| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Adieu by Honore de Balzac: obliterated, like the wake of a vessel through the sea. They could
only creep along, being often stopped by soldiers who threatened to
kill their horses.
"Do you want to reach the bridge?" said the grenadier.
"At the cost of my life--at the cost of the whole world!"
"Then forward, march! you can't make omelets without breaking eggs."
And the grenadier of the guard urged the horses over men and bivouacs
with bloody wheels and a double line of corpses on either side of
them. We must do him the justice to say that he never spared his
breath in shouting in stentorian tones,--
"Look out there, carrion!"
|
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from 'Twixt Land & Sea by Joseph Conrad: such a thing?"
"Preposterous - isn't it?"
We were walking to and fro athwart the quarterdeck. No one of the
crew forward could be seen (the day was Sunday), and the mate
pursued:
"There was some little dispute about it. Our chaps took offence.
'As if we would harbour a thing like that,' they said. 'Wouldn't
you like to look for him in our coal-hole?' Quite a tiff. But
they made it up in the end. I suppose he did drown himself. Don't
you, sir?"
"I don't suppose anything."
'Twixt Land & Sea |
