| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The Jungle Tales of Tarzan by Edgar Rice Burroughs: To the beating of tom-toms, a lone warrior, crouched
half doubled, leaped into the firelight in the center
of a great circle of other warriors, behind whom stood
or squatted the women and the children. The dancer
was painted and armed for the hunt and his movements
and gestures suggested the search for the spoor of game.
Bending low, sometimes resting for a moment on one knee,
he searched the ground for signs of the quarry;
again he poised, statuesque, listening. The warrior
was young and lithe and graceful; he was full-muscled
and arrow-straight. The firelight glistened upon his ebon
The Jungle Tales of Tarzan |
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 Merry Adventures of Robin Hood by Howard Pyle: drink thy health, sweet fellow!" Nor was he behind Little John
in drinking any more than in eating.
"Now," quoth Little John, "thy voice is right round and sweet, jolly lad.
I doubt not thou canst sing a ballad most blithely; canst thou not?"
"Truly, I have trolled one now and then," quoth the Cook,
"yet I would not sing alone."
"Nay, truly," said Little John, "that were but ill courtesy.
Strike up thy ditty, and I will afterward sing one to match it,
if I can.
"So be it, pretty boy," quoth the Cook. "And hast thou e'er heard the song
of the Deserted Shepherdess?"
The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood |
