| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Hunting of the Snark by Lewis Carroll: Had been proved an infringement of right.
The maker of Bonnets ferociously planned
A novel arrangement of bows:
While the Billiard-marker with quivering hand
Was chalking the tip of his nose.
But the Butcher turned nervous, and dressed himself fine,
With yellow kid gloves and a ruff--
Said he felt it exactly like going to dine,
Which the Bellman declared was all "stuff."
"Introduce me, now there's a good fellow," he said,
"If we happen to meet it together!"
The Hunting of the Snark |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Egmont by Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe: Regent. No feature is wanting. There are good men among them. The
honest Roderigo, so experienced and so moderate, who does not aim too
high, yet lets nothing sink too low; the upright Alonzo, the diligent
Freneda, the steadfast Las Vargas, and others who join them when the
good party are in power. But there sits the hollow-eyed Toledan, with
brazen front and deep fire-glance, muttering between his teeth about
womanish softness, ill-timed concession, and that women can ride trained
steeds, well enough, but are themselves bad masters of the horse, and the
like pleasantries, which, in former times, I have been compelled to hear
from political gentlemen.
Machiavel. You have chosen good colours for your picture.
Egmont |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The Life of the Spider by J. Henri Fabre: embeds different matters, often the remnants of victims which she
has devoured. The ancient Gael nailed the heads of his vanquished
enemies to the door of his hut. In the same way, the fierce Spider
sticks the skulls of her prey into the lid of her cave. These
lumps look very well on the ogre's roof; but we must be careful not
to mistake them for warlike trophies. The animal knows nothing of
our barbarous bravado. Everything at the threshold of the burrow
is used indiscriminately: fragments of Locust, vegetable remains
and especially particles of earth. A Dragon-fly's head baked by
the sun is as good as a bit of gravel and no better.
And so, with silk and all sorts of tiny materials, the Lycosa
The Life of the Spider |
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 Anabasis by Xenophon: take the throne from Artaxerxes, and the ensuing
return of the Greeks, in which Xenophon played a
leading role. This occurred between 401 B.C. and
March 399 B.C.
PREPARER'S NOTE
This was typed from Dakyns' series, "The Works of Xenophon," a
four-volume set. The complete list of Xenophon's works (though
there is doubt about some of these) is:
Work Number of books
The Anabasis 7
The Hellenica 7
Anabasis |
