| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Nada the Lily by H. Rider Haggard: once more, saying:--
"There were words in your message to the Black One who is dead of a
certain man--nay, how was he named?--of a certain Mopo."
Now Umslopogaas started as one starts who is wounded by a spear, and
stared at me.
"Mopo! What of Mopo, O Mouth, whose eyes are veiled? Mopo is dead,
whose son I was!"
"Ah!" I said, "yes, Mopo is dead--that is, the Black One who is gone
killed a certain Mopo. How came it, O Bulalio, that you were his son?"
"Mopo is dead," quoth Umslopogaas again; "he is dead with all his
house, his kraal is stamped flat, and that is why I hated the Black
Nada the Lily |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Bucolics by Virgil: MENALCAS
First this frail hemlock-stalk to you I give,
Which taught me "Corydon with love was fired
For fair Alexis," ay, and this beside,
"Who owns the flock?- Meliboeus?"
MOPSUS
But take you
This shepherd's crook, which, howso hard he begged,
Antigenes, then worthy to be loved,
Prevailed not to obtain- with brass, you see,
And equal knots, Menalcas, fashioned fair!
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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 Kenilworth by Walter Scott: her native loveliness, adorned with all that Janet's art and a
rich and tasteful undress could bestow. But the most beautiful
part of her attire was her profuse and luxuriant light-brown
locks, which floated in such rich abundance around a neck that
resembled a swan's, and over a bosom heaving with anxious
expectation, which communicated a hurried tinge of red to her
whole countenance.
Varney entered the room in the dress in which he had waited on
his master that morning to court, the splendour of which made a
strange contrast with the disorder arising from hasty riding
during a dark night and foul ways. His brow bore an anxious and
Kenilworth |
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 Voyage Out by Virginia Woolf: "And all those people down there going to sleep," Hewet began dreamily,
"thinking such different things,--Miss Warrington, I suppose,
is now on her knees; the Elliots are a little startled, it's not often
_they_ get out of breath, and they want to get to sleep as quickly
as possible; then there's the poor lean young man who danced all night
with Evelyn; he's putting his flower in water and asking himself,
'Is this love?'--and poor old Perrott, I daresay, can't get to sleep
at all, and is reading his favourite Greek book to console himself--
and the others--no, Hirst," he wound up, "I don't find it simple
at all."
"I have a key," said Hirst cryptically. His chin was still upon
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