| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Son of Tarzan by Edgar Rice Burroughs: toothless, filthy and ill tempered. She lost no opportunity
to cuff the little girl, or even inflict minor tortures upon her,
such as pinching, or, as she had twice done, searing the tender
flesh with hot coals. And there was The Sheik, her father.
She feared him more than she did Mabunu. He often scolded her
for nothing, quite habitually terminating his tirades by cruelly
beating her, until her little body was black and blue.
But when she was alone she was happy, playing with Geeka, or
decking her hair with wild flowers, or making ropes of grasses.
She was always busy and always singing--when they left her alone.
No amount of cruelty appeared sufficient to crush the innate
The Son of Tarzan |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Modeste Mignon by Honore de Balzac: find him on his way through Paris.
"What are you doing, up at this hour, Mademoiselle Modeste?" said the
voice of Dumay at her door.
"Writing to my father," she answered; "did you not tell me you should
start in the morning?"
Dumay had nothing to say to that, and he went to bed, while Modeste
wrote another long letter, this time to her father.
On the morrow, Francois Cochet, terrified at seeing the Havre postmark
on the envelope which Ernest had mailed the night before, brought her
young mistress the following letter and took away the one which
Modeste had written:--
Modeste Mignon |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Travels and Researches in South Africa by Dr. David Livingstone: formerly alight@mercury.interpath.net). To assure a high quality text,
the original was typed in (manually) twice and electronically compared.
[Note on text: Italicized words or phrases are CAPITALIZED.
Some obvious errors have been corrected.]
Missionary Travels and Researches in South Africa.
Also called, Travels and Researches in South Africa;
or, Journeys and Researches in South Africa.
By David Livingstone [British (Scot) Missionary and Explorer--1813-1873.]
David Livingstone was born in Scotland, received his medical degree
from the University of Glasgow, and was sent to South Africa
by the London Missionary Society. Circumstances led him to try to meet
|
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 Phantasmagoria and Other Poems by Lewis Carroll: Ah, well-a-day!
IV.
MY First is singular at best:
More plural is my Second:
My Third is far the pluralest -
So plural-plural, I protest
It scarcely can be reckoned!
My First is followed by a bird:
My Second by believers
In magic art: my simple Third
Follows, too often, hopes absurd
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