| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Twice Told Tales by Nathaniel Hawthorne: anxious to substitute."
"And the cost, Peter, eh?" said Mr. Brown, as he withdrew, in
something of a pet. "That, I suppose, will be provided for,
off-hand, by drawing a check on Bubble Bank!"
John Brown and Peter Goldthwaite had been jointly known to the
commercial world between twenty and thirty years before, under
the firm of Goldthwaite & Brown; which co-partnership, however,
was speedily dissolved by the natural incongruity of its
constituent parts. Since that event, John Brown, with exactly the
qualities of a thousand other John Browns, and by just such
plodding methods as they used, had prospered wonderfully, and
Twice Told Tales |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Kwaidan by Lafcadio Hearn: -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-
Notes
THE STORY OF MIMI-NASHI-HOICHI
[1] See my Kotto, for a description of these curious crabs.
[2] Or, Shimonoseki. The town is also known by the name of Bakkan.
[3] The biwa, a kind of four-stringed lute, is chiefly used in musical
recitative. Formerly the professional minstrels who recited the
Heike-Monogatari, and other tragical histories, were called biwa-hoshi, or
"lute-priests." The origin of this appellation is not clear; but it is
possible that it may have been suggested by the fact that "lute-priests" as
well as blind shampooers, had their heads shaven, like Buddhist priests.
Kwaidan |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The Economist by Xenophon: combining as it does a certain sense of luxury with the satisfaction
of an improved estate, and such a training of physical energies as
shall fit a man to play a free man's part.[2] Earth, in the first
place, freely offers to those that labour all things necessary to the
life of man; and, as if that were not enough, makes further
contribution of a thousand luxuries.[3] It is she who supplies with
sweetest scent and fairest show all things wherewith to adorn the
altars and statues of the gods, or deck man's person. It is to her we
owe our many delicacies of flesh or fowl or vegetable growth;[4] since
with the tillage of the soil is closely linked the art of breeding
sheep and cattle, whereby we mortals may offer sacrifices well
|
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 Tao Teh King by Lao-tze: to) conduct (a government) according to the Great Tao, what I should
be most afraid of would be a boastful display.
2. The great Tao (or way) is very level and easy; but people love the
by-ways.
3. Their court(-yards and buildings) shall be well kept, but their
fields shall be ill-cultivated, and their granaries very empty. They
shall wear elegant and ornamented robes, carry a sharp sword at their
girdle, pamper themselves in eating and drinking, and have a
superabundance of property and wealth;--such (princes) may be called
robbers and boasters. This is contrary to the Tao surely!
54. 1. What (Tao's) skilful planter plants
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