| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from De Profundis by Oscar Wilde: sent me to prison. I will not say that prison is the best thing
that could have happened to me: for that phrase would savour of
too great bitterness towards myself. I would sooner say, or hear
it said of me, that I was so typical a child of my age, that in my
perversity, and for that perversity's sake, I turned the good
things of my life to evil, and the evil things of my life to good.
What is said, however, by myself or by others, matters little. The
important thing, the thing that lies before me, the thing that I
have to do, if the brief remainder of my days is not to be maimed,
marred, and incomplete, is to absorb into my nature all that has
been done to me, to make it part of me, to accept it without
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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 Cruise of the Jasper B. by Don Marquis: newspaper cutting which she handed to Cleggett. It read:
Convict recently released from Sing Sing, if
his reform is really genuine, may secure honest
employment by writing to A. F., care Morning Dispatch.
"Out of the answers," she resumed, "I selected four and had their
writers call for a personal interview. But only two of them
seemed to me to be really reformed, and of these two Elmer's
reform struck me as being the more genuine. You may have noticed
that Elmer gives the appearance of being done with worldly
vanities."
"He does seem depressed," said Cleggett, "but I had imputed it
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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 The Divine Comedy (translated by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow) by Dante Alighieri: And gently, so that he may speak, accost him."
Thus did two spirits, leaning tow'rds each other,
Discourse about me there on the right hand;
Then held supine their faces to address me.
And said the one: "O soul, that, fastened still
Within the body, tow'rds the heaven art going,
For charity console us, and declare
Whence comest and who art thou; for thou mak'st us
As much to marvel at this grace of thine
As must a thing that never yet has been."
And I: "Through midst of Tuscany there wanders
The Divine Comedy (translated by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow) |
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 A Princess of Parms by Edgar Rice Burroughs: have lost her mind to have assented to such an atrocious
bargain. You, who do not know how we of Helium love
the members of our ruling house, cannot appreciate the
horror with which I contemplate such an unholy alliance."
"What can be done, John Carter?" he continued. "You are
a resourceful man. Can you not think of some way to save
Helium from this disgrace?"
"If I can come within sword's reach of Sab Than," I answered,
"I can solve the difficulty in so far as Helium is concerned,
but for personal reasons I would prefer that another struck
the blow that frees Dejah Thoris."
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