| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Falk by Joseph Conrad: stone. Falk reflected on these sights. His heart
revolted against the horror of death, and he said
to himself that he would struggle for every pre-
cious minute of his life.
One afternoon--as the survivors lay about on
the after deck--the carpenter, a tall man with a
black beard, spoke of the last sacrifice. There was
nothing eatable left on board. Nobody said a
word to this; but that company separated quickly,
these listless feeble spectres slunk off one by one
to hide in fear of each other. Falk and the car-
Falk |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Essays of Travel by Robert Louis Stevenson: disagreeable bewilderment. 'Bread,' which sounds a commonplace,
plain-sailing monosyllable in England, was the word that most
delighted these good ladies of Monastier; it seemed to them
frolicsome and racy, like a page of Pickwick; and they all got it
carefully by heart, as a stand-by, I presume, for winter evenings. I
have tried it since then with every sort of accent and inflection,
but I seem to lack the sense of humour.
They were of all ages: children at their first web of lace, a
stripling girl with a bashful but encouraging play of eyes, solid
married women, and grandmothers, some on the top of their age and
some falling towards decrepitude. One and all were pleasant and
|
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The Professor by Charlotte Bronte: never believed you could be so cruel--I can love you no more!"
I had much ado to explain to him, with a steady voice, the stern
necessity of the deed; he still, with that inconsolable and
bitter accent which I cannot render, but which pierced my heart,
repeated--
"He might have been cured--you should have tried--you should have
burnt the wound with a hot iron, or covered it with caustic. You
gave no time; and now it is too late--he is dead!"
He sank fairly down on the senseless carcase; I waited patiently
a long while, till his grief had somewhat exhausted him; and then
I lifted him in my arms and carried him to his mother, sure that
The Professor |
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 Almayer's Folly by Joseph Conrad: friendships, and enmities, successes, and disappointments--all
that makes up a life; and before him was only the end. Prayer
would fill up the remainder of the days allotted to the True
Believer! He took in his hand the beads that hung at his waist.
"I found him here, like this, in the morning," said Ali, in a low
and awed voice.
Abdulla glanced coldly once more at the serene face.
"Let us go," he said, addressing Reshid.
And as they passed through the crowd that fell back before them,
the beads in Abdulla's hand clicked, while in a solemn whisper he
breathed out piously the name of Allah! The Merciful! The Compassionate!
Almayer's Folly |
