| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Pierre Grassou by Honore de Balzac: fellows, eccentric spirits, droll or fiery, or else gloomy and deeply
reflective, which argue future talent. Everything about Pierre Grassou
smacked of mediocrity. His nickname "Fougeres" (that of the painter in
the play of "The Eglantine") was the source of much teasing; but, by
force of circumstances, he accepted the name of the town in which he
had first seen light.
Grassou of Fougeres resembled his name. Plump and of medium height, he
had a dull complexion, brown eyes, black hair, a turned-up nose,
rather wide mouth, and long ears. His gentle, passive, and resigned
air gave a certain relief to these leading features of a physiognomy
that was full of health, but wanting in action. This young man, born
|
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Jungle Tales of Tarzan by Edgar Rice Burroughs: In frenzied excitement, Teeka fairly danced upon
the limb which swayed beneath her great weight as she
urged on the males of her people, and Thaka, and Mumga,
and Kamma, with the other shes of the tribe of Kerchak,
added their shrill cries or fierce barkings to the
pandemonium which now reigned within the jungle.
Bitten and biting, tearing and torn, Sheeta battled
for his life; but the odds were against him. Even Numa,
the lion, would have hesitated to have attacked an equal
number of the great bulls of the tribe of Kerchak, and now,
a half mile away, hearing the sounds of the terrific battle,
The Jungle Tales of Tarzan |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allan Poe: asleep, from the wide and rigid opening of the eye as I caught a
glance of it in profile. The motion of his body, too, was at
variance with this idea--for he rocked from side to side with a
gentle yet constant and uniform sway. Having rapidly taken
notice of all this, I resumed the narrative of Sir Launcelot,
which thus proceeded:
"And now, the champion, having escaped from the terrible
fury of the dragon, bethinking himself of the brazen shield, and
of the breaking up of the enchantment which was upon it, removed
the carcass from out of the way before him, and approached
valorously over the silver pavement of the castle to where
The Fall of the House of Usher |
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 When the World Shook by H. Rider Haggard: countries. He rose and, turning, knelt before the statue of Fate.
Indeed he prostrated himself thrice in prayer. Then taking his
seat again, he lifted a cup of wine and pledged that vast
company. They drank back to him and prostrated themselves before
him as he had done before the image of Fate. Only I noted that
certain men clad in sacerdotal garments not at all unlike those
which are worn in the Greek Church to-day, remained standing.
Now all this exhibition of terrestrial pomp faded. The next
scene was simple, that of the death-bed of this same king--we
knew him by his wizened features. There he lay, terribly old and
dying. Physicians, women, courtiers, all were there watching the
When the World Shook |
