| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Kwaidan by Lafcadio Hearn: winning address, and a very handsome person, he was admired and much liked
by his samurai-comrades.
When Tomotada was about twenty years old, he was sent upon a private
mission to Hosokawa Masamoto, the great daimyo of Kyoto, a kinsman of
Hatakeyama Yoshimune. Having been ordered to journey through Echizen, the
youth requested and obtained permission to pay a visit, on the way, to his
widowed mother.
It was the coldest period of the year when he started; and, though mounted
upon a powerful horse, he found himself obliged to proceed slowly. The road
which he followed passed through a mountain-district where the settlements
were few and far between; and on the second day of his journey, after a
Kwaidan |
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 Dead Souls by Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol: strong to go on living with his housekeeper like that?"
"Yes. But what does such strength mean? Sand runs away, your
Excellency."
"The old fool! But is he really such a fool?"
"Yes, your Excellency."
"And does he go out at all? Does he see company? Can he still hold
himself upright?"
"Yes, but with great difficulty."
"And has he any teeth left?"
"No more than two at the most."
"The old jackass! Don't be angry with me, but I must say that, though
Dead Souls |
