| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from On Horsemanship by Xenophon: repeated gallops to produce a sense of weariness in the horse, and so
to tame him, his expectation will not be justified by the result; for
under such circumstances a spirited horse will do his best to carry
the day by main force,[5] and with a show of temper, like a passionate
man, may contrive to bring on himself and his rider irreparable
mischief.
[3] Or, "long stretches rather than a succession of turns and counter
turns," {apostrophai}.
[4] Reading {katapsosi} with L. Dind.
[5] {agein bia}, vi agere, vi uti, Sturz; al. "go his own gait by
sheer force."
On Horsemanship |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from An Unsocial Socialist by George Bernard Shaw: caught her.
"Don't," she said breathlessly. "Take your arm away. How dare
you?"
He released her and shut the door of the conservatory. "Now," he
said, "if you want to run away you will have to run in the open."
"You are very impertinent. Let me go in immediately."
"Do you want me to beg you to marry me after you have offered to
do it freely?"
"But I was only joking; I don't care for you," she said, looking
round for an outlet.
"Agatha," he said, with grim patience, " half an hour ago I had
|
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from McTeague by Frank Norris: is."
"Who has? What has? Where is what?" shouted Marcus,
flaming with excitement upon the instant. He opened the
door and peered down the dark hall, both fists clenched,
ready to fight--he did not know whom, and he did not know
why.
"It's Zerkow," wailed Maria, pulling him back into the room
and bolting the door, "and he's got a knife as long as
THAT. Oh, my Lord, here he comes now! Ain't that him?
Listen."
Zerkow was coming up the stairs, calling for Maria.
McTeague |
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 Heritage of the Desert by Zane Grey: perilous ride down that red slope, not so much from the hissing bullets
as from the washes and gullies which Silvermane sailed over in
magnificent leaps. Hare thrilled with savage delight in the wonderful
prowess of his desert king, in the primal instinct of joy at escaping
with the woman he loved.
"Outrun!" he cried, with blazing eyes. Mescal's white face was pressed
close to his shoulder. "Silver has beaten them. They'll hang on till we
reach the sand-strip, hoping the slow-down will let them come up in time.
But they'll be far too late."
The rustlers continued on the trail, firing desultorily, till Silvermane
so far distanced them that even the necessary lapse into a walk in the
The Heritage of the Desert |
