| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Flower Fables by Louisa May Alcott: soft leaves at their feet.
Then came the merry birds, making the wood alive with their gay
voices, calling to one another, as they flew among the vines,
building their little homes. Long waited the Elves, and at last
she came with Father Brown-Breast. Happy days passed; and
summer flowers were in their fullest beauty, when Bud bade the Fairies
come with her.
Mounted on bright-winged butterflies, they flew over forest and
meadow, till with joyful eyes they saw the flower-crowned walls
of Fairy-Land.
Before the gates they stood, and soon troops of loving Elves
Flower Fables |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Rezanov by Gertrude Atherton: ment of the promuschleniki into a service that de-
prived him of their legitimate work. Moreover, al-
though he loved Rezanov personally, he had en-
joyed supreme power in the wilderness too long not
to chafe under even the temporary assumption of
authority by his high-handed superior. With the
best of intentions Davidov could make little head-
way against the passive resistance of the Chief-
Manager, and those intentions would be weakened
by the consolidations the Company so generously
afforded.
Rezanov |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The Wrong Box by Stevenson & Osbourne: available assets. He asked to see Mr Watts.
'Here is a bill on London for eight hundred pounds,' said Mr
Finsbury, as that worthy appeared. 'I am afraid, unless you
choose to discount it yourself, it may detain me a day or two
till I can get it cashed.'
Mr Watts looked at the bill, turned it over, and dogs-eared it
with his fingers. 'It will keep you a day or two?' he said,
repeating the old man's words. 'You have no other money with
you?'
'Some trifling change,' responded Joseph. 'Nothing to speak of.'
'Then you can send it me; I should be pleased to trust you.'
|
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 Odyssey by Homer: heartily!'
Then, O swineherd Eumaeus, didst thou answer him, saying:
'Guest of mine, it were an impious thing for me to slight a
stranger, even if there came a meaner man than thou; for
from Zeus are all strangers and beggars; and a little gift
from such as we, is dear; for this is the way with thralls,
who are ever in fear when young lords like ours bear rule
over them. For surely the gods have stayed the returning of
my master, who would have loved me diligently, and given me
somewhat of my own, a house and a parcel of ground, and a
comely {*} wife, such as a kind lord gives to his man, who
The Odyssey |
