| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The Heritage of the Desert by Zane Grey: blue abyss, and then found its way to the Colorado, hidden underground.
The flower-scented breeze and the rumbling of the river persisted long
after the valley lay behind and above, but these failed at length in the
close air of the huge abutting walls. The light grew thick, the stones
cracked like deep bell-strokes; the voices of man and girl had a hollow
sound and echo. Silvermane clattered down the easy trail at a gait which
urged Hare now and then from walk to run. Soon the gully opened out upon
a plateau through the centre of which, in a black gulf, wound the red
Colorado, sullen-voiced, booming, never silent nor restful. Here were
distances by which Hare could begin to comprehend the immensity of the
canyon, and he felt lost among the great terraces leading up to mesas
The Heritage of the Desert |
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 Symposium by Xenophon: "Why should it not be learnt as well as other things?"[12]
[12] Cf. for the question {ei arete didakton}, "Mem." I. ii. 19; IV.
i; "Cyrop." III. i. 17; III. iii. 53.
Then Socrates: The question would seem at any rate to be debatable.
Suppose we defer it till another time, and for the present not
interrupt the programme of proceedings. I see, the dancing-girl is
standing ready; they are handing her some hoops.
And at the instant her fellow with the flute commenced a tune to keep
her company, whilst some one posted at her side kept handing her the
hoops till she had twelve in all. With these in her hands she fell to
dancing, and the while she danced she flung the hoops into the air--
The Symposium |
