| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The Reef by Edith Wharton: He had gone to his room after luncheon to get some belated
letters off his conscience; and when he had left her she had
continued to sit in the same place, her hands crossed on her
knees, her head slightly bent, in an attitude of brooding
retrospection. As she looked back at her past life, it
seemed to her to have consisted of one ceaseless effort to
pack into each hour enough to fill out its slack folds; but
now each moment was like a miser's bag stretched to bursting
with pure gold.
She was roused by the sound of Owen's step in the gallery
outside her room. It paused at her door and in answer to
|
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 Child of Storm by H. Rider Haggard: "Since Matiwane died we have lived as we could, O Macumazana; like
baboons among the rocks, without cattle, often without a hut to shelter
us; here one, there one. Still, we have lived, awaiting the hour of
vengeance upon Bangu, that hour which Zikali the Wise, who is of our
blood, has promised to us. Now we believe that it has come, and one and
all, from here, from there, from everywhere, we have gathered at the
summons of Saduko to be led against Bangu and to conquer him or to die.
Is it not so, Amangwane?"
"It is, it is so!" came the deep, unanimous answer, that caused the
stirless leaves to shake in the still air.
"I understand, O Tshoza, brother of Matiwane and uncle of Saduko the
 Child of Storm |