| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Taras Bulba and Other Tales by Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol: resembling the neighing of a horse.
"I pray my lord to do us a service!" exclaimed the Jew: "this prince
has come hither from a foreign land, and wants to get a look at the
Cossacks. He never, in all his life, has seen what sort of people the
Cossacks are."
The advent of foreign counts and barons was common enough in Poland:
they were often drawn thither by curiosity to view this half-Asiatic
corner of Europe. They regarded Moscow and the Ukraine as situated in
Asia. So the heyduke bowed low, and thought fit to add a few words of
his own.
"I do not know, your excellency," said he, "why you should desire to
Taras Bulba and Other Tales |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Koran: remembrance of his Lord He will drive him to severe torment.
And (say) that the mosques are God's, and that ye should not call on
any one with God, and that when God's servant stood up to pray they
called out to him and well-nigh crowded upon him. Say, 'I only call
upon my Lord, and I join no one with Him.'
Say, 'Verily, I cannot control for you either harm, or right
direction.'
Say, 'Verily, as for me none can protect me against God, nor do I
find any refuge beside Him,-except delivering the message from God and
His errands: and whoso rebels against God and His Apostle, verily, for
him is the fire of hell for them to dwell therein for ever and for
The Koran |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Protagoras by Plato: At the same time he felt for the truckle-bed, and sat down at my feet, and
then he said: Yesterday quite late in the evening, on my return from Oenoe
whither I had gone in pursuit of my runaway slave Satyrus, as I meant to
have told you, if some other matter had not come in the way;--on my return,
when we had done supper and were about to retire to rest, my brother said
to me: Protagoras is come. I was going to you at once, and then I thought
that the night was far spent. But the moment sleep left me after my
fatigue, I got up and came hither direct.
I, who knew the very courageous madness of the man, said: What is the
matter? Has Protagoras robbed you of anything?
He replied, laughing: Yes, indeed he has, Socrates, of the wisdom which he
|
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 Secret Sharer by Joseph Conrad: "Are you aware that there is a ship anchored inside the islands?
I saw her mastheads above the ridge as the sun went down."
He raised sharply his simple face, overcharged by a terrible
growth of whisker, and emitted his usual ejaculations:
"Bless my soul, sir! You don't say so!"
My second mate was a round-cheeked, silent young man, grave beyond
his years, I thought; but as our eyes happened to meet I
detected a slight quiver on his lips. I looked down at once.
It was not my part to encourage sneering on board my ship.
It must be said, too, that I knew very little of my officers.
In consequence of certain events of no particular significance,
The Secret Sharer |
