| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Poems of William Blake by William Blake: A land of sorrows & of tears where never smile was seen.
She wandered in the land of clouds thro' valleys dark, listning
Dolors & lamentations: waiting oft beside the dewy grave
She stood in silence, listning to the voices of the ground,
Till to her own grave plot she came, & there she sat down.
And heard this voice of sorrow breathed from the hollow pit.
Why cannot the Ear be closed to its own destruction?
Or the glistening Eye to the poison of a smile!
Why are Eyelids stord with arrows ready drawn,
Where a thousand fighting men in ambush lie!
Or an Eye of gifts & graces showring fruits & coined gold!
Poems of William Blake |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Pericles by William Shakespeare: Then, lest my life be cropp'd to keep you clear,
By flight I 'II shun the danger which I fear.
[Exit.]
[Re-enter Antiochus.]
ANTIOCHUS.
He gath found the meaning, for which we mean
To have his head.
He must not live to trumpet forth my infamy,
Nor tell the world Antiochus doth sin
In such a loathed manner;
And therefore instantly this prince must die;
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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 The Emerald City of Oz by L. Frank Baum: replied the General, who did not like the way this creature looked at
him, but still was not afraid.
"Ah; you shall see him!" the man said, with a sneering laugh. "The
First and Foremost shall decide upon the best way to punish you."
"He will not punish me," returned Guph, calmly, "for I have come here
to do him and his people a rare favor. Lead on, fellow, and take me
directly to your master."
The owl-man raised his club with a threatening gesture.
"If you try to escape," he said, "beware--"
But here the General interrupted him.
"Spare your threats," said he, "and do not be impertinent, or I will
The Emerald City of Oz |
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 Wife, et al by Anton Chekhov: "But you can't . . . you can't!"
She gets up and walks about in excitement.
"You can't take up that attitude to a serious step," she says.
"When it is a question of our daughter's happiness we must lay
aside all personal feeling. I know you do not like him. . . .
Very good . . . if we refuse him now, if we break it all off, how
can you be sure that Liza will not have a grievance against us
all her life? Suitors are not plentiful nowadays, goodness knows,
and it may happen that no other match will turn up. . . . He is
very much in love with Liza, and she seems to like him. . . . Of
course, he has no settled position, but that can't be helped.
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