| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Early Short Fiction of Edith Wharton by Edith Wharton: through, and in spite of, his pictures--so handsome, so charming,
so disarming, that one longed to cry out: "Be dissatisfied with
your leisure!" as once one had longed to say: "Be dissatisfied
with your work!"
But, with the cry on my lips, my diagnosis suffered an unexpected
check.
"This is my own lair," he said, leading me into a dark plain room
at the end of the florid vista. It was square and brown and
leathery: no "effects"; no bric-a-brac, none of the air of posing
for reproduction in a picture weekly--above all, no least sign of
ever having been used as a studio.
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Spirit of the Border by Zane Grey: scout round some, while I go up, an' then circle down. Move slow, now, an'
don't miss nothin'."
Joe followed the stream a mile or more. He kept close in the shade of willows,
and never walked across an open glade without first waiting and watching. He
listened to all sounds; but none were unfamiliar. He closely examined the sand
along the stream, and the moss and leaves under the trees. When he had been
separated from Wetzel several hours, and concluded he would slowly return to
camp, he ran across a well-beaten path winding through the forest. This was,
perhaps, one of the bridle-trails Wetzel had referred to. He bent over the
worn grass with keen scrutiny.
CRACK!
The Spirit of the Border |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from An Open Letter on Translating by Dr. Martin Luther: translations. Thus, they are stealing my language from me - a
language they had little knowledge of before this. However, they
do not thank me for this but instead use it against me. Yet I
readily grant them this as it tickles me to know that I have
taught my ungrateful students, even my enemies, to speak.
Secondly, you might say that I have conscientiously translated the
New Testament into German to the best of my ability, and that I
have not forced anyone to read it. Rather I have left it open,
only doing the translation as a service to those who could not do
it as well. No one is forbidden to do it better. If someone does
not wish to read it, he can let it lie, for I do not ask anyone to
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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 Under the Red Robe by Stanley Weyman: said to my companion.
It was my plan to ride a little way along the road to Auch so as
to blind his eyes; then, leaving my horse in the forest, I would
go on foot to the Chateau. 'The sooner the better!' he answered
with a snarl. 'And I hope I may never see your face again,
Monsieur.'
But when we came to the wooden cross at the fork of the roads,
and were about to part, the boy we had seen leapt out of the fern
and came to meet us.
'Hollo!' he cried in a sing-song tone.
'Well,' my companion answered, drawing rein impatiently. 'What
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