| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Bucolics by Virgil: Shalt thou lack never, both when we pay the Nymphs
Our yearly vows, and when with lustral rites
The fields we hallow. Long as the wild boar
Shall love the mountain-heights, and fish the streams,
While bees on thyme and crickets feed on dew,
Thy name, thy praise, thine honour, shall endure.
Even as to Bacchus and to Ceres, so
To thee the swain his yearly vows shall make;
And thou thereof, like them, shalt quittance claim."
MOPSUS
How, how repay thee for a song so rare?
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from In a German Pension by Katherine Mansfield: was a jar of hyacinths given her by the landlady's daughter: it stood on
the table exuding a sickly perfume from its plump petals; there were even
rich buds unfolding, and the leaves shone like oil.
Viola went over to the washstand, poured some water into the enamel basin,
and sponged her face and neck. She dipped her face into the water, opened
her eyes, and shook her head from side to side--it was exhilarating. She
did it three times. "I suppose I could drown myself if I stayed under long
enough," she thought. "I wonder how long it takes to become
unconscious?...Often read of women drowning in a bucket. I wonder if any
air enters by the ears--if the basin would have to be as deep as a bucket?"
She experimented--gripped the washstand with both hands and slowly sank her
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