| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Nada the Lily by H. Rider Haggard: horror and fear have conquered me, my strength fails, but I suffer
little. Let us talk no more of death, let us rather speak of our
childhood, when we wandered hand in hand; let us talk also of our
love, and of the happy hours that we have spent since your great axe
rang upon the rock in the Halakazi caves, and my fear told you the
secret of my womanhood. See, I thrust my hand through the hole; can
you not kiss it, Umslopogaas?"
Now Umslopogaas stooped his shattered head, and kissed the Lily's
little hand, then he held it in his own, and so they sat till the end
--he without, resting his back against the rock, she within, lying on
her side, her arm stretched through the little hole. They spoke of
Nada the Lily |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Tom Sawyer Abroad by Mark Twain: America. So we shook hands good-bye, and Tom
gave his last orders:
"It's 1O minutes to 2 P.M. now, Mount Sinai time.
In 24 hours you'll be home, and it'll be 6 to-mor-
row morning, village time. When you strike the
village, land a little back of the top of the hill, in the
woods, out of sight; then you rush down, Jim, and
shove these letters in the post-office, and if you see
anybody stirring, pull your slouch down over your face
so they won't know you. Then you go and slip in the
back way to the kitchen and git the pipe, and lay this
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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 A Legend of Montrose by Walter Scott: been in as great pinches as this in Germany--more especially, I
remember me, that at the fatal battle of Nerlingen--after which I
changed service--"
"If you would save your father's son's breath to help his child
out of trouble, instead of wasting it upon the tales of
Seannachies," said Ranald, who now grew impatient of the
Captain's loquacity, "or if your feet could travel as fast as
your tongue, you might yet lay your head on an unbloody pillow
to-night."
"Something there is like military skill in that," replied the
Captain, "although wantonly and irreverently spoken to an officer
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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 Symposium by Plato: remain one here and hereafter, they would acknowledge that this was the
very expression of their want. For love is the desire of the whole, and
the pursuit of the whole is called love. There was a time when the two
sexes were only one, but now God has halved them,--much as the
Lacedaemonians have cut up the Arcadians,--and if they do not behave
themselves he will divide them again, and they will hop about with half a
nose and face in basso relievo. Wherefore let us exhort all men to piety,
that we may obtain the goods of which love is the author, and be reconciled
to God, and find our own true loves, which rarely happens in this world.
And now I must beg you not to suppose that I am alluding to Pausanias and
Agathon (compare Protag.), for my words refer to all mankind everywhere.
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