| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood by Howard Pyle: song of the little birds in the thickets or hearken to the clear
crow of the cock daring the sky to rain, whereat he would laugh,
for it took but little to tickle Robin's heart into merriment.
So he trudged manfully along, ever willing to stop for this
reason or for that, and ever ready to chat with such merry
lasses as he met now and then. So the morning slipped along,
but yet he met no beggar with whom he could change clothes.
Quoth he, "If I do not change my luck in haste, I am like to
have an empty day of it, for it is well nigh half gone already,
and, although I have had a merry walk through the countryside,
I know nought of a beggar's life."
The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Chita: A Memory of Last Island by Lafcadio Hearn: began to shoot in a straight line over the blue flood. Then,
while the boy sat at the tiller, Sparicio lighted his tiny
charcoal furnace below, and prepared a simple meal,--delicious
yellow macaroni, flavored with goats' cheese; some fried fish,
that smelled appetizingly; and rich black coffee, of Oriental
fragrance and thickness. Julien ate a little, and lay down to
sleep again. This time his rest was undisturbed by the
mosquitoes; and when he woke, in the cooling evening, he felt
almost refreshed. The San Marco was flying into Barataria Bay.
Already the lantern in the lighthouse tower had begun to glow
like a little moon; and right on the rim of the sea, a vast and
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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 Beyond Good and Evil by Friedrich Nietzsche: overture to the Mastersinger: it is a piece of magnificent,
gorgeous, heavy, latter-day art, which has the pride to
presuppose two centuries of music as still living, in order that
it may be understood:--it is an honour to Germans that such a
pride did not miscalculate! What flavours and forces, what
seasons and climes do we not find mingled in it! It impresses us
at one time as ancient, at another time as foreign, bitter, and
too modern, it is as arbitrary as it is pompously traditional, it
is not infrequently roguish, still oftener rough and coarse--it
has fire and courage, and at the same time the loose, dun-
coloured skin of fruits which ripen too late. It flows broad and
Beyond Good and Evil |
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 The Marvelous Land of Oz by L. Frank Baum: jolly smile, that Tip again burst into a peal of laughter.
Even Mombi was not without a curious interest in the man her magic had
brought to life; for, after staring at him intently, she presently asked:
22 Full page line-art drawing.
OLD MOMBI PUTS JACK IN THE STABLE
23
"What do you know?"
"Well, that is hard to tell," replied Jack. "For although I feel that I
know a tremendous lot, I am not yet aware how much there is in the world to
find out about. It will take me a little time to discover whether I am very
wise or very foolish."
The Marvelous Land of Oz |
