| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Madam How and Lady Why by Charles Kingsley: smoke only, but brilliant burning stones. "Each explosion," he
says, "was like a vast girandole of rockets, with a noise (such as
rockets would make) like the waves on a beach, or the wind blowing
through shrouds. The mountain was trembling the whole time. So
it went on for two hours and more; sometimes eight or ten
explosions in a minute, and more than 1000 stones in each, some as
large as two bricks end to end. The largest ones mostly fell back
into the crater; but the smaller ones being thrown higher, and
more acted on by the wind, fell in immense numbers on the leeward
slope of the cone" (of course, making it bigger and bigger, as I
have explained already to you), and of course, as they were
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Poems of Goethe, Bowring, Tr. by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe: Patient as any other man.
1821.*
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THE BUYERS.
To an apple-woman's stall
Once some children nimbly ran;
Longing much to purchase all,
They with joyous haste began
Snatching up the piles there raised,
While with eager eyes they gazed
On the rosy fruit so nice;
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| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Tanglewood Tales by Nathaniel Hawthorne: in his head, although it happens to be set on a horse's body.
It gives me great delight to see one of his scholars at my
court. But to test how much you have profited under so
excellent a teacher, will you allow me to ask you a single
question?"
"I do not pretend to be very wise," said Jason. "But ask me
what you please, and I will answer to the best of my ability."
Now King Pelias meant cunningly to entrap the young man, and to
make him say something that should be the cause of mischief and
distraction to himself. So, with a crafty and evil smile upon
his face, he spoke as follows:
Tanglewood Tales |
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 Ferragus by Honore de Balzac: and gave it eagerly to her husband with a sign that was easy to
understand,--she wished to give him, in a kiss, her last breath. He
took it, and she died. Jules fell half-dead himself and was taken to
his brother's house. There, as he deplored in tears his absence of the
day before, his brother told him that this separation was eagerly
desired by Clemence, who wished to spare him the sight of the
religious paraphernalia, so terrible to tender imaginations, which the
Church displays when conferring the last sacraments upon the dying.
"You could not have borne it," said his brother. "I could hardly bear
the sight myself, and all the servants wept. Clemence was like a
saint. She gathered strength to bid us all good-bye, and that voice,
Ferragus |
