| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Alkahest by Honore de Balzac: Spain. At this moment, when we first see her, the charm which in
earlier days despotically grasped the soul of poets and lovers of
poesy now emanated from that head with greater vigor than at any
former period of her life, spending itself, as it were, upon the void,
and expressing a nature of all-powerful fascination over men, though
it was at the same time powerless over destiny.
When her eyes turned from the glass globes, where they were gazing at
the fish they saw not, she raised them with a despairing action, as if
to invoke the skies. Her sufferings seemed of a kind that are told to
God alone. The silence was unbroken save for the chirp of crickets and
the shrill whirr of a few locusts, coming from the little garden then
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from A Princess of Parms by Edgar Rice Burroughs: horror of my position.
Shortly after this episode another prisoner was brought in
and chained near me. By the dim torch light I saw that he
was a red Martian and I could scarcely await the departure
of his guards to address him. As their retreating footsteps
died away in the distance, I called out softly the Martian
word of greeting, kaor.
"Who are you who speaks out of the darkness?" he answered
"John Carter, a friend of the red men of Helium."
"I am of Helium," he said, "but I do not recall your name."
And then I told him my story as I have written it here,
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| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Pericles by William Shakespeare: DAUGHTER.
Of all say'd yet, mayst thou prove prosperous!
Of all say'd yet, I wish thee happiness!
PERICLES
Like a bold champion, I assume THe lists,
Nor ask advice of any other thought
But faithfulness and courage.
[He reads the riddle.]
I am no viper, yet I feed
On mother's flesh which did me breed.
I sought a husband, in which labour
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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 Travels of Sir John Mandeville by Sir John Mandeville: hand. And therewithal he holdeth caliphs, that is a full great
thing in their language, and it is as much to say as king.
And there were wont to be five soldans; but now there is no more
but he of Egypt. And the first soldan was Zarocon, that was of
Media, as was father to Saladin that took the Caliph of Egypt and
slew him, and was made soldan by strength. After that was Soldan
Saladin, in whose time the King of England, Richard the First, with
many other, kept the passage, that Saladin ne might not pass.
After Saladin reigned his son Boradin, and after him his nephew.
After that, the Comanians that were in servage in Egypt, felt
themselves that they were of great power, they chose them a soldan
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