| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Rescue by Joseph Conrad: sails, and gradually grew faint as if the sound had escaped and
gone away, running upon the water. Haji Wasub was on deck and
ready to carry out the white man's commands. Then silence fell
again on the brig, until Shaw spoke quietly.
"I am going forward now, sir, with the tindal. We're all at
stations."
"Aye, Mr. Shaw. Very good. Mind they don't board you--but I can
hear nothing. Not a sound. It can't be much."
"The fellow has been dreaming, no doubt. I have good ears, too,
and--"
He went forward and the end of his sentence was lost in an
The Rescue |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Tapestried Chamber by Walter Scott: he spoke. The General followed him mechanically, but seemed
little to attend to what his host was saying, as, looking across
an extended and rich prospect, he pointed out the different
objects worthy of observation. Thus they moved on till Lord
Woodville had attained his purpose of drawing his guest entirely
apart from the rest of the company, when, turning round upon him
with an air of great solemnity, he addressed him thus:--
"Richard Browne, my old and very dear friend, we are now alone.
Let me conjure you to answer me upon the word of a friend, and
the honour of a soldier. How did you in reality rest during last
night?"
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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 Wyoming by William MacLeod Raine: was still too active to permit her to sleep immediately. The
excitement of her adventure was too near, the emotions of the day
too poignantly vivid, to lose their hold on her at once. For the
first time in her life she lay lapped in the illimitable velvet
night, countless unwinking stars lighting the blue-black dream in
which she floated. The enchantment of the night's loveliness
swept through her sensitive pulses and thrilled her with the
mystery of the great life of which she was an atom. Awe held her
a willing captive.
She thought of many things, of her past life and its incongruity
with the present, of the man who lay wounded at the Lazy D, of
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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 Tarzan of the Apes by Edgar Rice Burroughs: "Let us leave him quietly sleeping among the tall grasses,
that you may bear other and stronger apes to guard us in our
old age."
"Never, Broken Nose," replied Kala. "If I must carry him
forever, so be it."
And then Tublat went to Kerchak to urge him to use his
authority with Kala, and force her to give up little Tarzan,
which was the name they had given to the tiny Lord Greystoke,
and which meant "White-Skin."
But when Kerchak spoke to her about it Kala threatened
to run away from the tribe if they did not leave her in peace
Tarzan of the Apes |
