| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Underdogs by Mariano Azuela: from the white, wild sides of a small canyon, swayed
mistily on the hoary crest of huizache trees and the green-
ish stumps of cactus. Like a jest, the flowers in the cac-
tus opened out, fresh, solid, aflame, some thorny, others
diaphanous.
At noon they reached a hut, clinging to the precipi-
tous sierra, then three more huts strewn over the margin
of a river of burnt sand. Everything was silent, desolate.
As soon as they saw men on horseback, the people in
the huts scurried into the hills to hide. Demetrio grew
indignant.
The Underdogs |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from 'Twixt Land & Sea by Joseph Conrad: a tray with a bottle and glasses. "Thanks! No." Never took
liquor. Would have some water, though. He drank two tumblerfuls.
Terrible thirsty work. Ever since daylight had been exploring the
islands round his ship.
"What was that for - fun?" I asked, with an appearance of polite
interest.
"No!" He sighed. "Painful duty."
As he persisted in his mumbling and I wanted my double to hear
every word, I hit upon the notion of informing him that I regretted
to say I was hard of hearing.
"Such a young man, too!" he nodded, keeping his smeary blue,
'Twixt Land & Sea |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Gobseck by Honore de Balzac: whether the security I am going to offer is sufficient for the sum I
have come to borrow.'
" 'Precisely.'
"A cab stopped at the door, and the sound of wheels filled the room.
" 'I will bring something directly which perhaps will satisfy you,'
cried the young man, and he left the room.
" 'Oh! my son,' exclaimed Gobseck, rising to his feet, and stretching
out his arms to me, 'if he has good security, you have saved my life.
It would be the death of me. Werbrust and Gigonnet imagined that they
were going to play off a trick on me; and now, thanks to you, I shall
have a good laugh at their expense to-night.'
Gobseck |
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 Memorabilia by Xenophon: alone, it would seem, which is nowhere to be found,[10] you had the
lucky chance to snatch up and make off with, you cannot tell how. And
these things around and about us, enormous in size, infinite in
number, owe their orderly arrangement, as you suppose, to some vacuity
of wit?
[10] Cf. Plat. "Phileb." 30 B: "Soc. May our body be said to have a
soul? Pro. Clearly. Soc. And whence comes that soul, my dear
Protarchus, unless the body of the universe, which contains
elements similar to our bodies but finer, has also a soul? Can
there be any other source?"--Jowett. Cic. "de N. D." ii. 6; iii.
11.
The Memorabilia |
