Project Gutenberg's The Masque of the Elements, by Herman Scheffauer

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Title: The Masque of the Elements

Author: Herman Scheffauer

Release Date: September 20, 2008 [EBook #26675]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE MASQUE OF THE ELEMENTS ***

Produced by Ruth Hart

[Note: This text contains many words with archaic spelling, which
I have not modernized. Also, while the first word of each poem
is usually capitalized, not all of them are, and I have left
the uncapitalized words as is. Finally, in the original text,
the verse was printed with regular type, while the prose was
italicized. I have not indicated these differences for this
online version.]

THE MASQUE OF THE ELEMENTS
BY HERMAN SCHEFFAUER

LONDON: J. M. Dent & Sons, Limited
Bedford Street, Strand 1912
New York: E. P. Dutton & Co.

All rights reserved

TO MY DEAR FRIEND
ALBERT M. BENDER

CONTENTS

ARGUMENT 9

THE PASSING

Song of the Spirit of Chaos 14
Song of the Sun 16
Song of the Planet Earth 18
Song of the Moon Wraith 20
Song of Earth the Element 22
Song of Air 24
Song of the Sea 26
Song of Fire 28
Song of the Spirit of Chaos 31

RE-BIRTH

Song of the Spirit of Creation 37
Song of the Sun 39
Song of the Planet Earth 41
Song of the Moon 43
Song of Air 45
Song of the Sea 47
Song of Earth the Element 48
Song of Fire 51
Song of the Spirit of Creation 55

ARGUMENT

In this Threnody and Birth-song of the Elements, written in
California some five years ago, I have striven to capture
and present some of the chief-factors and phases of the
eternal drama of Life and Death in the Universe. These powers,
elements and agents I have endowed with human attributes
and human emotions as though it were Man himself who uttered
himself through them.

The actors in this cosmic masque or pageant of the planets
are the S