor the tyranny that holds me fettered, then deliver
me! The moments are precious. Thou art the son of the all-powerful, and
thou hast power thyself. Let us fly! I know the roads; the means of
effecting our escape cannot be unknown to thee. These walls, a few short
miles, alone separate me from my friends. Loose these fetters, conduct me
to them; be ours. The king, on some future day, will doubtless thank my
deliverer. Now he is taken by surprise, or perchance he is ignorant of the
Egmont |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Four Arthurian Romances by Chretien DeTroyes: multitude of ships. It is certainly true that, to judge by the
commotion, all Brittany is under way. Now the ships have crossed
the Channel, and the assembled host is quartered on the shore.
Alexander bethought himself to go and pray the King to make him a
knight, for if ever he should win renown it will be in this war.
Prompted by his desire, he takes his companions with him to
accomplish what he has in mind. On reaching the King's quarters,
they found him seated before his tent. When he saw the Greeks
approaching, he summoned them to him, saying: "Gentlemen, do not
conceal what business has brought you here." Alexander replied
on behalf of all, and told him his desire: "I have come," he
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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 Dead Souls by Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol: 'Sell me any souls of yours which have lately died.' Of course, Madame
Korobotchka answered, reasonably enough: 'I cannot sell you those
souls, seeing that they have departed this world;' but he replied:
'No, no! They are NOT dead. 'Tis I who tell you that--I who ought to
know the truth of the matter. I swear that they are still alive.' In
short, he made such a scene that the whole village came running to the
house, and children screamed, and men shouted, and no one could tell
what it was all about. The affair seemed to me so horrible, so utterly
horrible, that I trembled beyond belief as I listened to the story.
'My dearest madam,' said my maid, Mashka, 'pray look at yourself in
the mirror, and see how white you are.' 'But I have no time for that,'
Dead Souls |
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