| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Moon-Face and Other Stories by Jack London: the wrong and ill-nature of the mystery. Besides, it would but make their
anxieties greater."
"I should go away, I know I should go away," he said, half under his breath.
"And I can. I am no weakling. Because I have failed to remain away once, is no
reason that I shall fail again."
She caught her breath with a quick gasp. "It is like a bereavement to hear you
speak of going away and remaining away. I should never see you again. It is
too terrible. And do not reproach yourself for weakness. It is I who am to
blame. It is I who prevented you from remaining away before, I know. I wanted
you so. I want you so.
"There is nothing to be done, Chris, nothing to be done but to go on with it
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Fables by Robert Louis Stevenson: "Listen and look," said the man.
Now the wind blew through the Poor Thing like an infant crying, so
that her heart was melted; and her eyes were unsealed, and she was
aware of the thing as it were a babe unmothered, and she took it to
her arms, and it melted in her arms like the air.
"Come," said the man, "behold a vision of our children, the busy
hearth, and the white heads. And let that suffice, for it is all
God offers."
"I have no delight in it," said she; but with that she sighed.
"The ways of life are straight like the grooves of launching," said
the man; and he took her by the hand.
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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 Rivers to the Sea by Sara Teasdale: Listen, I love you. Do not turn your face
Nor touch me. Only stand and watch awhile
The blue unbroken circle of the sea.
Look far away and let me ease my heart
Of words that beat in it with broken wing.
Look far away, and if I say too much,
Forget that I am speaking. Only watch,
How like a gull that sparkling sinks to rest,
RIVERS TO THE SEA
The foam-crest drifts along a happy wave
Toward the bright verge, the boundary of the world.
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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 A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift: After all, I am not so violently bent upon my own opinion, as to
reject any offer, proposed by wise men, which shall be found
equally innocent, cheap, easy, and effectual. But before
something of that kind shall be advanced in contradiction to my
scheme, and offering a better, I desire the author or authors
will be pleased maturely to consider two points. First, As things
now stand, how they will be able to find food and raiment for a
hundred thousand useless mouths and backs. And secondly, There
being a round million of creatures in humane figure throughout
this kingdom, whose whole subsistence put into a common stock,
would leave them in debt two million of pounds sterling, adding
A Modest Proposal |
