| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from From London to Land's End by Daniel Defoe: yet it is almost joined by a prodigious riff of beach--that is to
say, of small stones cast up by the sea--which runs from the island
so near the shore of England that they ferry over with a boat and a
rope, the water not being above half a stone's-throw over; and the
said riff of beach ending, as it were, at that inlet of water,
turns away west, and runs parallel with the shore quite to
Abbotsbury, which is a town about seven miles beyond Weymouth.
I name this for two reasons: first, to explain again what I said
before of ships being embayed and lost here. This is when ships
coming from the westward omit to keep a good offing, or are taken
short by contrary winds, and cannot weather the high land of
|
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Song of Hiawatha by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow: Played till midnight, played till morning,
Played until the Yenadizze,
Till the cunning Pau-Puk-Keewis,
Of their treasures had despoiled them,
Of the best of all their dresses,
Shirts of deer-skin, robes of ermine,
Belts of wampum, crests of feathers,
Warlike weapons, pipes and pouches.
Twenty eyes glared wildly at him,
Like the eyes of wolves glared at him.
Said the lucky Pau-Puk-Keewis:
|
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The Children of the Night by Edwin Arlington Robinson: By doing that, he only looked at me
And grinned, and said it was a way of his.
And though I know the fellow, I have spent
Long time a-wondering when I shall be
As happy as Cliff Klingenhagen is.
Charles Carville's Eyes
A melancholy face Charles Carville had,
But not so melancholy as it seemed, --
When once you knew him, -- for his mouth redeemed
His insufficient eyes, forever sad:
In them there was no life-glimpse, good or bad, --
|
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 Wrong Box by Stevenson & Osbourne: whole thing by Michael's obvious dishonesty. Yes, it would
probably be better to draw back from this high-flying venture,
settle back on the leather business--
'Great God!' cried Morris, bounding in the hansom like a
Jack-in-a-box. 'I have not only not gained the tontine--I have
lost the leather business!'
Such was the monstrous fact. He had no power to sign; he could
not draw a cheque for thirty shillings. Until he could produce
legal evidence of his uncle's death, he was a penniless
outcast--and as soon as he produced it he had lost the tontine!
There was no hesitation on the part of Morris; to drop the
|
