| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The Great God Pan by Arthur Machen: irritation, and with a sudden shock found himself confronted
with the embodied proof of his somewhat stilted fancies. There,
close beside him, his face altered and disfigured by poverty and
disgrace, his body barely covered by greasy ill-fitting rags,
stood his old friend Charles Herbert, who had matriculated on
the same day as himself, with whom he had been merry and wise
for twelve revolving terms. Different occupations and varying
interests had interrupted the friendship, and it was six years
since Villiers had seen Herbert; and now he looked upon this
wreck of a man with grief and dismay, mingled with a certain
inquisitiveness as to what dreary chain of circumstances had
The Great God Pan |
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 Dream Life and Real Life by Olive Schreiner: "Where have you been so long?" his comrades asked.
"He keeps looking over his shoulder," said one, "as though he thought he
should see something there."
"When he drank his grog today," said another, "he let it fall, and looked
round."
Next day, a small old Bushman, and a Hottentot, in ragged yellow trousers,
were at a wayside canteen. When the Bushman had had brandy, he began to
tell how something (he did not say whether it was man, woman, or child) had
lifted up its hands and cried for mercy; had kissed a white man's hands,
and cried to him to help it. Then the Hottentot took the Bushman by the
throat, and dragged him out.
|
