| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Youth by Joseph Conrad: all around I could see the circle of the sea lighted by the
fire. A gigantic flame arose forward straight and clear.
It flared there, with noises like the whir of wings, with
rumbles as of thunder. There were cracks, detonations,
and from the cone of flame the sparks flew upwards, as
man is born to trouble, to leaky ships, and to ships that
burn.
"What bothered me was that the ship, lying broadside
to the swell and to such wind as there was--a mere breath--
the boats would not keep astern where they were safe,
but persisted, in a pig-headed way boats have, in getting
Youth |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Symposium by Xenophon: probably of Lampsacus, the author of a {'Erologia}; see Cobet,
"Pros. Xen." p. 8.
[16] Or, "you will not have forgotten one point of all that precious
teaching." Like Sir John Falstaff's page (2 "Henry IV." ii. 2.
100), Niceratus, no doubt, has got many "a crown's worth of good
interpretations."
On beauty (answered Critobulus).
What (Socrates rejoined), shall you be able to maintain that by your
beauty you can make us better?
Crit. That will I, or prove myself a shabby sort of person.
Soc. Well, and what is it you pride yourself upon, Antisthenes?
The Symposium |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Extracts From Adam's Diary by Mark Twain: it is not a snake, for it doesn't crawl; I feel sure it is not a
fish, though I cannot get a chance to find out whether it can swim
or not. It merely lies around, and mostly on its back, with its
feet up. I have not seen any other animal do that before. I said
I believed it was an enigma, but she only admired the word without
understanding it. In my judgment it is either an enigma or some
kind of a bug. If it dies, I will take it apart and see what its
arrangements are. I never had a thing perplex me so.
Three Months Later
The perplexity augments instead of diminishing. I sleep but little.
It has ceased from lying around, and goes about on its four legs
|
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 Confessio Amantis by John Gower: In thilke yeer, as it befell,
The lot upon his chance fell.
He was a worthi kniht withalle;
And whan he sih this chance falle,
He ferde as thogh he tok non hiede,
Bot al that evere he mihte spiede,
With him and with his felaschipe
Forth into Crete he goth be Schipe; 5320
Wher that the king Mynos he soghte,
And profreth all that he him oghte
Upon the point of here acord.
Confessio Amantis |
