| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Deputy of Arcis by Honore de Balzac: black coat and trousers, with an effulgent white waistcoat, opened in
such a way as to show two diamond shirt-buttons worth several thousand
francs.
"We shall fight, but we shall not be the less good friends," he said.
"That is the essence of constitutional morals; he! he! he! That is how
/I/ understand the alliance of monarchy with liberty; ha! ha! ha!"
Whereupon the mayor took Simon's hand, saying:
"How are you, my good friend? Your dear aunt and our worthy colonel
are no doubt as well to-day as they were yesterday,--that is, I
presume so,--he! he! he!" adding, with an air of perfect beatitude,
"perhaps a little agitated by the ceremony now about to take place.
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Woodlanders by Thomas Hardy: the material interest he possessed in the woodman's life, and he
had, accordingly, made a point of avoiding Marty's house.
While he was here in the garden somebody came to fetch him. It
was Marty herself, and she showed her distress by her
unconsciousness of a cropped poll.
"Father is still so much troubled in his mind about that tree,"
she said. "You know the tree I mean, Mr. Winterborne? the tall
one in front of the house, that he thinks will blow down and kill
us. Can you come and see if you can persuade him out of his
notion? I can do nothing."
He accompanied her to the cottage, and she conducted him up-
The Woodlanders |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Charmides by Plato: necessary in prose as well as in verse: clauses, sentences, paragraphs,
must be in due proportion. Metre and even rhyme may be rarely admitted;
though neither is a legitimate element of prose writing, they may help to
lighten a cumbrous expression (Symp.). The translation should retain as
far as possible the characteristic qualities of the ancient writer--his
freedom, grace, simplicity, stateliness, weight, precision; or the best
part of him will be lost to the English reader. It should read as an
original work, and should also be the most faithful transcript which can be
made of the language from which the translation is taken, consistently with
the first requirement of all, that it be English. Further, the translation
being English, it should also be perfectly intelligible in itself without
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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 The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald: "Certainly not for a common swindler who'd have to steal the ring he
put on her finger."
"I won't stand this!" cried Daisy. "Oh, please let's get out."
"Who are you, anyhow?" broke out Tom. "You're one of that bunch that
hangs around with Meyer Wolfshiem--that much I happen to know. I've made
a little investigation into your affairs--and I'll carry it further
to-morrow."
"You can suit yourself about that, old sport." said Gatsby steadily.
"I found out what your 'drug-stores' were." He turned to us and spoke
rapidly. "He and this Wolfshiem bought up a lot of side-street drug-stores
here and in Chicago and sold grain alcohol over the counter. That's one of
The Great Gatsby |
