| 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 King Lear by William Shakespeare: [Sings] Fools had ne'er less grace in a year,
For wise men are grown foppish;
They know not how their wits to wear,
Their manners are so apish.
Lear. When were you wont to be so full of songs, sirrah?
Fool. I have us'd it, nuncle, ever since thou mad'st thy
daughters
thy mother; for when thou gav'st them the rod, and put'st
down
thine own breeches,
[Sings] Then they for sudden joy did weep,
King Lear |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from A House of Pomegranates by Oscar Wilde: 'Phew!' they cried, as they lit upon the ground, 'there is some one
here we know not!' and they sniffed about, and chattered to each
other, and made signs. Last of all came the young Witch, with her
red hair streaming in the wind. She wore a dress of gold tissue
embroidered with peacocks' eyes, and a little cap of green velvet
was on her head.
'Where is he, where is he?' shrieked the witches when they saw her,
but she only laughed, and ran to the hornbeam, and taking the
Fisherman by the hand she led him out into the moonlight and began
to dance.
Round and round they whirled, and the young Witch jumped so high
|
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 Moon-Face and Other Stories by Jack London: Chris gave her a hand into the saddle, and followed her up the slope to the
county road. She reined in suddenly, saying:
"We won't go straight back to camp."
"You forget dinner," he wanted.
"But I remember Comanche," she retorted. "We'll ride directly over to the
ranch and buy him. Dinner will keep."
"But the cook won't," Chris laughed. "She's already threatened to leave, what
of our late-comings."
"Even so," was the answer. "Aunt Mildred may have to get another cook, but at
any rate we shall have got Comanche."
They turned the horses in the other direction, and took the climb of the Nun
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