| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry: are wisest. They are the magi.
End of this Project Gutenberg Etext of THE GIFT OF THE MAGI.
The Gift of the Magi |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Ivanhoe by Walter Scott: mouth.''
``I will appeal to Rome against thee,'' said the
Grand Master, ``for usurpation on the immunities
and privileges of our Order.''
``Be it so,'' said the King; ``but for thine own
sake tax me not with usurpation now. Dissolve
thy Chapter, and depart with thy followers to thy
next Preceptory, (if thou canst find one), which has
not been made the scene of treasonable conspiracy
against the King of England---Or, if thou wilt, remain,
to share our hospitality, and behold our justice.''
Ivanhoe |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Westward Ho! by Charles Kingsley: brothers of whom I spoke quarrelled for the possession of her.
They struck each other, senors! Who struck first I know not; but
swords were drawn, and-- The cavaliers round parted them, crying
shame. And one of those two brothers--the one who speaks to you
now--crying, 'If I cannot have her, no man shall!' turned the sword
which was aimed at his brother, against that hapless maiden--and--
hear me out, senors, before you flee from my presence as from that
of a monster!--stabbed her to the heart. And as she died--one
moment more, senors, that I may confess all!--she looked up in my
face with a smile as of heaven, and thanked me for having rid her
once and for all from Christians and their villainy."
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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 Twilight Land by Howard Pyle: turned him out into the cold wide world to get along as best he
might with the other fools who lived there.
Now the young spendthrift was a strong, stout fellow, and, seeing
nothing better to do, he sold his fine clothes and bought him a
porter's basket, and went and sat in the corner of the
market-place to hire himself out to carry this or that for folk
who were better off in the world, and less foolish than he.
There he sat, all day long, from morning until evening, but
nobody came to hire him. But at last, as dusk was settling, there
came along an old man with beard as white as snow hanging down
below his waist. He stopped in front of the foolish spendthrift,
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