| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Catriona by Robert Louis Stevenson: EXPERTO-CREDE. I daresay you know something of my name and clan, and
the damnable example and lamented end of my late father, to say nothing
of my own errata. Well, I have made my peace with that good Duke; he
has intervened for me with our friend Prestongrange; and here I am with
my foot in the stirrup again and some of the responsibility shared into
my hand of prosecuting King George's enemies and avenging the late
daring and barefaced insult to his Majesty."
"Doubtless a proud position for your father's son," says I.
He wagged his bald eyebrows at me. "You are pleased to make
experiments in the ironical, I think," said he. "But I am here upon
duty, I am here to discharge my errand in good faith, it is in vain you
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Gambara by Honore de Balzac: sings for singing's sake is an artisan, not an artist.
"This magnificent opera is the continuation of the great work I
projected. My first opera was called /The Martyrs/, and I intend to
write a third on Jerusalem delivered. You perceive the beauty of this
trilogy and what a variety of motives it offers,--the Martyrs,
Mahomet, the Deliverance of Jerusalem: the God of the West, the God of
the East, and the struggle of their worshipers over a tomb. But we
will not dwell on my fame, now for ever lost.
"This is the argument of my opera." He paused. "The first act," he
went on, "shows Mahomet as a porter to Kadijah, a rich widow with whom
his uncle placed him. He is in love and ambitious. Driven from Mecca,
Gambara |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe: indolent, and for that reason were less supplied with the
necessaries of life, than they had reason to believe others were in
the same part of the world; and yet they found that these savages
were less ravenous and voracious than those who had better supplies
of food. Also, they added, they could not but see with what
demonstrations of wisdom and goodness the governing providence of
God directs the events of things in this world, which, they said,
appeared in their circumstances: for if, pressed by the hardships
they were under, and the barrenness of the country where they were,
they had searched after a better to live in, they had then been out
of the way of the relief that happened to them by my means.
Robinson Crusoe |
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 Fables by Robert Louis Stevenson: bonds of our bones are loosed, and our thoughts lie in the dust."
Then said the Poor Thing: "Charge them that they give you the
virtue they withheld".
And the man said: "Bones of my fathers, greeting! for I am sprung
of your loins. And now, behold, I break open the piled stones of
your cairn, and I let in the noon between your ribs. Count it well
done, for it was to be; and give me what I come seeking in the name
of blood and in the name of God."
And the spirits of the dead stirred in the cairn like ants; and
they spoke: "You have broken the roof of our cairn and let in the
noon between our ribs; and you have the strength of the still-
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