| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Lost Princess of Oz by L. Frank Baum: as she was to seeing strange creatures in the Land of Oz, Dorothy was
amazed at discovering the Frogman. So were all her companions.
Toto wanted to growl at him, but couldn't, and he didn't dare bark. The
Sawhorse snorted rather contemptuously, but the Lion whispered to the
wooden steed, "Bear with this strange creature, my friend, and
remember he is no more extraordinary than you are.
Indeed, it is more natural for a frog to be big than for a Sawhorse to be alive."
On being questioned, the Frogman told them the whole story of the loss
of Cayke's highly prized dishpan and their adventures in search of it.
When he came to tell of the Lavender Bear King and of the Little Pink
Bear who could tell anything you wanted to know, his hearers became
The Lost Princess of Oz |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from A Heap O' Livin' by Edgar A. Guest: An' followed him into his cave,
An' Jim asked them if they liked honey,
They said they did. Said Jim: "That's funny.
I've asked a thousand boys or so
That question, an' not one's said no."
What happened then I cannot say
'Cause next I knew 'twas light as day.
AUTUMN AT THE ORCHARD
The sumac's flaming scarlet on the edges o' the
lake,
An' the pear trees are invitin' everyone t' come
A Heap O' Livin' |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The Country Doctor by Honore de Balzac: sufferings, sufferings full of the thought of you, shall be the
penance of a heart which will never be healed, which will bleed in
solitude. For a wounded heart--shadow and silence.
" 'No other image of love shall be engraven on my heart. Though I am
not a woman, I feel as you felt that when I said "I love you," it was
a vow for life. Yes, the words then spoken in the ear of "my beloved"
were not a lie; you would have a right to scorn me if I could change.
I shall never cease to worship you in my solitude. In spite of the
gulf set between us, you will still be the mainspring of all my
actions, and all the virtues are inspired by penitence and love.
Though you have filled my heart with bitterness, I shall never have
|
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 Apology by Xenophon: {pros tous dikastas}, ed. Ox. 1862, and Dindorf's own note; L.
Schmitz, "On the Apology of Socrates, commonly attributed to
Xenophon," "Class. Mus." v. 222 foll.; G. Sauppe, "Praef." vol.
iii. p. 117, ed. ster.; J. J. Hartman, "An. Xen." p. 111 foll.; E.
Richter, "Xen. Stud." pp. 61-96; M. Schanz, "Platos Apologia."
[2] Or possibly, "his deliberate behaviour."
[3] Or, "have succeeded in hitting off"; "done full justice to."
[4] Or, "the magniloquence of the master."
[5] Or, "so that according to them his lofty speech seems rather
foolhardy."
[6] See "Mem." IV. viii. 4 foll.), a passage of which this is either
The Apology |
