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



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



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



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



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



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



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-



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



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,



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



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

Documents

Thoreau, Henry David - A Walk to Wachusett