| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Four Arthurian Romances by Chretien DeTroyes: merit, Loholt the son of King Arthur, (17) and Sagremor the
Impetuous, who should not be forgotten, nor Bedoiier the Master
of the Horse, who was skilled at chess and trictrac, nor Bravain,
nor King Lot, nor Galegantin of Wales, nor Gronosis, versed in
evil, who was son of Kay the Seneschal, nor Labigodes the
Courteous, nor Count Cadorcaniois. nor Letron of Prepelesant,
whose manners were so excellent, nor Breon the son of Canodan,
nor the Count of Honolan who had such a head of fine fair hair;
he it was who received the King's horn in an evil day; (18) he
never had any care for truth.
(Vv. 1751-1844.) When the stranger maiden saw all the knights
|
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Beauty and The Beast by Bayard Taylor: judged that America was already amply supplied with individuals of
his class.) The sudden departure of the Baron von Herisau was a
two days' wonder at Liebenstein; but besides ourselves, only the
Bremen banker knew the secret. He also left, two days afterwards,
with his wife and daughter--their cases, it was reported, requiring
Kissingen.
Otto Lindenschmidt's life, therefore, could not hide itself. Can
any life?
TWIN-LOVE.
When John Vincent, after waiting twelve years, married Phebe
Etheridge, the whole neighborhood experienced that sense of relief
|
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Thus Spake Zarathustra by Friedrich Nietzsche: of truth! Never yet did truth cling to the arm of an absolute one.
On account of those abrupt ones, return into thy security: only in the
market-place is one assailed by Yea? or Nay?
Slow is the experience of all deep fountains: long have they to wait until
they know WHAT hath fallen into their depths.
Away from the market-place and from fame taketh place all that is great:
away from the market-Place and from fame have ever dwelt the devisers of
new values.
Flee, my friend, into thy solitude: I see thee stung all over by the
poisonous flies. Flee thither, where a rough, strong breeze bloweth!
Flee into thy solitude! Thou hast lived too closely to the small and the
Thus Spake Zarathustra |
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 Z. Marcas by Honore de Balzac: lodgings? The students studied in the cafes, the theatre, the
Luxembourg gardens, in /grisettes'/ rooms, even in the law schools--
anywhere rather than in their horrible rooms--horrible for purposes of
study, delightful as soon as they were used for gossiping and smoking
in. Put a cloth on the table, and the impromptu dinner sent in from
the best eating-house in the neighborhood--places for four--two of
them in petticoats--show a lithograph of this "Interior" to the
veriest bigot, and she will be bound to smile.
We thought only of amusing ourselves. The reason for our dissipation
lay in the most serious facts of the politics of the time. Juste and I
could not see any room for us in the two professions our parents
|
