| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Sons and Lovers by D. H. Lawrence: yet not asleep, but quivering with a kind of expectancy.
"I have never seen anything more beautiful than this," he said.
He held her hand fast all the time.
"And the water singing to itself as it runs--do you love it?"
She looked at him full of love. His eyes were very dark,
very bright.
"Don't you think it's a great day?" he asked.
She murmured her assent. She WAS happy, and he saw it.
"And our day--just between us," he said.
They lingered a little while. Then they stood up upon
the sweet thyme, and he looked down at her simply.
Sons and Lovers |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from A Voyage to Arcturus by David Lindsay: total darkness to wait, for nothing else remained to be done.
Maskull lit his pipe, and began to drink the remainder of the whisky.
Through the open window sounded in their ears the trainlike grinding
of the sea at the foot of the cliffs.
"Krag must be in the tower after all," remarked Maskull, breaking the
silence.
"Yes, he is getting ready."
"I hope he doesn't expect us to join him there. It was beyond my
powers - but why, heaven knows. The stairs must have a magnetic pull
of some sort."
"It is Tormantic gravity," muttered Nightspore.
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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 Yates Pride by Mary E. Wilkins Freeman: Glynn. Then she repeated: "She has adopted a baby," but this time
there was no effect of an explosion. However, the treble chorus
rose high, "Where did she get the baby? Was it a boy or a girl?
Why did she adopt it? Did it cry much?" and other queries, none
of which Mrs. Glynn, Ethel, and Julia could answer very decidedly
except the last. They all announced that the adopted baby was
never heard to cry at all.
"Must be a very good child," said Abby.
"Must be a very healthy child," said Mrs. Lee, who had had
experience with crying babies.
"Well, she has it, anyhow," said Mrs. Glynn.
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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 Menexenus by Plato: partly improvising and partly from previous thought, putting together
fragments of the funeral oration which Pericles spoke, but which, as I
believe, she composed.
MENEXENUS: And can you remember what Aspasia said?
SOCRATES: I ought to be able, for she taught me, and she was ready to
strike me because I was always forgetting.
MENEXENUS: Then why will you not rehearse what she said?
SOCRATES: Because I am afraid that my mistress may be angry with me if I
publish her speech.
MENEXENUS: Nay, Socrates, let us have the speech, whether Aspasia's or any
one else's, no matter. I hope that you will oblige me.
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