Thoreau, Henry David - A Walk to Wachusett
Transcript of Thoreau, Henry David - A Walk to Wachusett
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A W LKTOW CHUSETT
The needl es of t he pine
Al l t o t he west i n c l i n e
CONCORD Jul y 19 1842
SUMMERand w nt e r our eyes had rested on t he s l i m
outl i ne of t he mount ai ns i n our hori zon t o whi ch d i s
tance and i ndi sti nctness l e nt a grandeur not thei r own
so t hat they served equal l y t o i nterpret al l t he al l usi ons
of poet s andtr avel ers ; whether w t h Homer on a spri ng
mor ni ng we s a t cl own on t he many peaked O ympus
or w t h Vi rgi l and hi s c ompeer s roamed t he Etr uri an
and Thessal i an h i l l s or w t h Humbol dt measured t hemoremodern Andes and Tener i f f e Thus we spoke our
mnd t o them standing on t he Concord c l i f f s
Wth f r onti er strength ye s t and your ground
Wth grand content ye c i r c l e r ound
Tumultuous si l ence f or a l l sound
Ye dist ant nursery of r i l l s
Monadnock and t he Yeterboro h i l l s
Li ke some vast f l e e t
Sai l i ng t hrough rai n and s l e e t
Through w nter s c ol d and summer s heat
S t i l l holdi ng on upon your high empri seUnti l ye f i n d a shore amd t he skies
Not skul king c l ose t o l and
Wth cargo cont r aband
For they who sent a venture out by ye
Have s et t he sun t o see
Thei r honesty
Ships of t he l i n e each one
Ye t o t he wes t war d run
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WLKTOW HUSETT
waysbef ore t he g al e ,
Under a press of s a i l ,
Wth wei ght of metal al l untol d
I seemt o f ee l ye , i n m f i r m seat here,
Immeasurabl e dept h of hol d,
ndbreadth of beam and l ength of runni ng gear
Methi nks ye take l uxuri ous pleasure
I n your novel west ern l ei sure ;
So cool your brows, and fr eshl y blue,
s Ti mehad nought f or y e t o do ;
For ye l i e at your l ength,
nunappropri ated strength,
Unhe~vn pr i meval t i mber,
For knees s o s t i f f f or mast s so l i mber ;
The stock of whi ch newearths are made
One ( l ay t o be our west ern trade,
Fi t f or t he st anchi ons of a worl d
Whi ch t hrough the seas of space i s hurl ed
Whi l e we enj oy a l i ngeri ng ray,
Ye s t i l l o crtop the west ern day,
Reposi ng , yonder, oi l God s c r o f t ,
Li ke s o l i d stacks of hay
Edgedw t h s i l v e r , and w t h gol d,
The cl ouds hang o er i n damask f o l d ,
ndw t h such depth of amber l i gh t
Thewest i s ( l i g h t ,
Where s t a few rays s l a n t ,
That even heaven seems extr avagant
Ont he earth s edge mountai ns and trees
Stand as t hey were on ai r graven,
O as t he vessel s i n a haven
Awai t t he morni ng breeze
I f ancy even
ThronghYour de f i l e s w ndeth t he way t o heaven ;
ndYonder s t i l l i n spi te of h i s t o r y s page,
Li nger the gol den and the s i l v e r age
Upon the l abor i ng gal e
WLKTOW HUSETT 135
The news of future centuri es i s brought ,
ndof newdynasti es of thought,
Fromyour remotest val e
But speci al I remember t hee,
Wachuset t , who l i k e me
Standest al one w thout soc iety
Thy f ar blue eye ,
remnant of t he sky,
Seen through t he clearing or t he gorge
O fromt he wndows of the f orge,
Doth l eaven al l i t passes by
Nothi ng i s t r u e ,
But st ands t ween me and , y o u ,
Thou west ern pioneer,
Woknow st not shame nor f ear
By venturous s p i r i t dri ven,
Under t he eaves of heaven ndcanst expand thee there,
ndbreathe enough of ai r ?
Uphol di ng heaven, holdi ng down earth,
Thy past i me fromt hy b i r t h ,
Not st eadied by t he one, nor l eaning on t he other ;
May I approve mysel f thy worthy brother
At l ength, l i k e Rassel as, and other i nhabi tants of
happy v al l e ys , we resolved t o s cal e the bl ue wal l which
bounded t he west er n hori zon, thoughnot w thout msgi v-
i ngs t hat thereaft er no v i s i b l e f ai ry l and woul d e xi s t f orus But we wi l l not l eap at once t o our j our ney s end,
though near, but im ta t e Homer who conducts hi s
reader over t he p l a i n , and al ong t he r esoundi ng sea,
though t be but t o t he tent of Achi l l es I n t he spaces of
t hought ar e the r eaches of l and and v a t e r , where men
go and come The l andscape l i e s f ar and f a i r w thi n,
and t he deepest thi nker i s t he f arthest tr avel ed
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136 k W LKTOW HUSETT
t a cool and ear l y hour on a pl easant morni ng i n
J ul y my compani on and I passed ni pi dl y t hrough
Acton and Stow stoppi ng t o r e s t and ref resh us on t he
bank of a s ma l l s t r e am a t r i but a r y of t he Assabet i n t he
l a t t e r town As we t r a ver s ed t he c ool woods of Act on
w t h stout staves i n our hands we were cheered by t he
song of t he r ed- eve the thrushes the phoebe and t he
cuckoo ; and as we passed t hrough t he open country we
i nhal ed t he f r e sh scent of every f i e l d and al l nat ur e l ay
passi ve t o be vi ewed and tr aveled Every r a i l every
f ar mhouse seen d i m y i n t he t wi l i ght every t i nk l i ng
sound t o l d of peace and puri ty and we moved happi l y
al ong t he c l a nk r o ads enj oyi ng not such pr i vac y as t he
day l eaves when i t w t hdraws but such as i t has not
pr of aned I t was sol i tude w t h l i ght ; whi ch i s betterthan dark ness But anon t he sound of t he mower s r i f l e
was hear d i n t he f i e l d s and t h i s t o o m ngl e d w t h t he
l ow ng of t r i n e
Thi s part of our route l ay t hrough t he country of
hops whi ch pl ant per haps suppl i es the `want of t he vi ne
i n Ameri can scener y and may remnd t he tr aveler of
I t a l y and t he Sout h of France whet her he traverses t he
country when t he hop- f i el ds as t hen present s o l i d and
r egul ar mas se s of verdure hangi ng i n gr acef ul f estoonsf r o m po l e t o pol e t he c oo l coverts where l ur k t he gal es
whi ch ref resh t he wayf ar er ; or i n September when t he
women and chi l dre n and t he nei ghbors fromf ar and
near are gat her ed t o pi c k t he hops i nto l ong t r oughs ; or
l a t e r s t i l l when t he pol es stand pi l ed i n vast pyramds i n
t he yards or l i i n heaps by t he r oadsi de
The Cul ture 0f t he 1 1 0 1 w t h t he processes of pi cki ng
W LKTOW HUSETT 137
dr y i ng i n t he k i l n and packi ng f or the mar ket as wel l
as t he uses t o whi ch i t i s appl i ed so anal ogous t o t he
cul ture and uses of t he gr ape may a f f o r d a theme f or
f uture poets
Themower i n t he adj acent meadowco ul d not t e l l ust he name of t he brook on whosebanks wehad r e s t e d or
whet her i t had any but hi s younger compani on per-
haps hi s br other knewthat i t was Gr eat Brook Though
they stood very near together i n t he f i e l d t he t hi ngs theyknew wer e very f ar apart ; nor di d they suspect eachother s reserved know edge t i l l t he s t ra nge r came by
I n Bol t on whi l e we rested on t he r a i l s of a cottage f ence
t he s t r ai ns of musi c whi ch i ssued f r o m w thi n pr obabl y
i n co mpl i ment t o us soj our ners remnded us that t hus
f ar men wer e f ed by t he acc ust omed pl easur es So soondi d we wa yf a re rs begi n t o l ear n that man s l i f e i s
rounded w t h t he same f ew f a c t s t he same si mpl e r e l a
t i o ns ever ywher e and i t i s v ai n t o t r avel t o f i nd i t new
The f l owers grow mor e var i ous ways than he But
comng soon t o hi gher l and whi ch af f or ded a prospect
of t he mount ai ns we t hought we had not tr avel ed i n
vai n i f i t wer e onl y t o hear a truer and w l der pro-
nunci ati on of t h e i r names fromt he l i ps of t he i nhabi t -
ants ; not Way-t at i c Way- chuset t but Wor- tat i c Wor
chuset t I t made us ashamed of our tame and c i v i l
pr onunci ati on and we l ook ed upon themas born and
bred f arther west than we Thei r t ongues had a mor e
gener ous accent than ours as i f breath was cheaper
where they wagged count r yman who speaks butsel dom t a l k s copi ousl y as i t wer e as hi s w f e s e t s cr e a mand che es e be f o re you w t hout s t i n t Bef ore noon we
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13 AWLKTOWCHUSETT
had r eached t he hi ghl ands overl ooki ng t he val l ey of
Lancast er (af f ordi ng t he f i r s t f a i r andopen prospect in to
t he west) , and t here, on t he t op of a h i l l i n t he shade of
some oaks, near t o where a spri ng bubbl ed out f r om a
l eaden pi pe, we rested duri ng t he heat of t he day, r ead-
i ng Vi rgi l and enj oyi ng t he scenery I t was such a pl ace
as one f e e l s t o be on the outs i de of t he earth f or f r om
t we coul d, i n somemeasur e, see t he formand structure
of t he gl obe There l ay Wachuset t , t he obj ect of our
j our ney, l oweri ng upon us wi th unchanged proport i ons,
though wi th a l e s s ethereal aspect t han had greet ed our
morni ng gaze, whi l e f urther nort h, i n successi ve order,
sl umbered i t s s i s t e r mount ai ns al ong t he hori zon
Wcoul d get no f urt her in to t he ~Enei d t han
at que alt ae moeni a Romeand t he wal l of high Rome
bef orewewere const rai ned t o r e f l e c t bywhat myri ad t e s t s
a work of geni us has t o be t r i e d t hat V i r g i l away i n
home two t housand years o f f shoul d have t o unf ol d hi s
meani ng, t he i nspi rat i on of I t a l i an v al e s t o t he p i l g r im
onNewEngland h i l l s Thi s l i f e so rawandmodern t hat
so c i v i l and anci ent and yet we read Vi rgi l mai nly t o
be r emnded of t he i denti ty of human nature i n al l ages,
and, by t he poet s own account , we are bot h t he chi l drenof a l a t e age, and l i v e equal l y under t he rei gn of J upi ter
11e shook honey f romt he l eaves, and removed f i r e
nd stayed t he wi ne, everywhere f l owi ng i n ri vers
That experi ence, by medi t ati ng, mght i nvent vari ous arts
By degrees, and seek t he bl ade of corn i n f urrows ,
ndstr ike out hi dden f i r e fromt he vei ns of t he f l i n t .
The ol d worl d st ands serenel y behi nd t he new as
AWLKTOWCHUSETT 139
one mountai n yonder t owers behi nd anot her , more di mand di stant Rome i mposes her story s t l l upon t h i s l a t e
gener ati on The very chi l dren i n t he school wehad t hat
morni ng passed had gone t hrough her wars, and reci ted
her al arm, ere t hey had heard of t he wars of nei ghbor-i ng Lancast er The rovi ng eye s t l l r e s t s i nevit abl y onher h i l l s and she s t l l hol ds up t he s k i r t s of t he sky ont hat s i de andmakes t he past r emot e
The l ay of t he l and her eabout s s wel l worthy t heatt enti on of t he t ravel er The h i l l on whi ch we wereresti ng made part of an ext ensi ve r ange, r unni ng fromsout hwest t o nort heast, across t he country, and separat-i ng the water s of t he Nashua f r omt hose of t he Concord,whose bankswehad l e f t i n t he mor ni ng, andby beari ng
i n mnd t h i s f a c t we coul d e a s i l y determ ne whi t hereach brook was bound t hat crossed our pat h Paral l el t ot h i s and f i f t e e n mles f urt her west , beyond t he deepandbroad val l ey i n which l i e Grot on, Shi rl ey, Lancast er, andBoyl st on, runs t he Wachusett r ange, i n t he samegeneraldi rect i on The descent i nt o t he val l ey on t he Nashuasi de s by f ar t he most sudden and a coupl e of ml esbrought us t o t he southern branch of t he Nashua a shal -l ow but rapi d stream f l owi ng bet ween hi gh andgravel l ybanks But we soon l ear ned t hat t hese
wer e nogel i dae
val l ey in to which we had descended, and, mssi ng t hecool ness of t he morni ng a i r f eared t had become t hesun s tu rn t o t r y h i s power upon us
The sul try sun had gained the mddl e sky,
ndnot a t r ee and not an herb was nigh,
and wi th mel anchol y pl easure we echoed t he mel odi ouspl ai nt of our f el l ow- tr avel er, Hassan, i n t he d e s e r t
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140 WLKTOW HUSETT
Sadwas t he hour , and l uck l ess was t he day,
When f i r s t fromSchi raz wal l s bent m way
Theai r l ay l i f e l e s s between t he h i l l s as i n a seethi ng
cal dron, w t h no l e a f s t i r r i n g and i nst ead of t he fresh
odor of grass and c l o ve r w t h whi ch wehad befor e beenr egal ed, t he dr y scent of ever y her b seemed mer el y
medi ci nal Yi el di ng, t heref ore, t o t he heat, we s t r o l l e d
i nto t he woods, and al ong t he course of a r i v u l e t on
whose banks we l o i t e r e d observi ng at our l ei sure t he
products of these new f i e l d s He who traverses t he
woodl and pat hs, at t h i s season, wi l l have occasi on t o
remmer t he smal l , droopi ng, b e l l - l i k e f l owers and
sl ender r ed stemof t he dogsbane, and t he coarser stem
and berry of t he poke, t i v h i c h are both commn i n
r emot er andw l der scenes ; and i t he sun casts such aref l ecti ng heat fromthe sweet- f ern as mkes hmai n t
whenhe i s cl i mbi ng t he bare h i l l s as they compl ai ned
who f i r s t penetrated i nto these parts, t he cool f r agr ance
of t he swam-pink restores hmagai n, when tr aversi ng
t he val l eys between
As we went on our way l a t e i n the af ternoon, we
refr eshed oursel ves by bathi ng our f e e t i n every r i l l that
crossed t he road, and anon, as wewere abl e t o wal k i n
t he shadows of t he h i l l s recovered our mrnng e l a s t i -
c i t y Passi ng through Ster l i ng, we r eached t he banks of
t he St i l l water , i n t he western part of t he t own, at even-
i ng, where i s a smal l v i l l a g e col l ected Wf anc i ed that
there as al ready a cert ai n west ern l ook about t h i s pl ace,
a smel l of p i r n e s and roar of water, recentl y conf i ned by
dam bc1yi ng i t s name whi ch were exceedi ngl y grate-
f ul When t he f i r s t i nroad has been mde a f ew acres
̀TALK TOW HUSETT 141
l e ve l e d anda f ewhouses erected, t he f o r e s t l ooks w l der
than ever Lef t t o h e r s e l f nature i s al ways mre or
l e s s c i v i l i z e d and del i ghts i n a cert ai n r ef i nement ; but
where t he axe has encr oached upon t he edge of t he
f o r e s t t he dead and unsi ghtl y l i mbs of t he pi ne, which
she had conceal ed w t h gr een banks of verdure, are
exposed t o si ght Thi s v i l l a g e had, as y e t no po s t - of f i c e
nor any s e t t l e d name I n t he smal l v i l l a g e s whi ch we
entered, the v i l l a g e r s gazed af t er us , w t h a compl acent ,
al most compassi onate l ook, as i wewere j us t mking
our debut i n t he wor l d at a l a t e hour Nevert hel ess,
di d t hey seemt o say, come and study us and l earn
menand mnners . So i s each one s wor l d but a c l e a r -
i ng i n t he f o r e s t so mch open and i nc l osed ground
The l andl ord had not yet returned f r om t he f i e l d w t hhi s mn and t he cows had vet t o be ml ked But we
remmered t he i nsc r ipt ion on the wal l of t he Swedi sh
i nn, You wi l l f i nd at Tr ol hate excel l ent bread, meat ,
andw ne, pr ovi ded you bri ng themw t h you, andwer e
contented But I must conf ess i t di d somwhat di sturb
our pl easure, i n t h i s wthdrawn s pot , t o have our own
v i l l a g e newspaper handedus by our h o s t as i t he great-
e s t charmt he country of f ered t o t he tr avel er was t he
f a c i l i t y of communicat i on w t h t he town Let i t r e c l i n e
on i t s
f a c i l i t y
everl asti ng h i l l s and not be l ooki ng out from
thei r summts f or somepetty Boston or NewYork i n t he
hor i zon
At i nterval s we hear d t he mrmri ng of water, and
t he s l umberous br eat hi ng of c r i c k e t s t hroughout t he
ni ght ; and l e f t t he i nn t he next mrnng i n t he gray
t wi l i g h t aft er i t had been hal l owed by t he ni ght a i r
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142 WLKTOW HUSETT
andwhen onl y t he i nnocent cows wer e s t i r r i n g w t h a
ki nd of regret I t Nvas onl y f our m l e s t o t he base of t he
mountai n, and t he scenery was al ready more pictur-
esque Our road l ay al ong t he course of t he Sti l l water,
whi ch was braw i ng at t he bott om of a deep ravi ne,
f i l l e d w t h pi nes and rocks, t umbl i ng f resh f r om t he
mounta i ns, so soon, a l a s t o commence i t s career of
usef ul ness t f i r s t a cl oud hung between us and t he
summ t , but i t was soon bl own away As we gat hered
t he raspberri es, which grewabundantl y by t he r oadsi de,
we f anci ed t hat t hat act i on was consi st ent wtha l o f t y
prudence as i t he tr avel er who ascends i n to a moun
t ai nous regi on shoul d f o r t i f y hi msel f by eati ng of such
l i g h t ambrosi al f r u i t s as growt h e r e and dri nki ng of t he
spri ngs whi ch gush out fromt he mountai n- si des, as hegradual l y i nhal es t he subt l er and purer at mosphere of
those el evat ed pl aces, t hus propi t i a t i ng t he mountai n
gods by a s a c r i f i c e of t hei r own f r u i t s The gross pro-
duct s of t he pl a ins and val l eys ar e f or such as dwel l
therei n but i t seemed t o us that t he j ui ces of t h i s berry
had rel at ion t o t he t hi n ai r of t he mountai n- t ops
I nduet i me webegan t o ascend t he mount ai n, passi ng,
f i r s t through a grand sugar mapl ewood whi ch bore
t he marks of the auger , then a denser f o r e s t which
gradual l y becamedwar f ed, t i l l there wer e no t r e e s what -
ever Wat l ength pi t ched our tent on t he summt I t i s
but ni net een hundred f eet abovet he v i l l age of Pr i nceton,
and three t housand above t he l e ve l of t he sea but by
t h i s s l i g h t el evat i on i t i s i n f i n i t e l y removed from t he
plai n, and whenwe reached i t we f e l t a sense of remot e-
ness, as i wehad tr aveled i n to di stant regi ons, t o Arabi a
WLKTOW HUSETT 143
Pet rwa, or t he f arthest East robi n upon a s t a f f was
the hi ghest obj ec t i n si g ht Swal l ows wer e f l y i ng about
us, and t he chewnk and cuckoo were heard near at
hand The summt consi sts of a f ewa c r e s desti t ute of
t r e e s covered w t h bar e rocks, i nt erspersed w t h bl ue-
berry bushes, raspberri es, gooseberri es, strawberri es,
moss, and a f i n e w ry grass The common yel l ow l i l y
and dwarf cornel grow abundant l y i n t he crevi ces of
t he rocks Thi s cl ear space, which i s gentl y r ounded, i s
bounded afewf eet l ower by a th ick shrubbery of oaks,
w t h mapl es, aspens, beeches, c he r r i e s and occasional l y
a mountai n- ash i nterm ngled, among which we f ound
the br i ght bl ue ber r i es of t he Sol omon s- seal , and t he
f r u i t of t he pyrol a Fromt he f oundati on of a wooden
observat ory, - whi ch was f ormerl y erected on the hi ghestpoi nt, f o rmng a r ude, ho l l ow structure of st one, a dozen
f e e t i n di ameter, and f i v e or s i x i n hei ght , we coul d see
Monadnock i n si mpl e grandeur, i n t he nort hwest , r i s i n g
nearl y a t housand f e e t hi gher, s t i l l t he f ar bl uemoun
ta in , though w t h an al tered p r o f i l e The f i r s t dayt he weat her was so hazy that i t was i n vai n we endeav-
ored t o unravel t he obscuri t y I t was l i k e l ooki ng i n to
t he sky agai n, and t he pat ches of f o rest here and there
seemed t o l i t l i k e cl ouds over a l ower heaven s t o
voyagers of an aeri al Pol ynes ia , the earth seemed l i k e a
l arger i s l and i n t he ether on every s i d e even as l owas
we, t he sky shutt i ng down l i k e an unf at homabl e deep,
around i t a bl ue Paci f i c i sl and, wherewhoknowswhat
i s l anders i nhabi t and as we s a i l near i t s shores we see
t he wavi ng of t r ees and hear t he l ow ng of ki ne
Wread Vi rgi l and Wordsworth i n our t e n t w t h
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144 AW LKTOW HUSETT
newpl easure there whi l e wai t i ng f or a cl earer at mo-
our appreci at i ng
Bel l : phere nor di d t he weat her pr event
t he si mpl e t r u t h and beaut y of Pet er
And he had l a i n besi de hi s a s s e s
On l o f t y Chevi ot Hi l l s
And hehad t r u d ; ed t hrough Yorkshi r e dal es
Among t he rocks and w nd i n g scars ;
Wheredeep and l o w t h e h am et s l i e
Beneath t h ei r l i t t l e pat ch of sky
And l i t t l e l ot of s t a r s .
Woknows but t h i s h i l l my one day be a Hel vel l yn
or even a Parnassus and t he Muses haunt here and
other Homrs f r equent t he nei ghbori ng pl ains?
Not unconcer ned Wachusett rears hi s head
Above t he f i e l d so l a t e fromnat ure won,
Wth pat i ent browreserved as one who read
Newannals i n t he h is tory of mn
Thebl ueberr i es which t he mountai n aff orded addedt o
t he m l k we l r a d brought mdeour f rugal supper whi l e
f or ent er t ai nment t he even-s ong of t he wood thrush
rang al ong t he r i dge Our eyes rested on no pai nted
cei l i ng nor carpet ed h a l l but on ski es of Nat ur e s paint -
i n g and h i l l s and f o r e s t s of her embroi der y Bef ore
sunset we rambl ed al ong t he r i dge t o t h e no r t h wh i l e a
l m wl v soared s t i l l above us
I t was a pl ace where gods
mght wander so so l emn and s o l i t a r y and remved
f r o mal l c ont a gi on w t h t he pl ai n As t he eveni ng cam
on t he Haze was condensed i n vapor and t he l andscape
I CCa n1C mre d i s t i nct ly v i s i b l e and numrous sheet s of
wat er wer e brcnrght t o l i g h t 1? t j a r n summ procul v i l l a r i n n cu lm na f umant
y l a j o r e s c l i t c cadunt a l t i s de mont i bus umrae
W LKTOW HUSETT 145
Andnow t he t ops of t he v i l l a s smke afar o f f
And t he shadows f a l l l onger f romhe high mount ai ns
Aswe stood on t he st one t ower whi l e t he sun was s e t -
t i n g we saw t he shades of ni ght c r eep gr adual l y over
t he val l eys of t he east and t h e i nhabi t ant s went i n t o
thei r houses and shut thei r doors whi l e t he moon
s i l e n t l y rose up and t ook possess ion o f t h at par t And
then t he sam scene was r epeated on t he west s i d e as f ar
as t he Connect i cut and t he Green Mount ai ns and t he
sun s rays f e l l on us two al one of al l NewEng andmn I t was t he ni ght but one bef o r e t h e f u l l of t he mon,
so br i ght t h at we coul d see t o read d i s t i nct ly by mon-
l i g h t and i n t he eveni ng s t r o l l e d over t he summt w t h -
out danger There vas by chance a f i r e bl azi ng on
Monadnock t hat ni ght which l i ghted up t he whol ewest ern hori zon and by mking us awar e of a com
mni ty of mount ai ns mde our pos i t i on seemes s s o l i -
tary But at l engt h t h e wnd drove us t o t he s hel t er of
our t e n t andwe cl osed i t s door f or t he ni ght and f e l l
asl eep
I t was t h r i l l i n g t o hear t he wnd roar over t he rocks
at i nterval s when we waked f or i t had grown qui te
c ol d andwndy The ni ght was i n i t s el ement s si mpl e
even t o maj est y i n t hat bl eak pl ace a bri ght mon-
l i g h t and a pi erci ng wnd I t was at not i me darker than
t w l i g h t w t h i n t he t e n t and we coul d easi l y s ee t he
moon t hrough i t s t r anspar ent roof as we l ay f or there
was t he moon s t i l l above us w t h J upi t e r and Satur n on
ei t her hand l ooki ng down on Wachuset t and i t was a
s at i s f ac t i o n t o knowt hat they were our f el l ow-t ravel ers
s t l l as h i gh and out of our reach as our own d es t i n y-
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146 WLKTOW HUSETT
Trul y t he stars were gi ven f or a consolati on t o man
Wshoul d not knowbut our l i f e were fa te d t o be al ways
grovel i ng but t i s permtted t o behol d them and surel y
t hey ar e deservi ng of a f a i r desti ny Wsee l aws which
never f a i l of whose f a i l ure we never concei ved and
thei r l amps bur n al l t he ni ght t o o as wel l as al l days o r i c h and l avi s h i s that nature whi ch can a f f o r d t h i s
superfl ui ty of l i g h t
The mrn ng t w l i g h t began as soon as t he monhad
s e t andwe arose and ki ndl ed our f i r e whose bl aze m ght
have been seen f or t h i r t y m l e s around s t he dayl i ght
i ncreased i t was r emar kabl e howrapi dl y the wndwent
down There was no dewon t he s umm t but col dness
suppl i ed i t s pl ace Wen t he dawn had reached i t s
pri me weenj oyed t he v i e w of a di s t i nc t hori zon l i n e
and coul d f ancy ours el ves at s e a and t he di stant h i l l s
t he waves i n the hori zon a s s een fromt he deck of a ves-
s e l The cherry-bi rds f l i t t e d around us t he nut hatch
and f l i c k e r were heard amng t he bushes t he t i t mouse
perched w t h i n a f ew f e e t and t he song of t he wood
t h r us h a ga i n rang al ong t he ri dge At l engt h we saw
t he r un r i s e up out of t he sea and shine on Massachu-
s e t t s ; and fromt h i s mmnt t he at mospher e grewmre
andmre transparent t l l t he t i me of our depart ure and
we began t o r e a l i z e t he ext ent of t he vi ew and howt heearth i n som degree answer ed t o t he heavens i n
breadt h t he whi t e v i l l a g e s t o t he constel l ati ons i n t he
sk} Ther e was l i t t l e of t he s ubl i m t y and gr andeur
which bel ong t o mountai n scenery but an i mmnse
l andscape t o ponder ou a summr s day Wcoul d see
howampl e and room i s nature s f ar as the eye coul d
WLKTOW HUSETT 147
teach there was l i t t l e l i f e i n t he l andscape ; t he f ewbi rds
that f l i t t e d past di d not cr owd The tr avelers on t he
r emot e hi ghways which i ntersect t he country on every
s i d e had no f e l l ow travel ers f or ml e s bef ore or behi nd
Onevery s i de t he eye ranged over successi ve c i r c l e s of
t owns r i s i n g one above another l i k e t he terraces of avi neyard t i l l they wer e l o s t i n t he hori zon Wchusett
s i n f a c t t he observatory of t he State There l ay Mas-
sachusetts spread out bef or e us i n i t s l engt h and
breadt h l i k e a map There was t he l e ve l hori zonwhich
t ol d of t he s ea on t he east and south t he wel l - known
h i l l s of NewHampshi re on t he nort h and t he m s t y
summts of t he Hoosac and Green Mount ai ns f i r s t
made v i s i b l e t o us t he eveni ng bef ore bl ue and unsub-
s t a nt i a l l i k e some bank of c l o uds which t he mrn ngw nd woul d di ssi pate on t he nort hwest and wes t These
l a s t di stant ranges on whi ch t he eye r e s t s unwear i edcommnce w t h an abrupt boul der i n the north beyond
t he Connect i cut and travel s out hwar d w t h three orf our peaks di m y seen But Monadnock reari ng i t s
mascul i ne f ront i n t he nor t hwest i s t he grandest f e a
ture As we behel d t we knewthat i t was t h e hei ght
of l a nd bet ween t he two r i v e r s on t h i s si de t he val l ey of
t he Merri mack on that of t he Connect i cut f l uctuati ng
w t h thei r bl ue seas of a i r these r i v al val es al readyteemng w t h Yankeemnal ong thei r respecti ve stream
born t o what desti ny who s h al l t l l Wat at i c and t he
nei ghbori ng h i l l s i n t h i s State and i n NewHampshi rear e a cont i nuati on of t he sam el evated range on whiche ve wer e st andi ng But that NewHampshi re b l u f f
that promontory of a S t a t e oweri ng da v and ni ght
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148 WLKTOW HUSETT
on t h i s our State of i 1I assachuset t s , wi l l l ongest haunt
our dream
Wcoul d at l ength r e a l i z e t he pl ace mountai ns occupy
on t he l and, and howthey come i nt o t he general scheme
of t he uni vers e When f i r s t we cl i mb t h e i r summts and
observe thei r l e s s er i r r e g u l a r i t i e s we do not gi ve credi t
t o t he comprehensi ve i nte l l i gence whi ch shaped them
but when af t erward Ny e behol d thei r out l i nes i n t he
hori zon, we conf ess that t he handwhi chmoul ded thei r
opposi t e s l o pe s maki ng one t o bal ance t he other,
worked round a deep centre, andwas pr i vy t o t he pl an
of t he uni vers e So i s t he l e a s t part of nat ure i n i t s bear-
i ngs ref erred t o l l space These l e s s er mountai n ranges,
as wel l as t he Al l eghani es, r un fromnort heast t o sout h-
west , and p ar a l l e l w t h these mountai n streamar e t he
more f l uent r i v e r s answeri ng t o the general di recti on of
t he c o a s t t he bank of t he great ocean s t ream i t s e l f
Event he cl ouds, w t h thei r t hi n bars, f a l l i nt o t he same
di rect i on by prefer ence, and such even i s t he course of
t he preva i l i ng w nds , and t he mgrat i on of men and
bi rds mountai n chai n determnes many thi ngs f or
t he st at esman and phi l osopher The i mrovements
of c i v i l i z a t i o n rather creep al ong i t s si des than cross i t s
summt Howoften i s i t a barri er t o prej udi ce and f a
nat i c i sm I n pass i ng over these hei ghts of l and, t hrough
thei r t h i n atmosphere, t he f o l l i e s of t he pl ai n ar e ref i ned
r i nd pur i f i ed and as ni any spec i es of pl ant s do not s c a l e
thei r summt s, s o many speci es of f o l l y nodoubt , do not
cr o s t l i c Al l egl i ani c s i t i s onl y t he hardy mountai n-
pl ant that creeps qui te over t he ri dge, and descends i nt o
t he val l ey beyond
WLKTOW HUSETT 149
Wget a dimnot i on of t he f l i g h t of b i r d s especi a l l yof such as f l y h i gh i n t he a i r by hav i ng ascended amountai n Wcan nowsee what l andmarks mountai nsare t o thei r mgrat i ons ; how t he Cat sk i l l s and H gh-l ands have hardl y sunk t o them whenWachusett andMonadnock open a passage t o the nort heast ; howtheyar e gui ded, t oo, i n t hei r course byt he r i v e r s and val l eys
andwhoknows but byt he s t a r s as wel l as t he mountai nranges, and not by t he petty l andmarks whi chwe use
Thebi r dwhoseeye takes i n t he GreenMountai nson t heone s i d e and t he ocean on t he other, need not be at al o s s t o f i nd i t s way
t noonwe descended t he mountai n, and, hav i ngreturned t o t he abodes of men t urned our f aces t o t he
east agai n measuri ng our progress, fromt i me t o t i m ,by t he moreet hereal hues whi ch t he mountai nassumedPassi ng s wi f t l y t hrough Sti l l water and S t e r l i n g as w t ha downward i mpetus, we f ound ours el ves al most athome agai n i n t he green meadows of Lancast er, so l i k eour own Concord, f or bot h ar e wat ered by two streamwhich unit e near thei r centres, and have many otherf eat ures i n common There i s an unexpect ed r ef i nementabout t h i s scenery l e v el prai r i es of great ext ent , i n t e rs per s ed w t h el m and hop-f i elds and groves of
t r e e sgi ve i t al most a c l a s s i c appearance Thi s , i t w l l beremembered was t he scene of Ms Row andson s cap-t u r e and of ot her event s i n t he I ndi an wars, but fromt h i s J u l y af t ernoon, and under that ml d e xt e r i o r thoset i mes seemed as r emot e as t he i r rupt i on of t he Goths
Theywer e t he dark age of NewEngl and Onbehol di ng pi cture of aNewEngland v i l l a g e as i t then appeared,
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150 WLKTOW HUSETT
w t h a f a i r open pr ospect anda l i g h t on trees and r i v e r ,
as i f i t were br oad noon we f i n d wehad not t hought t he
sun shone i n those days or that men l i v e d i n br oad day-
l i g h t t hen Wdo not i magi ne t he sun shi ni ng on h i l l
and v al l ey dur i ng Phi l i p s war nor on t he war - pat h of
Paugus or Standi sh or Chur ch or Lovel l w t h ser ene
summer weat her but a di mt w l i ght or ni ght di d those
event s tr anspi r e i n Theymst have f ought i n t he shade
of t hei r own dusky deeds At l ength as we pl odded al ong t he dusty r oads our
t houghts became as dusty as t hey al l t hought i ndeed
st opped thi nki ng br oke down or pr oceeded onl y pa s-
s i v e l y i n a s o r t of rhythmcal cadence of t he conf used
mat eri al of t hought and we f ound our sel ves mechani -
c a l l y r epeati ng some f a m l i a r meas ur e whi ch t i med w t hour tread some verse of t he RobinHood bal l ads for
i nst ance whi ch one can recommend t o t r a v e l by
Sweavens ar e s w i f t , sayd l y t t l e J ohn
As the wnd bl ows over t he h i l l
For i f i t be never so l oud t h i s ni ght
To mrrowi t my be s t i l l .
And so i t went up- h i l l anddown t i l l a st one i nterr upted
t he l i n e , when a newverse was chosen
H s shoote i t was but l oosel y s h o t t ,Yet f l ewe not the ar r owe i n vai ne
For i t m t t one of t he s h e r i f f e s men
And W l l i a m aTrent was s l aine
There i s however t h i s consol ati on t o t he most way-
worn t r a v e l e r , upon t he dust i est r oad that t he path hi s
f e e t descr i be i s s o perf ectl y symbol i cal of humn l i f
nowcl i mbi ng t he h i l l s , nowdesc endi ng i nt o t he v a l e s ,
WLKTOW HUSETT 151
Fromhe summts he behol ds t he heavens and t he hor i -
zon fromt he val es he l ooks up t o the hei ghts agai n He
i s tr eadi ng hi s ol d l essons s t i l l and t hough he my be
very wearyand tr avel - wor n i t i s yet si ncer e experi ence
Leavi ng t he Nashua we changed our r out e a l i t t l
and a r r i ved at S t i l l r i v e r Vi l l age i n t he west er n part of
Har var d j us t as t he sun was s e t t i n g Fromhi s pl ace
which l i e s t o t he nor t hwar d upon t he west ern sl ope of
t he samer ange of h i l l s onwhi chwehad spent t he noon
befor e i n t he adj acent t own t he pr ospect i s beauti f ul
and t he gr andeur of t he mountai n outl i nes unsur passed
Therewas such a r epose and qui et her e at t h i s hour as
i f t he ver y h i l l s i d e s were enj oyi ng t he scene and as we
passed s l ow y al ong l ooki ng back over t he count r y we
had tr aver sed and l i s t e n i n g t o t he eveni ng song of t her obi n we coul d not hel p contr asti ng the equani m ty of
Na t ur e w t h t he bustl e and i mpati ence of mn H s words
and acti ons presum al ways a c r i s i s near at hand but
she i s f or ever s i l e n t and unpret endi ng And nowthat wehave r et ur ned t o the desul tory l i f e
of t he p l a i n , l et us endeavor t o i mpor t a l i t t l e of that
muntai n gr andeur i nto i t Ww i l l rememer w t hi n
what wal l s we l i and under st and that t h i s l e v el l i f e t oo
has i t s summ t and why f r o m t he mountai n- t op t he
deepest val l eys have a ti nge of bl ue that t her e i s el eva-
t i on i n every hour as no par t of t he earth i s s o l owthat
t he heavens my not be seen f r o m andwehave onl y t o
stand on t he summt of our hour t o commndan uni n-
ter r upted hor i zon
Wrested that ni ght at Har var d and t he next mrn
i n g , whi l e one bent hi s st eps t o t he near er v i l l a g e of
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52 WLKTO HUSETTGroton t he other took hi s separate nd s o l i t a r y w y to
t he peacef ul me dows of oncord but l et himnot f o r
get t o record the brave hospi t al i t y of f armer nd hi s
w f e who generousl y entert ai ned himat t h e i r board
though t he poor wayfarer coul d onl y congratul ate t he
one on t he cont i nuance of h y weather nd s i l e n t l y
ac cept t he ki ndness of t he other Ref res hed by t h i s
i nst ance of generos i ty no l e s s than by t he subst anti al
vi ands s e t bef ore hi m he pushed f orward wi th new
vi gor nd reached t he b nks of t he oncord bef ore the
sun h d cl i mbed m ny degrees i nto t he heavens