| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Poems of William Blake by William Blake: Is this a Worm? I see they lay helpless & naked: weeping
And none to answer, none to cherish thee with mothers smiles.
The Clod of Clay heard the Worms voice & rais'd her pitying head:
She bowd over the weeping infant, and her life exhald
In milky fondness, then on Thel she fix'd her humble eyes
O beauty of the vales of Har, we live not for ourselves,
Thou seest me the meanest thing, and so I am indeed:
My bosom of itself is cold, and of itself is dark,
But he that loves the lowly, pours his oil upon my head
And kisses me, and binds his nuptial bands around my breast.
And says; Thou mother of my children, I have loved thee
Poems of William Blake |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Hidden Masterpiece by Honore de Balzac: "Listen," she said, pulling him by the sleeve of his worn doublet, "I
told you, Nick, that I would give my life for you; but I never said--
never!--that I, a living woman, would renounce my love."
"Renounce it?" cried Poussin.
"If I showed myself thus to another you would love me no longer; and I
myself, I should feel unworthy of your love. To obey your caprices,
ah, that is simple and natural! in spite of myself, I am proud and
happy in doing thy dear will; but to another, fy!"
"Forgive me, my own Gillette," said the painter, throwing himself at
her feet. "I would rather be loved than famous. To me thou art more
precious than fortune and honors. Yes, away with these brushes! burn
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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 House of Mirth by Edith Wharton: submerged again, the uncertainty, the apprehension persisted.
They grew to sudden acuteness as she caught sight of George
Dorset descending the steps of the Hotel de Paris and making for
her across the square. She had meant to drive down to the quay
and regain the yacht; but she now had the immediate impression
that something more was to happen first.
"Which way are you going? Shall we walk a bit?" he began, putting
the second question before the first was answered, and not
waiting for a reply to either before he directed her silently
toward the comparative seclusion of the lower gardens.
She detected in him at once all the signs of extreme nervous
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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 Second Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling: jaw drop with horror as a great gray paw came under the bottom
of the door, and Gray Brother outside whined a muffled and
penitent whine of anxiety and fear.
"Out and wait! Ye would not come when I called," said Mowgli
in Jungle-talk, without turning his head, and the great gray
paw disappeared.
"Do not--do not bring thy--thy servants with thee," said Messua.
"I--we have always lived at peace with the Jungle."
"It is peace," said Mowgli, rising. "Think of that night on the
road to Khanhiwara. There were scores of such folk before thee
and behind thee. But I see that even in springtime the Jungle
The Second Jungle Book |
