| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Muse of the Department by Honore de Balzac: It was at this crisis that Madame Piedefer came in, saying to her
daughter:
"What is the matter? What has happened?"
"Give your daughter another dress at once," said the audacious
Parisian in the prim old lady's ear.
Hearing the mad gallop of Gatien's horse, Madame de la Baudraye fled
to her bedroom, followed by her mother.
"There are no papers at the inn," said Gatien to Lousteau, who went
out to meet him.
"And you found none at the Chateau d'Anzy either?" replied Lousteau.
"You have been making a fool of me," said Gatien, in a cold, set
The Muse of the Department |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Parmenides by Plato: must be thrice; that is, if twice one makes two, and thrice one three?
Certainly.
There are two, and twice, and therefore there must be twice two; and there
are three, and there is thrice, and therefore there must be thrice three?
Of course.
If there are three and twice, there is twice three; and if there are
two and thrice, there is thrice two?
Undoubtedly.
Here, then, we have even taken even times, and odd taken odd times, and
even taken odd times, and odd taken even times.
True.
|
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The Turn of the Screw by Henry James: was what I succeeded in practically proving. I had an absolute
certainty that I should see again what I had already seen,
but something within me said that by offering myself bravely
as the sole subject of such experience, by accepting, by inviting,
by surmounting it all, I should serve as an expiatory victim
and guard the tranquility of my companions. The children,
in especial, I should thus fence about and absolutely save.
I recall one of the last things I said that night to Mrs. Grose.
"It does strike me that my pupils have never mentioned--"
She looked at me hard as I musingly pulled up. "His having been
here and the time they were with him?"
|
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 Eve and David by Honore de Balzac: and the manager of the foundry at Ruelle, and the public prosecutor,
M. Milaud, and all the authorities, have just gone in!"
The bank struck up as they sat down to table with variations on the
air Vive le roy, vive la France, a melody which has never found
popular favor. It was then five o'clock in the evening; it was eight
o'clock before dessert was served. Conspicuous among the sixty-five
dishes appeared an Olympus in confectionery, surmounted by a figure of
France modeled in chocolate, to give the signal for toasts and
speeches.
"Gentlemen," called the prefect, rising to his feet, "the King! the
rightful ruler of France! To what do we owe the generation of poets
|
