| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Water-Babies by Charles Kingsley: him up still more; and the perspiration ran out of the ends of his
fingers and toes, and washed him cleaner than he had been for a
whole year. But, of course, he dirtied everything, terribly as he
went. There has been a great black smudge all down the crag ever
since. And there have been more black beetles in Vendale since
than ever were known before; all, of course, owing to Tom's having
blacked the original papa of them all, just as he was setting off
to be married, with a sky-blue coat and scarlet leggins, as smart
as a gardener's dog with a polyanthus in his mouth.
At last he got to the bottom. But, behold, it was not the bottom -
as people usually find when they are coming down a mountain. For
|
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Spirit of the Border by Zane Grey: belonging to an alien race.
Among the chiefs Glickhican pointed out to Jim were Wingenund, the Delaware;
Tellane, the Half-King; Shingiss and Kotoxen--all of the Wolf tribe of the
Delawares.
Glickhican was careful to explain that the Delaware nation had been divided
into the Wolf and Turtle tribes, the former warlike people, and the latter
peaceable. Few of the Wolf tribe had gone over to the new faith, and those who
had were scorned. Wingenund, the great power of the Delawares--indeed, the
greatest of all the western tribes--maintained a neutral attitude toward the
Village of Peace. But it was well known that his right-hand war-chiefs, Pipe
and Wishtonah, remained coldly opposed.
The Spirit of the Border |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Venus and Adonis by William Shakespeare: Your honour's in all duty,
WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE.
VENUS AND ADONIS
EVEN as the sun with purple-colour'd face
Had ta'en his last leave of the weeping morn,
Rose-cheek'd Adonis tried him to the chase;
Hunting he lov'd, but love he laugh'd to scorn; 4
Sick-thoughted Venus makes amain unto him,
And like a bold-fac'd suitor 'gins to woo him.
'Thrice fairer than myself,' thus she began,
'The field's chief flower, sweet above compare, 8
|
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 Pericles by William Shakespeare: And she an eater of her mother's flesh,
By the defiling of her parent's bed;
And both like serpents are, who though they feed
On sweetest flowers, yet they poison breed.
Antioch, farewell! for wisdom sees, those men
Blush not in actions blacker than the night,
Will shun no course to keep them from the light.
One sin, I know, another doth provoke;
Murder's as near to lust as flame to smoke:
Poison and treason are the hands of sin,
Ay, and the targets, to put off the shame:
|
