| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus by L. Frank Baum: broken off and placed it in his sledge.
It was nearly morning when the deer stopped before the lonely tent of
skins where the poor children lay asleep. Claus at once planted the
bit of pine tree in the sand and stuck many candles on the branches.
Then he hung some of his prettiest toys on the tree, as well as
several bags of candies. It did not take long to do all this, for
Santa Claus works quickly, and when all was ready he lighted the
candles and, thrusting his head in at the opening of the tent,
he shouted:
"Merry Christmas, little ones!"
With that he leaped into his sledge and was out of sight before the
The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from A Voyage to Arcturus by David Lindsay: mountains, and in full sunlight. Maskull settled down again to his
thoughts. The peculiar atmosphere of the country continued to soak
into his brain. His will became so restless and uneasy that merely
to sit there in inactivity was a torture. He could scarcely endure
not to be doing something.
"How secretive you are, Maskull!" said Oceaxe quietly, without
turning her head.
"What secrets - what do you mean?"
"Oh, I know perfectly well what's passing inside you. Now I think it
wouldn't be amiss to ask you - is friendship still enough?"
"Oh, don't ask me anything," growled Maskull. "I've far too many
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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 A Man of Business by Honore de Balzac: "That is Maxime all over!" cried La Palferine.
"More especially as it was little Croizeau's money," added Cardot the
profound.
"Maxime scored a triumph," continued Desroches, "for Hortense
exclaimed, 'Oh, if I had only known that it was you!' "
"A pretty 'confusion' indeed!" put in Malaga. "You have lost, milord,"
she added turning to the notary.
And in this way the cabinetmaker, to whom Malaga owed a hundred
crowns, was paid.
PARIS, 1845.
ADDENDUM
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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 Hiero by Xenophon: Eur. "Bacch." 376. A favourite word with our author; see "Ages."
ix. 4; "Cyrop." passim; "Mem." III. viii. 10; "Econ." ix. 12.
[2] Lit. "delighting I in them and they in me."
[3] Or, "when I sought tranquility I was my own companion."
[4] Or, "in sheer forgetfulness."
[5] Or, "absorbed our souls in song and festal cheer and dance." Cf.
"Od." viii. 248, 249, {aiei d' emin dais te phile kitharis te
khoroi te} | {eimata t' exemoiba loetra te therma kau eunai}, "and
dear to us ever is the banquet and the harp and the dance, and
changes of raiment, and the warm bath, and love and sleep"
(Butcher and Lang).
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