| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Emerald City of Oz by L. Frank Baum: been a king and queen.
"You are very welcome here, where I have brought you for Princess
Dorothy's sake," she said, graciously, "and I hope you will be quite
happy in your new home." Then she turned to her courtiers, who were
silently and gravely regarding the scene, and added: "I present to my
people our Princess Dorothy's beloved Uncle Henry and Aunt Em, who
will hereafter be subjects of our kingdom. It will please me to have
you show them every kindness and honor in your power, and to join me
in making them happy and contented."
Hearing this, all those assembled bowed low and respectfully to the
old farmer and his wife, who bobbed their own heads in return.
The Emerald City of Oz |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Westward Ho! by Charles Kingsley: he had been dreaming all the way thither of Rose Salterne, and had
no wish for a companion who would prevent his dreaming of her all
the way back. Nevertheless, not having seen Eustace for three
years, it was but civil to scramble out and dress, while his cousin
walked up and down upon the turf inside.
Eustace Leigh was the son of a younger brother of Leigh of
Burrough, who had more or less cut himself off from his family, and
indeed from his countrymen, by remaining a Papist. True, though
born a Papist, he had not always been one; for, like many of the
gentry, he had become a Protestant under Edward the Sixth, and then
a Papist again under Mary. But, to his honor be it said, at that
|
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The Island of Doctor Moreau by H. G. Wells: for himself did not reach us. He came down out of the tangle
of ropes under the stays of the smashed bowsprit, some small rope
caught his heel as he let go, and he hung for a moment head downward,
and then fell and struck a block or spar floating in the water.
We pulled towards him, but he never came up.
<1> Daily News, March 17, 1887.
I say lucky for us he did not reach us, and I might almost
say luckily for himself; for we had only a small breaker
of water and some soddened ship's biscuits with us, so sudden
had been the alarm, so unprepared the ship for any disaster.
We thought the people on the launch would be better provisioned
The Island of Doctor Moreau |
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 Hunting of the Snark by Lewis Carroll: That the other was going that way.
But the valley grew narrow and narrower still,
And the evening got darker and colder,
Till (merely from nervousness, not from goodwill)
They marched along shoulder to shoulder.
Then a scream, shrill and high, rent the shuddering sky,
And they knew that some danger was near:
The Beaver turned pale to the tip of its tail,
And even the Butcher felt queer.
He thought of his childhood, left far far behind--
That blissful and innocent state--
The Hunting of the Snark |
