| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne: laid out for himself to tread. Calm, gentle, passionless, as he
appeared, there was yet, we fear, a quiet depth of malice,
hitherto latent, but active now, in this unfortunate old man,
which led him to imagine a more intimate revenge than any mortal
had ever wreaked upon an enemy. To make himself the one trusted
friend, to whom should be confided all the fear, the remorse, the
agony, the ineffectual repentance, the backward rush of sinful
thoughts, expelled in vain! All that guilty sorrow, hidden from
the world, whose great heart would have pitied and forgiven, to
be revealed to him, the Pitiless -- to him, the Unforgiving! All
that dark treasure to be lavished on the very man, to whom
The Scarlet Letter |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Men of Iron by Howard Pyle: could see just what happened, but that what was done was done
deliberately no one doubted. The earl, at once checking and
spurring his foaming charger, drove the iron-shod war-horse
directly over Myles's prostrate body. Then, checking him fiercely
with the curb, reined him back, the hoofs clashing and crashing,
over the figure beneath. So he had ridden over the father at
York, and so he rode over the son at Smithfield.
Myles, as he lay prostrate and half stunned by his fall, had seen
his enemy thus driving his rearing horse down upon him, but was
not able to defend himself. A fallen knight in full armor was
utterly powerless to rise without assistance; Myles lay helpless
Men of Iron |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The Great God Pan by Arthur Machen: with me."
What do you mean? You cannot, you would not dare..."
"Wait a moment. The air was very pleasant and fresh
this morning; there was a breeze blowing, even through this dull
street, and I thought I would take a walk. Piccadilly stretched
before me a clear, bright vista, and the sun flashed on the
carriages and on the quivering leaves in the park. It was a
joyous morning, and men and women looked at the sky and smiled
as they went about their work or their pleasure, and the wind
blew as blithely as upon the meadows and the scented gorse. But
somehow or other I got out of the bustle and the gaiety, and
The Great God Pan |
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 Heap O' Livin' by Edgar A. Guest: Who wails he'll neither work nor play
Because things haven't gone his way.
The world keeps plodding right along
And gives its favors right or wrong
To all who have the grit to work
Regardless of the fool or shirk.
The world says this to every man:
"Go out and do the best you can."
The world's too busy to implore
The beaten one to try once more;
'Twill help him if he wants to rise,
A Heap O' Livin' |
