| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Seraphita by Honore de Balzac: with mysterious images, and the melodious sounds which met her ear
redoubled her curiosity.
To all three, therefore, this evening was to be what that other
evening had been for the pilgrims to Emmaus, what a vision was to
Dante, an inspiration to Homer,--to them, three aspects of the world
revealed, veils rent away, doubts dissipated, darkness illumined.
Humanity in all its moods expecting light could not be better
represented than here by this young girl, this man in the vigor of his
age, and these old men, of whom one was learned enough to doubt, the
other ignorant enough to believe. Never was any scene more simple in
appearance, nor more portentous in reality.
Seraphita |
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 Lone Star Ranger by Zane Grey: baying, or at least a bark that would tell of his hiding-place.
A strange relief swiftly swayed over Duane. The end was near
now. He had no further choice. Let them come--a quick fierce
exchange of shots--and then this torture past! He waited for
the dog to give the alarm.
But the dog looked at him and trotted by into the thicket
without a yelp. Duane could not believe the evidence of his
senses. He thought he had suddenly gone deaf. He saw the dog
disappear, heard him running to and fro among the willows,
getting farther and farther away, till all sound from him
ceased.
The Lone Star Ranger |
