| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Almayer's Folly by Joseph Conrad: for Nina's appearance. She was in one of her bad days, and
remained in her mother's hut watching with her the ceremonious
proceedings on the verandah. The Rajah departed, baffled but
courteous, and soon Almayer began to reap the benefit of
improved relations with the ruler in the shape of the recovery of
some debts, paid to him with many apologies and many a low salaam
by debtors till then considered hopelessly insolvent. Under
these improving circumstances Almayer brightened up a little.
All was not lost perhaps. Those Arabs and Malays saw at last
that he was a man of some ability, he thought. And he began,
after his manner, to plan great things, to dream of great
Almayer's Folly |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Amy Foster by Joseph Conrad: looks black at me as if he wanted to cut my throat,
whistles the dog, and off he goes, leaving me to do
the work.' The Fosters, of course, didn't like to
lose the wages the girl earned: Amy used to give all
her money to her mother. But there was in Foster
a very genuine aversion to that match. He con-
tended that the fellow was very good with sheep,
but was not fit for any girl to marry. For one
thing, he used to go along the hedges muttering to
himself like a dam' fool; and then, these foreign-
ers behave very queerly to women sometimes. And
Amy Foster |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Vailima Prayers & Sabbath Morn by Robert Louis Stevenson: while the Samoans - men, women, and children - trooped in through
all the open doors, some carrying lanterns if the evening were
dark, all moving quietly and dropping with Samoan decorum in a wide
semicircle on the floor beneath a great lamp that hung from the
ceiling. The service began by my son reading a chapter from the
Samoan Bible, Tusitala following with a prayer in English,
sometimes impromptu, but more often from the notes in this little
book, interpolating or changing with the circumstance of the day.
Then came the singing of one or more hymns in the native tongue,
and the recitation in concert of the Lord's Prayer, also in Samoan.
Many of these hymns were set to ancient tunes, very wild and
|
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 Underdogs by Mariano Azuela: Trees, brush, and cactus shone fresh after rain. Heavy
drops of limpid water fell from rocks, ocher in hue as
rusty armor.
Demetrio Macias' men grew silent for a moment.
They believed they heard the familiar rumor of firing in
the distance. A few minutes elapsed but the sound was
not repeated.
"In this same sierra," Demetrio said, "with but twenty
men I killed five hundred Federals. Remember, Anasta-
sio?"
As Demetrio began to tell that famous exploit, the
The Underdogs |
