| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Duchess of Padua by Oscar Wilde: There is a man in Germany called Luther,
Who would reform the Holy Catholic Church.
Have you not made him heretic, and uttered
Anathema, maranatha, against him?
CARDINAL
[rising from his seat]
He would have led the sheep out of the fold,
We do but ask of you to feed the sheep.
DUKE
When I have shorn their fleeces I may feed them.
As for these rebels -
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Michael Strogoff by Jules Verne: least disastrously.
"That would not have been so amusing," exclaimed
Nicholas, rubbing his hands, as they disembarked on the
right bank of the river, "if it had not been so difficult."
"That which has only been difficult to us, friend," an-
swered Michael Strogoff, "will, perhaps, be impossible to the
Tartars."
CHAPTER VIII
A HARE CROSSES THE ROAD
MICHAEL STROGOFF might at last hope that the road to
Irkutsk was clear. He had distanced the Tartars, now de-
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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 The Waste Land by T. S. Eliot: Ta ta. Goonight. Goonight.
Good night, ladies, good night, sweet ladies, good night, good night.
III. THE FIRE SERMON
THE river's tent is broken: the last fingers of leaf
Clutch and sink into the wet bank. The wind
Crosses the brown land, unheard. The nymphs are departed.
Sweet Thames, run softly, till I end my song.
The river bears no empty bottles, sandwich papers,
Silk handkerchiefs, cardboard boxes, cigarette ends
Or other testimony of summer nights. The nymphs are departed.
And their friends, the loitering heirs of city directors; 180
The Waste Land |
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 Westward Ho! by Charles Kingsley: where is there? How is the tide, master?"
"Running up Channel by this time, sir."
"What matters the tide?" said Amyas, devouring the ship with
terrible and cold blue eyes. "Can't we get at her?"
"Not unless some one jumps out and shoves behind," said Cary. "I
shall down again and finish that mackerel, if this roll has not
chucked it to the cockroaches under the table."
"Don't jest, Will! I can't stand it," said Amyas, in a voice which
quivered so much that Cary looked at him. His whole frame was
trembling like an aspen. Cary took his arm, and drew him aside.
"Dear old lad," said he, as they leaned over the bulwarks, "what is
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