| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy: "Very well. I do your bidding. I owe that to you, darling,
in penance for how I overruled it at the first time. My God,
how selfish I was! Perhaps--perhaps I spoilt one of the highest
and purest loves that ever existed between man and woman! ...
Then let the veil of our temple be rent in two from this hour!"
He went to the bed, removed one of the pair of pillows thereon,
and flung it to the floor.
Sue looked at him, and bending over the bed-rail wept silently.
"You don't see that it is a matter of conscience with me, and not
of dislike to you!" she brokenly murmured. "Dislike to you!
But I can't say any more--it breaks my heart--it will be undoing all I
Jude the Obscure |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Salammbo by Gustave Flaubert: drive back the slaves, who were curious to see their master, so that
he might not be assailed by their numbers or inconvenienced by their
smell.
Then they all threw themselves flat on the ground, crying:
"Eye of Baal, may your house flourish!" And through these people as
they lay thus on the ground in the avenue of cypress trees, Abdalonim,
the Steward of the stewards, waving a white miter, advanced towards
Hamilcar with a censer in his hand.
Salammbo was then coming down the galley staircases. All her slave
women followed her; and, at each of her steps, they also descended.
The heads of the Negresses formed big black spots on the line of the
Salammbo |
