| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Silverado Squatters by Robert Louis Stevenson: long of striking forward. But I observed that one of the
Hanson lads came down, before their departure, and returned
with a ship's kettle. Happy Hansons! Nor was it until after
Kelmar was gone, if I remember rightly, that Rufe put in an
appearance to arrange the details of our installation.
The latter part of the day, Fanny and I sat in the verandah
of the Toll House, utterly stunned by the uproar of the wind
among the trees on the other side of the valley. Sometimes,
we would have it it was like a sea, but it was not various
enough for that; and again, we thought it like the roar of a
cataract, but it was too changeful for the cataract; and then
|
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Faith of Men by Jack London: "Hear me babble what the weakest won't confess -
I am Memory and Torment--I am Town!
I am all that ever went with evening dress!"
The other man winced where he sat and dropped his head forward on
the table. Pentfield resumed the monotonous drumming with his
knuckles. A loud snap from the door attracted his attention. The
frost was creeping up the inside in a white sheet, and he began to
hum:-
"The flocks are folded, boughs are bare,
The salmon takes the sea;
And oh, my fair, would I somewhere
|
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The Woodlanders by Thomas Hardy: enough. But now he lapsed into his moaning strain: "And the tree
will do it--that tree will soon be the death of me."
"Nonsense, you know better. How can it be?" She refrained from
further speech, and descended to the ground-floor again.
"Thank Heaven, then," she said to herself, "what belongs to me I
keep."
CHAPTER III.
The lights in the village went out, house after house, till there
only remained two in the darkness. One of these came from a
residence on the hill-side, of which there is nothing to say at
present; the other shone from the window of Marty South.
The Woodlanders |
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 Barlaam and Ioasaph by St. John of Damascus: that hath been signified to thee from me is true and may not be
gainsaid. But, except I first make trial of thy mind, it is not
lawful to declare to thee this mystery; for my master saith,
'There went out a sower to sow his seed: and, as he sowed, some
seeds fell by the wayside, and the fowls of the air came and
devoured them up: some fell upon stony places, where they had not
much earth: and forthwith they sprang up, because they had no
deepness of earth: and when the sun was up, they were scorched:
and because they had no root, they withered away. And some fell
among thorns; and the thorns sprung up and choked them: but
others fell upon good ground, and brought forth fruit an
|
