| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Barnaby Rudge by Charles Dickens: through gaps and windows where a child could scarcely pass;
whooping and yelling without a moment's rest; and running through
the heat and flames as if they were cased in metal. By their legs,
their arms, the hair upon their heads, they dragged the prisoners
out. Some threw themselves upon the captives as they got towards
the door, and tried to file away their irons; some danced about
them with a frenzied joy, and rent their clothes, and were ready,
as it seemed, to tear them limb from limb. Now a party of a dozen
men came darting through the yard into which the murderer cast
fearful glances from his darkened window; dragging a prisoner along
the ground whose dress they had nearly torn from his body in their
Barnaby Rudge |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Men of Iron by Howard Pyle: only all the strokes, cuts, and thrusts of sword-play then in
vogue, but also toughness, endurance, and elastic quickness. The
pels themselves consisted of upright posts of ash or oak, about
five feet six inches in height, and in girth somewhat thicker
than a man's thigh. They were firmly planted in the ground, and
upon them the strokes of the broadsword were directed.
At Devlen the pels stood just back of the open and covered
tilting courts and the archery ranges, and thither those lads not
upon household duty were marched every morning excepting Fridays
and Sundays, and were there exercised under the direction of Sir
James Lee and two assistants. The whole company was divided into
Men of Iron |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz by L. Frank Baum: "Sir," said he, "why are you here, in the Land of the Mangaboos?"
"Didn't know what land it was, my son," returned the other, with a
pleasant smile; "and, to be honest, I didn't mean to visit you when I
started out. I live on top of the earth, your honor, which is far
better than living inside it; but yesterday I went up in a balloon,
and when I came down I fell into a big crack in the earth, caused by
an earthquake. I had let so much gas out of my balloon that I could
not rise again, and in a few minutes the earth closed over my head.
So I continued to descend until I reached this place, and if you will
show me a way to get out of it, I'll go with pleasure. Sorry to have
troubled you; but it couldn't be helped."
Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz |
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 Gambara by Honore de Balzac: "He is interrupted by a chorus of triumphant Arabs (twelve-eight time,
/accelerando/). The tribes arrive in crowds; the horns and brass
reappear in the orchestra. General rejoicings ensue, all the voices
joining in by degrees, and Mahomet announces polygamy. In the midst of
all this triumph, the woman who has been of such faithful service to
Mahomet sings a magnificent air (in B major). 'And I,' says she, 'am I
no longer loved?' 'We must part. Thou art but a woman, and I am a
Prophet; I may still have slaves but no equal.' Just listen to this
duet (G sharp minor). What anguish! The woman understands the
greatness her hands have built up; she loves Mahomet well enough to
sacrifice herself to his glory; she worships him as a god, without
Gambara |
