,transcriber's ,note3    ,inconsistent  
hyphenation and spelling in the original
 document have   been preserved4        
,obvious typographical errors have been 
corrected4    ,italic text is denoted by
 underscores4    ,the following         
alternate spellings were noted1 but     
retained3       contemporaries and      
cotemporaries      ,bramins and         
,brahmins      ,shakspeare and          
,shakespeare      ,sanskrit and         
,sanscrit      ,catskills and           
,caatskills          ,,the ,,writings   
,,of      ,,henry ,,david ,,thoreau     
,,in ,,twenty ,,volumes       ,,volume  
,,vii          ,,manuscript ,,edition   
,,limited ,,to ,,six ,,hundred ,,copies 
,,number  ----       ,illustration3     
,white ,violets 7page #cjd7             
,illustration3 ,view from ,annursnack   
,hill          ,,the ,,writings ,,of    
,,henry ,,david ,,thoreau               
,,journal       ,,edited ,,by ,,bradford
 ,,torrey       ,i      #ahcg-ahdf      
,,boston ,,and ,,new ,,york             

,,houghton ,,mifflin ,,and ,,company    
,,mdccccvi          ,,copyright #aijf   
,,by ,,houghton1 ,,mifflin  ,,co4       
,all rights reserved     ,,publishers'  
,,note   ,aside from the use ,thoreau   
himself made of his ,journal in writing 
his more formal works1 the first        
extensive publication of the ,journal   
material began in #ahha with ,early     
,spring in ,massachusetts4 ,this volume 
consisted of extracts covering the month
 of ,march and parts of ,february and   
,april1 arranged according to the days  
of the month1 the entries for the       
successive years following one another  
under each day4 ,it was edited by       
,thoreau's friend ,mr4 ,h4 ,g4 ,o4      
,blake1 to whom the ,journal was        
bequeathed by ,miss ,sophia ,thoreau1   
who died in #ahgf4 ,it was succeeded in 
#ahhd by a volume entitled ,summer1     
which in reality covered only the early 
summer1 and that1 in turn1 by ,winter in
 #ahhg and ,autumn in #ahib1 all made by
 ,mr4 ,blake on the same principle4     

,these volumes1 from the first to the   
last1 were received with delight by the 
ever-increasing body of ,thoreau's      
admirers1 but they have served to whet  
rather than satisfy the appetite of     
readers1 and it has long been evident   
that they ought not to stand alone as   
representing this important phase of    
,thoreau's activity4 ,the publishers    
therefore gladly seized the opportunity 
afforded1 when the ,journal1 on the     
death of ,mr4 ,blake1 passed into the   
hands of ,mr4 ,e4 ,h4 ,russell of       
,worcester1 who was desirous of giving  
it to the public in its entirety1 and   
they at once made arrangements with him 
to bring it out in extenso as soon as   
the long labor of copying and comparing 
the manuscripts could be completed4 ,as 
editor the publishers have been so      
fortunate as to secure ,mr4 ,bradford   
,torrey1 who is eminently qualified to  
consider ,thoreau both as a writer and  
as an observer of nature4               
,,editor',s ,,preface   ,concerning this

 first practically complete printing of 
,thoreau's ,journal it seems proper to  
make the following explanations1 in     
addition to those contained in the      
,publishers' ,note3--  #a4 ,it has been 
found necessary1 if the ,journal was to 
be of comfortable use by ordinary       
readers1 to punctuate it throughout4    
,otherwise each reader would have been  
compelled to do the work for himself4 ,a
 literal reproduction1 like the literal 
reproduction of ,milton's minor poems1  
for example1 may some day be of interest
 to antiquaries and special students2   
but such an edition could never be      
adapted1 more than the literal          
reproduction of ,milton's manuscripts1  
to the needs of those who read for      
pleasure and general profit4  #b4       
,certain things have been omitted2 i4   
e41 incomplete sentences1 where parts of
 pages have been torn out by the writer2
 long quotations1 especially from ,latin
 authors1 entered without comment1 as in
 a commonplace-book2 ,maine woods       

matter--,chesuncook and ,the ,allegash  
and ,east ,branch--already printed in   
extenso in the volume entitled ,the     
,maine ,woods2 a few long lists of      
plants1 etc41 recapitulating matter     
contained in the preceding pages2 the   
word ultimo1 or ult41 which in hundreds 
of instances is written where the       
context makes it plain that instant was 
the word intended2 a proper name here   
and there1 out of regard for the        
feelings of possible relatives or       
descendants of the persons mentioned2   
guesses at the identification of        
particular plants1--willows1 goldenrods1
 and the like1--often accompanied by    
tediously minute technical descriptions1
 the whole evidently meant as mere      
memoranda for the writer's possible     
future guidance1 and believed to be of  
no interest now1 even to the botanical  
reader4  #c4 ,in the case of passages   
which ,thoreau had revised1 mostly in   
pencil1 the editor has commonly printed 
the original form when the amended one  

has been followed in already printed    
volumes4 ,in other cases the amended    
version has been given4 ,corrections of 
error have always been allowed to stand1
 except that1 where it is plain that the
 correction must have been made at a    
date later than that of the original    
entry1 the correction has been printed  
as a footnote1 without brackets4  #d4   
,the footnotes of the editor are always 
in brackets4  #e4 ,where parts of the   
,journal have been printed in the       
author's books1 the editor and his      
associate1 as far as their knowledge has
 gone1 have indicated the fact1 citing  
first the present and then the          
,riverside edition1--thus3 ,week1 p4    
#cje2 ,riv4 #cgi4 ,references to        
,channing are to ,thoreau1 the          
,poet-,naturalist1 by ,william ,ellery  
,channing1 new edition1 edited by ,mr4  
,f4 ,b4 ,sanborn4 ,references to        
,sanborn are to ,henry ,d4 ,thoreau1 by 
,f4 ,b4 ,sanborn1 in the ,american ,men 
of ,letters4  #f4 ,the earlier          

manuscript volumes of the ,journal1 as  
we now have them1 are evidently not the 
originals1 but are made up of selections
 from volumes that appear to have been  
destroyed by the author4  ,it remains   
only to add the editor's very hearty    
acknowledgements to his associate1 ,mr4 
,francis ,h4 ,allen1 who has overseen   
and verified the copying of the         
manuscript1 an onerous task1 and in     
every way1 by counsel and labor1 has    
facilitated1 not to say made possible1  
the completion of the work4             
,,contents        ,,introduction        
xix       ,,chapter ,i4 #ahcg 7,t4 #bj7 
#c       ,opening of the                
,journal--,quotations from              
,goethe--,ducks      at ,goose          
,pond--,the ,arrowhead--,with and       
,against      the                       
,stream--,discipline--,sunrise--,harmony
--,the ,world      from a               
,hilltop--,hoar                         
,frost--,measure--,thorns--,jack        
,frost--,druids--,immortality           

,post--,the ,saxons--,crystals          
--,revolutions--,heroes--,the           
,interesting ,facts in ,history4        
,,chapter ,,ii4 #ahch 7,t4 #bj-ba7      
#be       ,the ,saxons--,hoar           
,frost--,zeno1 the ,stoic--,small       
,talk--,old                             
,books--,greece--,goethe--,homer--,a    
,sunday ,scene--,what      to           
,do--,composition--,scraps from a       
,lecture on      ,society--,the ,indian 
,axe--,friendship--,conversation--,the  
,bluebirds--,journey to ,maine--,may    
,morning--,walden--,cliffs              
--,heroism--,divine ,service--,the      
,sabbath ,bell--,holy ,war--,the        
,loss of a                              
,tooth--,deformity--,crickets--,sphere  
,music--,alma                           
,natura--,compensation--,my             
,boots--,speculation--,byron--,fair     
,haven--,scraps from an ,essay on ,sound
 and      ,silence--,anacreon's ,ode to 
the ,cicada--,anacreontics4             
,,chapter ,,iii4 #ahci 7,t4 #ba-bb7     

#ga       ,the ,thaw--,the ,dream       
,valley--,love--,the ,evening           
,wind--,the ,peal of the ,bells--,the   
,shrike--,morning--,the                 
,teamster--,fat ,pine for               
,spearing--,terra ,firma in             
,society--,the ,kingdoms of the         
,earth--,the ,form of                   
,strength--,my                          
,attic--,sympathy--,annursnack--,the    
,assabet--,the      ,breeze's           
,invitation--,the ,week on the ,concord 
and      ,merrimack--,the ,walk to the  
,white ,mountains--,the ,wise           
,rest--schylus--,growth--,despondency--,
linnus--,bravery--,noon      --,scraps  
from a ,chapter on                      
,bravery--,friendship--,crickets4       
,,chapter ,,iv4 #ahdj 7,t4 #bb-bc7      
#aaj       ,the ,fisher's               
,son--,friends--,poetry--,a ,tame       
,life--schylus--,truth--,duty--,beauty  
lives by                                
,rhymes--,fishes--,muskrats--,the       
,freshet--,important                    

,events--,ornithology--,inward          
,poverty--,wild ,ducks--,the      ,world
 as a ,theatre for                      
,action--,rain--,farewell1              
,etiquette6--,war--,the ,beginning of   
the ,voyage on      the ,concord and    
,merrimack--,the ,boat--,end of the     
,journal of #edf                        
,pages--,reflections--,a ,sonnet to     
,profane ,swearing--,down the           
,concord--,the ,landscape      through a
 ,tumbler--,likeness and ,difference--,a
 ,drum      in the ,night--,the         
,inspired ,body--,dullness--,the        
,yankee ,answer--,greek                 
,philosophers--,rhythm and              
,harmony--,evening--,paradox--,sailing--
,a ,stately      ,march--,effort the    
,prerogative of ,virtue--,the ,true     
,poem--,sunrise--,a ,muster--,the ,great
 ,ball--,fishing and                    
,sporting--,the ,golden ,mean--,grecian 
,history--,the ,eye--,true              
,art--,necessity--,dress--,bravery4     
,,chapter ,v4 #ahda 7,t4 #bc-bd7        

#agc                                    
,routine--,stillness--,seriousness      
cutting ,capers--,wealth      is        
,power--,a                              
,dream--,suspicion--,resistance--,rough 
,usage--,trust in                       
,god--,journalizing--,the ,snow on the  
,pitch ,pines--,a ,team coming out of   
the ,woods--,the      ,tracks of a      
,fox--,chasing a ,fox--,end of the      
,journal      of #cif                   
,pages--,repetition--,weight--,sincerity
--,the      ,etiquette of ,keeping      
,one's ,seat--,the ,human               
,voice--,swiss ,singers--,costume--,the 
,value of the      ,recess in a ,public 
,entertainment--,assisting              
,nature--,prophecy--,the ,geniality of  
,cold--,recognition of                  
,greatness--,victory and ,defeat--,the  
,lover's ,court--,the      ,measure of  
,time--,my ,journal--,the               
,industriousness of                     
,vice--,overpraising--,silence--,true   
,modesty--,the ,helper and      the     

,helped--,a ,poor ,farm--,bronchitis--,a
 ,good ,book--,the      ,leisure of     
,society and ,nature--,the ,grandeur of 
the      ,storm--,music--,friends--,the 
,care of the ,body--,the ,best          
,medicine--,life--,diversion and        
,amusement--,composition--,the          
,sound of a                             
,horn--,boarding--,thoroughfares of     
,vice--,reproof--,an ,interpretation of 
,emerson's      ,sphinx--,homeliness in 
,books--,aubrey--,the ,loneliness       
of our                                  
,life--,seriousness--,magnanimity--,mora
l      ,reflections in a ,work on       
,agriculture--,tea-,kettle and          
,cow-,bell--,plowing--,eclipsing        
,napoleon's ,career--,the ,true         
,reformer--,seeing--,friendship's       
,steadfastness--,the ,gods      side    
with no ,man--,a ,profane               
,expression--,the ,silence of      the  
,woods--,the ,civilization of the       
,woods--,the ,oppression      of the    
,house--,shoulders--,approaching a      

,great ,nature--,the      ,use of a     
,cane--,wachusett--,navigation--,the    
,pine--,westward      ,ho6--,the ,echo  
of the ,sabbath ,bell heard in the      
,woods--,books--,the ,laws of ,menu--,a 
,vermonter--,the ,moon      through a   
,telescope--,immemorial ,custom--,an    
,unchangeable      ,morning ,light--,the
 ,book of the ,hindoos--,history and    
,biography--,the ,form of a             
,mountain--,art and ,nature--,the       
,strains of a                           
,flute--,earnestness--,afternoon--,vario
us      ,sounds of the ,crickets--,the  
,work of ,genius--,the      ,idea of    
,man in the ,hindoo ,scripture--,the    
,hindoo's      ,conception of           
,creation--,taste and ,poetry--,the     
,austerity      of the ,hindoos--,the   
,only ,obligation--,seines in the       
,river--,moonlight the ,best ,restorer  
of ,antiquity--,a      ,poem to be      
called ,concord--,a ,boat floating amid 
,reflections--,poetry--,directions for  
setting out ,peach      ,trees and      

,grape-,vines--,experience at the       
,harvard      ,library--,the ,english   
,poets--,saxon ,poetry--,character--,the
      ,inward ,morning--,music and      
,character--,the ,form      of the      
,wind--,ancient ,scotch ,poetry--,my    
,redeeming      ,qualities--,the ,smoke 
from an ,invisible ,farmhouse--,latent  
,eloquence--,ghosts--,sacred            
,forests--,thoughts of a      ,life at  
,walden--,the ,rich ,man--,the ,trade of
 ,life--,true                           
,greatness--,chaucer--,snowflakes--,book
s of ,natural ,history4       ,,chapter 
,,vi4 #ahdb 7,t4 #bd-be7                
#cjh       ,good ,courage--,the ,church 
the ,hospital for ,men's                
,souls--,chaucer--,popped ,corn--,the   
,literary ,style of the      ,laboring  
,man--,sir ,walter                      
,raleigh--,calmness--,the ,perfume      
of the ,earth--,unhealthiness of        
,morality--,music from a                
,music-,box--,raleigh's ,faults--,man's 
,puny ,fences--,the ,death      of      

,friends--,chaucer the ,poet of         
,gardens--,character and                
,genius--,the ,history of               
,music--,chaucer's ,way of ,speaking    
of ,god--,my ,life--,dying a ,transient 
,phenomenon--,the      ,memory of       
,departed ,friends--,the ,game of       
,love--,a ,new      ,day--,the          
,eye--,originality of                   
,nature--,raleigh--,the      ,most      
,attractive ,sentences--,law and the    
,right--,an      ,old                   
,schoolmate--,carlyle's ,writing--,the  
,tracks of the      ,indian--,the ,stars
 and ,man--,friendship--,the ,roominess 
of ,nature--,the ,exuberance of ,plain  
,speech--,action and                    
,reflection--,common ,sense in ,very    
,old ,books--,thoughts      like        
,mountains--,insufficiency of ,wisdom   
without      ,love--,i am ,time and the 
,world--,my ,errand to ,mankind--,two   
,little ,hawks and a ,great ,one--,flow 
in ,books--,nature's      ,leniency     
toward the ,vicious--,intercourse--,a   

,fish      ,hawk--,poetry--,lydgate's   
,story of ,thebes--,humor--,man's       
,destiny--,the ,economy of ,nature4     
,,chapter ,,vii4 #ahde-ahdf 7,t4 #bg-bi7
                         #cfa       ,the
 ,beginning of the ,life at ,walden--,a 
,house in      the ,catskills--,the     
,vital ,facts of ,life--,relics      of 
the ,indians--,auxiliaries and ,enemies 
of the      ,bean-,field--,therien1 the 
,canadian ,woodchopper--,a      ,visit  
from ,railroad ,men--,life of ,primitive
 ,man--,wild      ,mice--,the ,written  
and the ,spoken ,language--,the         
,interest      and ,importance of the   
,classics--,the ,fragrance      of an   
,apple--,the ,race of ,man--,the        
,mansions of the      ,air--,echo--,the 
,crescent and the ,cross--,carnac--,the 
,heroic ,books--,screech                
,owls--,bullfrogs--,nature and          
,art--,childhood ,memories of ,walden   
,pond--,truth--,john      ,field1 a     
,shiftless ,irishman1 and his           
,family--,a      ,hard and ,emphatic    

,life--,language--,plastering the       
,house--,primitive ,houses--,the ,cost  
of a ,house--,the      ,romans and      
,nature--,jehovah and ,jupiter--,some   
,greek      ,myths--,difficulty of      
,getting a ,living and ,keeping out     
of ,debt--,the ,fox as an ,imperfect    
,man--,reading suggested      by        
,hallam's ,history of ,literature--,the 
,necessaries      of ,life--,a ,dog     
,lost--,therien and the                 
,chickadees--,the      ,evening         
,robin--,the ,earth as a ,garden--,a    
,flock of ,geese4       ,,chapter       
,,viii4 #ahde-ahdg 7,t4 #bg-cj7         
#djc       ,the ,hero--,at ,midnight's  
,hour--,wordsworth--,dying ,young--,the 
,present                                
,time--,exaggeration--,carlyle's        
,discovery that      he was not a       
,jackass--,longevity--,life and ,death  
of ,hugh      ,quoil1 a ,waterloo       
,soldier--,quoil's ,deserted            
,house--,old      ,clothes--,former     
,inhabitants of the ,walden ,woods--,the

      ,loon on ,walden ,pond--,ducks and
 ,geese--,the ,pack of      ,hounds--,an
 ,unsuccessful ,village--,concord       
,games--,animal                         
,neighbors--,carlyle's ,use of the      
,printer's ,art--,northern              
,slavery--,brister and ,zilpha--,making 
,bread--,emerson and      ,alcott--,a   
,rabbit--,a ,town ,officer4             
,,chapter ,,ix4 #ahcg-ahdg 7,t4 #bj-cj7 
#dch       ,friends--,the ,loading and  
,launching of the                       
,boat--,gracefulness--,on the           
,merrimack--,the ,era      of the       
,indian--,fate of the                   
,indian--,criticism's                   
,apology--,life--,suspicion--,the       
,purple ,finch--,gower's                
,poetry--,light--,indian                
,implements--,success in ,proportion    
to ,average                             
,ability--,kindness--,fog--,the         
,attitude of      ,quarles and his      
,contemporaries towards ,nature--,the   
,mystery of                             

,life--,three-o'clock-in-the-,morning   
,courage--,a      ,recent               
,book--,museums--,some ,old ,english    
,poets--,our                            
,kindred--,friendship--,skating after a 
,fox--,to a ,marsh ,hawk      in the    
,spring--,the ,gardener--,a ,fisherman's
 ,account at      the ,store--,finny    
,contemporaries--,marlowe--,thaw--,moder
n      ,nymphs--,living by              
,self-,defense--,the ,survival of       
the ,birds--,the ,slaughter-,house--,the
 ,tragedy of the      ,muskrat--,carlyle
 not to be ,studied--,the ,subject of   
the      ,lecture--,the ,character of   
our ,life--,the ,sovereignty      of the
 ,mind--,coperation4     ,,illustrations
        ,,white ,,violets1 ,carbon      
photograph 7page #cjd7                  
,frontispiece       ,,view ,,from       
,,annursnack ,,hill                     
,colored plate       ,,henry ,,david    
,,thoreau ,,in #ahed1 ,,from ,,the      
,,rowse ,,crayon ,,in ,,the ,,concord   
,,public      ,,library                 

#a       ,,frost ,,crystals ,,at ,,the  
,,mouth ,,of ,a ,,hole      ,,in ,a     
,,bank                                  
#bb       ,,view ,,from ,,annursnack    
,,hill                                  
#hd       ,,trees ,,reflected ,,in ,,the
 ,,river                                
#adj       ,,winter ,,landscape ,,from  
,,fairhaven ,,hill                      
#bif     ,,introduction   ,thoreau was a
 man of his own kind4 ,many things may  
be said of him1 favorable and           
unfavorable1 but this must surely be    
said first1--that1 taken for all in all1
 he was like nobody else4 ,taken for all
 in all1 be it remarked4 ,other men have
 despised common sense2 other men have  
chosen to be poor1 and1 as between      
physical comfort and better things1 have
 made light of physical comfort2 other  
men1 whether to their credit or         
discredit1 have held and expressed a    
contemptuous opinion of their neighbors 
and all their neighbors' doings2 others1
 a smaller number1 believing in an      

absolute goodness and in a wisdom       
transcending human knowledge1 have      
distrusted the world as evil1 accounting
 its influence degrading1 its prudence  
no better than cowardice1 its wisdom a  
kind of folly1 its morality a           
compromise1 its religion a bargain1 its 
possessions a defilement and a          
hindrance1 and so judging of the world1 
have striven at all cost to live above  
it and apart4 ,and some1 no doubt1 have 
loved ,nature as a mistress1 fleeing to 
her from less congenial company1 and    
devoting a lifetime to the observation  
and enjoyment of her ways4 ,in no one of
 these particulars was the hermit of    
,walden without forerunners2 but taken  
for all that he was1 poet1 idealist1    
stoic1 cynic1 naturalist1 spiritualist1 
lover of purity1 seeker of perfection1  
panegyrist of friendship and dweller in 
a hermitage1 freethinker and saint1     
where shall we look to find his fellow8 
,it seems but the plainest statement of 
fact to say that1 as there was none     

before him1 so there is scanty prospect 
of any to come after him4  ,his         
profession was literature2 as to that   
there is no sign that he was ever in    
doubt2 and he understood from the first 
that for a writing man nothing could    
take the place of practice1 partly      
because that is the one means of        
acquiring ease of expression1 and partly
 because a man often has no suspicion of
 his own thoughts until his pen         
discovers them2 and almost from the     
first--a friend 7,emerson or another7   
having given him the hint--he had come  
to feel that no practice is better or   
readier than the keeping of a journal1 a
 daily record of things thought1 seen1  
and felt4 ,such a record he began soon  
after leaving college1 and 7being one of
 a thousand in this respect as in       
others7 he continued it to the end4 ,by 
good fortune he left it behind him1 and1
 to complete the good fortune1 it is at 
last printed1 no longer in selections1  
but as a whole2 and if a man is curious 

to know what such an original1          
plain-spoken1 perfection-seeking1       
convention-despising1                   
dogma-disbelieving1 wisdom-loving1      
sham-hating1 ,nature-worshipping1       
poverty-proud genius was in the habit of
 confiding to so patient a listener at  
the close of the day1 he has only to    
read the book4  ,the man himself is     
there4 ,something of him1 indeed1 is to 
be discovered1 one half imagines1 in the
 outward aspect of the thirty-nine      
manuscript volumes3 ordinary blank-books
 of the sort furnished by country       
shopkeepers fifty or sixty years ago1   
larger or smaller as might happen1 and  
of varying shapes 7a customer seeking   
such wares must not be too particular2  
one remembers ,thoreau's complaint that 
the universal preoccupation with        
questions of money rendered it difficult
 for him to find a blank-book that was  
not ruled for dollars and cents71 still 
neatly packed in the strong wooden box  
which their owner1 a workman needing not

 to be ashamed1 made with his own hands 
on purpose to hold them4  ,a pretty full
 result of a short life they seem to be1
 as one takes up volume after volume    
7the largest are found to contain about 
a hundred thousand words7 and turns the 
leaves3 the handwriting strong and      
rapid1 leaning well forward in its      
haste1 none too legible1 slow reading at
 the best1 with here and there a word   
that is almost past making out2 the     
orthography that of a naturally good    
speller setting down his thoughts at    
full speed and leaving his mistakes     
behind him2 and the punctuation1 to call
 it such1 no better than a              
makeshift1--after the model of          
,sterne's1 if one chooses to say so3 a  
spattering of dashes1 and little else4#a
  ,as for the matter1 it is more        
carefully considered1 less strictly     
improvised1 than is customary with      
diarists4 ,it is evident1 in fact1 from 
references here and there1 that many of 
the entries were copied from an earlier 

pencilled draft1 made presumably in the 
field1 with the eye on the object1 while
 the work as a whole has been more or   
less carefully revised1 with erasures1  
emendations1 and suggested alternative  
readings4  ,as we have said1 if a man   
wishes to know ,thoreau as he was1 let  
him read the book4 ,one thing he may be 
sure of3 he will find himself in clean1 
self-respecting company1 with no call to
 blush1 as if he were playing the       
eavesdropper4 ,of confessions1 indeed1  
in the spicy sense of the word1 ,thoreau
 had none to make4 ,he was no           
,montaigne1 no ,rousseau1 no ,samuel    
,pepys4 ,how should he be8 ,he was a    
,puritan of ,massachusetts1 though he   
kept no ,sabbath1 was seen in no        
church1--being very different from ,mr4 
,pepys in more ways than one1--and      
esteemed the ,hebrew scriptures as a    
good book like any other4 ,once1 indeed1
 when he was thirty-four years old1 he  
went to a party4 ,for anything we know1 
that 7with a little sowing of wild oats 

in the matter of smoking dried          
lily-stems when a boy7 was as near as he
 ever came to dissipation4 ,and he did  
not like it4 ,it is a bad place to go   
to1 he says1--thirty or forty persons1  
mostly young women1 in a small room1    
warm and noisy4 ,one of the young women 
was reputed to be pretty-looking2 but he
 scarcely looked at her1 though he was  
introduced1 and he could not hear what  
she said1 because there was such a      
clacking4 ,i could imagine better places
 for conversation1 he goes on1 where    
there should be a certain degree of     
silence surrounding you1 and less than  
forty talking at once4 ,why1 this       
afternoon1 even1 ,i did better4 ,there  
was old ,mr4 ,joseph ,hosmer and ,i ate 
our luncheon of cracker and cheese      
together in the woods4 ,i heard all he  
said1 though it was not much1 to be     
sure1 and he could hear me4 ,and then he
 talked out of such a glorious repose1  
taking a leisurely bite at the cracker  
and cheese between his words2 and so    

some of him was communicated to me1 and 
some of me to him1 ,i trust4  ,he       
entertains a shrewd suspicion that      
assemblies of this kind are got up with 
a view to matrimonial alliances among   
the young people6 ,for his part1 at all 
events1 he doesn't understand the use of
 going to see people whom yet you never 
see1 and who never see you4 ,some of his
 friends make a singular blunder4 ,they 
go out of their way to talk to pretty   
young women as such4 ,their prettiness  
may be a reason for looking at them1 so 
much he will concede1--for the sake of  
the antithesis1 if for nothing          
else1--but why is it any reason for     
talking to them8 ,for himself1 though he
 may be lacking a sense in this respect1
 he derives no pleasure from talking    
with a young woman half an hour simply  
because she has regular features4  ,how 
crabbed is divine philosophy6 ,after    
this we are not surprised when he       
concludes by saying3 ,the society of    
young women is the most unprofitable ,i 

have ever tried4 ,no1 no2 he was nothing
 like ,mr4 ,samuel ,pepys4  ,the sect of
 young women1 we may add1 need not feel 
deeply affronted by this ungallant      
mention4 ,it is perhaps the only one of 
its kind in the journal 7by its nature  
restricted to matters interesting to the
 author71 while there are multitudes of 
passages to prove that ,thoreau's       
aversion to the society of older people 
taken as they run1 men and women alike1 
was hardly less pronounced4 ,in truth   
7and it is nothing of necessity against 
him71 he was not made for parties1 nor  
for clubs1 nor even for general         
companionship4 ,i am all without and in 
sight1 said ,montaigne1 born for society
 and friendship4 ,so was not ,thoreau4  
,he was all within1 born for            
contemplation and solitude4 ,and what we
 are born for1 that let us be1--and so  
the will of ,god be done4 ,such1 for    
good or ill1 was ,thoreau's philosophy4 
,we are constantly invited to be what we
 are1 he said4 ,it is one of his        

memorable sentences2 an admirable       
summary of ,emerson's essay on          
,self-,reliance4  ,his fellow mortals1  
as a rule1 did not recommend themselves 
to him4 ,his thoughts were none the     
better for their company1 as they almost
 always were for the company of the pine
 tree and the meadow4 ,inspiration1 a   
refreshing of the spiritual faculties1  
as indispensable to him as daily bread1 
that his fellow mortals did not furnish 
him4 ,for this state of things he       
sometimes 7once or twice at least7      
mildly reproaches himself4 ,it may be   
that he is to blame for so commonly     
skipping humanity and its affairs2 he   
will seek to amend the fault1 he        
promises4 ,but even at such a moment of 
exceptional humility1 his pen1 reversing
 ,balaam's rle1 runs into left-handed   
compliments that are worse1 if anything1
 than the original offense4 ,hear him3  
,i will not avoid to go by where those  
men are repairing the stone bridge4 ,i  
will see if ,i cannot see poetry in     

that1 if that will not yield me a       
reflection4 ,it is narrow to be confined
 to woods and fields and grand aspects  
of nature only4444 ,why not see men     
standing in the sun and casting a       
shadow1 even as trees8444 ,i will try to
 enjoy them as animals1 at least4  ,this
 is in #ahea4 ,a year afterward we find 
him concerned with the same theme1 but  
in a less hesitating mood4 ,now he is on
 his high horse1 with apologies to      
nobody4 ,it appears to me1 he begins1   
that to one standing on the heights of  
philosophy mankind and the works of man 
will have sunk out of sight altogether4 
,man1 in his opinion1 is too much       
insisted upon4 ,the poet says1 ',the    
proper study of mankind is man4' ,i say1
 ,study to forget all that4 ,take wider 
views of the universe4444 ,what is the  
village1 city1 state1 nation1 aye1 the  
civilized world1 that it should concern 
a man so much8 ,the thought of them     
affects me1 in my wisest hours1 as when 
,i pass a woodchuck's hole4  ,a high    

horse1 indeed6 ,but his comparison is   
really by no means so disparaging as it 
sounds2 for ,thoreau took a deep and    
lasting interest in woodchucks4 ,at one 
time and another he wrote many good     
pages about them2 for their reappearance
 in the spring he watched as for the    
return of a friend1 and once1 at least1 
he devoted an hour to digging out a     
burrow and recording with painstaking   
minuteness the course and length of its 
ramifications4 ,a novelist1 describing  
his heroine's boudoir1 could hardly have
 been more strict with himself4 ,in     
fact1 to have said that one of          
,thoreau's human neighbors was as       
interesting to him as a woodchuck would 
have been to pay that neighbor a rather 
handsome compliment4 ,none of the brute 
animals1 so called1--we have it on his  
own authority1--ever vexed his ears with
 pomposity or nonsense4  ,but we have   
interrupted his discourse midway4 ,i do 
not value any view of the universe into 
which man and the institutions of man   

enter very largely1 he continues4444    
,man is a past phenomenon to philosophy4
 ,then he descends a little to          
particulars4 ,some rarely go outdoors1  
most are always at home at              
night1--,concord people being uncommonly
 well brought up1 it would appear1--very
 few indeed have stayed out all night   
once in their lives2 fewer still have   
gone behind the world of humanity and   
seen its institutions like toadstools by
 the wayside4  ,and then1 having1 with  
this good bit of philosophical tall     
talk1 brushed aside humanity as a very  
little thing1 he proceeds to chronicle  
the really essential facts of the day3  
that he landed that afternoon on ,tall's
 ,island1 and to his disappointment     
found the weather not cold or windy     
enough for the meadow to make its most  
serious impression2 also1 that the      
staddles from which the hay had been    
removed were found to stand a foot or   
two above the water2 besides which1 he  
saw cranberries on the bottom 7although 

he forgot to mention them in their      
proper place71 and noticed that the     
steam of the engine looked very white   
that morning against the hillside4  ,all
 which setting of ordinary valuations   
topsy-turvy1 the lords of creation below
 the beasts that perish1 may lead an    
innocent reader to exclaim with one of  
old1 ,lord1 what is man1 that thou art  
mindful of him8 and the son of man1 that
 thou visitest him8  ,nevertheless1 we  
must not treat the matter too lightly1  
easily as it lends itself to persiflage4
 ,even in this extreme instance it is   
not to be assumed that ,thoreau was     
talking for the sake of talking1 or     
merely keeping his hand in with his     
favorite rhetorical weapon1 a paradox4  
,that desiderated serious impression1 at
 all events1 was no laughing matter2    
rather it was to have been the chief    
event of the day2 of more account to    
,thoreau than dinner and supper both    
were likely to be to his farmer         
neighbor4 ,as for the woodchuck1 its    

comparative rank in the scale of animal 
existence1 be it higher or lower1 is    
nothing to the purpose4 ,for ,thoreau it
 was simple truth that1 on some days1   
and in some states of mind1 he found the
 society of such a cave-dweller more    
acceptable1 or less unacceptable1 than  
that of any number of his highly        
civilized townsmen4 ,nor is the         
statement one to be nervously concerned 
about4 ,any inveterate stroller1 the    
most matter-of-fact man alive 7though   
matter-of-fact men are not apt to be    
strollers71 might say the same1 in all  
soberness1 with no thought of writing   
himself down a misanthrope1 or of       
setting himself up as a philosopher4    
,for one thing1 the woodchuck is sure to
 be less intrusive1 less distracting1   
than the ordinary human specimen2 he    
fits in better with solitude and the    
solitary feeling4 ,he is never in the   
way4 ,moreover1 you can say to a        
woodchuck anything that comes into your 
head1 without fear of giving offense2 a 

less important consideration than the   
other1 no doubt1 woodchucks as a class  
not being remarkably conversable1 but   
still worthy of mention4 ,for1 naturally
 enough1 an outspoken freethinker like  
,thoreau found the greater number of men
 not so very different from ministers1  
of whom he said1 in a tone of innocent  
surprise1 that they could not bear all  
kinds of opinions1--as if any sincere   
thought were not the best sort of truth6
  ,he walked one afternoon with ,alcott1
 and spent an agreeable hour1 though for
 the most part he preferred having the  
woods and fields to himself4 ,alcott was
 an ineffectual genius1 he remarks1     
forever feeling about vainly in his     
speech1 and touching nothing 7one thinks
 of ,arnold's characterization of       
,shelley as a beautiful and ineffectual 
angel1 beating in the void his luminous 
wings in vain1 which1 in its turn1 may  
call to mind ,lowell's comparison of    
,shelley's genius to a ,st4 ,elmo's     
fire1 playing in ineffectual flame about

 the points of his thought71 but after  
all1 he was good company2 not quite so  
good as none1 of course1 but on the     
whole1 as men go1 rather better than    
most4 ,at least1 he would listen to what
 you had to offer4 ,he was open-minded2 
he wasn't shut up in a creed2 an honest 
man's thought would not shock him4 ,you 
could talk to him without running up    
against some institution4 ,in a         
word1--though ,thoreau doesn't say      
it1--he was something like a woodchuck4 
,with all his passion for that glorious 
society called solitude1 and with all   
his feeling that mankind1 as a past     
phenomenon1 thought far too highly of   
itself1 it is abundantly in evidence    
that ,thoreau1 in his own time and on   
his own terms1 was capable of a really  
human delight in familiar intercourse   
with his fellows4 ,channing1 who should 
have known1 speaks1 a little vaguely1 to
 be sure1 of his fine social qualities4 
,always a genial and hospitable         
entertainer1 he calls him4 ,and ,mr4    

,ricketson1 who also should have known1 
assures us that no man could hold a     
finer relationship with his family than 
he4 ,but of this aspect of his          
character1 it must be acknowledged1     
there is comparatively little in the    
journal4 ,what is very constant and     
emphatic there--emphatic sometimes to   
the point of painfulness--is the        
hermit's hunger and thirst after        
friendship2 a friendship the sweets of  
which1 so far as appears1 he was very   
sparingly to enjoy4 ,for if he was at   
home in the family group and in         
huckleberry excursions with children1 if
 he relished to the full a talk with a  
stray fisherman1 a racy-tongued         
woodchopper1 or a good ,indian1         
something very different seems to have  
been habitual with him when it came to  
intercourse with equals and friends4    
,here1 even more than elsewhere1 he was 
an uncompromising idealist4 ,his craving
 was for a friendship more than human1  
friendship such as it was beyond any one

 about him to furnish1 if it was not1 as
 may fairly be suspected1 beyond his own
 capacity to receive4 ,in respect to    
outward things1 his wealth1 he truly    
said1 was to want little4 ,in respect to
 friendship1 his poverty was to want the
 unattainable4 ,it might have been      
retorted upon him in his own words1 that
 he was like a man who should complain  
of hard times because he could not      
afford to buy himself a crown4 ,but the 
retort would perhaps have been rather   
smart than fair4 ,he1 at least1 would   
never have acquiesced in it4 ,he        
confided to his journal again and again 
that he asked nothing of his friends but
 honesty1 sincerity1 a grain of real    
appreciation1 an opportunity once in a  
year to speak the truth2 but in the end 
it came always to this1 that he insisted
 upon perfection1 and1 not finding it1  
went on his way hungry4 ,probably it is 
true--one seems to divine a reason for  
it--that idealists1 claimers of the     
absolute1 have commonly found their     

fellow men a disappointment4  ,in       
,thoreau's case it was his best friends 
who most severely tried his patience4   
,they invite him to see them1 he        
complains1 and then do not show         
themselves4 ,he pines and starves near  
them4 ,all is useless4 ,they treat him  
so that he feels a thousand miles off4  
,i leave my friends early4 ,i go away to
 cherish my idea of friendship4 ,surely 
there is no sentence in all ,thoreau's  
books that is more thoroughly           
characteristic than that4 ,and how      
neatly it is turned6 ,listen also to    
this1 which is equally bitter1 and      
almost equally perfect in the phrasing3 
,no fields are so barren to me as the   
men of whom ,i expect everything1 but   
get nothing4 ,in their neighborhood ,i  
experience a painful yearning for       
society4  ,it is all a mystery to him4  
,how happens it1 he exclaims1 that ,i   
find myself making such an enormous     
demand on men1 and so constantly        
disappointed8 ,are my friends aware how 

disappointed ,i am8 ,is it all my fault8
 ,am ,i incapable of expansion and      
generosity8 ,i shall accuse myself of   
anything else sooner4 ,and again he goes
 away sorrowful1 consoling himself1 as  
best he can1 with his own paradox1--    
,i might have loved him1 had ,i loved   
him less4  ,strange that he should have 
suffered in this way1 many will think1  
with ,emerson himself for a friend and  
neighbor6 ,well1 the two men were       
friends1 but neither was in this        
relation quite impeccable 7which is as  
much as to say that both were human71   
and to judge by such hints as are       
gatherable on either side1 their case   
was not entirely unlike that of ,bridget
 ,elia and her cousin1--generally in    
harmony1 with occasional bickerings1 as 
it should be among near relations2      
though bickerings is no doubt an        
undignified term for use in this        
connection4 ,it is interesting1 some may
 deem it amusing1 to put side by side   
the statements of the two men upon this 

very point2 ,emerson's communicated to  
the public shortly after his friend's   
death1 ,thoreau's intrusted nine years  
before to the privacy of his journal4   
,emerson's speech is the more guarded1  
as1 for more reasons than one1 it might 
have been expected to be4 ,his friend1  
he confesses1 was somewhat military in  
his nature 444 always manly and able1   
but rarely tender1 as if he did not feel
 himself except in opposition4 ,he      
wanted a fallacy to expose1 a blunder to
 pillory1 ,i may say required a little  
sense of victory1 a roll of the drum1 to
 call his powers into full exercise4444 
,it seemed as if his first instinct on  
hearing a proposition was to controvert 
it1 so impatient was he of the          
limitations of our daily thought4 ,this 
habit1 of course1 is a little chilling  
to the social affections2 and though the
 companion would in the end acquit him  
of any malice or untruth1 yet it mars   
conversation4 ,hence no equal companion 
stood in affectionate relations with one

 so pure and guileless4  ,thoreau's     
entry is dated ,may #bd1 #ahec4 ,talked1
 or tried to talk1 with ,r4 ,w4 ,e4     
,lost my time1 nay1 almost my identity4 
,he1 assuming a false opposition where  
there was no difference of opinion1     
talked to the wind1 told me what ,i     
knew1 and ,i lost my time trying to     
imagine myself somebody else to oppose  
him4  ,it is the very same picture1     
drawn by another pencil1 with a         
different placing of the shadows2 and   
since the two sketches were made so many
 years apart and yet seem to be         
descriptive of the same thing1 it is    
perhaps fair to conclude that this      
particular interview1 which appears to  
have degenerated into something like a  
dispute about nothing 7a very frequent  
subject of disputes1 by the way71 was   
not exceptional1 but rather typical4    
,without doubt this was one of the      
occasions when ,thoreau felt himself    
treated as if he were a thousand miles  
off1 and went home early to cherish his 

idea of friendship4 ,let us hope that he
 lost nothing else along with his time  
and identity4  ,but here1 again1 we are 
in danger of an unseasonable lightness4 
,friendship1 according to ,thoreau's    
apprehension of it1 was a thing         
infinitely sacred4 ,a friend might move 
him to petulance1 as the best of friends
 sometimes will2 but friendship1 the    
ideal state shown to him in dreams1 for 
speech concerning that there was nowhere
 in ,english1 nor anywhere else1 a word 
sufficiently noble and unsoiled4 ,and   
even his friends he loved1 although1    
tongue-tied ,new-,englander that he was1
 he could never tell them so4 ,he loved 
them best 7and this1 likewise1 was no   
singularity7 when they were farthest    
away4 ,in company1 even in their        
company1 he could never utter his truest
 thought4 ,so it is with us all4 ,it was
 a greater than ,thoreau who said1 ,we  
descend to meet2 and a greater still1   
perhaps 7and he also a ,concord man71   
who confessed at fifty odd3 ,i doubt    

whether ,i have ever really talked with 
half a dozen persons in my life4  ,as   
for ,thoreau1 he knew at times1 and     
owned as much to himself1 that his      
absorption in nature tended to unfit him
 for human society4 ,but so it was2 he  
loved to be alone4 ,and in this respect 
he had no thought of change1--no thought
 nor wish4 ,whatever happened1 he would 
still belong to no club but the true    
country club1 which dined at the sign of
 the ,shrub ,oak4 ,the fields and the   
woods1 the old road1 the river1 and the 
pond1 these were his real neighbors4    
,year in and year out1 how near they    
were to him6--a nearness unspeakable2   
till sometimes it seemed as if their    
being and his were not two1 but one and 
the same4 ,with them was no frivolity1  
no vulgarity1 no changeableness1 no     
prejudice4 ,with them he had no         
misunderstandings1 no meaningless       
disputes1 no disappointments4 ,they knew
 him1 and were known of him4 ,in their  
society he felt himself renewed4 ,there 

he lived1 and loved his life4 ,there1 if
 anywhere1 the ,spirit of the ,lord came
 upon him4 ,hear him1 on a cool morning 
in ,august1 with the wind in the        
branches and the crickets in the grass1 
and think of him1 if you can1 as a being
 too cold for friendship6  ,my heart    
leaps out of my mouth at the sound of   
the wind in the woods4 ,i1 whose life   
was but yesterday so desultory and      
shallow1 suddenly recover my spirits1 my
 spirituality1 through my hearing4444   
,ah6 if ,i could so live that there     
should be no desultory moments 444 ,i   
would walk1 ,i would sit and sleep1 with
 natural piety4 ,what if ,i could pray  
aloud1 or to myself1 as ,i went along by
 the brookside1 a cheerful prayer1 like 
the birds6 ,for joy ,i could embrace the
 earth4 ,i shall delight to be buried in
 it4 ,and then1 to think of those ,i    
love among men1 who will know that ,i   
love them1 though ,i tell them not4444  
,i thank you1 ,god4 ,i do not deserve   
anything2 ,i am unworthy of the least   

regard2 and yet the world is gilded for 
my delight1 and holidays are prepared   
for me1 and my path is strewn with      
flowers4444 ,o keep my senses pure6     
,highly characteristic is that          
concluding ejaculation4 ,for ,thoreau   
the five senses were not organs or means
 of sensuous gratification1 but the five
 gateways of the soul4 ,he would have   
them open and undefiled4 ,upon that     
point no man was ever more insistent4   
,above all1 no sense must be pampered2  
else it would lose its native freshness 
and delicacy1 and so its diviner use4   
,that way lay perdition4 ,when a woman  
came to ,concord to lecture1 and        
,thoreau carried her manuscript to the  
hall for her1 wrapped in its owner's    
handkerchief1 he complained twenty-four 
hours afterward that his pocket still   
exhaled cologne4 ,faint1 elusive outdoor
 odors were not only a continual delight
 to him1 but a positive means of grace4 
,so1 too1 he would rather not see any of
 the scenic wonders of the world4 ,only 

let his sense of beauty remain          
uncorrupted1 and he could trust his     
,musketaquid meadows1 and the low hills 
round about1 to feed and satisfy him    
forever4  ,because of his jealousy in   
this regard1 partly1--and partly from   
ignorance1 it may be1 just as some of   
his respectable village acquaintances   
would have found the ,iliad1 of which he
 talked so much1 duller than death in   
comparison with the works of ,mr4       
,sylvanus ,cobb1--he often spoke in     
slighting terms of operas and all the   
more elaborate forms of music4 ,the ear1
 he thought1 if it were kept innocent1  
would find satisfaction in the very     
simplest of musical sounds4 ,for        
himself1 there was no language          
extravagant enough to express his       
rapturous delight in them4 ,now all the 
romance of his youthfulest moment came  
flooding back upon him1 and anon he was 
carried away till he looked under the   
lids of ,time1--all by the humming of   
telegraph-wires or1 at night especially1

 by the distant baying of a hound4  ,to 
the modern musical person certain of his
 confessions under this head are of a   
character to excite mirth4 ,he is much  
indebted1 for instance1 to a neighbor   
who will now and then1 in the intervals 
of his work1 draw forth a few strains   
from his accordion4 ,the neighbor is    
only a learner1 but1 says ,thoreau1 ,i  
find when his strains cease that ,i have
 been elevated4 ,his daily philosophy is
 all of a piece1 one perceives3 plain   
fare1 plain clothes1 plain company1 a   
hut in the woods1 an old book1--and for 
inspiration the notes of a neighbor's   
accordion4  ,more than once1 too1 he    
acknowledges his obligation to that     
famous rural entertainer and civilizer1 
the hand-organ4 ,all ,vienna could not  
do more for him1 he ventures to think4  
,it is perhaps the best instrumental    
music that we have1 he observes2 which  
can hardly have been true1 even in      
,concord1 one prefers to believe1 while 
admitting the possibility4 ,if it is    

heard far enough away1 he goes on1 so   
that the creaking of the machinery is   
lost1 it serves the grandest use for    
me1--it deepens my existence4  ,we      
smile1 of course1 as in duty bound1 at  
so artless an avowal2 but1 having       
smiled1 we are bound also to render our 
opinion that the most blas concert-goer1
 if he be a man of native sensibility1  
will readily enough discern what        
,thoreau has in mind1 and with equal    
readiness will concede to it a measure  
of reasonableness2 for he will have the 
witness in himself that the effect of   
music upon the soul depends as much upon
 the temper of the soul as upon the     
perfection of the instrument4 ,one day a
 simple air1 simply sung or played1 will
 land him in heaven2 and another day the
 best efforts of the full symphony      
orchestra will leave him in the mire4   
,and after all1 it is possibly better1  
albeit in poorer taste1 to be           
transported by the wheezing of an       
accordion than to be bored by finer     

music4 ,as for ,thoreau1 he studied to  
be a master of the art of living2 and in
 the practice of that art1 as of any    
other1 it is the glory of the artist to 
achieve extraordinary results by        
ordinary means4 ,to have one's existence
 deepened--there cannot be many things  
more desirable than that2 and as between
 our unsophisticated recluse and the    
average musical person aforesaid1 the   
case is perhaps not so one-sided as at  
first sight it looks2 or1 if it be1 the 
odds are possibly not always on the side
 of what seems the greater opportunity4 
,his life1 the quality of his life1 that
 for ,thoreau was the paramount concern4
 ,to the furthering of that end all     
things must be held subservient4        
,nature1 man1 books1 music1 all for him 
had the same use4 ,this one thing he    
did1--he cultivated himself4 ,if any1   
because of his so doing1 accused him of 
selfishness1 preaching to him of        
philanthropy1 almsgiving1 and what not1 
his answer was already in his mouth4    

,mankind1 he was prepared to maintain1  
was very well off without such helps1   
which oftener than not did as much harm 
as good 7though the concrete case at his
 elbow--half-clad ,johnny ,riordan1 a   
fugitive slave1 an ,irishman who wished 
to bring his family over--appealed to   
him as quickly as to most1 one is glad  
to notice72 and1 however that might be1 
the world needed a thousand times more  
than any so-called charity the sight of 
a man here and there living for higher  
ends than the world itself knows of4    
,his own course1 at any rate1 was clear 
before him3 ,what ,i am1 ,i am1 and say 
not4 ,being is the great explainer4     
,his life1 his own life1 that he must   
live2 and he must be in earnest about   
it4 ,he was no indifferent1 no          
little-carer1 no skeptic1 as if truth   
and a lie were but varying shades of the
 same color1 and virtue1 according to   
the old phrase1 a mean between vices4   
,you would never catch him sighing1 ,oh1
 well6 or ,who knows8 ,qualifications1  

reconciliations1 rapprochements1 the two
 sides of the shield1 and all           
that1--these were considerations not in 
his line4 ,before everything else he was
 a believer1--an idealist1 that is1--the
 last person in the world to put up with
 half-truths or half-way measures4 ,if  
existing things were thus and so1 that  
was no reason why1 with the sect of the 
,sadducees1 he should make the best of  
them4 ,what if there were no best of    
them8 ,what if they were all bad8 ,and  
anyhow1 why not begin new8 ,it was      
conceivable1 was it not1 that a man     
should set his own example1 and follow  
his own copy4 ,general opinion1--what   
was that8 ,was a thing better           
established because ten thousand fools  
believed it8 ,did folly become wisdom by
 being raised to a higher power8 ,and   
antiquity1 tradition1--what were they8  
,could a blind man of fifteen centuries 
ago see farther than a blind man of the 
present time8 ,and if the blind led the 
blind1 then or now1 would not both fall 

into the ditch8  ,yes1 he was           
undoubtedly peculiar4 ,as to that there 
could never be anything but agreement   
among practical people4 ,in a world     
where shiftiness and hesitation are the 
rule1 nothing looks so eccentric as a   
straight course4 ,it must be            
acknowledged1 too1 that a man whose     
goodness has a strong infusion of the   
bitter1 and whose opinions turn out of  
the way for nobody1 is not apt to be the
 most comfortable kind of neighbor4 ,we 
were not greatly surprised1 lately1 to  
hear an excellent lady remark of        
,thoreau that1 from all she had read    
about him1 she thought he must have been
 a very disagreeable gentleman4 ,it     
could hardly be said of him1 as ,mr4    
,birrell says of ,matthew ,arnold1 who  
was himself a pretty serious person1    
and1 after a way of his own1 a preacher 
of righteousness1 that he conspired and 
contrived to make things pleasant4      
,being a consistent idealist1 he was of 
course an extremist1 falling in that    

respect little behind the man out of    
,nazareth1 whose hard sayings1 by all   
accounts1 were sometimes less acceptable
 than they might have been1 and of whom 
,thoreau asserted1 in his emphatic way1 
that if his words were really read from 
any pulpit in the land1 there would not 
be left one stone of that meeting-house 
upon another4 ,thoreau worshipped       
purity1 and the every-day ethical       
standards of the street were to him an  
abomination4 ,there are certain current 
expressions and blasphemous moods of    
viewing things1 he declares1 as when we 
say 'he is doing a good business1' more 
profane than cursing and swearing4      
,there is death and sin in such words4  
,let not the children hear them4 ,that  
innocent-sounding phrase about a good   
business--as if a business might be     
taken for granted as good because it    
brought in money--was as abhorrent to   
him as the outrageous worldly philosophy
 of an old castaway like ,major         
,pendennis is to the ordinarily         

sensitive reader4  ,he was              
constitutionally earnest4 ,there are    
pages of the journal1 indeed1 which make
 one feel that perhaps he was in danger 
of being too much so for his own profit4
 ,possibly it is not quite wholesome1   
possibly1 if one dares to say it1 it    
begets a something like priggishness1   
for the soul to be keyed up continually 
to so strenuous a pitch4 ,in ,thoreau's 
case1 at all events1 one is glad for    
every sign of a slackening of the       
tension4 ,set the red hen to-day2 ,got  
green grapes to stew2 ,painted the      
bottom of my boat2 trivialities like    
these1 too far apart 7one is tempted to 
colloquialize1 and call them precious   
few1 finding them so infrequent and so  
welcome71 strike the reader with a      
sudden sensation of relief1 as if he had
 been wading to the chin1 and all at    
once his feet had touched a shallow4    
,so1 too1 one is thankful to come upon a
 really amusing dissertation about the  
tying of shoe-strings1 or rather about  

their too easy untying2 a matter with   
which1 it appears1 ,thoreau had for     
years experienced a great deal of       
trouble4 ,his walking companion         
7,channing1 presumably7 and himself had 
often compared notes about it1          
concluding after experiments that the   
duration of a shoe-tie might be made to 
serve as a reasonably accurate unit of  
measure1 as accurate1 say1 as a stadium 
or a league4 ,channing1 indeed1 would   
sometimes go without shoe-strings1      
rather than be plagued so incessantly by
 their dissolute behavior4 ,finally     
,thoreau1 being then thirty-six years   
old1 and always exceptionally clever    
with his hands1 set his wits seriously  
at work upon knots1 and by a stroke of  
good fortune 7or a stroke of genius7 hit
 upon one which answered his end2 only  
to be told1 on communicating his        
discovery to a third party1 that he had 
all his life been tying granny knots1   
never having learned1 at school or      
elsewhere1 the secret of a square one6  

,it might be well1 he concludes1 if all 
children were taught the accomplishment4
 ,verily1 as ,hosea ,biglow did not say1
 they didn't know everything down in    
,concord4  ,more refreshing still are   
entries describing hours of serene      
communion with nature1 hours in which1  
as in an instance already cited1 the    
,spirit of the ,lord blessed him1 and he
 forgot even to be good4 ,these entries1
 likewise1 are less numerous than could 
be wished1 though perhaps as frequent as
 could fairly be expected2 since        
ecstasies1 like feasts1 must in the     
nature of things be somewhat broadly    
spaced2 and it is interesting1 not to   
say surprising1 to see how frankly he   
looks upon them afterward as subjects on
 which to try his pen4 ,in these seasons
 when our genius reigns we may be       
powerless for expression1 he remarks2   
but in calmer hours1 when talent is     
again active1 the memory of those rarer 
moods comes to color our picture1 and is
 the permanent paint-pot1 as it were1   

into which we dip our brush4 ,but1 in   
truth1 the whole journal1 some volumes  
of which are carefully indexed in his   
own hand1 is quite undisguisedly a      
collection of thoughts1 feelings1 and   
observations1 out of which copy is to be
 extracted4 ,in it1 he says1 ,i wish to 
set down such choice experiences that my
 own writings may inspire me1 and at    
last ,i may make wholes of parts4444    
,each thought that is welcomed and      
recorded is a nest-egg by the side of   
which more will be laid4  ,a born       
writer1 he is greedy of occasions to    
express himself4 ,he counts it wise to  
write on many subjects1 that so he may  
find the right and inspiring one4 ,there
 are innumerable avenues to a perception
 of the truth1 he tells himself4        
,improve the suggestion of each object1 
however humble1 however slight and      
transient the provocation4 ,what else is
 there to be improved8  ,the literary   
diarist1 like the husbandman1 knows not 
which shall prosper4 ,morning and       

evening1 he can only sow the seed4 ,so  
it was with ,thoreau4 ,a strange and    
unaccountable thing1 he pronounces his  
journal4 ,it will allow nothing to be   
predicated of it2 its good is not good1 
nor its bad bad4 ,if ,i make a huge     
effort to expose my innermost and       
richest wares to light1 my counter seems
 cluttered with the meanest homemade    
stuffs2 but after months or years ,i may
 discover the wealth of ,india1 and     
whatever rarity is brought overland from
 ,cathay1 in that confused heap1 and    
what seemed a festoon of dried apple or 
pumpkin will prove a string of          
,brazilian diamonds1 or pearls from     
,coromandel4  ,well1 we make sure that  
whoever tumbles the heap over now1 more 
than forty years after the last object  
was laid upon it1 will be rewarded with 
many and many a jewel4 ,here1 for his   
encouragement1 are half a dozen out of  
the goodly number that one customer has 
lately turned up1 in a hasty rummaging  
of the counter3--  ,when a dog runs at  

you1 whistle for him4  ,we must be at   
the helm at least once a day2 we must   
feel the tiller rope in our hands1 and  
know that if we sail1 we steer4  ,in    
composition ,i miss the hue of the mind4
  ,after the era of youth is past1 the  
knowledge of ourselves is an alloy that 
spoils our satisfactions4  ,how vain it 
is to sit down to write when you have   
not stood up to live4  ,silence is of   
various depths and fertility1 like soil4
  ,praise should be spoken as simply and
 naturally as a flower emits its        
fragrance4  ,here1 again1 is a mere     
nothing1 a momentary impression caught1 
in ball-players' language1 on the fly2  
nothing like a pearl from ,coromandel1  
if you will1 but at the worst a         
toothsome bite out of a wild ,new       
,england apple4 ,it is winter4 ,i saw a 
team come out of a path in the woods1   
says ,thoreau1 as though it had never   
gone in1 but belonged there1 and only   
came out like ,elisha's bears4 ,there   
will be few country-bred ,yankee boys1  

we imagine1 who will not remember to    
have experienced something precisely    
like that1 under precisely the same     
circumstances1 though it never occurred 
to them to put the feeling into words1  
much less to preserve it in a drop of   
ink4 ,that is one of the good things    
that a writer does for us4 ,and our     
country-bred boy1 if we mistake not1 is 
likely to consider this one careless    
sentence of ,thoreau1 which adds not a  
cent's worth to the sum of what is      
called human knowledge1 as of more value
 than any dozen pages of his painstaking
 botanical records4  ,thoreau the       
naturalist appears in the journal1 not  
as a master1 but as a learner4 ,it could
 hardly be otherwise1 of course1 a      
journal being what it is4 ,there we see 
him conning by himself his daily lesson1
 correcting yesterday by to-day1 and    
to-day by to-morrow1 progressing1 like  
every scholar1 over the stepping-stones 
of his own mistakes4 ,of the branches he
 pursued1 as far as the present writer  

can presume to judge1 he was strongest  
in botany2 certainly it was to plants   
that he most persistently devoted       
himself2 but even there he had as many  
uncertainties as discoveries to set     
down2 and he set them down with         
unflagging zeal and unrestrained        
particularity4 ,the daily account is    
running over with question-marks4 ,his  
patience was admirable2 the more so as  
he worked entirely by himself1 with few 
of the helps that in this               
better-furnished time almost belie the  
old proverb1 and make even the          
beginner's path a kind of royal road to 
learning4 ,the day of ,how-to-,know     
handbooks had not yet dawned4  ,of his  
bird-studies it would be interesting1 if
 there were room1 to speak at greater   
length4 ,here1 even more than in botany1
 if that were possible1 he suffered for 
lack of assistance1 and even in his     
later entries leaves the present-day    
reader wondering how so eager a scholar 
could have spent so many years in       

learning so comparatively little4 ,the  
mystery is partly cleared1 however1 when
 it is found that until #ahed--say for  
more than a dozen years--he studied     
without a glass4 ,he does not buy       
things1 he explains1 with characteristic
 self-satisfaction1 till long after he  
begins to want them1 so that when he    
does get them he is prepared to make a  
perfect use of them4 ,it was wasteful   
economy4 ,he might as well have         
botanized without a pocket-lens4  ,but  
glass or no glass1 how could an         
ornithological observer1 whose power--so
 ,emerson said--seemed to indicate      
additional senses1 be in the field daily
 for ten or fifteen years before setting
 eyes upon his first rose-breasted      
grosbeak8--which memorable event        
happened to ,thoreau on the #acth of    
,june1 #ahec6 ,how could a man who had  
made it his business for at least a     
dozen years to name all the birds       
without a gun1 stand for a long time    
within a few feet of a large bird1 so   

busy that it could not be scared far    
away1 and then go home uncertain whether
 he had been looking at a woodcock or a 
snipe8 ,how could he1 when thirty-five  
years old1 see a flock of sparrows1 and 
hear them sing1 and not be sure whether 
or not they were chipping sparrows8 ,and
 how could a man so strong in times and 
seasons1 always marking dates with an   
almanac's exactness1 how could he1 so   
late as '#eb1 inquire concerning the    
downy woodpecker1 one of the more       
familiar and constant of year-round     
birds1 ,do we see him in the winter8 and
 again1 a year later1 be found asking   
whether he1 the same downy woodpecker1  
is not the first of our woodland birds  
to arrive in the spring8 ,at thirty-six 
he is amazed to the extent of double    
exclamation points by the sight of a    
flicker so early as ,march #bi4  ,it    
fills one with astonishment to hear him 
7,may #d1 #ahec7 describing what he     
takes to be an indigo-bird after this   
fashion3 ,dark throat and light beneath1

 and white spot on wings1 with hoarse1  
rapid notes1 a kind of twee1 twee1 twee1
 not musical4 ,the stranger may have    
been--most likely it was--a             
black-throated blue warbler2 which is as
 much like an indigo-bird as a bluebird 
is like a blue jay1--or a yellow apple  
like an orange4 ,and the indigo-bird1 it
 should be said1 is a common            
,new-,englander1 such as one of our     
modern schoolboy bird-gazers would have 
no difficulty in getting into his list  
any summer day in ,concord2 while the   
warbler in question1 though nothing but 
a migrant1 and somewhat seclusive in its
 habits1 is so regular in its passage   
and so unmistakably marked 7no bird more
 so71 that it seems marvellous how      
,thoreau1 prowling about everywhere with
 his eyes open1 should year after year  
have missed it4  ,the truth appears to  
be that even of the commoner sorts of   
birds that breed in eastern             
,massachusetts or migrate through it1   
,thoreau--during the greater part of his

 life1 at least--knew by sight and name 
only a small proportion1 wonderful as   
his knowledge seemed to those who1 like 
,emerson1 knew practically nothing4#b   
,not that the journal is likely to prove
 less interesting to bird-loving readers
 on this account4 ,on the contrary1 it  
may rather be more so1 as showing them  
the means and methods of an             
ornithological amateur fifty years ago1 
and1 especially1 as providing for them a
 desirable store of ornithological nuts 
to crack on winter evenings4 ,some such 
reader1 by a careful collation of the   
data which the publication of the       
journal as a whole puts at his disposal1
 will perhaps succeed in settling the   
identity of the famous night-warbler2 a 
bird which some1 we believe1 have       
suspected to be nothing rarer than the  
almost superabundant oven-bird1 but     
which1 so far as we ourselves know1 may 
have been almost any one 7or any two or 
three7 of our smaller common birds that 
are given to occasional ecstatic        

song-flights4#c ,whatever it was1 it was
 of use to ,thoreau for the quickening  
of his imagination1 and for literary    
purposes2 and ,emerson was well advised 
in warning him to beware of booking it1 
lest life henceforth should have so much
 the less to show him4  ,it must be     
said1 however1 that ,thoreau stood in   
slight need of such a caution4 ,he      
cherished for himself a pretty favorable
 opinion of a certain kind and measure  
of ignorance4 ,with regard to some of   
his ornithological mysteries1 for       
example1--the night-warbler1 the        
seringo-bird 7which with something like 
certainty we may conjecture to have been
 the savanna sparrow71 and others1--he  
flatters himself that his good genius   
had withheld their names from him that  
he might the better learn their         
character1--whatever such an expression 
may be supposed to mean4  ,he maintained
 stoutly1 from beginning to end1 that he
 was not of the ordinary school of      
naturalists1 but a mystic1 a            

transcendentalist1 and a natural        
philosopher in one2 though he believed  
himself1 in his own words1 by           
constitution as good an observer as     
most4 ,he will not be one of those who  
seek facts as facts1 studying nature as 
a dead language4 ,he studies her for    
purposes of his own1 in search of the   
raw material of tropes and figures4 ,i  
pray for such experience as will make   
nature significant1 he declares2 and    
then1 with the same penful of ink1 he   
asks3 ,is that the swamp gooseberry of  
,gray now just beginning to blossom at  
,saw-,mill ,brook8 ,it has a divided    
style and stamens1 etc41 as yet not     
longer than the calyx1 though my slip   
has no thorns nor prickles1 and so on1  
and so on4 ,pages on pages of the       
journal are choke-full1 literally1 of   
this kind of botanical interrogation1   
till the unsympathetic reader will be in
 danger of surmising that the mystical  
searcher after tropes and symbols is    
sometimes not so utterly unlike the     

student of the dead language of fact4   
,but then1 it is one of the virtues of a
 journal that it is not a work of art1  
that it has no form1 no fashion 7and so 
does not go out of fashion71 and is     
always at liberty to contradict itself4 
,as ,thoreau said1 he tumbled his goods 
upon the counter2 no single customer is 
bound to be pleased with them all2      
different men1 different tastes2 let    
each select from the pile the things    
that suit his fancy4  ,for our own part1
 we acknowledge1--and the shrewd reader 
may already have remarked the fact1--we 
have not been disinclined to choose here
 and there a bit of some less rare and  
costly stuff4 ,the man is so sternly    
virtuous1 so inexorably in earnest1 so  
heart-set upon perfection1 that we      
almost like him best when for a moment  
he betrays something that suggests a    
touch of human frailty4 ,we prick up our
 ears when he speaks of a woman he once 
in a while goes to see1 who tells him to
 his face that she thinks him           

self-conceited4 ,now1 then1 we whisper  
to ourselves1 how will this man who     
despises flattery1 and1 boasting himself
 a commoner1 professes that for him     
there is something devilish in          
manners1--how will this candor-loving1  
truth-speaking1 truth-appreciating man  
enjoy the rebuke of so unmannered a     
mentor8 ,and we smile and say ,aha6 when
 he adds that the lady wonders why he   
does not visit her oftener4  ,we smile1 
too1 when he brags1 in early ,february1 
that he has not yet put on his winter   
clothing1 amusing himself the while over
 the muffs and furs of his less hardy   
neighbors1 his own simple diet making   
him so tough in the fibre that he       
flourishes like a tree2 and then1 a week
 later1 writes with unbroken equanimity 
that he is down with bronchitis1        
contenting himself to spend his days    
cuddled in a warm corner by the stove4  
,trifles of this kind encourage a       
pleasant feeling of brotherly           
relationship4 ,he is one of us1 after   

all1 with like passions4 ,but of course 
we really like him best when he is at   
his best1--as in some outpouring of his 
love for things natural and wild4 ,let  
us have one more such quotation3 ,now ,i
 yearn for one of those old1 meandering1
 dry1 uninhabited roads1 which lead away
 from towns1 which lead us away from    
temptation1 which conduct us to the     
outside of earth1 over its uppermost    
crust2 where you may forget in what     
country you are travelling2 where your  
head is more in heaven than your feet   
are on earth2 where you can pace when   
your breast is full1 and cherish your   
moodiness4444 ,there ,i can walk and    
recover the lost child that ,i am       
without any ringing of a bell4  ,for    
real warmth1 when once the fire burns1  
who can exceed our stoic8  ,we like1    
also1 his bits of prettiness1 things in 
which he is second to nobody1 though    
prettiness1 again1 is not supposed to be
 the stoic's note2 and they are all the 
prettier1 as well as ten times more     

welcome1 because he has the grace--and  
the sound literary sense--to drop them  
here and there1 as it were casually1    
upon a ground of simple1 unaffected     
prose4 ,here1 now1 is a sentence that by
 itself is worth a deal of ornithology3 
,the song sparrow is heard in fields and
 pastures1 setting the midsummer day to 
music1--as if it were the music of a    
mossy rail or fence-post4 ,of           
dragon-flies he says3 ,how lavishly they
 are painted6 ,how cheap was the paint6 
,how free was the fancy of their        
,creator6 ,in early ,june1 when woods   
are putting forth leaves1 the summer is 
pitching its tent4 ,he finds the dainty 
fringed polygala 7whose ordinary color  
is a lovely rose-purple7 sporting white 
blossoms1 and remarks3 ,thus many       
flowers have their nun sisters1 dressed 
in white4 ,soaring hawks are kites      
without strings2 and when he and his    
companion are travelling across country1
 keeping out of the sight of houses1 yet
 compelled to traverse here and there a 

farmer's field1 they shut every window  
with an apple tree4  ,gems like these   
one need not be a connoisseur to        
appreciate1 and they are common upon his
 counter4 ,it was a good name that      
,channing gave him3 ,the                
,poet-,naturalist4  ,but there are      
better things than flowers and jewels to
 be found in ,thoreau's stock4 ,there   
are cordials and tonics there1 to brace 
a man when he is weary2 eye-washes1 to  
cleanse his vision till he sees the     
heights above him and repents the       
lowness of his aims and the vulgarity of
 his satisfactions2 blisters and        
irritant plasters in large variety and  
of warranted strength2 but little or    
nothing1 so far as the present customer 
has noticed1 in the line of anodynes and
 sleeping-powders4 ,there we may buy    
moral wisdom1 which is not only the     
foundation and source of good writing1  
as one of the ancients said1 but of the 
arts in general1 especially the art of  
life4 ,if the world is too much with us1

 if wealth attracts and the rust of     
copper has begun to eat into the soul1  
if we are in danger of selling our years
 for things that perish with the using1 
here we may find correctives1 and go    
away thankful1 rejoicing henceforth to  
be rich in a better coinage than any    
that bears the world's stamp4 ,the very 
exaggerations of the master--if we call 
them such--may do us good like a        
medicine2 for there are diseased        
conditions which yield to nothing so    
quickly as to a shock4  ,as for ,thoreau
 himself1 life might have been smoother 
for him had he been less exacting in his
 idealism1 more tolerant of imperfection
 in others and in himself2 had he taken 
his studies1 and even his spiritual     
aspirations1 a grain or two less        
seriously4 ,a bit of boyish play now and
 then1 the bow quite unbent1 or a dose  
of novel-reading of the love-making1    
humanizing 7,trollopean7 sort1 could one
 imagine it1 with a more temperate      
cherishing of his moodiness1 might have 

done him no harm4 ,it would have been   
for his comfort1 so much may confidently
 be said1 whether for his happiness is  
another question1 had he been one of    
those gentler humorists who can         
sometimes see themselves1 as all        
humorists have the gift of seeing other 
people1 funny side out4 ,but then1 had  
these things been so1 had his natural   
scope been wider1 his genius1 so to say1
 more tropical1 richer1 freer1 more     
expansive1 more various and flexible1   
more like the spreading banyan and less 
like the soaring1 sky-pointing          
spruce1--why1 then he would no longer   
have been ,thoreau2 for better or worse1
 his speech would have lost its         
distinctive tang2 and in the long run   
the world1 which likes a touch of bitter
 and a touch of sour1 would almost      
certainly have found the man himself    
less interesting1 and his books less    
rememberable4 ,and made as he was1 born 
to his own affairs1 what else could he  
do but stick to himself8 ,we are        

constantly invited to be what we are1 he
 said4 ,the words might fittingly have  
been cut upon his gravestone4           
,b4 ,t4          ,,henry ,d4 ,,thoreau  
,,gleanings      ,,or ,,what ,,time     
,,has ,,not ,,reaped      ,,of ,,my     
,,journal     ,the small manuscript     
volume bearing on its first fly-leaf the
 legend printed on the preceding page is
 evidently a transcript of unused       
passages in the early journals1 and this
 is also the case with several          
succeeding small volumes4 ,see note on  
page #cdb4 ,the following mottoes occupy
 the next three pages of the book4      
,by all means use sometimes to be alone4
      ,salute thyself3 see what thy soul
 doth wear4      ,dare to look in thy   
chest2 for 'tis thine own3      ,and    
tumble up and down what thou find'st    
there4        ,who cannot rest till he  
good fellows find1        ,he breaks up 
house1 turns out of doors his mind4     
,,herbert1 ,the ,church ,porch4         
,friends and companions1 get you gone6  

',tis my desire to be alone2      ,ne'er
 well1 but when my thoughts and ,i      
,do domineer in privacy4                
,,burton1 ,anatomy of ,melancholy4      
,two ,paradises are in one1      ,to    
live in ,paradise alone4                
,,marvell1 ,the ,garden4                
,illustration3 ,henry ,david ,thoreau in
 #ahed1 from the ,rowse ,crayon in      
the ,concord ,public ,library     ,,the 
,,journal ,,of ,,henry ,,david ,,thoreau
     ,i  #ahcg  7,t4 #bj7   ,oct #bb4   
,what are you doing now8 he asked4 ,do  
you keep a journal8 ,so ,i make my first
 entry to-day4   ,,solitude  ,to be     
alone ,i find it necessary to escape the
 present1--,i avoid myself4 ,how could  
,i be alone in the ,roman emperor's     
chamber of mirrors8 ,i seek a garret4   
,the spiders must not be disturbed1 nor 
the floor swept1 nor the lumber         
arranged4  ,the ,germans say1 ,es ist   
alles wahr wodurch du besser wirst4     
,,the ,,mould ,,our ,,deeds ,,leave     
,oct4 #bd4 ,every part of nature teaches

 that the passing away of one life is   
the making room for another4 ,the oak   
dies down to the ground1 leaving within 
its rind a rich virgin mould1 which will
 impart a vigorous life to an infant    
forest4 ,the pine leaves a sandy and    
sterile soil1 the harder woods a strong 
and fruitful mould4  ,so this constant  
abrasion and decay makes the soil of my 
future growth4 ,as ,i live now so shall 
,i reap4 ,if ,i grow pines and birches1 
my virgin mould will not sustain the    
oak2 but pines and birches1 or1         
perchance1 weeds and brambles1 will     
constitute my second growth4#d          
,,spring  ,oct #be4 ,she appears1 and we
 are once more children2 we commence    
again our course with the new year4 ,let
 the maiden no more return1 and men will
 become poets for very grief4 ,no sooner
 has winter left us time to regret her  
smiles1 than we yield to the advances of
 poetic frenzy4 ,the flowers look kindly
 at us from the beds with their child   
eyes1 and in the horizon the snow of the

 far mountains dissolves into light     
vapor4--,,goethe1 ,torquato ,tasso4     
,,the ,,poet       ,he seems to         
avoid--even to flee from us1--      ,to 
seek something which we know not1       
,and perhaps he himself after all knows 
not4--,ibid4   ,oct #bf4       ,his eye 
hardly rests upon the earth2      ,his  
ear hears the one-clang of nature2      
,what history records1--what life       
gives1--      ,directly and gladly his  
genius takes it up3      ,his mind      
collects the widely dispersed1      ,and
 his feeling animates the inanimate4    
,often he ennobles what appeared to us  
common1      ,and the prized is as      
nothing to him4      ,in his own magic  
circle wanders      ,the wonderful man1 
and draws us      ,with him to wander1  
and take part in it3      ,he seems to  
draw near to us1 and remains afar from  
us3      ,he seems to be looking at us1 
and spirits1 forsooth1      ,appear to  
him strangely in our places4--,ibid4    
,,how ,,man ,,grows  ,a noble man has   

not to thank a private circle for his   
culture4 ,fatherland and world must work
 upon him4 ,fame and infamy must he     
learn to endure4 ,he will be constrained
 to know himself and others4 ,solitude  
shall no more lull him with her         
flattery4 ,the foe will not1 the friend 
dares not1 spare him4 ,then1 striving1  
the youth puts forth his strength1 feels
 what he is1 and feels himself soon a   
man4       ,a talent is builded in      
solitude1      ,a character in the      
stream of the world4  ,he only fears man
 who knows him not1 and he who avoids   
him will soonest misapprehend           
him4--,ibid4   ,,ariosto  ,as nature    
decks her inward rich breast in a green 
variegated dress1 so clothes he all that
 can make men honorable in the blooming 
garb of the fable4444 ,the well of      
superfluity bubbles near1 and lets us   
see variegated wonder-fishes4 ,the air  
is filled with rare birds1 the meads and
 copses with strange herds1 wit lurks   
half concealed in the verdure1 and      

wisdom from time to time lets sound from
 a golden cloud sustained words1 while  
frenzy wildly seems to sweep the        
well-toned lute1 yet holds itself       
measured in perfect time4   ,,beauty    
,that beauty is transitory which alone  
you seem to honor4--,,goethe1 ,torquato 
,tasso4   ,,the ,,fog  ,oct4 #bg4 ,the  
prospect is limited to ,nobscot and     
,annursnack4 ,the trees stand with      
boughs downcast like pilgrims beaten by 
a storm1 and the whole landscape wears a
 sombre aspect4  ,so when thick vapors  
cloud the soul1 it strives in vain to   
escape from its humble working-day      
valley1 and pierce the dense fog which  
shuts out from view the blue peaks in   
its horizon1 but must be content to scan
 its near and homely hills4   ,,ducks   
,,at ,,goose ,,pond  ,oct #bi4 ,two     
ducks1 of the summer or wood species1   
which were merrily dabbling in their    
favorite basin1 struck up a retreat on  
my approach1 and seemed disposed to take
 ,french leave1 paddling off with       

swan-like majesty4 ,they are first-rate 
swimmers1 beating me at a round pace1   
and--what was to me a new trait in the  
duck character--dove every minute or two
 and swam several feet under water1 in  
order to escape our attention4 ,just    
before immersion they seemed to give    
each other a significant nod1 and then1 
as if by a common understanding1 'twas  
heels up and head down in the shaking of
 a duck's wing4 ,when they reappeared1  
it was amusing to observe with what a   
self-satisfied1 darn-it-how-he-nicks-'em
 air they paddled off to repeat the     
experiment4   ,,the ,,arrowhead  ,a     
curious incident happened some four or  
six weeks ago which ,i think it worth   
the while to record4 ,john and ,i had   
been searching for ,indian relics1 and  
been successful enough to find two      
arrowheads and a pestle1 when1 of a     
,sunday evening1 with our heads full of 
the past and its remains1 we strolled to
 the mouth of ,swamp ,bridge ,brook4 ,as
 we neared the brow of the hill forming 

the bank of the river1 inspired by my   
theme1 ,i broke forth into an           
extravagant eulogy on those savage      
times1 using most violent gesticulations
 by way of illustration4 ,there on      
,nawshawtuct1 said ,i1 was their lodge1 
the rendezvous of the tribe1 and yonder1
 on ,clamshell ,hill1 their feasting    
ground4 ,this was1 no doubt1 a favorite 
haunt2 here on this brow was an eligible
 lookout post4 ,how often have they     
stood on this very spot1 at this very   
hour1 when the sun was sinking behind   
yonder woods and gilding with his last  
rays the waters of the ,musketaquid1 and
 pondered the day's success and the     
morrow's prospects1 or communed with the
 spirit of their fathers gone before    
them to the land of shades6  ,here1 ,i  
exclaimed1 stood ,tahatawan2 and there  
7to complete the period7 is ,tahatawan's
 arrowhead4  ,we instantly proceeded to 
sit down on the spot ,i had pointed to1 
and ,i1 to carry out the joke1 to lay   
bare an ordinary stone which my whim had

 selected1 when lo6 the first ,i laid   
hands on1 the grubbing stone that was to
 be1 proved a most perfect arrowhead1 as
 sharp as if just from the hands of the 
,indian fabricator666   ,,sunrise  ,oct4
 #cj4 ,first we have the gray twilight  
of the poets1 with dark and barry clouds
 diverging to the zenith4 ,then glows   
the intruding cloud in the east1 as if  
it bore a precious jewel in its bosom2 a
 deep round gulf of golden gray         
indenting its upper edge1 while slender 
rules of fleecy vapor1 radiating from   
the common centre1 like light-armed     
troops1 fall regularly into their       
places4   ,,sailing ,,with ,,and        
,,against ,,the ,,stream  ,nov4 #c4 ,if 
one would reflect1 let him embark on    
some placid stream1 and float with the  
current4 ,he cannot resist the ,muse4   
,as we ascend the stream1 plying the    
paddle with might and main1 snatched and
 impetuous thoughts course through the  
brain4 ,we dream of conflict1 power1 and
 grandeur4 ,but turn the prow down      

stream1 and rock1 tree1 kine1 knoll1    
assuming new and varying positions1 as  
wind and water shift the scene1 favor   
the liquid lapse of thought1            
far-reaching and sublime1 but ever calm 
and gently undulating4   ,,truth  ,nov4 
#e4 ,truth strikes us from behind1 and  
in the dark1 as well as from before and 
in broad daylight4   ,,still ,,streams  
,,run ,,deepest  ,nov4 #i4 ,it is the   
rill whose silver sands and pebbles sing
 eternal ditties with the spring4 ,the  
early frosts bridge its narrow channel1 
and its querulous note is hushed4 ,only 
the flickering sunlight on its sandy    
bottom attracts the beholder4 ,but there
 are souls whose depths are never       
fathomed1--on whose bottom the sun never
 shines4 ,we get a distant view from the
 precipitous banks1 but never a draught 
from their mid-channels4 ,only a sunken 
rock or fallen oak can provoke a murmur1
 and their surface is a stranger to the 
icy fetters which bind fast a thousand  
contributory rills4#e   ,,discipline    

,nov4 #ab4 ,i yet lack discernment to   
distinguish the whole lesson of to-day2 
but it is not lost1--it will come to me 
at last4 ,my desire is to know what ,i  
have lived1 that ,i may know how to live
 henceforth4   ,,sin ,,destroys ,,the   
,,perception ,,of ,,the ,,beautiful     
,nov4 #ac4 ,this shall be the test of   
innocence--if ,i can hear a taunt1 and  
look out on this friendly moon1 pacing  
the heavens in queen-like majesty1 with 
the accustomed yearning4   ,,truth      
,truth is ever returning into herself4  
,i glimpse one feature to-day1 another  
to-morrow2 and the next day they are    
blended4   ,,goethe  ,nov4 #ae4 ,and now
 that it is evening1 a few clouds in the
 mild atmosphere rest upon the          
mountains1 more stand still than move in
 the heavens1 and immediately after     
sunset the chirping of crickets begins  
to increase2 then feels one once more at
 home in the world1 and not as an       
alien1--an exile4 ,i am contented as    
though ,i had been born and brought up  

here1 and now returned from a ,greenland
 or whaling voyage4 ,even the dust of my
 ,fatherland1 as it is whirled about the
 wagon1 which for so long a time ,i had 
not seen1 is welcome4 ,the              
clock-and-bell jingling of the crickets 
is very agreeable1 penetrating1 and not 
without a meaning4 ,pleasant is it when 
roguish boys whistle in emulation of a  
field of such songstresses4 ,one        
imagines that they really enhance each  
other4 ,the evening is perfectly mild as
 the day4 ,should an inhabitant of the  
south1 coming from the south1 hear of my
 rapture1 he would deem me very         
childish4 ,alas6 what ,i here express   
have ,i long felt under an unpropitious 
heaven4 ,and now this joy is to me an   
exception1 which ,i am henceforth to    
enjoy1--a necessity of my               
nature4--,italinische ,reise4#f         
,,ponkawtassett  ,nov4 #af4 ,there goes 
the river1 or rather is1 in serpent     
error wandering1 the jugular vein of    
,musketaquid4 ,who knows how much of the

 proverbial moderation of the           
inhabitants was caught from its dull    
circulation8  ,the snow gives the       
landscape a washing-day                 
appearance1--here a streak of white1    
there a streak of dark2 it is spread    
like a napkin over the hills and        
meadows4 ,this must be a rare drying    
day1 to judge from the vapor that floats
 over the vast clothes-yard4  ,a hundred
 guns are firing and a flag flying in   
the village in celebration of the whig  
victory4 ,now a short dull report1--the 
mere disk of a sound1 shorn of its      
beams1--and then a puff of smoke rises  
in the horizon to join its misty        
relatives in the skies4   ,,goethe  ,he 
gives such a glowing description of the 
old tower1 that they who had been born  
and brought up in the neighborhood must 
needs look over their shoulders1 that   
they might behold with their eyes1 what 
,i had praised to their ears1 444 and ,i
 added nothing1 not even the ivy which  
for centuries had decorated the         

walls4--,italinische ,reise4#g          
,,sunrise  ,nov4 #ag4 ,now the king of  
day plays at bo-peep round the world's  
corner1 and every cottage window smiles 
a golden smile1--a very picture of glee4
 ,i see the water glistening in the eye4
 ,the smothered breathings of awakening 
day strike the ear with an undulating   
motion2 over hill and dale1 pasture and 
woodland1 come they to me1 and ,i am at 
home in the world4   ,,the ,,sky  ,if   
there is nothing new on earth1 still    
there is something new in the heavens4  
,we have always a resource in the skies4
 ,they are constantly turning a new page
 to view4 ,the wind sets the types in   
this blue ground1 and the inquiring may 
always read a new truth4#h   ,,virgil   
,nov4 #ah4 ,pulsae referunt ad sidera   
valles#i is such a line as would save an
 epic2 and how finely he concludes his  
agrestem musam1 now that ,silenus has   
done1 and the stars have heard his      
story1--       ,cogere donec oves       
stabulis1 numerumque referre            

,jussit1 et invito processit ,vesper    
,olympo4   ,,harmony  ,nature makes no  
noise4 ,the howling storm1 the rustling 
leaf1 the pattering rain are no         
disturbance1 there is an essential and  
unexplored harmony in them4 ,why is it  
that thought flows with so deep and     
sparkling a current when the sound of   
distant music strikes the ear8 ,when ,i 
would muse ,i complain not of a rattling
 tune on the piano--a ,battle of ,prague
 even--if it be harmony1 but an         
irregular1 discordant drumming is       
intolerable4   ,,shadows  ,when a shadow
 flits across the landscape of the soul1
 where is the substance8 ,has it always 
its origin in sin8 and is that sin in   
me8   ,,virgil  ,nov4 #bj4 ,i would read
 ,virgil1 if only that ,i might be      
reminded of the identity of human nature
 in all ages4 ,i take satisfaction in   
jam laeto turgent in palmite gemmae1 or 
,strata jacent passim sua quaeque sub   
arbore poma4 ,it was the same world1 and
 the same men inhabited it4#aj          

,,nawshawtuct  ,nov4 #ba4 ,one must     
needs climb a hill to know what a world 
he inhabits4 ,in the midst of this      
,indian summer ,i am perched on the     
topmost rock of ,nawshawtuct1 a velvet  
wind blowing from the southwest4 ,i seem
 to feel the atoms as they strike my    
cheek4 ,hills1 mountains1 steeples stand
 out in bold relief in the horizon1     
while ,i am resting on the rounded boss 
of an enormous shield1 the river like a 
vein of silver encircling its edge1 and 
thence the shield gradually rises to its
 rim1 the horizon4 ,not a cloud is to be
 seen1 but villages1 villas1 forests1   
mountains1 one above another1 till they 
are swallowed up in the heavens4#aa ,the
 atmosphere is such that1 as ,i look    
abroad upon the length and breadth of   
the land1 it recedes from my eye1 and ,i
 seem to be looking for the threads of  
the velvet4  ,thus ,i admire the        
grandeur of my emerald carriage1 with   
its border of blue1 in which ,i am      
rolling through space4   ,,thoughts     

,nov4 #bf4 ,i look around for thoughts  
when ,i am overflowing myself4 ,while ,i
 live on1 thought is still in           
embryo1--it stirs not within me4 ,anon  
it begins to assume shape and           
comeliness1 and ,i deliver it1 and      
clothe it in its garment of language4   
,but alas6 how often when thoughts choke
 me do ,i resort to a spat on the back1 
or swallow a crust1 or do anything but  
expectorate them6   ,,hoar ,,frost ,,and
 ,,green ,,river  ,nov4 #bh4 ,every     
tree1 fence1 and spire of grass that    
could raise its head above the snow was 
this morning covered with a dense hoar  
frost4 ,the trees looked like airy      
creatures of darkness caught napping4   
,on this side they were huddled         
together1 their gray hairs streaming1 in
 a secluded valley which the sun had not
 yet penetrated1 and on that they went  
hurrying off in ,indian file by         
hedgerows and watercourses1 while the   
shrubs and grasses1 like elves and      
fairies of the night1 sought to hide    

their diminished heads in the snow4     
,the branches and taller grasses were   
covered with a wonderful ice-foliage1   
answering leaf for leaf to their summer 
dress4 ,the centre1 diverging1 and even 
more minute fibres were perfectly       
distinct and the edges regularly        
indented4  ,these leaves were on the    
side of the twig or stubble opposite to 
the sun 7when it was not bent toward the
 east71 meeting it for the most part at 
right angles1 and there were others     
standing out at all possible angles upon
 these1 and upon one another4  ,it      
struck me that these ghost leaves and   
the green ones whose forms they assume  
were the creatures of the same law4 ,it 
could not be in obedience to two several
 laws that the vegetable juices swelled 
gradually into the perfect leaf on the  
one hand1 and the crystalline particles 
trooped to their standard in the same   
admirable order on the other4  ,the     
river1 viewed from the bank above1      
appeared of a yellowish-green color1 but

 on a nearer approach this phenomenon   
vanished2 and yet the landscape was     
covered with snow4#ab   ,,ice-,,harp    
,dec4 #e4 ,my friend tells me he has    
discovered a new note in nature1 which  
he calls the ,ice-,harp4 ,chancing to   
throw a handful of pebbles upon the pond
 where there was an air chamber under   
the ice1 it discoursed a pleasant music 
to him4  ,herein resides a tenth muse1  
and as he was the man to discover it    
probably the extra melody is in him4    
,,goethe  ,dec4 #h4 ,he is generally    
satisfied with giving an exact          
description of objects as they appear to
 him1 and his genius is exhibited in the
 points he seizes upon and illustrates4 
,his description of ,venice and her     
environs as seen from the ,marcusthurm  
is that of an unconcerned spectator1    
whose object is faithfully to describe  
what he sees1 and that1 too1 for the    
most part1 in the order in which he saw 
it4 ,it is this trait which is chiefly  
to be prized in the book2 even the      

reflections of the author do not        
interfere with his descriptions4  ,it   
would thus be possible for inferior     
minds to produce invaluable books4#ac   
,,measure  ,dec4 #aj4 ,not the carpenter
 alone carries his rule in his pocket4  
,space is quite subdued to us4 ,the     
meanest peasant finds in a hair of his  
head1 or the white crescent upon his    
nail1 the unit of measure for the       
distance of the fixed stars4 ,his middle
 finger measures how many digits into   
space2 he extends a few times his thumb 
and finger1 and the continent is        
spanned2 he stretches out his arms1 and 
the sea is fathomed4   ,,thought  ,dec4 
#ab4 ,there are times when thought      
elbows her way through the underwood of 
words to the clear blue beyond2         
,o'er bog1 or steep1 through strait1    
rough1 dense1 or rare1      ,with head1 
hands1 wings1 or feet1 pursues her way1 
,and swims1 or sinks1 or wades1 or      
creeps1 or flies2444  but let her don   
her cumbersome working-day garment1 and 

each sparkling dewdrop will seem a      
slough of despond4   ,,peculiarity      
,when we speak of a peculiarity in a man
 or a nation1 we think to describe only 
one part1 a mere mathematical point2 but
 it is not so4 ,it pervades all4 ,some  
parts may be further removed than others
 from this centre1 but not a particle so
 remote as not to be either shined on or
 shaded by it4   ,,thorns  ,no faculty  
in man was created with a useless or    
sinister intent2 in no respect can he be
 wholly bad1 but the worst passions have
 their root in the best1--as anger1 for 
instance1 may be only a perverted sense 
of wrong which yet retains some traces  
of its origin4#ad ,so a spine is proved 
to be only an abortive branch1 which1   
notwithstanding1 even as a spine1 bears 
leaves1 and1 in ,euphorbia heptagona1   
sometimes flowers and fruit4   ,,jack   
,,frost  ,dec4 #ae4 ,as further         
confirmation of the fact that vegetation
 is a kind of crystallization1 ,i       
observe that upon the edge of the       

melting frost on the windows1 ,jack is  
playing singular freaks1--now bundling  
together his needle-shaped leaves so as 
to resemble fields waving with grain1 or
 shocks of wheat rising here and there  
from the stubble4 ,on one side the      
vegetation of the torrid zone is        
presented you1--high-towering palms1 and
 widespread banyans1 such as we see in  
pictures of ,oriental scenery2 on the   
other are arctic pines1 stiff-frozen1   
with branches downcast1 like the arms of
 tender men in frosty weather4#ae ,in   
some instances the panes are covered    
with little feathery flocks1 where the  
particles radiate from a common centre1 
the number of radii varying from three  
to seven or eight4 ,the crystalline     
particles are partial to the creases and
 flaws in the glass1 and1 when these    
extend from sash to sash1 form complete 
hedgerows1 or miniature watercourses1   
where dense masses of crystal foliage   
high over-arched imbower4   ,,frozen    
,,mist  ,dec4 #af4 ,the woods were this 

morning covered with thin bars of       
vapor1--the evaporation of the leaves   
according to ,sprengel1--which seemed to
 have been suddenly stiffened by the    
cold4 ,in some places it was spread out 
like gauze over the tops of the trees1  
forming extended lawns1 where elves and 
fairies held high tournament2           
before each van      ,prick forth the   
aery knights1 and couch their spears1   
,till thickest legions close4#af  ,the  
east was glowing with a narrow but      
ill-defined crescent of light1 the blue 
of the zenith mingling in all possible  
proportions with the salmon-color of the
 horizon4 ,and now the neighboring      
hilltops telegraph to us poor crawlers  
of the plain the ,monarch's golden      
ensign in the east1 and anon his long   
levelled rules fall sector-wise1 and    
humblest cottage windows greet their    
lord4   ,,facts  ,how indispensable to a
 correct study of ,nature is a          
perception of her true meaning4 ,the    
fact will one day flower out into a     

truth4 ,the season will mature and      
fructify what the understanding had     
cultivated4 ,mere accumulators of       
facts--collectors of materials for the  
master-workmen--are like those plants   
growing in dark forests1 which put forth
 only leaves instead of blossoms4       
,,druids  ,dec4 #ag4 ,in all ages and   
nations we observe a leaning towards a  
right state of things4 ,this may        
especially be seen in the history of the
 priest1 whose life approaches most     
nearly to that of the ideal man4 ,the   
,druids paid no taxes1 and were allowed 
exemption from warfare and all other    
things4 ,the clergy are even now a      
privileged class4  ,in the last stage of
 civilization ,poetry1 ,religion1 and   
,philosophy will be one2 and this truth 
is glimpsed in the first4 ,the druidical
 order was divided into ,druids1 ,bards1
 and ,ouates4 ,the ,bards were the poets
 and musicians1 of whom some were       
satirists1 and some encomiasts4 ,the    
,ouates sacrificed1 divined1 and        

contemplated the nature of things4 ,the 
,druids cultivated physiology and moral 
philosophy2 or1 as ,diodorus says1 were 
their philosophers and theologians4     
,,goethe  ,dec4 #ah4 ,he required that  
his heroine1 ,iphigenia1 should say     
nothing which might not be uttered by   
the holy ,agathe1 whose picture he      
contemplated4   ,,immortality ,,post    
,the nations assert an immortality post 
as well as ante4 ,the ,athenians wore a 
golden grasshopper as an emblem that    
they sprang from the earth1 and the     
,arcadians pretended that they were 1 or
 before the moon4  ,the ,platos do not  
seem to have considered this            
back-reaching tendency of the human     
mind4   ,,the ,,pride ,,of ,,ancestry   
,men are pleased to be called the sons  
of their fathers1--so little truth      
suffices them1--and whoever addresses   
them by this or a similar title is      
termed a poet4 ,the orator appeals to   
the sons of ,greece1 of ,britannia1 of  
,france1 or of ,poland2 and our fathers'

 homely name acquires some interest from
 the fact that ,sakai-suna means        
sons-of-the-,sakai4#ag   ,,hell  ,dec4  
#ai4 ,hell itself may be contained      
within the compass of a spark4          
,,saxons  ,the fact seems at first an   
anomalous one that the less a people    
have to contend for the more tenacious  
they are of their rights4 ,the ,saxons  
of ,ditmarsia contended for a principle1
 not for their sterile sands and        
uncultivated marshes4  ,we are on the   
whole the same ,saxons that our fathers 
were1 when it was said of them1 ,they   
are emulous in hospitality1 because to  
plunder and to lavish is the glory of an
 ,holsatian2 not to be versed in the    
science of depredation is1 in his       
opinion1 to be stupid and base4  ,the   
,french are the same ,franks of whom it 
is written1 ,francis familiare est      
ridendo fidem frangere2 ,gens ,francorum
 infidelis est4 ,si perjeret ,francus   
quid novi faciet1 qui perjuriam ipsam   
sermonis genus putat esse non criminis4 

,,crystals  ,i observed this morning    
that the ice at ,swamp ,bridge was      
checkered with a kind of mosaic-work of 
white creases or channels2 and when ,i  
examined the under side1 ,i found it to 
be covered with a mass of               
crystallizations from three to five     
inches deep1 standing1 or rather        
depending1 at right angles to the true  
ice1 which was about an eighth of an    
inch thick4 ,there was a yet older ice  
six or eight inches below this4 ,the    
crystals were for the most part         
triangular prisms with the lower end    
open1 though1 in some cases1 they had   
run into each other so as to form four  
or five sided prisms4 ,when the ice was 
laid upon its smooth side1 they         
resembled the roofs and steeples of a   
,gothic city1 or the vessels of a       
crowded haven under a press of canvas4  
,i noticed also that where the ice in   
the road had melted and left the mud    
bare1 the latter1 as if crystallized1   
discovered countless rectilinear        

fissures1 an inch or more in length--a  
continuation1 as it were1 of the        
checkered ice4#ah   ,dec4 #bb4 ,about a 
year ago1 having set aside a bowl which 
had contained some rhubarb grated in    
water1 without wiping it1 ,i was        
astonished to find1 a few days          
afterward1 that the rhubarb had         
crystallized1 covering the bottom of the
 bowl with perfect cubes1 of the color  
and consistency of glue1 and a tenth of 
an inch in diameter4   ,,crystals  ,dec4
 #bc4 ,crossed the river to-day on the  
ice4 ,though the weather is raw and     
wintry and the ground covered with snow1
 ,i noticed a solitary robin1 who looked
 as if he needed to have his services to
 the ,babes in the ,woods speedily      
requited4  ,in the side of the high bank
 by the ,leaning ,hemlocks1 there were  
some curious crystallizations4 ,wherever
 the water1 or other causes1 had formed 
a hole in the bank1 its throat and outer
 edge1 like the entrance to a citadel of
 the olden time1 bristled with a        

glistening ice armor4 ,in one place you 
might see minute ostrich feathers1 which
 seemed the waving plumes of the        
warriors filing into the fortress1 in   
another the glancing fan-shaped banners 
of the ,lilliputian host1 and in another
 the needle-shaped particles1 collected 
into bundles resembling the plumes of   
the pine1 might pass for a phalanx of   
spears4#ai ,the whole hill was like an  
immense quartz rock1 with minute        
crystals sparkling from innumerable     
crannies4 ,i tried to fancy that there  
was a disposition in these              
crystallizations to take the forms of   
the contiguous foliage4   ,,revolutions 
,dec4 #bg4 ,revolutions are never       
sudden4 ,not one man1 nor many men1 in a
 few years or generations1 suffice to   
regulate events and dispose mankind for 
the revolutionary movement4 ,the hero is
 but the crowning stone of the          
pyramid1--the keystone of the arch4 ,who
 was ,romulus or ,remus1 ,hengist or    
,horsa1 that we should attribute to them

 ,rome or ,england8 ,they are famous or 
infamous because the progress of events 
has chosen to make them its             
stepping-stones4 ,but we would know     
where the avalanche commenced1 or the   
hollow in the rock whence springs the   
,amazon4 ,the most important is apt to  
be some silent and unobtrusive fact in  
history4 ,in #ddi three ,saxon cyules   
arrived on the ,british coast1--,three  
scipen gode comen mid than flode1 three 
hundred cnihten4#bj ,the pirate of the  
,british coast was no more the founder  
of a state than the scourge of the      
,german shore4   ,,heroes  ,the real    
heroes of minstrelsy have been ideal1   
even when the names of actual heroes    
have been perpetuated4 ,the real        
,arthur1 who not only excelled the      
experienced past1 but also the possible 
future1 of whom it was affirmed for many
 centuries that he was not dead1 but had
 withdrawn from the world into some     
magical region2 from which at a future  
crisis he was to reappear1 and lead the 

,cymri in triumph through the island1   
whose character and actions were the    
theme of the bards of ,bretagne and the 
foundation of their interminable        
romances1 was only an ideal             
impersonation4    ,illustration3 ,frost 
,crystals  ,men claim for the ideal an  
actual existence also1 but do not often 
expand the actual into the ideal4 ,if   
you do not believe me1 go into          
,bretagne1 and mention in the streets or
 villages1 that ,arthur is really dead  
like other men2 you will not escape with
 impunity2 you will be either hooted    
with the curses of your hearers1 or     
stoned to death4   ,,homesickness  ,the 
most remarkable instance of homesickness
 is that of the colony of ,franks       
transplanted by the ,romans from the    
,german ,ocean to the ,euxine1 who at   
length resolving to a man to abandon the
 country1 seized the vessels which      
carried them out1 and reached at last   
their native shores1 after innumerable  
difficulties and dangers upon the       

,mediterranean and ,atlantic4   ,,the   
,,interesting ,,facts ,,in ,,history    
,how cheering is it1 after toiling      
through the darker pages of             
history1--the heartless and fluctuating 
crust of human rest and unrest1--to     
alight on the solid earth where the sun 
shines1 or rest in the checkered shade4 
,the fact that ,edwin of ,northumbria   
caused stakes to be fixed in the        
highways where he had seen a clear      
spring1 and that brazen dishes were     
chained to them1 to refresh the weary   
sojourner1 whose fatigues ,edwin had    
himself experienced1 is worth all       
,arthur's twelve battles4#ba ,the sun   
again shines along the highway1 the     
landscape presents us sunny glades and  
occasional cultivated patches as well as
 dark primeval forests1 and it is merry 
,england after all4   ,dec4 #ca4 ,as the
 least drop of wine tinges the whole    
goblet1 so the least particle of truth  
colors our whole life4 ,it is never     
isolated1 or simply added as treasure to

 our stock4 ,when any real progress is  
made1 we unlearn and learn anew what we 
thought we knew before4 ,we go picking  
up from year to year and laying side by 
side the disjecta membra of truth1 as he
 who picked up one by one a row of a    
hundred stones1 and returned with each  
separately to his basket4     ,,ii      
#ahch  7,t4 #bj-ba7   ,,heaven ,,on     
,,earth  ,jan4 #f4 ,as a child looks    
forward to the coming of the summer1 so 
could we contemplate with quiet joy the 
circle of the seasons returning without 
fail eternally4 ,as the spring came     
round during so many years of the gods1 
we could go out to admire and adorn anew
 our ,eden1 and yet never tire4         
,,saxons  ,jan4 #ae4 ,after all that has
 been said in praise of the ,saxon race1
 we must allow that our blue-eyed and   
fair-haired ancestors were originally an
 ungodly and reckless crew4   ,,we      
,,make ,,our ,,own ,,fortune  ,jan4 #af4
 ,man is like a cork which no tempest   
can sink1 but it will float securely to 

its haven at last4 ,the world is never  
the less beautiful though viewed through
 a chink or knot-hole4   ,jan4 #ba4 ,man
 is the artificer of his own happiness4 
,let him beware how he complains of the 
disposition of circumstances1 for it is 
his own disposition he blames4 ,if this 
is sour1 or that rough1 or the other    
steep1 let him think if it be not his   
work4 ,if his look curdles all hearts1  
let him not complain of a sour          
reception2 if he hobble in his gait1 let
 him not grumble at the roughness of the
 way2 if he is weak in the knees1 let   
him not call the hill steep4 ,this was  
the pith of the inscription on the wall 
of the ,swedish inn3 ,you will find at  
,trolhate excellent bread1 meat1 and    
wine1 provided you bring them with      
you6#bb   ,,hoar ,,frost  ,every leaf   
and twig was this morning covered with a
 sparkling ice armor2 even the grasses  
in exposed fields were hung with        
innumerable diamond pendants1 which     
jingled merrily when brushed by the foot

 of the traveller4 ,it was literally the
 wreck of jewels and the crash of gems4 
,it was as though some superincumbent   
stratum of the earth had been removed in
 the night1 exposing to light a bed of  
untarnished crystals4 ,the scene changed
 at every step1 or as the head was      
inclined to the right or the left4      
,there were the opal and sapphire and   
emerald and jasper and beryl and topaz  
and ruby4#bc  ,such is beauty           
ever1--neither here nor there1 now nor  
then1--neither in ,rome nor in ,athens1 
but wherever there is a soul to admire4 
,if ,i seek her elsewhere because ,i do 
not find her at home1 my search will    
prove a fruitless one4   ,,zeno  ,feb4  
#g4 ,zeno1 the ,stoic1 stood in         
precisely the same relation to the world
 that ,i do now4 ,he is1 forsooth1 bred 
a merchant--as how many still6--and can 
trade and barter1 and perchance higgle1 
and moreover he can be shipwrecked and  
cast ashore at the ,pirus1 like one of  
your ,johns or ,thomases4  ,he strolls  

into a shop and is charmed by a book by 
,xenophon--and straightway he becomes a 
philosopher4 ,the sun of a new life's   
day rises to him1--serene and           
unclouded1--which looks over 4 ,and     
still the fleshly ,zeno sails on1       
shipwrecked1 buffeted1 tempest-tossed2  
but the true ,zeno sails ever a placid  
sea4 ,play high1 play low1--rain1 sleet1
 or snow1--it's all the same with the   
,stoic4 ,propriety and decorum were his 
,palinurus1--not the base progeny of    
fashion1 but the suggestions of an      
experienced taste4  ,when evening comes 
he sits down unwearied to the review of 
his day1--what's done that's to be      
undone1--what not done at all still to  
be done4 ,himself ,truth's unconcerned  
helpmate4 ,another system of            
book-keeping this than that the ,cyprian
 trader to ,phnicia practiced6  ,this   
was he who said to a certain garrulous  
young man1 ,on this account have we two 
ears and but one mouth1 that we may hear
 more1 and speak less4  ,that he had    

talked concerned not our philosopher1   
but his audience2 and herein we may see 
how it is more noble to hear than to    
speak4 ,the wisest may apologize that he
 only said so to hear himself talk1 for 
if he heard not1 as well for him had he 
never spoken4 ,what is all this gabble  
to the gabbler8 ,only the silent reap   
the profit of it4   ,,society  ,feb4 #i4
 ,it is wholesome advice1--to be a man  
amongst folks4 ,go into society if you  
will1 or if you are unwilling1 and take 
a human interest in its affairs4 ,if you
 mistake these ,messieurs and ,mesdames 
for so many men and women1 it is but    
erring on the safe side1--or1 rather1 it
 is their error and not yours4 ,armed   
with a manly sincerity1 you shall not be
 trifled with1 but drive this business  
of life4 ,it matters not how many men   
are to be addressed1--rebuked1--provided
 one man rebuke them4   ,,small ,,talk  
,to manage the small talk of a party is 
to make an effort to do what was at     
first done1 admirably because naturally1

 at your fireside4   ,,influence  ,feb4 
#ac4 ,it is hard to subject ourselves to
 an influence4 ,it must steal upon us   
when we expect it not1 and its work be  
all done ere we are aware of it4 ,if we 
make advances1 it is shy2 if1 when we   
feel its presence1 we presume to pry    
into its free-masonry1 it vanishes and  
leaves us alone in our folly1--brimful  
but stagnant1--a full channel1 it may   
be1 but no inclination4   ,,fear  ,all  
fear of the world or consequences is    
swallowed up in a manly anxiety to do   
,truth justice4   ,,old ,,books  ,feb4  
#ae4 ,the true student will cleave ever 
to the good1 recognizing no ,past1 no   
,present2 but wherever he emerges from  
the bosom of time1 his course is not    
with the sun1--eastward or              
westward1--but ever towards the         
seashore4 ,day and night pursues he his 
devious way1 lingering by how many a    
,pierian spring1 how many an ,academus  
grove1 how many a sculptured            
portico6--all which--spring1 grove1 and 

portico--lie not so wide but he may take
 them conveniently in his way4          
,,greece  ,feb4 #af4 ,in imagination ,i 
hie me to ,greece as to enchanted       
ground4 ,no storms vex her coasts1 no   
clouds encircle her ,helicon or         
,olympus1 no tempests sweep the peaceful
 ,tempe or ruffle the bosom of the      
placid gean2 but always the beams of the
 summer's sun gleam along the           
entablature of the ,acropolis1 or are   
reflected through the mellow atmosphere 
from a thousand consecrated groves and  
fountains2 always her sea-girt isles are
 dallying with their zephyr guests1 and 
the low of kine is heard along the      
meads1 and the landscape sleeps--valley 
and hill and woodland--a dreamy sleep4  
,each of her sons created a new heaven  
and a new earth for ,greece4   ,,sunday 
,feb4 #ah4 ,rightly named ,suna-day1 or 
day of the sun4 ,one is satisfied in    
some angle by wood-house and garden     
fence to bask in his beams--to exist    
barely--the livelong day4   ,,spring  ,i

 had not been out long to-day when it   
seemed that a new ,spring was already   
born1--not quite weaned1 it is true1 but
 verily entered upon existence4 ,nature 
struck up the same old song in the      
grass1 despite eighteen inches of snow1 
and ,i contrived to smuggle away a grin 
of satisfaction by a smothered ,pshaw6  
and is that all8   ,feb4 #ai4           
,each summer sound      ,is a summer    
round4#bd   ,,goethe  ,feb4 #bg4 ,he    
jogs along at a snail's pace1 but ever  
mindful that the earth is beneath and   
the heavens above him4 ,his ,italy is   
not merely the fatherland of lazzaroni  
and maccaroni but a solid turf-clad     
soil1 daily illumined by a genial sun   
and nightly gleaming in the still       
moonshine1--to say nothing of the       
frequent showers which are so faithfully
 recorded4 ,that sail to ,palermo was   
literally a plowing through of the waves
 from ,naples to ,trinacria1--the sky   
overhead1 and the sea with its isles on 
either hand4  ,his hearty good-will to  

all men is most amiable2 not one cross  
word has he spoken1 but on one occasion1
 the post boy snivelling1 ,signore1     
perdonate6 qusta  la mia patria1 he     
confesses1 to me poor northerner came   
something tear-like into the eyes4#be   
,,spring  ,march #a4 ,march fans it1    
,april christens it1 and ,may puts on   
its jacket and trousers4 ,it never grows
 up1 but ,alexandrian-like drags its    
slow length along1 ever springing1 bud  
following close upon leaf1 and when     
winter comes it is not annihilated1 but 
creeps on mole-like under the snow1     
showing its face nevertheless           
occasionally by fuming springs and      
watercourses4  ,so let it be with       
man1--let his manhood be a more advanced
 and still advancing youth1 bud         
following hard upon leaf4 ,by the side  
of the ripening corn let's have a second
 or third crop of peas and turnips1     
decking the fields in a new green4 ,so  
amid clumps of sere herd's-grass        
sometimes flower the violet and         

buttercup spring-born4   ,,homer  ,march
 #c4 ,three thousand years and the world
 so little changed6 ,the ,iliad seems   
like a natural sound which has          
reverberated to our days4 ,whatever in  
it is still freshest in the memories of 
men was most childlike in the poet4 ,it 
is the problem of old age1--a second    
childhood exhibited in the life of the  
world4 ,phbus ,apollo went like night1--
 '   4 ,this either refers to the gross 
atmosphere of the plague darkening the  
sun1 or to the crescent of night rising 
solemn and stately in the east while the
 sun is setting in the west4  ,then     
,agamemnon darkly lowers on ,calchas1   
prophet of evil1--     1--such a        
fire-eyed ,agamemnon as you may see at  
town meetings and elections1 as well    
here as in ,troy neighborhood4   ,a     
,,sunday ,,scene  ,march #d4 ,here at my
 elbow sit five notable1 or at least    
noteworthy1 representatives of this     
nineteenth century1--of the gender      
feminine4 ,one a sedate1 indefatigable  

knitter1 not spinster1 of the old       
school1 who had the supreme felicity to 
be born in days that tried men's souls1 
who can1 and not unfrequently does1 say 
with ,nestor1 another of the old school3
 ,but you are younger than ,i4 ,for time
 was when ,i conversed with greater men 
than you4 ,for not at any time have ,i  
seen such men1 nor shall see them1 as   
,perithous1 and ,dryas1 and  1 or1 in   
one word1 sole shepherd of the people1  
,washington4  ,and when ,apollo has now 
six times rolled westward1 or seemed to 
roll1 and now for the seventh time shows
 his face in the east1 eyes well-nigh   
glazed1 long glassed1 which have        
fluctuated only between lamb's wool and 
worsted1 explore ceaseless some good    
sermon book4 ,for six days shalt thou   
labor and do all thy knitting1 but on   
the seventh1 forsooth1 thy reading4#bf  
,opposite1 across this stone hearth1    
sits one of no school1 but rather one   
who schools1 a spinster who spins not1  
with elbow resting on the book of books1

 but with eyes turned towards the vain  
trumpery of that shelf1--trumpery of    
sere leaves1 blossoms1 and waxwork1     
built on sand1 that presumes to look    
quite as gay1 smell quite as earthy1 as 
though this were not by good rights the 
sun's day4 ,i marked how she spurned    
that innocent every-day book1 ,germany  
by ,de ,stal1 as though a viper had     
stung her2--better to rest the elbow on 
,the ,book than the eye on such a page4 
,poor book6 this is thy last chance4    
,happy ,i who can bask in this warm     
spring sun which illumines all          
creatures1 as well when they rest as    
when they toil1 not without a feeling of
 gratitude6 whose life is as            
blameless--how blameworthy soever it    
be--on the ,lord's ,mona-day as on his  
,suna-day6#bg  ,thus much at least a man
 may do3 he may not impose on his       
fellows1--perhaps not on himself4 ,thus 
much let a man do3 confidently and      
heartily live up to his thought2 for its
 error1 if there be any1 will soonest   

appear in practice1 and if there be     
none1 so much he may reckon as actual   
progress in the way of living4   ,,homer
  ,the poet does not leap1 even in      
imagination1 from ,asia to ,greece      
through mid-air1 neglectful of the fair 
sea and still fairer land beneath him1  
but jogs on humanly observant over the  
intervening segment of a sphere1--      
1   1--                   for there are 
very many      ,shady mountains1 and    
resounding seas between4#bh   ,march #e4
 ,how often1 when ,achilles like one    
whether to retaliate or suppress his    
wrath1 has his good ,genius1 like       
,pallas ,athene1 gliding down from      
heaven1   1  1 stood behind him1 and    
whispered peace in his ear6#bi  ,men may
 dispute about the fact whether a       
goddess did actually come down from     
heaven1 calling it a poet's fancy1 but  
was it not1 considering the stuff that  
gods are made of1 a very truth8   ,,the 
,,age ,,of ,,honey       ,and to them   
rose up the sweet-worded ,nestor1 the   

shrill orator of            the         
,pylians1      ,and words sweeter than  
honey flowed from his tongue4#cj  ,e'en 
in old ,homer's day was honey           
sweet1--not yet is sour1--tickling the  
palate of the blind old man1 forsooth1  
with fresher sweet2 then1 as now1       
whene'er from leaky jar or drivelling   
lips it daubed the festive board1       
proving a baneful lure to swarms of     
parasites1 ,homer's cotemporaries1 but  
alas6 like ,phthian hero1 vulnerable in 
heel4   ,,what ,,to ,,do  ,but what does
 all this scribbling amount to8 ,what is
 now scribbled in the heat of the moment
 one can contemplate with somewhat of   
satisfaction1 but alas6 to-morrow--aye1 
to-night--it is stale1 flat1 and        
unprofitable1--in fine1 is not1 only its
 shell remains1 like some red parboiled 
lobster-shell which1 kicked aside never 
so often1 still stares at you in the    
path4  ,what may a man do and not be    
ashamed of it8 ,he may not do nothing   
surely1 for straightway he is dubbed    

,dolittle--aye6 christens himself       
first--and reasonably1 for he was first 
to duck4 ,but let him do something1 is  
he the less a ,dolittle8 ,is it actually
 something done1 or not rather something
 undone2 or1 if done1 is it not badly   
done1 or at most well done              
comparatively8  ,such is man1--toiling1 
heaving1 struggling ant-like to shoulder
 some stray unappropriated crumb and    
deposit it in his granary2 then runs    
out1 complacent1 gazes heavenward1      
earthward 7for even pismires can look   
down71 heaven and earth meanwhile       
looking downward1 upward2 there seen of 
men1 world-seen1 deed-delivered1        
vanishes into all-grasping night4 ,and  
is he doomed ever to run the same       
course8 ,can he not1 wriggling1         
screwing1 self-exhorting1               
self-constraining1 wriggle or screw out 
something that shall live1--respected1  
intact1 intangible1 not to be sneezed   
at8#ca   ,march #f4 ,how can a man sit  
down and quietly pare his nails1 while  

the earth goes gyrating ahead amid such 
a din of sphere music1 whirling him     
along about her axis some twenty-four   
thousand miles between sun and sun1 but 
mainly in a circle some two millions of 
miles actual progress8 ,and then such a 
hurly-burly on the surface--wind always 
blowing--now a zephyr1 now a            
hurricane--tides never idle1 ever       
fluctuating--no rest for ,niagara1 but  
perpetual ran-tan on those limestone    
rocks--and then that summer simmering   
which our ears are used to1 which would 
otherwise be christened confusion worse 
confounded1 but is now ironically called
 silence audible1 and above all the     
incessant tinkering named hum of        
industry1 the hurrying to and fro and   
confused jabbering of men4 ,can man do  
less than get up and shake himself8     
,,composition  ,march #g4 ,we should not
 endeavor coolly to analyze our         
thoughts1 but1 keeping the pen even and 
parallel with the current1 make an      
accurate transcript of them4 ,impulse   

is1 after all1 the best linguist1 and   
for his logic1 if not conformable to    
,aristotle1 it cannot fail to be most   
convincing4 ,the nearer we approach to a
 complete but simple transcript of our  
thought the more tolerable will be the  
piece1 for we can endure to consider    
ourselves in a state of passivity or in 
involuntary action1 but rarely our      
efforts1 and least of all our rare      
efforts4   ,,scraps ,,from ,a ,,lecture 
,,on ,,society ,,written ,,march        
#ad,,th1 #ahch1 ,,delivered ,,before    
,,our ,,lyceum1 ,,april #aa,,th  ,every 
proverb in the newspapers originally    
stood for a truth4 ,thus the proverb    
that man was made for society1 so long  
as it was not allowed to conflict with  
another important truth1 deceived no    
one2 but1 now that the same words have  
come to stand for another thing1 it may 
be for a lie1 we are obliged1 in order  
to preserve its significance1 to write  
it anew1 so that properly it will read1 
,society was made for man4         99   

99       99       99       99  ,man is  
not at once born into society1--hardly  
into the world4 ,the world that he is   
hides for a time the world that he      
inhabits4         99       99       99  
99       99  ,that which properly       
constitutes the life of every man is a  
profound secret4 ,yet this is what every
 one would give most to know1 but is    
himself most backward to impart4        
99       99       99       99       99  
,hardly a rood of land but can show its 
fresh wound or indelible scar1 in proof 
that earlier or later man has been      
there4         99       99       99     
99       99  ,the mass never comes up to
 the standard of its best member1 but on
 the contrary degrades itself to a level
 with the lowest4 ,as the reformers say1
 it is a levelling down1 not up4 ,hence 
the mass is only another name for the   
mob4 ,the inhabitants of the earth      
assembled in one place would constitute 
the greatest mob4 ,the mob is spoken of 
as an insane and blinded animal2        

magistrates say it must be humored2 they
 apprehend it may incline this way or   
that1 as villagers dread an inundation1 
not knowing whose land may be flooded1  
nor how many bridges carried away4      
99       99       99       99       99  
,one goes to a cattle-show expecting to 
find many men and women assembled1 and  
beholds only working oxen and neat      
cattle4 ,he goes to a commencement      
thinking that there at least he may find
 the men of the country2 but such1 if   
there were any1 are completely merged in
 the day1 and have become so many       
walking commencements1 so that he is    
fain to take himself out of sight and   
hearing of the orator1 lest he lose his 
own identity in the nonentities around  
him4         99       99       99       
99       99  ,but you are getting all   
the while further and further from true 
society4 ,your silence was an approach  
to it1 but your conversation is only a  
refuge from the encounter of men2 as    
though men were to be satisfied with a  

meeting of heels1 and not heads4  ,nor  
is it better with private assemblies1 or
 meetings together1 with a sociable     
design1 of acquaintances so             
called1--that is to say of men and women
 who are familiar with the lineaments of
 each other's countenances1 who eat1    
drink1 sleep1 and transact the business 
of living within the circuit of a mile4 
,with a beating heart he fares him      
forth1 by the light of the stars1 to    
this meeting of gods4 ,but the illusion 
speedily vanishes2 what at first seemed 
to him nectar and ambrosia1 is          
discovered to be plain bohea and short  
gingerbread4  ,then with what speed does
 he throw off his strait-jacket of a    
godship1 and play the one-eared1        
two-mouthed mortal1 thus proving his    
title to the epithet applied to him of  
old by ,homer of  1 or that possesses an
 articulating voice4 ,but unfortunately 
we have as yet invented no rule by which
 the stranger may know when he has      
culminated4 ,we read that among the     

,finlanders when one has succeeded in   
rendering himself agreeable1 it is a    
custom at an assemblage for all the     
women present to give him on the back a 
sudden slap1 when it is least expected2 
and the compliment is in proportion to  
the weight of the blow4         99      
99       99       99       99  ,it is   
provoking1 when one sits waiting the    
assembling together of his neighbors    
around his hearth1 to behold merely     
their clay houses1 for the most part    
newly shingled and clapboarded1 and not 
unfrequently with a fresh coat of paint1
 trundled to his door4 ,he has but to   
knock slightly at the outer gate of one 
of these shingle palaces1 to be assured 
that the master or mistress is not at   
home4  ,after all1 the field of battle  
possesses many advantages over the      
drawing-room4 ,there at least is no room
 for pretension or excessive ceremony1  
no shaking of hands or rubbing of noses1
 which make one doubt your sincerity1   
but hearty as well as hard hand-play4   

,it at least exhibits one of the faces  
of humanity1 the former only a mask4    
99       99       99       99       99  
,the utmost nearness to which men       
approach each other amounts barely to a 
mechanical contact4 ,as when you rub two
 stones together1 though they emit an   
audible sound1 yet do they not actually 
touch each other4         99       99   
99       99       99  ,in obedience to  
an instinct of their nature men have    
pitched their cabins and planted corn   
and potatoes within speaking distance of
 one another1 and so formed towns and   
villages1 but they have not associated1 
they have only assembled1 and society   
has signified only a convention of men4 
99       99       99       99       99  
,when ,i think of a playhouse1 it is as 
if we had not time to appreciate the    
follies of the day in detail as they    
occur1 and so devoted an hour of our    
evening to laughing or crying at them in
 the lump4 ,despairing of a more perfect
 intercourse1 or perhaps never dreaming 

that such is desirable1 or at least     
possible1 we are contented to act our   
part in what deserves to be called the  
great farce1 not drama1 of life1 like   
pitiful and mercenary stock actors whose
 business it is to keep up the semblance
 of a stage4         99       99        
99       99       99  ,our least deed1  
like the young of the land crab1 wends  
its way to the sea of cause and effect  
as soon as born1 and makes a drop there 
to eternity4         99       99        
99       99       99  ,let ours be like 
the meeting of two planets1 not         
hastening to confound their jarring     
spheres1 but drawn together by the      
influence of a subtile attraction1 soon 
to roll diverse in their respective     
orbits1 from this their perigee1 or     
point of nearest approach4         99   
99       99       99       99  ,if thy  
neighbor hail thee to inquire how goes  
the world1 feel thyself put to thy      
trumps to return a true and explicit    
answer4 ,plant the feet firmly1 and1    

will he nill he1 dole out to him with   
strict and conscientious impartiality   
his modicum of a response4         99   
99       99       99       99  ,let not 
society be the element in which you     
swim1 or are tossed about at the mercy  
of the waves1 but be rather a strip of  
firm land running out into the sea1     
whose base is daily washed by the tide1 
but whose summit only the spring tide   
can reach4         99       99       99 
99       99  ,but after all1 such a     
morsel of society as this will not      
satisfy a man4 ,but like those women of 
,malamocco and ,pelestrina1 who when    
their husbands are fishing at sea1      
repair to the shore and sing their      
shrill songs at evening1 till they hear 
the voices of their husbands in reply   
borne to them over the water1 so go we  
about indefatigably1 chanting our stanza
 of the lay1 and awaiting the response  
of a kindred soul out of the distance4  
,,the ,,indian ,,axe  ,april #a4 ,the   
,indian must have possessed no small    

share of vital energy to have rubbed    
industriously stone upon stone for long 
months till at length he had rubbed out 
an axe or pestle1--as though he had said
 in the face of the constant flux of    
things1 ,i at least will live an        
enduring life4   ,,friendship  ,april   
#h4       ,i think awhile of ,love1 and1
 while ,i think1              ,love is  
to me a world1                          
,sole meat and sweetest drink1          
,and close connecting link              
',tween heaven and earth4       ,i only 
know it is1 not how or why1             
,my greatest happiness2                 
,however hard ,i try1              ,not 
if ,i were to die1                ,can  
,i explain4       ,i fain would ask my  
friend how it can be1              ,but1
 when the time arrives1                 
,then ,love is more lovely              
,than anything to me1                   
,and so ,i'm dumb4       ,for1 if the   
truth were known1 ,love cannot speak1   
,but only thinks and does2              

,though surely out 't will leak         
,without the help of ,greek1            
,or any tongue4       ,a man may love   
the truth and practice it1              
,beauty he may admire1              ,and
 goodness not omit1              ,as    
much as may befit                ,to    
reverence4       ,but only when these   
three together meet1              ,as   
they always incline1              ,and  
make one soul the seat                  
,and favorite retreat                ,of
 loveliness2       ,when under kindred  
shape1 like loves and hates             
,and a kindred nature1                  
,proclaim us to be mates1               
,exposed to equal fates                 
,eternally2       ,and each may other   
help1 and service do1                   
,drawing ,love's bands more tight1      
,service he ne'er shall rue             
,while one and one make two1            
,and two are one2       ,in such case   
only doth man fully prove1              
,fully as man can do1              ,what

 power there is in ,love                
,his inmost soul to move                
,resistlessly4         99       99      
99       99       99       ,two sturdy  
oaks ,i mean1 which side by side        
,withstand the winter's storm1          
,and1 spite of wind and tide1           
,grow up the meadow's pride1            
,for both are strong4       ,above they 
barely touch1 but1 undermined           
,down to their deepest source1          
,admiring you shall find                
,their roots are intertwined            
,insep'rably4   ,,conversation  ,april  
#ae4 ,thomas ,fuller relates that in    
,merionethshire1 in ,wales1 there are   
high mountains1 whose hanging tops come 
so close together that shepherds on the 
tops of several hills may audibly talk  
together1 yet will it be a day's journey
 for their bodies to meet1 so vast is   
the hollowness of the valleys betwixt   
them4 ,as much may be said in a moral   
sense of our intercourse in the plains1 
for1 though we may audibly converse     

together1 yet is there so vast a gulf of
 hollowness between that we are actually
 many days' journey from a veritable    
communication4   ,,steamships  ,april   
#bd4 ,men have been contriving new means
 and modes of motion4 ,steamships have  
been westering during these late days   
and nights on the ,atlantic waves1--the 
fuglers of a new evolution to this      
generation4 ,meanwhile plants spring    
silently by the brooksides1 and the grim
 woods wave indifferent2 the earth emits
 no howl1 pot on fire simmers and       
seethes1 and men go about their         
business4   ,,the ,,bluebirds  ,april   
#bf4       ,in the midst of the poplar  
that stands by our door      ,we planted
 a bluebird box1      ,and we hoped     
before the summer was o'er      ,a      
transient pair to coax4        ,one warm
 summer's day the bluebirds came        
,and lighted on our tree1      ,but at  
first the wand'rers were not so tame    
,but they were afraid of me4       ,they
 seemed to come from the distant south1 

,just over the ,walden wood1      ,and  
they skimmed it along with open mouth   
,close by where the bellows stood4      
,warbling they swept round the distant  
cliff1      ,and they warbled it over   
the lea1      ,and over the blacksmith's
 shop in a jiff      ,did they come     
warbling to me4       ,they came and sat
 on the box's top      ,without looking 
into the hole1      ,and only from this 
side to that did they hop1      ,as     
'twere a common well-pole4              
,methinks ,i had never seen them before1
      ,nor indeed had they seen me1     
,till ,i chanced to stand by our back   
door1      ,and they came to the poplar 
tree4       ,in course of time they     
built their nest      ,and reared a     
happy brood1      ,and every morn they  
piped their best      ,as they flew away
 to the wood4       ,thus wore the      
summer hours away      ,to the bluebirds
 and to me1      ,and every hour was a  
summer's day1      ,so pleasantly lived 
we4       ,they were a world within     

themselves1      ,and ,i a world in me1 
,up in the tree--the little elves--     
,with their callow family4       ,one   
morn the wind blowed cold and strong1   
,and the leaves went whirling away2     
,the birds prepared for their journey   
long      ,that raw and gusty day4      
,boreas came blust'ring down from the   
north1      ,and ruffled their azure    
smocks1      ,so they launched them     
forth1 though somewhat loth1      ,by   
way of the old ,cliff rocks4            
,meanwhile the earth jogged steadily on 
,in her mantle of purest white1         
,and anon another spring was born       
,when winter was vanished quite4        
,and ,i wandered forth o'er the steamy  
earth1      ,and gazed at the mellow    
sky1      ,but never before from the    
hour of my birth      ,had ,i wandered  
so thoughtfully4       ,for never before
 was the earth so still1      ,and never
 so mild was the sky1      ,the river1  
the fields1 the woods1 and the hill     
,seemed to heave an audible sigh4       

,i felt that the heavens were all       
around1      ,and the earth was all     
below1      ,as when in the ears there  
rushes a sound      ,which thrills you  
from top to toe4       ,i dreamed that  
,i was a waking thought1      ,a        
something ,i hardly knew1      ,not a   
solid piece1 nor an empty nought1       
,but a drop of morning dew4       ',twas
 the world and ,i at a game of bo-peep1 
,as a man would dodge his shadow1       
,an idea becalmed in eternity's deep1   
',tween ,lima and ,segraddo4       ,anon
 a faintly warbled note      ,from out  
the azure deep      ,into my ears did   
gently float      ,as is the approach of
 sleep4       ,it thrilled but startled 
not my soul2      ,across my mind       
strange mem'ries gleamed1      ,as often
 distant scenes unroll      ,when we    
have lately dreamed4       ,the bluebird
 had come from the distant ,south       
,to his box in the poplar tree1         
,and he opened wide his slender mouth   
,on purpose to sing to me4   ,,journey  

,,to ,,maine  ,may #c-d4 ,boston to     
,portland4  ,what1 indeed1 is this earth
 to us of ,new ,england but a field for 
,yankee speculation8 ,the ,nantucket    
whaler goes a-fishing round it1 and so  
knows it1--what it is1 how long1 how    
broad1 and that no tortoise sustains it4
 ,he who has visited the confines of his
 real estate1 looking out on all sides  
into space1 will feel a new inducement  
to be the lord of creation4  ,we must   
all pay a small tribute to ,neptune2 the
 chief engineer must once have been     
seasick4  ,midnight--head over the      
boat's side--between sleeping and       
waking--with glimpses of one or more    
lights in the vicinity of ,cape ,ann4   
,bright moonlight--the effect heightened
 by seasickness4 ,beyond that light     
yonder have my lines hitherto been cast1
 but now ,i know that there lies not the
 whole world1 for ,i can say it is there
 and not here4  ,may #d4 ,portland4     
,there is a proper and only right way to
 enter a city1 as well as to make       

advances to a strange person2 neither   
will allow of the least forwardness nor 
bustle4 ,a sensitive person can hardly  
elbow his way boldly1 laughing and      
talking1 into a strange town1 without   
experiencing some twinges of conscience1
 as when he has treated a stranger with 
too much familiarity4  ,may #e4         
,portland to ,bath via ,brunswick2 ,bath
 to ,brunswick4  ,each one's world is   
but a clearing in the forest1 so much   
open and inclosed ground4 ,when the mail
 coach rumbles into one of these1 the   
villagers gaze after you with a         
compassionate look1 as much as to say3  
,where have you been all this time1 that
 you make your dbut in the world at this
 late hour8 ,nevertheless1 here we are2 
come and study us1 that you may learn   
men and manners4  ,may #f4 ,brunswick to
 ,augusta via ,gardiner and ,hallowell4 
,may #g4 ,we occasionally meet an       
individual of a character and           
disposition so entirely the reverse of  
our own that we wonder if he can indeed 

be another man like ourselves4 ,we doubt
 if we ever could draw any nearer to    
him1 and understand him4 ,such was the  
old ,english gentleman whom ,i met with 
to-day in ,h4 ,though ,i peered in at   
his eyes ,i could not discern myself    
reflected therein4 ,the chief wonder was
 how we could ever arrive at so         
fair-seeming an intercourse upon so     
small ground of sympathy4 ,he walked and
 fluttered like a strange bird at my    
side1 prying into and making a handle of
 the least circumstance4 ,the bustle and
 rapidity of our communication were     
astonishing2 we skated in our           
conversation4 ,all at once he would stop
 short in the path1 and1 in an          
abstracted air1 query whether the       
steamboat had reached ,bath or          
,portland1 addressing me from time to   
time as his familiar genius1 who could  
understand what was passing in his mind 
without the necessity of uninterrupted  
oral communication4  ,may #h4 ,augusta  
to ,bangor via ,china4  ,may #aj4       

,bangor to ,oldtown4  ,the railroad from
 ,bangor to ,oldtown is civilization    
shooting off in a tangent into the      
forest4 ,i had much conversation with an
 old ,indian at the latter place1 who   
sat dreaming upon a scow at the         
waterside and striking his deer-skin    
moccasins against the planks1 while his 
arms hung listlessly by his side4 ,he   
was the most communicative man ,i had   
met4 ,talked of hunting and fishing1 old
 times and new times4 ,pointing up the  
,penobscot1 he observed1 ,two or three  
mile up the river one beautiful country6
 and then1 as if he would come as far to
 meet me as ,i had gone to meet him1 he 
exclaimed1 ,ugh6 one very hard time6    
,but he had mistaken his man4  ,may #aa4
 ,bangor to ,belfast via ,saturday      
,cove4  ,may #ab4 ,belfast4  ,may #ac4  
,to ,castine by sailboat ,cinderilla    
sic4  ,may #ad4 ,castine to ,belfast by 
packet1 ,captain ,skinner4 ,found the   
,poems of ,burns and an odd volume of   
the ,spectator in the cabin4  ,may #ae4 

,belfast to ,bath via ,thomaston4  ,may 
#af4 ,to ,portland4  ,may #ag4 ,to      
,boston and ,concord4   ,,may ,,morning 
,may #ba4       ,the school-boy loitered
 on his way to school1      ,scorning to
 live so rare a day by rule4      ,so   
mild the air a pleasure 'twas to        
breathe1      ,for what seems heaven    
above was earth beneath4       ,soured  
neighbors chatted by the garden pale1   
,nor quarrelled who should drive the    
needed nail2      ,the most unsocial    
made new friends that day1      ,as when
 the sun shines husbandmen make hay4    
,how long ,i slept ,i know not1 but at  
last      ,i felt my consciousness      
returning fast1      ,for ,zephyr       
rustled past with leafy tread1      ,and
 heedlessly with one heel grazed my     
head4       ,my eyelids opened on a     
field of blue1      ,for close above a  
nodding violet grew2      ,a part of    
heaven it seemed1 which one could scent1
      ,its blue commingling with the    
firmament4   ,,walden  ,june #c4        

,true1 our converse a stranger is to    
speech2      ,only the practiced ear can
 catch the surging words      ,that     
break and die upon thy pebbled lips4    
,thy flow of thought is noiseless as the
 lapse of thy own waters1      ,wafted  
as is the morning mist up from thy      
surface1      ,so that the passive ,soul
 doth breathe it in1      ,and is       
infected with the truth thou wouldst    
express4       ,e'en the remotest stars 
have come in troops      ,and stooped   
low to catch the benediction      ,of   
thy countenance4 ,oft as the day came   
round1      ,impartial has the sun      
exhibited himself      ,before thy      
narrow skylight2 nor has the moon       
,for cycles failed to roll this way     
,as oft as elsewhither1 and tell thee of
 the night4      ,no cloud so rare but  
hitherward it stalked1      ,and in thy 
face looked doubly beautiful4      ,o6  
tell me what the winds have writ for the
 last thousand years      ,on the blue  
vault that spans thy flood1      ,or sun

 transferred and delicately reprinted   
,for thy own private reading4 ,somewhat 
,within these latter days ,i've read1   
,but surely there was much that would   
have thrilled the ,soul1      ,which    
human eye saw not4      ,i would give   
much to read that first bright page1    
,wet from a virgin press1 when ,eurus1  
,boreas1      ,and the host of airy     
quill-drivers      ,first dipped their  
pens in mist4   ,june #ad4       ,truth1
 ,goodness1 ,beauty1--those celestial   
thrins1#cb      ,continually are born2  
e'en now the ,universe1      ,with      
thousand throats1 and eke with greener  
smiles1      ,its joy confesses at their
 recent birth4       ,strange that so   
many fickle gods1 as fickle as the      
weather1      ,throughout ,dame         
,nature's provinces should always pull  
together4   ,june #af4       ,in the    
busy streets1 domains of trade1         
,man is a surly porter1 or a vain and   
hectoring bully1      ,who can claim no 
nearer kindredship with me      ,than   

brotherhood by law4   ,,cliffs  ,july   
#h4       ,the loudest sound that       
burdens here the breeze      ,is the    
wood's whisper2 'tis1 when we choose to 
list1      ,audible sound1 and when we  
list not1      ,it is calm profound4    
,tongues were provided      ,but to vex 
the ear with superficial thoughts4      
,when deeper thoughts upswell1 the      
jarring discord      ,of harsh speech is
 hushed1 and senses seem      ,as little
 as may be to share the ecstasy4        
,,heroism  ,july #ac4 ,what a hero one  
can be without moving a finger6 ,the    
world is not a field worthy of us1 nor  
can we be satisfied with the plains of  
,troy4 ,a glorious strife seems waging  
within us1 yet so noiselessly that we   
but just catch the sound of the clarion 
ringing of victory1 borne to us on the  
breeze4 ,there are in each the seeds of 
a heroic ardor1 which need only to be   
stirred in with the soil where they lie1
 by an inspired voice or pen1 to bear   
fruit of a divine flavor4#cc            

,,suspicion  ,july #ae4 ,what though    
friends misinterpret your conduct1 if it
 is right in sight of ,god and ,nature4 
,the wrong1 if there be any1 pertains   
only to the wrongdoer1 nor is the       
integrity of your relations to the      
universe affected1 but you may gather   
encouragement from their mistrust4 ,if  
the friend withhold his favor1 yet does 
greater float gratuitous on the zephyr4 
,,truth  ,aug4 #d4 ,whatever of past or 
present wisdom has published itself to  
the world1 is palpable falsehood till it
 come and utter itself by my side4      
,,sphere ,,music  ,aug4 #e4 ,some sounds
 seem to reverberate along the plain1   
and then settle to earth again like     
dust2 such are ,noise1 ,discord1        
,jargon4 ,but such only as spring       
heavenward1 and ,i may catch from       
steeples and hilltops in their upward   
course1 which are the more refined parts
 of the former1 are the true sphere     
music1--pure1 unmixed music1--in which  
no wail mingles4   ,,divine ,,service   

,,in ,,the ,,academy ,,hall  ,in dark   
places and dungeons these words might   
perhaps strike root and grow1 but utter 
them in the daylight and their dusky    
hues are apparent4 ,from this window ,i 
can compare the written with the        
preached word3 within is weeping1 and   
wailing1 and gnashing of teeth2 without1
 grain fields and grasshoppers1 which   
give those the lie direct4   ,,the      
,,time ,,of ,,the ,,universe  ,aug4 #aj4
 ,nor can all the vanities that so vex  
the world alter one whit the measure    
that night has chosen1 but ever it must 
be short particular metre4 ,the human   
soul is a silent harp in ,god's quire1  
whose strings need only to be swept by  
the divine breath to chime in with the  
harmonies of creation4 ,every pulse-beat
 is in exact time with the cricket's    
chant1 and the tickings of the          
death-watch in the wall4 ,alternate with
 these if you can4#cd   ,,consciousness 
,aug4 #ac4 ,if with closed ears and eyes
 ,i consult consciousness for a moment1 

immediately are all walls and barriers  
dissipated1 earth rolls from under me1  
and ,i float1 by the impetus derived    
from the earth and the system1 a        
subjective1 heavily laden thought1 in   
the midst of an unknown and infinite    
sea1 or else heave and swell like a vast
 ocean of thought1 without rock or      
headland1 where are all riddles solved1 
all straight lines making there their   
two ends to meet1 eternity and space    
gambolling familiarly through my depths4
 ,i am from the beginning1 knowing no   
end1 no aim4 ,no sun illumines me1 for  
,i dissolve all lesser lights in my own 
intenser and steadier light4 ,i am a    
restful kernel in the magazine of the   
universe4   ,,resource  ,men are        
constantly dinging in my ears their fair
 theories and plausible solutions of the
 universe1 but ever there is no help1   
and ,i return again to my shoreless1    
islandless ocean1 and fathom unceasingly
 for a bottom that will hold an anchor1 
that it may not drag4   ,,sabbath ,,bell

  ,aug4 #ai4 ,the sound of the sabbath  
bell1 whose farthest waves are at this  
instant breaking on these cliffs1 does  
not awaken pleasing associations alone4 
,its muse is wonderfully condescending  
and philanthropic4 ,one involuntarily   
leans on his staff to humor the         
unusually meditative mood4 ,it is as the
 sound of many catechisms and religious 
books twanging a canting peal round the 
world1 and seems to issue from some     
,egyptian temple1 and echo along the    
shore of the ,nile1 right opposite to   
,pharaoh's palace and ,moses in the     
bulrushes1 startling a multitude of     
storks and alligators basking in the    
sun4 ,not so these larks and pewees of  
,musketaquid4 ,one is sick at heart of  
this pagoda worship4 ,it is like the    
beating of gongs in a ,hindoo           
subterranean temple4#ce   ,,holy ,,war  
,aug4 #ba4 ,passion and appetite are    
always an unholy land in which one may  
wage most holy war4 ,let him steadfastly
 follow the banner of his faith till it 

is planted on the enemy's citadel4 ,nor 
shall he lack fields to display his     
valor in1 nor straits worthy of him4    
,for when he has blown his blast1 and   
smote those within reach1 invisible     
enemies will not cease to torment him1  
who yet may be starved out in the       
garrisons where they lie4   ,,scripture 
,aug4 #bb4 ,how thrilling a noble       
sentiment in the oldest books1--in      
,homer1 the ,zendavesta1 or ,confucius6 
,it is a strain of music wafted down to 
us on the breeze of time1 through the   
aisles of innumerable ages4 ,by its very
 nobleness it is made near and audible  
to us4   ,,evening ,,sounds  ,aug4 #bf4 
,how strangely sounds of revelry strike 
the ear from over cultivated fields by  
the woodside1 while the sun is declining
 in the west4 ,it is a world we had not 
known before4 ,we listen and are capable
 of no mean act or thought4 ,we tread on
 ,olympus and participate in the        
councils of the gods4   ,,homer  ,it    
does one's heart good if ,homer but say 

the sun sets1--or1 ,as when beautiful   
stars accompany the bright moon through 
the serene heavens2 and the woody hills 
and cliffs are discerned through the    
mild light1 and each star is visible1   
and the shepherd rejoices in his        
heart4#cf   ,,the ,,loss ,,of ,a ,,tooth
  ,aug4 #bg4 ,verily ,i am the creature 
of circumstances4 ,here ,i have         
swallowed an indispensable tooth1 and so
 am no whole man1 but a lame and halting
 piece of manhood4 ,i am conscious of no
 gap in my soul1 but it would seem that1
 now the entrance to the oracle has been
 enlarged1 the more rare and commonplace
 the responses that issue from it4 ,i   
have felt cheap1 and hardly dared hold  
up my head among men1 ever since this   
accident happened4 ,nothing can ,i do as
 well and freely as before2 nothing do  
,i undertake but ,i am hindered and     
balked by this circumstance4 ,what a    
great matter a little spark kindleth6 ,i
 believe if ,i were called at this      
moment to rush into the thickest of the 

fight1 ,i should halt for lack of so    
insignificant a piece of armor as a     
tooth4 ,virtue and ,truth go undefended1
 and ,falsehood and ,affectation are    
thrown in my teeth1--though ,i am       
toothless4 ,one does not need that the  
earth quake for the sake of excitement1 
when so slight a crack proves such an   
impassable moat4 ,but let the lame man  
shake his leg1 and match himself with   
the fleetest in the race4 ,so shall he  
do what is in him to do4 ,but let him   
who has lost a tooth open his mouth wide
 and gabble1 lisp1 and sputter never so 
resolutely4   ,,deformity  ,aug4 #bi4   
,here at the top of ,nawshawtuct1 this  
mild ,august afternoon1 ,i can discern  
no deformed thing4 ,the prophane        
hay-makers in yonder meadow are yet the 
hay-makers of poetry1--forsooth ,faustus
 and ,amyntas4 ,yonder schoolhouse of   
brick1 than which1 near at hand1 nothing
 can be more mote-like to my eye1 serves
 even to heighten the picturesqueness of
 the scene4 ,barns and outbuildings1    

which in the nearness mar by their      
presence the loveliness of nature1 are  
not only endurable1 but1 observed where 
they lie by some waving field of grain  
or patch of woodland1 prove a very      
cynosure to the pensive eye4 ,let man   
after infinite hammering and din of     
crows uprear a deformity in the plain1  
yet will ,nature have her revenge on the
 hilltop4 ,retire a stone's throw and   
she will have changed his base metal    
into gold4   ,,crickets  ,the crackling 
flight of grasshoppers is a luxury2 and 
pleasant is it when summer has once more
 followed in the steps of winter to hear
 scald cricket piping a ,nibelungenlied 
in the grass4 ,it is the most infinite  
of singers4 ,wiselier had the ,greeks   
chosen a golden cricket1 and let the    
grasshopper eat grass4 ,one opens both  
his ears to the invisible1 incessant    
quire1 and doubts if it be not earth    
herself chanting for all time4   ,,genii
  ,in the vulgar daylight of our        
self-conceit1 good genii are still      

overlooking and conducting us2 as the   
stars look down on us by day as by      
night--and we observe them not4         
,,sphere ,,music  ,sept4 #b4 ,the cocks 
chant a strain of which we never tire4  
,some there are who find pleasure in the
 melody of birds and chirping of        
crickets1--aye1 even the peeping of     
frogs4 ,such faint sounds as these are  
for the most part heard above the       
weeping and wailing and gnashing of     
teeth which so unhallow the ,sabbath    
among us4 ,the moan the earth makes is  
after all a very faint sound1 infinitely
 inferior in volume to its creakings of 
joy and gleeful murmurs2 so that we may 
expect the next balloonist will rise    
above the utmost range of discordant    
sounds into the region of pure melody4  
,never so loud was the wail but it      
seemed to taper off into a piercing     
melody and note of joy1 which lingered  
not amid the clods of the valley4       
,,creeds  ,sept4 #c4 ,the only faith    
that men recognize is a creed4 ,but the 

true creed which we unconsciously live  
by1 and which rather adopts us than we  
it1 is quite different from the written 
or preached one4 ,men anxiously hold    
fast to their creed1 as to a straw1     
thinking this does them good service    
because their sheet anchor does not     
drag4#cg   ,,rivers  ,sept4 #e4 ,for the
 first time it occurred to me this      
afternoon what a piece of wonder a river
 is1--a huge volume of matter           
ceaselessly rolling through the fields  
and meadows of this substantial earth1  
making haste from the high places1 by   
stable dwellings of men and ,egyptian   
,pyramids1 to its restless reservoir4   
,one would think that1 by a very natural
 impulse1 the dwellers upon the         
headwaters of the ,mississippi and      
,amazon would follow in the trail of    
their waters to see the end of the      
matter4#ch   ,,homer  ,sept4 #g4 ,when  
,homer's messengers repair to the tent  
of ,achilles1 we do not have to wonder  
how they get there1 but step by step    

accompany them along the shore of the   
resounding sea4#ci   ,,flow ,,of        
,,spirits ,,in ,,youth  ,sept4 #ae4 ,how
 unaccountable the flow of spirits in   
youth4 ,you may throw sticks and dirt   
into the current1 and it will only rise 
the higher4 ,dam it up you may1 but dry 
it up you may not1 for you cannot reach 
its source4 ,if you stop up this avenue 
or that1 anon it will come gurgling out 
where you least expected and wash away  
all fixtures4 ,youth grasps at happiness
 as an inalienable right4 ,the tear does
 no sooner gush than glisten4 ,who shall
 say when the tear that sprung of sorrow
 first sparkled with joy8   ,,alma      
,,natura  ,sept4 #bj4 ,it is a luxury to
 muse by a wall-side in the sunshine of 
a ,september afternoon1--to cuddle down 
under a gray stone1 and hearken to the  
siren song of the cricket4 ,day and     
night seem henceforth but accidents1 and
 the time is always a still eventide1   
and as the close of a happy day4        
,parched fields and mulleins gilded with

 the slanting rays are my diet4 ,i know 
of no word so fit to express this       
disposition of ,nature as ,alma ,natura4
   ,,compensation  ,sept4 #bc4 ,if we   
will be quiet and ready enough1 we shall
 find compensation in every             
disappointment4 ,if a shower drives us  
for shelter to the maple grove or the   
trailing branches of the pine1 yet in   
their recesses with microscopic eye we  
discover some new wonder in the bark1 or
 the leaves1 or the fungi at our feet4  
,we are interested by some new resource 
of insect economy1 or the chickadee is  
more than usually familiar4 ,we can     
study ,nature's nooks and corners       
then4#dj   ,,my ,,boots  ,oct4 #af4     
,anon with gaping fearlessness they     
quaff      ,the dewy nectar with a      
natural thirst1      ,or wet their      
leathern lungs where cranberries lurk1  
,with sweeter wine than ,chian1         
,lesbian1 or ,falernian far4            
,theirs was the inward lustre that      
bespeaks      ,an open sole--unknowing  

to exclude      ,the cheerful day--a    
worthier glory far      ,than that which
 gilds the outmost rind with darkness   
visible--      ,virtues that fast abide 
through lapse of years1      ,rather    
rubbed in than off4   ,,homer  ,oct4    
#ba4 ,hector hurrying from rank to rank 
is likened to the moon wading in majesty
 from cloud to cloud4 ,we are reminded  
of the hour of the day by the fact that 
the woodcutter spreads now his morning  
meal in the recesses of the mountains1  
having already laid his axe at the root 
of many lofty trees4#da   ,oct4 #bc4    
,nestor's simple repast after the rescue
 of ,machaon is a fit subject for       
poetry4 ,the woodcutter may sit down to 
his cold victuals1 the hero to soldier's
 fare1 and the wild ,arab to his dried  
dates and figs1 without offense2 but not
 so a modern gentleman to his dinner4   
,oct4 #bd4 ,it matters not whether these
 strains originate there in the grass or
 float thitherward like atoms of light  
from the minstrel days of ,greece4  ,the

 snowflakes fall thick and fast on a    
winter's day4 ,the winds are lulled1 and
 the snow falls incessant1 covering the 
tops of the mountains1 and the hills1   
and the plains where the lotus tree     
grows1 and the cultivated fields4 ,and  
they are falling by the inlets and      
shores of the foaming sea1 but are      
silently dissolved by the waves4#db     
,,speculation  ,dec4 #g4 ,we may believe
 it1 but never do we live a quiet1 free 
life1 such as ,adam's1 but are enveloped
 in an invisible network of             
speculations4 ,our progress is only from
 one such speculation to another1 and   
only at rare intervals do we perceive   
that it is no progress4 ,could we for a 
moment drop this by-play1 and simply    
wonder1 without reference or inference6 
,,byron  ,dec4 #h4 ,nothing in nature is
 sneaking or chapfallen1 as somewhat    
maltreated and slighted1 but each is    
satisfied with its being1 and so is as  
lavender and balm4 ,if skunk-cabbage is 
offensive to the nostrils of men1 still 

has it not drooped in consequence1 but  
trustfully unfolded its leaf of two     
hands' breadth4 ,what was it to ,lord   
,byron whether ,england owned or        
disowned him1 whether he smelled sour   
and was skunk-cabbage to the ,english   
nostril or violet-like1 the pride of the
 land and ornament of every lady's      
boudoir8 ,let not the oyster grieve that
 he has lost the race2 he has gained as 
an oyster4   ,,fair ,,haven#dc  ,dec4   
#ae4       ,when winter fringes every   
bough      ,with his fantastic wreath1  
,and puts the seal of silence now       
,upon the leaves beneath2       ,when   
every stream in its penthouse      ,goes
 gurgling on its way1      ,and in his  
gallery the mouse      ,nibbleth the    
meadow hay2       ,methinks the summer  
still is nigh1      ,and lurketh there  
below1      ,as that same meadow mouse  
doth lie      ,snug underneath the snow4
        ,and if perchance the chickadee 
,lisp a faint note anon1      ,the snow 
is summer's canopy1      ,which she     

herself put on4       ,rare blossoms    
deck the cheerful trees1      ,and      
dazzling fruits depend1      ,the north 
wind sighs a summer breeze1      ,the   
nipping frosts to fend1       ,bringing 
glad tidings unto me1      ,while that  
,i stand all ear1      ,of a serene     
eternity1      ,that need not winter    
fear4       ,out on the silent pond     
straightway      ,the restless ice doth 
crack1      ,and pond sprites merry     
gambols play      ,amid the deaf'ning   
rack4       ,eager ,i press me to the   
vale      ,as ,i had heard brave news1  
,how nature held high festival1         
,which it were hard to lose4       ,i   
crack me with my neighbor ice1      ,and
 sympathizing quake1      ,as each new  
rent darts in a trice      ,across the  
gladsome lake4       ,one with the      
cricket in the ground1      ,and fuel on
 the hearth1      ,resounds the rare    
domestic sound      ,along the forest   
path4       ,fair ,haven is my huge     
tea-urn      ,that seethes and sings to 

me1      ,and eke the crackling fagots  
burn1--      ,a homebred minstrelsy4    
,,some ,,scraps ,,from ,,an ,,essay ,,on
 ,,sound ,,and ,,silence ,,written ,,in 
,,the ,,latter ,,half ,,of ,,this       
,,month1--,,december1 #ahchdd  ,as the  
truest society approaches always nearer 
to solitude1 so the most excellent      
speech finally falls into silence4 ,we  
go about to find ,solitude and ,silence1
 as though they dwelt only in distant   
glens and the depths of the forest1     
venturing out from these fastnesses at  
midnight4 ,silence was1 say we1 before  
ever the world was1 as if creation had  
displaced her1 and were not her visible 
framework and foil4 ,it is only favorite
 dells that she deigns to frequent1 and 
we dream not that she is then imported  
into them when we wend thither1 as      
,selden's butcher busied himself with   
looking after his knife1 when he had it 
in his mouth4 ,for where man is1 there  
is ,silence4         99       99        
99       99       99  ,silence is the   

communing of a conscious soul with      
itself4 ,if the soul attend for a moment
 to its own infinity1 then and there is 
silence4 ,she is audible to all men1 at 
all times1 in all places1 and if we will
 we may always hearken to her           
admonitions4         99       99        
99       99       99  ,silence is ever  
less strange than noise1 lurking amid   
the boughs of the hemlock or pine just  
in proportion as we find ourselves      
there4 ,the nuthatch1 tapping the       
upright trunks by our side1 is only a   
partial spokesman for the solemn        
stillness4         99       99       99 
99       99  ,she is always at hand with
 her wisdom1 by roadsides and street    
corners2 lurking in belfries1 the       
cannon's mouth1 and the wake of the     
earthquake2 gathering up and fondling   
their puny din in her ample bosom4      
99       99       99       99       99  
,those divine sounds which are uttered  
to our inward ear--which are breathed in
 with the zephyr or reflected from the  

lake--come to us noiselessly1 bathing   
the temples of the soul1 as we stand    
motionless amid the rocks4         99   
99       99       99       99  ,the     
halloo is the creature of walls and     
mason work2 the whisper is fittest in   
the depths of the wood1 or by the shore 
of the lake2 but silence is best adapted
 to the acoustics of space4         99  
99       99       99       99  ,all     
sounds are her servants and purveyors1  
proclaiming not only that their mistress
 is1 but is a rare mistress1 and        
earnestly to be sought after4 ,behind   
the most distinct and significant hovers
 always a more significant silence which
 floats it4 ,the thunder is only our    
signal gun1 that we may know what       
communion awaits us4 ,not its dull      
sound1 but the infinite expansion of our
 being which ensues1 we praise and      
unanimously name sublime4  ,all sound is
 nearly akin to ,silence2 it is a bubble
 on her surface which straightway       
bursts1 an emblem of the strength and   

prolificness of the undercurrent4 ,it is
 a faint utterance of ,silence1 and then
 only agreeable to our auditory nerves  
when it contrasts itself with the       
former4 ,in proportion as it does this1 
and is a heightener and intensifier of  
the ,silence1 it is harmony and purest  
melody4         99       99       99    
99       99  ,every melodious sound is  
the ally of ,silence1--a help and not a 
hindrance to abstraction4         99    
99       99       99       99  ,certain 
sounds more than others have found favor
 with the poets only as foils to        
silence4         99       99       99   
99       99   ,,anacreon',s ,,ode ,,to  
,,the ,,cicada#de       ,we pronounce   
thee happy1 cicada1      ,for on the    
tops of the trees1      ,sipping a      
little dew1      ,like any king thou    
singest1      ,for thine are they all1  
,whatever thou seest in the fields1     
,and whatever the woods bear4      ,thou
 art the friend of the husbandmen1      
,in no respect injuring any one2        

,and thou art honored among men1        
,sweet prophet of summer4      ,the     
,muses love thee1      ,and ,phbus      
himself loves thee1      ,and has given 
thee a shrill song2      ,age does not  
wrack thee1      ,thou skillful1        
earth-born1 song-loving1                
,unsuffering1 bloodless one2            
,almost thou art like the gods4         
99       99       99       99       99  
,silence is the universal refuge1 the   
sequel of all dry discourses and all    
foolish acts1 as balm to our every      
chagrin1 as welcome after satiety as    
after disappointment2 that background   
which the painter may not daub1 be he   
master or bungler1 and which1 however   
awkward a figure he may have made in the
 foreground1 remains ever our inviolable
 asylum4         99       99       99   
99       99  ,with what equanimity does 
the silent consider how his world goes1 
settles the awards of virtue and        
justice1 is slandered and buffeted never
 so much and views it all as a          

phenomenon4 ,he is one with ,truth1     
,goodness1 ,beauty4 ,no indignity can   
assail him1 no personality disturb him4 
99       99       99       99       99  
,the orator puts off his individuality1 
and is then most eloquent when most     
silent4 ,he listens while he speaks1 and
 is a hearer along with his audience4   
99       99       99       99       99  
,who has not hearkened to her infinite  
din8 ,she is ,truth's speaking trumpet1 
which every man carries slung over his  
shoulder1 and when he will may apply to 
his ear4 ,she is the sole oracle1 the   
true ,delphi and ,dodona1 which kings   
and courtiers would do well to consult1 
nor will they be balked by an ambiguous 
answer4 ,through her have all           
revelations been made4 ,just as far as  
men have consulted her oracle1 they have
 obtained a clear insight1 and their age
 been marked for an enlightened one4    
,but as often as they have gone gadding 
abroad to a strange ,delphi and her mad 
priestess1 they have been benighted1 and

 their age ,dark or ,leaden4--,these are
 garrulous and noisy eras1 which no     
longer yield any sound2 but the         
,grecian1 or silent and melodious1 ,era 
is ever sounding on the ears of men4    
99       99       99       99       99  
,a good book is the plectrum with which 
our silent lyres are struck4 ,in all    
epics1 when1 after breathless attention1
 we come to the significant words ,he   
said1 then especially our inmost man is 
addressed4 ,we not unfrequently refer   
the interest which belongs to our own   
unwritten sequel to the written and     
comparatively lifeless page4 ,of all    
valuable books this same sequel makes an
 indispensable part4 ,it is the author's
 aim to say once and emphatically1 ,he  
said4 ,this is the most the bookmaker   
can attain to4 ,if he make his volume a 
foil whereon the waves of silence may   
break1 it is well4 ,it is not so much   
the sighing of the blast as that pause1 
as ,gray expresses it1 when the gust is 
recollecting itself1 that thrills us1   

and is infinitely grander than the      
importunate howlings of the storm4      
99       99       99       99       99  
,at evening ,silence sends many         
emissaries to me1 some navigating the   
subsiding waves which the village murmur
 has agitated4         99       99      
99       99       99  ,it were vain for 
me to interpret the ,silence4 ,she      
cannot be done into ,english4 ,for six  
thousand years have men translated her1 
with what fidelity belonged to each2    
still is she little better than a sealed
 book4 ,a man may run on confidently for
 a time1 thinking he has her under his  
thumb1 and shall one day exhaust her1   
but he too must at last be silent1 and  
men remark only how brave a beginning he
 made2 for1 when he at length dives into
 her1 so vast is the disproportion of   
the told to the untold that the former  
will seem but the bubble on the surface 
where he disappeared4         99        
99       99       99       99           
,nevertheless will we go on1 like those 

,chinese cliff swallows1 feathering our 
nests with the froth1 so they may one   
day be bread of life to such as dwell by
 the seashore4   ,,anacreontics         
,,return ,,of ,,spring#df  ,dec4 #bc4   
,behold1 how1 spring appearing1         
,the ,graces send forth roses2          
,behold1 how the wave of the sea        
,is made smooth by the calm2            
,behold1 how the duck dives2            
,behold1 how the crane travels2         
,and ,titan shines constantly bright4   
,the shadows of the clouds are moving2  
,the works of man shine2      ,the earth
 puts forth fruits2      ,the fruit of  
the olive puts forth4      ,the cup of  
,bacchus is crowned4      ,along the    
leaves1 along the branches1      ,the   
fruit1 bending them down1 flourishes4   
,,cupid ,,wounded#dg       ,love once   
among roses      ,a sleeping bee        
,did not see1 but was stung2      ,and1 
being wounded in the finger      ,of his
 hand1 cried for pain4      ,running as 
well as flying      ,to the beautiful   

,venus1      ,i am killed1 mother1 said 
he1      ,i am killed1 and ,i die4      
,a little serpent has stung me1         
,winged1 which they call      ,a        
bee1--the husbandmen4      ,and she     
said1 ,if the sting      ,of a bee      
afflicts you1      ,how1 think you1 are 
they afflicted1      ,love1 whom you    
smite8  ,dated only #ahch4 ,sometimes ,i
 hear the veery's silver clarion1 or the
 brazen note of the impatient jay1 or in
 secluded woods the chickadee doles out 
her scanty notes1 which sing the praise 
of heroes1 and set forth the loveliness 
of virtue evermore4--,phe-be4#dh        
,,iii  #ahci  7,t4 #ba-bb7   ,,the      
,,thaw#di  ,jan4 #aa4       ,i saw the  
civil sun drying earth's tears1         
,her tears of joy1 that only faster     
flowed4       ,fain would ,i stretch me 
by the highway-side1      ,to thaw and  
trickle with the melting snow1          
,that1 mingled soul and body with the   
tide1      ,i too may through the pores 
of nature flow4       ,but ,i1 alas1 nor

 trickle can nor fume1      ,one jot to 
forward the great work of ,time1        
',tis mine to hearken while these ply   
the loom1      ,so shall my silence with
 their music chime4   ,,the ,,dream     
,,valley  ,jan4 #bj4 ,the prospect of   
our river valley from ,tahatawan ,cliff 
appeared to me again in my dreams4      
,last night1 as ,i lay gazing with shut 
eyes          ,into the golden land of  
dreams1      ,i thought ,i gazed adown a
 quiet reach        ,of land and water  
prospect1          ,whose low beach     
,was peopled with the now subsiding hum 
,of happy industry1 whose work is done4 
,and as ,i turned me on my pillow o'er1 
,i heard the lapse of waves upon the    
shore1      ,distinct as it had been at 
broad noonday1      ,and ,i were        
wandering at ,rockaway4   ,,love        
,we two that planets erst had been      
,are now a double star1      ,and in the
 heavens may be seen1      ,where that  
we fixd are4       ,yet1 whirled with   
subtle power along1      ,into new space

 we enter1      ,and evermore with      
spheral song      ,revolve about one    
centre4   ,feb4 #c4       ,the deeds of 
king and meanest hedger      ,stand side
 by side in heaven's ledger4         99 
99       99       99       99           
',twill soon appear if we but look      
,at evening into earth's day-book1      
,which way the great account doth stand 
,between the heavens and the land4      
,,the ,,evening ,,wind       ,the       
eastern mail comes lumbering in1        
,with outmost waves of ,europe's din2   
,the western sighs adown the slope1     
,or 'mid the rustling leaves doth grope1
      ,laden with news from ,californ'1 
,whate'er transpired hath since morn1   
,how wags the world by brier and brake1 
,from hence to ,athabasca lake4#ej      
,,poetizing  ,feb4 #h4 ,when the poetic 
frenzy seizes us1 we run and scratch    
with our pen1 delighting1 like the cock1
 in the dust we make1 but do not detect 
where the jewel lies1 which perhaps we  
have in the meantime cast to a distance1

 or quite covered up again4#ea   ,feb4  
#i4 ,it takes a man to make a room      
silent4   ,,the ,,peal ,,of ,,the       
,,bells#eb  ,feb4 #aj4       ,when the  
world grows old by the chimney-side1    
,then forth to the youngling rocks ,i   
glide1      ,where over the water1 and  
over the land1      ,the bells are      
booming on either hand4       ,now up   
they go ding1 then down again dong1     
,and awhile they swing to the same old  
song1      ,and the metal goes round at 
a single bound1      ,a-lulling the     
fields with its measured sound1         
,till the tired tongue falls with a     
lengthened boom      ,as solemn and loud
 as the crack of doom4        ,then     
changed is their measure to tone upon   
tone1      ,and seldom it is that one   
sound comes alone1      ,for they ring  
out their peals in a mingled throng1    
,and the breezes waft the loud ding-dong
 along4       ,when the echo has reached
 me in this lone vale1      ,i am       
straightway a hero in coat of mail1     

,i tug at my belt and ,i march on my    
post1      ,and feel myself more than a 
match for a host4       ,i am on the    
alert for some wonderful ,thing         
,which somewhere 's a-taking place2     
',tis perchance the salute which our    
planet doth ring      ,when it meeteth  
another in space4   ,,the ,,shrike      
,feb4 #be4       ,hark6 hark6 from out  
the thickest fog      ,warbles with     
might and main      ,the fearless       
shrike1 as all agog      ,to find in fog
 his gain4       ,his steady sails he   
never furls      ,at any time o' year1  
,and1 perched now on ,winter's curls1   
,he whistles in his ear4#ec   ,,the     
,,poet  ,march #c4 ,he must be something
 more than natural1--even supernatural4 
,nature will not speak through but along
 with him4 ,his voice will not proceed  
from her midst1 but1 breathing on her1  
will make her the expression of his     
thought4 ,he then poetizes when he takes
 a fact out of nature into spirit4 ,he  
speaks without reference to time or     

place4 ,his thought is one world1 hers  
another4 ,he is another                 
,nature1--,nature's brother4 ,kindly    
offices do they perform for one another4
 ,each publishes the other's truth4     
,,morning  ,april #d4 ,the atmosphere of
 morning gives a healthy hue to our     
prospects4 ,disease is a sluggard that  
overtakes1 never encounters1 us4 ,we    
have the start each day1 and may fairly 
distance him before the dew is off2 but 
if we recline in the bowers of noon1 he 
will come up with us after all4 ,the    
morning dew breeds no cold4 ,we enjoy a 
diurnal reprieve in the beginning of    
each day's creation4 ,in the morning we 
do not believe in expediency2 we will   
start afresh1 and have no patching1 no  
temporary fixtures4 ,the afternoon man  
has an interest in the past2 his eye is 
divided1 and he sees indifferently well 
either way4   ,,drifting  ,drifting in a
 sultry day on the sluggish waters of   
the pond1 ,i almost cease to live and   
begin to be4 ,a boatman stretched on the

 deck of his craft and dallying with the
 noon would be as apt an emblem of      
eternity for me as the serpent with his 
tail in his mouth4 ,i am never so prone 
to lose my identity4 ,i am dissolved in 
the haze4   ,,disappointment  ,april #g4
 ,sunday4 ,the tediousness and detail of
 execution never occur to the genius    
projecting2 it always antedates the     
completion of its work4 ,it condescends 
to give time a few hours to do its      
bidding in4   ,,resolve  ,most have     
sufficient contempt for what is mean to 
resolve that they will abstain from it1 
and a few virtue enough to abide by     
their resolution1 but not often does one
 attain to such lofty contempt as to    
require no resolution to be made4       
,,the ,,teamster  ,april #h4 ,there goes
 a six-horse team1 and a man by its     
side4 ,he has rolled out of his cradle  
into a ,tom-and-,jerry1 and goes about  
his business while ,nature goes about   
hers1 without standing agape at his     
condition4 ,as though sixty years were  

not enough for these things6 ,what have 
death1 and the cholera1 and the immortal
 destiny of man1 to do with the shipping
 interests8 ,there is an unexplained    
bravery in this4 ,what with bare        
astonishment one would think that man   
had his hands full for so short a term4 
,but this is no drawback on the         
lace-working and cap-making interests4  
,some attain to such a degree of        
sang-froid and nonchalance as to be     
weavers of toilet cushions and          
manufacturers of pinheads1 without once 
flinching or the slightest affection of 
the nerves1 for the period of a natural 
life4#ed   ,,fat ,,pine ,,for ,,spearing
  ,april #i4 ,fat roots of pine lying in
 rich veins as of gold or silver1 even  
in old pastures where you would least   
expect it1 make you realize that you    
live in the youth of the world1 and you 
begin to know the wealth of the planet4 
,human nature is still in its prime1    
then4 ,bring axe1 pickaxe1 and shovel1  
and tap the earth here where there is   

most sap4 ,the marrowy store gleams like
 some vigorous sinew1 and you feel a new
 suppleness in your own limbs4 ,these   
are the traits that conciliate man's    
moroseness1 and make him civil to his   
fellows2 every such pine root is a      
pledge of suavity4 ,if he can discover  
absolute barrenness in any direction    
there will be some excuse for           
peevishness4   ,,society  ,april #ad4   
,there is a terra firma in society as   
well as in geography1 some whose ports  
you may make by dead reckoning in all   
weather4 ,all the rest are but floating 
and fabulous ,atlantides which sometimes
 skirt the western horizon of our       
intercourse4 ,they impose only on       
seasick mariners who have put into some 
,canary ,island on the frontiers of     
society4   ,,circumstances  ,april #bd4 
,why should we concern ourselves with   
what has happened to us1 and the        
unaccountable fickleness of events1 and 
not rather with how we have happened to 
the universe1 and it has demeaned itself

 in consequence8 ,let us record in each 
case the judgment we have awarded to    
circumstances4   ,,acquaintance  ,cheap 
persons will stand upon ceremony1       
because there is no other ground2 but to
 the great of the earth we need no      
introduction1 nor do they need any to   
us4   ,,the ,,kingdoms ,,of ,,the       
,,earth  ,april #be4 ,if we see the     
reality in things1 of what moment is the
 superficial and apparent8 ,take the    
earth and all the interests it has      
known1--what are they beside one deep   
surmise that pierces and scatters them8 
,the independent beggar disposes of all 
with one hearty1 significant curse by   
the roadside4 ',tis true they are not   
worth a tinker's damn4   ,,picture      
,april #cj4 ,of some illuminated        
pictures which ,i saw last evening1 one 
representing the plain of ,babylon1 with
 only a heap of brick-dust in the       
centre1 and an uninterrupted horizon    
bounding the desert1 struck me most4 ,i 
would see painted a boundless expanse of

 desert1 prairie1 or sea1 without other 
object than the horizon4 ,the heavens   
and the earth1--the first and last      
painting1--where is the artist who shall
 undertake it8   ,may #aa4 ,the farmer  
keeps pace with his crops and the       
revolutions of the seasons1 but the     
merchant with the fluctuations of trade4
 ,observe how differently they walk in  
the streets4   ,,vice ,,and ,,virtue    
,may #af4 ,virtue is the very heart and 
lungs of vice3 it cannot stand up but it
 lean on virtue4         99       99    
99       99       99  ,who has not      
admired the twelve labors8 ,and yet     
nobody thinks if ,hercules had          
sufficient motive for racking his bones 
to that degree4 ,men are not so much    
virtuous as patrons of virtue1 and every
 one knows that it is easier to deal    
with the real possessor of a thing than 
the temporary guardian of it4   ,,the   
,,form ,,of ,,strength  ,may #ag4 ,we   
say justly that the weak person is flat2
 for1 like all flat substances1 he does 

not stand in the direction of his       
strength1 that is on his edge1 but      
affords a convenient surface to put     
upon4 ,he slides all the way through    
life4 ,most things are strong in one    
direction1--a straw longitudinally1 a   
board in the direction of its edge1 a   
knee transversely to its grain1--but the
 brave man is a perfect sphere1 which   
cannot fall on its flat side1 and is    
equally strong every way4 ,the coward is
 wretchedly spheroidal at best1 too much
 educated or drawn out on one side      
commonly and depressed on the other2 or 
he may be likened to a hollow sphere1   
whose disposition of matter is best when
 the greatest bulk is intended4#ee      
,,self-,,culture  ,may #ba4 ,who knows  
how incessant a surveillance a strong   
man may maintain over himself1--how far 
subject passion and appetite to reason1 
and lead the life his imagination       
paints8 ,well has the poet said1--      
,by manly mind ,not e'en in sleep is    
will resigned4  ,by a strong effort may 

he not command even his brute body in   
unconscious moments8   ,,my ,,attic     
,june #d4 ,i sit here this fourth of    
,june1 looking out on men and nature    
from this that ,i call my perspective   
window1 through which all things are    
seen in their true relations4 ,this is  
my upper empire1 bounded by four walls1 
viz41 three of boards yellow-washed1    
facing the north1 west1 and south1      
respectively1 and the fourth of plaster1
 likewise yellow-washed1 fronting the   
sunrise1--to say nothing of the purlieus
 and outlying provinces1 unexplored as  
yet but by rats4         99       99    
99       99       99  ,the words of some
 men are thrown forcibly against you and
 adhere like burs4   ,,rencounter  ,june
 #bb4 ,saturday4 ,i have within the last
 few days come into contact with a pure1
 uncompromising spirit1 that is         
somewhere wandering in the atmosphere1  
but settles not positively anywhere4    
,some persons carry about them the air  
and conviction of virtue1 though they   

themselves are unconscious of it1 and   
are even backward to appreciate it in   
others4 ,such it is impossible not to   
love2 still is their loveliness1 as it  
were1 independent of them1 so that you  
seem not to lose it when they are       
absent1 for when they are near it is    
like an invisible presence which attends
 you4  ,that virtue we appreciate is as 
much ours as another's4 ,we see so much 
only as we possess4   ,,sympathy#ef     
,june #bd4       ,lately1 alas1 ,i knew 
a gentle boy1      ,whose features all  
were cast in ,virtue's mould1      ,as  
one she had designed for ,beauty's toy1 
,but after manned him for her own       
stronghold4       ,on every side he open
 was as day1      ,that you might see no
 lack of strength within1      ,for     
walls and ports do only serve alway     
,for a pretense to feebleness and sin4  
,say not that ,csar was victorious1     
,with toil and strife who stormed the   
,house of ,fame2      ,in other sense   
this youth was glorious1      ,himself a

 kingdom wheresoe'er he came4       ,no 
strength went out to get him victory1   
,when all was income of its own accord2 
,for where he went none other was to    
see1      ,but all were parcel of their 
noble lord4       ,he forayed like the  
subtle haze of summer1      ,that stilly
 shows fresh landscapes to our eyes1    
,and revolutions works without a murmur1
      ,or rustling of a leaf beneath the
 skies4       ,so was ,i taken unawares 
by this1      ,i quite forgot my homage 
to confess2      ,yet now am forced to  
know1 though hard it is1      ,i might  
have loved him1 had ,i loved him less4  
,each moment1 as we nearer drew to each1
      ,a stern respect withheld us      
farther yet1      ,so that we seemed    
beyond each other's reach1      ,and    
less acquainted than when first we met4 
,we two were one while we did           
sympathize1      ,so could we not the   
simplest bargain drive2      ,and what  
avails it now that we are wise1      ,if
 absence doth this doubleness contrive8 

,eternity may not the chance repeat1    
,but ,i must tread my single way alone1 
,in sad remembrance that we once did    
meet1      ,and know that bliss         
irrevocably gone4       ,the spheres    
henceforth my elegy shall sing1         
,for elegy has other subject none2      
,each strain of music in my ears shall  
ring      ,knell of departure from that 
other one4       ,make haste and        
celebrate my tragedy2      ,with fitting
 strain resound1 ye woods and fields2   
,sorrow is dearer in such case to me    
,than all the joys other occasion       
yields4       ,is't then too late the   
damage to repair8      ,distance1       
forsooth1 from my weak grasp hath reft  
,the empty husk1 and clutched the       
useless tare1      ,but in my hands the 
wheat and kernel left4       ,if ,i but 
love that virtue which he is1           
,though it be scented in the morning    
air1      ,still shall we be truest     
acquaintances1      ,nor mortals know a 
sympathy more rare4   ,,the ,,book ,,of 

,,gems  ,july #d4       ,with cunning   
plates the polished leaves were decked1 
,each one a window to the poet's world1 
,so rich a prospect that you might      
suspect      ,in that small space all   
paradise unfurled4       ,it was a right
 delightful road to go1      ,marching  
through pastures of such fair herbage1  
,o'er hill and dale it led1 and to and  
fro1      ,from bard to bard1 making an 
easy stage2       ,where ever and anon  
,i slaked my thirst      ,like a tired  
traveller at some poet's well1          
,which from the teeming ground did      
bubbling burst1      ,and tinkling      
thence adown the page it fell4          
,still through the leaves its music you 
might hear1      ,till other springs    
fell faintly on the ear4   ,,annursnack 
,july #aa4 ,at length we leave the river
 and take to the road which leads to the
 hilltop1 if by any means we may spy out
 what manner of earth we inhabit4 ,east1
 west1 north1 and south1 it is farm and 
parish1 this world of ours4 ,one may see

 how at convenient1 eternal intervals   
men have settled themselves1 without    
thought for the universe4 ,how little   
matters it all they have built and      
delved there in the valley6 ,it is after
 all but a feature in the landscape4    
,still the vast impulse of nature       
breathes over all4 ,the eternal winds   
sweep across the interval to-day1       
bringing mist and haze to shut out their
 works4 ,still the crow caws from       
,nawshawtuct to ,annursnack1 as no      
feeble tradesman nor smith may do4 ,and 
in all swamps the hum of mosquitoes     
drowns this modern hum of industry4     
,illustration3 ,view from ,annursnack   
,hill   ,,every ,,man ,,is ,a ,,roman   
,,forum  ,all things are up and down1   
east and west1 to me4 ,in me is the     
forum out of which go the ,appian and   
,sacred ways1 and a thousand beside1 to 
the ends of the world4 ,if ,i forget my 
centralness1 and say a bean winds with  
or against the sun1 and not right or    
left1 it will not be true south of the  

equator4   ,,the ,,assabet  ,july #ah4  
,up this pleasant stream let's row      
,for the livelong summer's day1         
,sprinkling foam where'er we go      ,in
 wreaths as white as driven snow4       
,ply the oars6 away6 away6#eg       ,now
 we glide along the shore1              
,chucking lilies as we go1      ,while  
the yellow-sanded floor      ,doggedly  
resists the oar1        ,like some      
turtle dull and slow4       ,now we stem
 the middle tide1        ,plowing       
through the deepest soil2      ,ridges  
pile on either side1      ,while we     
through the furrow glide1               
,reaping bubbles for our toil4          
,dew before and drought behind1         
,onward all doth seem to fly2           
,naught contents the eager mind1        
,only rapids now are kind1              
,forward are the earth and sky4         
,sudden music strikes the ear1          
,leaking out from yonder bank1      ,fit
 such voyagers to cheer4      ,sure     
there must be ,naiads here1        ,who 

have kindly played this prank4          
,there ,i know the cunning pack         
,where yon self-sufficient rill         
,all its telltale hath kept back1       
,through the meadows held its clack1    
,and now bubbleth its fill4             
,silent flows the parent stream1        
,and if rocks do lie below              
,smothers with her waves the din1       
,as it were a youthful sin1        ,just
 as still and just as slow4       ,but  
this gleeful little rill1               
,purling round its storied pebble1      
,tinkles to the selfsame tune      ,from
 ,december until ,june1        ,nor doth
 any drought enfeeble4       ,see the   
sun behind the willows1        ,rising  
through the golden haze1      ,how he   
gleams along the billows1      ,their   
white crests the easy pillows        ,of
 his dew-besprinkled rays4              
,forward press we to the dawning1       
,for ,aurora leads the way1      ,sultry
 noon and twilight scorning2      ,in   
each dewdrop of the morning        ,lies

 the promise of a day4       ,rivers    
from the sun do flow1        ,springing 
with the dewy morn2      ,voyageurs     
'gainst time do row1      ,idle noon nor
 sunset know1        ,ever even with the
 dawn4#eh       ,since that first ,away6
 away6        ,many a lengthy league    
we've rowed1      ,still the sparrow on 
the spray      ,hastes to usher in the  
day        ,with her simple stanza'd    
ode4#ei   ,,the ,,breeze',s ,,invitation
  ,july #bj4       ,come let's roam the 
breezy pastures1        ,where the      
freest zephyrs blow1      ,batten on the
 oak tree's rustle1      ,and the       
pleasant insect bustle1        ,dripping
 with the streamlet's flow4       ,what 
if ,i no wings do wear1        ,thro'   
this solid-seeming air      ,i can skim 
like any swallow2      ,whoso dareth let
 her follow1        ,and we'll be a     
jovial pair4       ,like two careless   
swifts let's sail1        ,zephyrus     
shall think for me2      ,over hill and 
over dale1      ,riding on the easy     

gale1        ,we will scan the earth and
 sea4       ,yonder see that willow tree
        ,winnowing the buxom air2       
,you a gnat and ,i a bee1      ,with our
 merry minstrelsy        ,we will make a
 concert there4       ,one green leaf   
shall be our screen1        ,till the   
sun doth go to bed1      ,i the king and
 you the queen      ,of that peaceful   
little green1        ,without any       
subject's aid4       ,to our music ,time
 will linger1        ,and earth open    
wide her ear1      ,nor shall any need  
to tarry      ,to immortal verse to     
marry        ,such sweet music as he'll 
hear4   ,july #bd4       ,nature doth   
have her dawn each day1      ,but mine  
are far between2      ,content1 ,i cry1 
for1 sooth to say1      ,mine brightest 
are1 ,i ween4       ,for when my sun    
doth deign to rise1      ,though it be  
her noontide1      ,her fairest field in
 shadow lies1      ,nor can my light    
abide4        ,sometimes ,i bask me in  
her day1      ,conversing with my mate2 

,but if we interchange one ray1         
,forthwith her heats abate4             
,through his discourse ,i climb and see1
      ,as from some eastern hill1       
,a brighter morrow rise to me      ,than
 lieth in her skill4       ,as't were   
two summer days in one1      ,two       
,sundays come together1      ,our rays  
united make one sun1      ,with fairest 
summer weather4#fj   ,july #be4 ,there  
is no remedy for love but to love more4 
,aug4 #ca4 ,made seven miles1 and moored
 our boat on the west side of a little  
rising ground which in the spring forms 
an island in the river1 the sun going   
down on one hand1 and our eminence      
contributing its shadow to the night on 
the other4#fa ,in the twilight so       
elastic is the air that the sky seems to
 tinkle sic over farmhouse and wood4    
,scrambling up the bank of our terra    
incognita we fall on huckleberries1     
which have slowly ripened here1         
husbanding the juices which the months  
have distilled1 for our peculiar use    

this night4#fb ,if they had been rank   
poison1 the entire simplicity and       
confidence with which we plucked them   
would have insured their wholesomeness4 
,the devout attitude of the hour asked a
 blessing on that repast4 ,it was fit   
for the setting sun to rest on4         
99       99       99       99       99  
,from our tent here on the hillside1    
through that isosceles door1 ,i see our 
lonely mast on the shore1 it may be as  
an eternity fixture1 to be seen in      
landscapes henceforth1 or as the most   
temporary standstill of time1 the boat  
just come to anchor1 and the mast still 
rocking to find its balance4#fc         
99       99       99       99       99  
,no human life is in night1--the woods1 
the boat1 the shore1--yet is it         
lifelike4#fd ,the warm pulse of a young 
life beats steadily underneath all4     
,this slight wind is where one artery   
approaches the surface and is skin deep4
         99       99       99       99  
99  ,while ,i write here1 ,i hear the   

foxes trotting about me over the dead   
leaves1 and now gently over the grass1  
as if not to disturb the dew which is   
falling4 ,why should we not cultivate   
neighborly relations with the foxes8 ,as
 if to improve upon our seeming         
advances1 comes one to greet us nosewise
 under our tent-curtain4 ,nor do we     
rudely repulse him4 ,is man powder and  
the fox flint and steel8 ,has not the   
time come when men and foxes shall lie  
down together8         99       99      
99       99       99  ,hist6 there1 the 
musquash by the boat is taking toll of  
potatoes and melons4 ,is not this the   
age of a community of goods8 ,his       
presumption kindles in me a brotherly   
feeling4 ,nevertheless4 ,i get up to    
reconnoitre1 and tread stealthily along 
the shore to make acquaintance with him4
 ,but on the riverside ,i can see only  
the stars reflected in the water1 and   
now1 by some ripple ruffling the disk of
 a star1 ,i discover him4         99    
99       99       99       99  ,in the  

silence of the night the sound of a     
distant alarm bell is borne to these    
woods4 ,even now men have fires and     
extinguish them1 and1 with distant      
horizon blazings and barking of dogs1   
enact the manifold drama of life4#fe    
99       99       99       99       99  
,we begin to have an interest in sun1   
moon1 and stars4 ,what time riseth      
,orion8 ,which side the pole gropeth the
 bear8 ,east1 ,west1 ,north1 and        
,south1--where are they8 ,what clock    
shall tell the hours for                
us8--,billerica1 midnight4   ,sept4 #a4 
,sunday4 ,under an oak on the bank of   
the canal in ,chelmsford4  ,from ,ball's
 ,hill to ,billerica meeting-house the  
river is a noble stream of water1       
flowing between gentle hills and        
occasional cliffs1 and well wooded all  
the way4 ,it can hardly be said to flow 
at all1 but rests in the lap of the     
hills like a quiet lake4 ,the boatmen   
call it a dead stream4 ,for many long   
reaches you can see nothing to indicate 

that men inhabit its banks4#ff ,nature  
seems to hold a sabbath herself         
to-day1--a still warm sun on river and  
wood1 and not breeze enough to ruffle   
the water4 ,cattle stand up to their    
bellies in the river1 and you think     
,rembrandt should be here4  ,camped     
under some oaks in ,tyngsboro1 on the   
east bank of the ,merrimack1 just below 
the ferry4#fg   ,sept4 #b4 ,camped in   
,merrimack1 on the west bank1 by a deep 
ravine4#fh   ,sept4 #c4 ,in ,bedford1 on
 the west bank1 opposite a large rock1  
above ,coos ,falls4#fi   ,sept4 #d4     
,wednesday4 ,hooksett1 east bank1 two or
 three miles below the village1 opposite
 ,mr4 ,mitchel's4#gj   ,sept4 #e4       
,walked to ,concord ,n4 ,h41 #aj        
miles4#ga   ,sept4 #f4 ,by stage to     
,plymouth1 #dj miles1 and on foot to    
,tilton's inn1 ,thornton4 ,the scenery  
commences on ,sanbornton ,square1 whence
 the ,white ,mountains are first        
visible4 ,in ,campton it is decidedly   
mountainous4   ,sept4 #g4 ,walked from  

,thornton through ,peeling#gb and       
,lincoln to ,franconia4 ,in ,lincoln    
visited ,stone ,flume and ,basin1 and in
 ,franconia the ,notch1 and saw the ,old
 ,man of the ,mountain4   ,sept4 #h4    
,walked from ,franconia to ,thomas ,j4  
,crawford's4   ,sept4 #i4 ,at           
,crawford's4   ,sept4 #aj4 ,ascended the
 mountain and rode to ,conway4   ,sept4 
#aa4 ,rode to ,concord4   ,sept4 #ab4   
,rode to ,hooksett and rowed to         
,bedford1 ,n4 ,h41 or rather to the     
northern part of ,merrimack1 near the   
ferry1 by a large island1 near which we 
camped4#gc   ,sept #ac4 ,rowed and      
sailed to ,concord1 about #ej miles4#gd 
,,the ,,wise ,,rest  ,sept #ag4 ,nature 
never makes haste2 her systems revolve  
at an even pace4 ,the bud swells        
imperceptibly1 without hurry or         
confusion1 as though the short spring   
days were an eternity4#ge ,all her      
operations seem separately1 for the     
time1 the single object for which all   
things tarry4 ,why1 then1 should man    

hasten as if anything less than eternity
 were allotted for the least deed8 ,let 
him consume never so many ons1 so that  
he go about the meanest task well1      
though it be but the paring of his      
nails4#gf ,if the setting sun seems to  
hurry him to improve the day while it   
lasts1 the chant of the crickets fails  
not to reassure him1 even-measured as of
 old1 teaching him to take his own time 
henceforth forever4 ,the wise man is    
restful1 never restless or impatient4   
,he each moment abides there where he   
is1 as some walkers actually rest the   
whole body at each step1 while others   
never relax the muscles of the leg till 
the accumulated fatigue obliges them to 
stop short4  ,as the wise is not anxious
 that time wait for him1 neither does he
 wait for it4   ,oct #bb4 ,nature will  
bear the closest inspection4 ,she       
invites us to lay our eye level with her
 smallest leaf1 and take an insect view 
of its plain4#gg   ,,schylus  ,nov4 #e4 
,there was one man lived his own healthy

 ,attic life in those days4 ,the words  
that have come down to us evidence that 
their speaker was a seer in his day and 
generation4 ,at this day they owe       
nothing to their dramatic form1 nothing 
to stage machinery1 and the fact that   
they were spoken under these or those   
circumstances4 ,all display of art for  
the gratification of a factitious taste 
is silently passed by to come at the    
least particle of absolute and genuine  
thought they contain4 ,the reader will  
be disappointed1 however1 who looks for 
traits of a rare wisdom or eloquence1   
and will have to solace himself1 for the
 most part1 with the poet's humanity and
 what it was in him to say4 ,he will    
discover that1 like every genius1 he was
 a solitary liver and worker in his day4
  ,we are accustomed to say that the    
common sense of this age belonged to the
 seer of the last1--as if time gave him 
any vantage ground4 ,but not so3 ,i see 
not but ,genius must ever take an equal 
start1 and all the generations of men   

are virtually at a standstill for it to 
come and consider of them4 ,common sense
 is not so familiar with any truth but  
,genius will represent it in a strange  
light to it4 ,let the seer bring down   
his broad eye to the most stale and     
trivial fact1 and he will make you      
believe it a new planet in the sky4  ,as
 to criticism1 man has never to make    
allowance to man2 there is naught to    
excuse1 naught to bear in mind4  ,all   
the past is here present to be tried2   
let it approve itself if it can4        
,,growth  ,we are not apt to remember   
that we grow4 ,it is curious to reflect 
how the maiden waiteth patiently1       
confiding as the unripe houstonia of the
 meadow1 for the slow moving years to   
work their will with her1--perfect and  
ripen her1--like it to be fanned by the 
wind1 watered by the rain1 and receive  
her education at the hands of nature4   
,these young buds of manhood in the     
streets are like buttercups in the      
meadows1--surrendered to nature as they4

   ,nov4 #g4 ,i was not aware till      
to-day of a rising and risen generation4
 ,children appear to me as raw as the   
fresh fungi on a fence rail4 ,by what   
degrees of consanguinity is this        
succulent and rank-growing slip of      
manhood related to me8 ,what is it but  
another herb1 ranging all the kingdoms  
of nature1 drawing in sustenance by a   
thousand roots and fibres from all      
soils4   ,,laconicism  ,nov4 #h4        
,prometheus' answer to ,io's question1  
who has bound him to the rock1 is a good
 instance3--          1   4       7,the 
will indeed of ,zeus1 of ,vulcan the    
hand47  ,also3--           1 1       1  
4  ,such naked speech is the standing   
aside of words to make room for         
thoughts4   ,,regret  ,nov4 #ac4 ,make  
the most of your regrets2 never smother 
your sorrow1 but tend and cherish it    
till it come to have a separate and     
integral interest4 ,to regret deeply is 
to live afresh4 ,by so doing you will be
 astonished to find yourself restored   

once more to all your emoluments4       
,,despondency  ,nov4 #ad4 ,there is     
nowhere any apology for despondency4    
,always there is life which1 rightly    
lived1 implies a divine satisfaction4 ,i
 am soothed by the rain-drops on the    
door-sill2 every globule that pitches   
thus confidently from the eaves to the  
ground is my life insurance4 ,disease   
and a rain-drop cannot coexist4 ,the    
east wind is not itself consumptive1 but
 has enjoyed a rare health from of old4 
,if a fork or brand stand erect1 good is
 portended by it4 ,they are the warrant 
of universal innocence4   ,,farewell    
,nov4 #ai4       ,light-hearted1        
thoughtless1 shall ,i take my way1      
,when ,i to thee this being have        
resigned1      ,well knowing where1 upon
 a future day1      ,with us'rer's craft
 more than myself to find4   ,,linn,,us 
,nov4 #bb4 ,linnus1 setting out for     
,lapland1 surveys his comb and spare    
shirt1 leather breeches1 and gauze cap  
to keep off gnats1 with as much         

complacency as ,buonaparte would a park 
of artillery to be used in the ,russian 
,campaign4 ,his eye is to take in fish1 
flower1 and bird1 quadruped and biped4  
,the quiet bravery of the man is        
admirable4 ,these facts have even a     
novel interest4#gh   ,nov4 #bi4 ,many   
brave men have there been1 thank        
,fortune1 but ,i shall never grow brave 
by comparison4 ,when ,i remember myself 
,i shall forget them4   ,,bravery  ,dec4
 #b4 ,a rare landscape immediately      
suggests a suitable inhabitant1 whose   
breath shall be its wind1 whose moods   
its seasons1 and to whom it will always 
be fair4 ,to be chafed and worried1 and 
not as serene as ,nature1 does not      
become one whose nature is as steadfast 
as she4 ,we do all stand in the front   
ranks of the battle every moment of our 
lives2 where there is a brave man there 
is the thickest of the fight1 there the 
post of honor4 ,not he who procures a   
substitute to go to ,florida is exempt  
from service2 he gathers his laurels in 

another field4 ,waterloo is not the only
 battle-ground3 as many and fatal guns  
are pointed at my breast now as are     
contained in the ,english arsenals4     
,,noon  ,undated4#gi                    
,straightway dissolved1      ,like to   
the morning mists--or rather like the   
subtler mists of noon--      ,stretched 
,i far up the neighboring mountain's    
sides1      ,adown the valleys1 through 
the nether air1      ,bathing1 with fond
 expansiveness of soul1      ,the       
tiniest blade as the sublimest cloud4   
,what time the bittern1 solitary bird1  
,hides now her head amid the whispering 
fern1      ,and not a paddock vexes all 
the shore1      ,nor feather ruffles the
 incumbent air1      ,save where the    
wagtail interrupts the noon4   ,,from ,a
 ,,chapter ,,on ,,bravery4--,script     
,dec4 ,bravery deals not so much in     
resolute action1 as in healthy and      
assured rest4 ,its palmy state is a     
staying at home1 and compelling alliance
 in all directions4#hj  ,the brave man  

never heareth the din of war2 he is     
trustful and unsuspecting1 so observant 
of the least trait of good or beautiful 
that1 if you turn toward him the dark   
side of anything1 he will still see only
 the bright4         99       99        
99       99       99  ,one moment of    
serene and confident life is more       
glorious than a whole campaign of       
daring4 ,we should be ready for all     
issues1 not daring to die but daring to 
live4 ,to the brave even danger is an   
ally4         99       99       99      
99       99  ,in their unconscious daily
 life all are braver than they know4    
,man slumbers and wakes in his twilight 
with the confidence of noonday2 he is   
not palsied nor struck dumb by the      
inexplicable riddle of the universe4 ,a 
mere surveyor's report or clause in a   
premption bill contains matter of quite 
extraneous interest1 of a subdued but   
confident tone1 evincing such a         
steadiness in the writer as would have  
done wonders at ,bunker's ,hill or      

,marathon4 ,where there is the collected
 eye1 there will not fail the effective 
hand2     4         99       99       99
       99       99  ,science is always  
brave1 for to know is to know good2     
doubt and danger quail before her eye4  
,what the coward overlooks in his hurry1
 she calmly scrutinizes1 breaking ground
 like a pioneer for the array of arts in
 her train4 ,cowardice is unscientific1 
for there cannot be a science of        
ignorance4 ,there may be a science of   
war1 for that advances1 but a retreat is
 rarely well conducted2 if it is1 then  
is it an orderly advance in the face of 
circumstances4#ha         99       99   
99       99       99  ,if his fortune   
deserts him1 the brave man in pity still
 abides by her4 ,samuel ,johnson and his
 friend ,savage1 compelled by poverty to
 pass the night in the streets1 resolve 
that they will stand by their country4  
99       99       99       99       99  
,the state of complete manhood is       
virtue1 and virtue and bravery are one4 

,this truth has long been in the        
languages4 ,all the relations of the    
subject are hinted at in the derivation 
and analogies of the ,latin words vir   
and virtus1 and the ,greek  and 4       
,language in its settled form is the    
record of men's second thoughts1 a more 
faithful utterance than they can        
momentarily give4 ,what men say is so   
sifted and obliged to approve itself as 
answering to a common want1 that nothing
 absolutely frivolous obtains currency  
in the language4 ,the analogies of words
 are never whimsical and meaningless1   
but stand for real likenesses4 ,only the
 ethics of mankind1 and not of any      
particular man1 give point and vigor to 
our speech4         99       99       99
       99       99  ,the coward was born
 one day too late1 for he has never     
overtaken the present hour4 ,he is the  
younger son of creation1 who now waiteth
 till the elder decease4#hb ,he does not
 dwell on the earth as though he had a  
deed of the land in his pocket1--not as 

another lump of nature1 as imperturbable
 an occupant as the stones in the field4
 ,he has only rented a few acres of time
 and space1 and thinks that every       
accident portends the expiration of his 
lease4 ,he is a non-proprietor1 a serf1 
in his moral economy nomadic1 having no 
fixed abode4 ,when danger appears1 he   
goes abroad and clings to straws4       
99       99       99       99       99  
,bravery and ,cowardice are kindred     
correlatives with ,knowledge and        
,ignorance1 ,light and ,darkness1 ,good 
and ,evil4         99       99       99 
99       99  ,if you let a single ray of
 light through the shutter1 it will go  
on diffusing itself without limit till  
it enlighten the world1 but the shadow  
that was never so wide at first as      
rapidly contracts till it comes to      
naught4 ,the shadow of the moon when it 
passes nearest the sun is lost in space 
ere it can reach our earth to eclipse   
it4 ,always the system shines with      
uninterrupted light1 for1 as the sun is 

so much larger than any planet1 no      
shadow can travel far into space4 ,we   
may bask always in the light of the     
system1 always may step back out of the 
shade4 ,no man's shadow is as large as  
his body1 if the rays make a right angle
 with the reflecting surface4 ,let our  
lives be passed under the equator1 with 
the sun in the meridian4  ,there is no  
ill which may not be dissipated like the
 dark1 if you let in a stronger light   
upon it4 ,overcome evil with good4      
,practice no such narrow economy as they
 whose bravery amounts to no more light 
than a farthing candle1 before which    
most objects cast a shadow wider than   
themselves4#hc         99       99      
99       99       99  ,it was a conceit 
of ,plutarch1 accounting for the        
preferences given to signs observed on  
the left hand1 that men may have thought
 things terrestrial and mortal directly 
over against heavenly and divine things1
 and do conjecture that the things which
 to us are on the left hand1 the gods   

send down from their right hand4#hd ,if 
we are not blind1 we shall see how a    
right hand is stretched over all1 as    
well the unlucky as lucky1 and that the 
ordering soul is only right-handed1     
distributing with one palm all our      
fates4#he         99       99       99  
99       99  ,men have made war from a  
deeper instinct than peace4 ,war is but 
the compelling of peace4#hf  ,when the  
world is declared under martial law1    
every ,esau retakes his birthright1 and 
what there is in him does not fail to   
appear4 ,he wipes off all old scores and
 commences a new account4 ,the world is 
interested to know how any soul will    
demean itself in so novel a position4   
,but when war too1 like commerce and    
husbandry1 gets to be a routine1 and men
 go about it as indented apprentices1   
the hero degenerates into a marine1 and 
the standing army into a standing jest4 
99       99       99       99       99  
,no pains are spared to do honor to the 
brave soldier4 ,all guilds and          

corporations are taxed to provide him   
with fit harness and equipment4 ,his    
coat must be red as the sunset1 or blue 
as the heavens4 ,gold or silver1        
pinchbeck or copper1 solid or           
superficial1 mark him for fortune's     
favorite4 ,the skill of a city enchases 
and tempers his sword-blade2 the ,tyrian
 dye confounds him with emperors and    
kings4 ,wherever he goes1 music precedes
 and prepares the way for him4 ,his life
 is a holiday1 and the contagion of his 
example unhinges the universe4 ,the     
world puts by work and comes out to     
stare4 ,he is the one only man4 ,he     
recognizes no time-honored casts and    
conventions1 no fixtures but            
transfixtures1 no governments at length 
settled on a permanent basis4 ,one tap  
of the drum sets the political and moral
 harmonies all ajar4 ,his ethics may    
well bear comparison with the priest's4 
,he may rally1 charge1 retreat in an    
orderly manner1 but never flee nor      
flinch4#hg       ,each more melodious   

note ,i hear      ,brings sad reproach  
to me1      ,that ,i alone afford the   
ear1      ,who would the music be4#hh   
,the brave man is the sole patron of    
music2#hi he recognizes it for his      
mother-tongue1--a more mellifluous and  
articulate language than words1 in      
comparison with which speech is recent  
and temporary4 ,it is his voice4 ,his   
language must have the same majestic    
movement and cadence that philosophy    
assigns to the heavenly bodies4 ,the    
steady flux of his thought constitutes  
time in music4 ,the universe falls in   
and keeps pace with it1 which before    
proceeded singly and discordant4 ,hence 
are poetry and song4 ,when ,bravery     
first grew afraid and went to war1 it   
took music along with it4 ,the soul     
delighted still to hear the echo of its 
own voice4 ,especially the soldier      
insists on agreement and harmony always4
 ,indeed1 it is that friendship there is
 in war that makes it chivalrous and    
heroic4 ,it was the dim sentiment of a  

noble friendship for the purest soul the
 world has seen1 that gave to ,europe a 
crusading era4#ij         99       99   
99       99       99  ,the day of tilts 
and tournaments has gone by1 but no     
herald summons us to the tournament of  
love4         99       99       99      
99       99  ,the brave warrior must    
have harmony if not melody at any       
sacrifice4 ,consider what shifts he     
makes4 ,there are the bagpipe1 the gong1
 the trumpet1 the drum1--either the     
primitive central ,african or ,indian1  
or the brass ,european4 ,ever since     
,jericho fell down before a blast of    
rams' horns1 the martial and musical    
have gone hand in hand4 ,if the soldier 
marches to the sack of a town1 he must  
be preceded by drum and trumpet1 which  
shall as it were identify his cause with
 the accordant universe4 ,all woods and 
walls echo back his own spirit1 and the 
hostile territory is then preoccupied   
for him4 ,he is no longer insulated1 but
 infinitely related and familiar4 ,the  

roll-call musters for him all the forces
 of nature4#ia         99       99      
99       99       99  ,all sounds1 and  
more than all1 silence1 do fife and drum
 for us4#ib ,the least creaking doth    
whet all our senses and emit a tremulous
 light1 like the aurora borealis1 over  
things4 ,as polishing expresses the vein
 in marble and the grain in wood1 so    
music brings out what of heroic lurks   
anywhere4#ic         99       99        
99       99       99  ,to the sensitive 
soul1 the universe has its own fixed    
measure1 which is its measure also1 and1
 as a regular pulse is inseparable from 
a healthy body1 so is its healthiness   
dependent on the regularity of its      
rhythm4 ,in all sounds the soul         
recognizes its own rhythm1 and seeks to 
express its sympathy by a correspondent 
movement of the limbs4 ,when the body   
marches to the measure of the soul1 then
 is true courage and invincible         
strength4#id         99       99        
99       99       99  ,the coward would 

reduce this thrilling sphere music to a 
universal wail1 this melodious chant to 
a nasal cant4 ,he thinks to conciliate  
all hostile influences by compelling his
 neighborhood into a partial concord    
with himself1 but his music is no better
 than a jingle which is akin to a       
jar1--jars regularly recurring4#ie  ,he 
blows a feeble blast of slender melody1 
because nature can have no more sympathy
 with such a soul than it has of        
cheerful melody in itself4 ,hence hears 
he no accordant note in the universe1   
and is a coward1 or consciously outcast 
and deserted man4 ,but the brave man1   
without drum or trumpet1 compels concord
 everywhere by the universality and     
tunefulness of his soul4#if  ,take a    
metallic plate1 says ,coleridge1 and    
strew sand on it2 sound a harmonic chord
 over the sand1 and the grains will     
whirl about in circles1 and other       
geometrical figures1 all1 as it were1   
depending on some point relatively at   
rest4 ,sound a discord1 and every grain 

will whisk about without any order at   
all1 in no figures1 and with no points  
of rest4 ,the brave man is such a point 
of relative rest1 over which the soul   
sounds ever a harmonic chord4         99
       99       99       99       99    
,music is either a sedative or a tonic  
to the soul4#ig ,i read that ,plato     
thinks the gods never gave men music1   
the science of melody and harmony1 for  
mere delectation or to tickle the ear2  
but that the discordant parts of the    
circulations and beauteous fabric of the
 soul1 and that of it that roves about  
the body1 and many times1 for want of   
tune and air1 breaks forth into many    
extravagances and excesses1 might be    
sweetly recalled and artfully wound up  
to their former consent and             
agreement4#ih         99       99       
99       99       99  ,by dint of wind  
and stringed instruments the coward     
endeavors to put the best face on the   
matter1--whistles to keep his courage   
up4         99       99       99        

99       99  ,there are some brave      
traits related by ,plutarch2 e4 g43     
,homer acquaints us how ,ajax1 being to 
engage in a single combat with ,hector1 
bade the ,grecians pray to the gods for 
him2 and while they were at their       
devotions1 he was putting on his armor4 
,on another occasion1 a storm arises1   
which as soon as the pilot sees1 he     
falls to his prayers1 and invokes his   
tutelar dmons1 but neglects not in the  
meantime to hold to the rudder and let  
down the main yard4  ,homer directs his 
husbandman1 before he either plow or    
sow1 to pray to the terrestrial ,jove   
and the venerable ,ceres1 but with his  
hand upon the plow-tail4        4       
7,verily1 to be brave is the beginning  
of victory47         99       99        
99       99       99  ,the ,romans made 
,fortune surname to ,fortitude1 for     
fortitude is that alchemy that turns all
 things to good fortune4 ,the man of    
fortitude1 whom the ,latins called      
fortis1 is no other than that lucky     

person whom fors favors1 or vir summae  
fortis4 ,if we will1 every bark may     
carry ,csar and ,csar's fortune4 ,the   
brave man stays at home4 ,for an        
impenetrable shield1 stand inside       
yourself2 he was an arrant coward who   
first made shields of brass4 ,for armor 
of proof1 mea virtute me involvo 7,i    
wrap myself in my virtue72       ,tumble
 me down1 and ,i will sit      ,upon my 
ruins1 smiling yet4#ii         99       
99       99       99       99  ,the     
bravest deed1 which for the most part is
 left quite out of history1 which alone 
wants the staleness of a deed done and  
the uncertainty of a deed doing1 is the 
life of a great man4 ,to perform        
exploits is to be temporarily bold1 as  
becomes a courage that ebbs and flows1  
the soul quite vanquished by its own    
deed subsiding into indifference and    
cowardice2 but the exploit of a brave   
life consists in its momentary          
completeness4#ajj   ,,friendship #aja   
,fall of #ahci4 ,then first ,i conceive 

of a true friendship1 when some rare    
specimen of manhood presents itself4 ,it
 seems the mission of such to commend   
virtue to mankind1 not by any imperfect 
preaching of her word1 but by their own 
carriage and conduct4 ,we may then      
worship moral beauty without the        
formality of a religion4  ,they are some
 fresher wind that blows1 some new      
fragrance that breathes4 ,they make the 
landscape and the sky for us4         99
       99       99       99       99    
,the rules of other intercourse are all 
inapplicable to this4         99        
99       99       99       99  ,we are  
one virtue1 one truth1 one beauty4 ,all 
nature is our satellite1 whose light is 
dull and reflected4 ,she is subaltern to
 us1--an episode to our poem2 but we are
 primary1 and radiate light and heat to 
the system4         99       99       99
       99       99  ,i am only          
introduced once again to myself4        
99       99       99       99       99  
,conversation1 contact1 familiarity are 

the steps to it and instruments of it1  
but it is most perfect when these are   
done1 and distance and time oppose no   
barrier4         99       99       99   
99       99  ,i need not ask any man to 
be my friend1 more than the sun the     
earth to be attracted by him4 ,it is not
 his to give1 nor mine to receive4 ,i   
cannot pardon my enemy2 let him pardon  
himself4         99       99       99   
99       99  ,commonly we degrade ,love 
and ,friendship by presenting them under
 the aspect of a trivial dualism4       
99       99       99       99       99  
,what matter a few words more or less   
with my friend1--with all mankind2--they
 will still be my friends in spite of   
themselves4 ,let them stand aloof if    
they can6 ,as though the most formidable
 distance could rob me of any real      
sympathy or advantage6 ,no1 when such   
interests are at stake1 time1 and       
distance1 and difference fall into their
 own places4         99       99        
99       99       99  ,but alas6 to be  

actually separated from that parcel of  
heaven we call our friend1 with the     
suspicion that we shall no more meet in 
nature1 is source enough for all the    
elegies that ever were written4 ,but the
 true remedy will be to recover our     
friend again piecemeal1 wherever we can 
find a feature1 as etes gathered up the 
members of his son1 which ,medea had    
strewn in her path4         99       99 
99       99       99  ,the more complete
 our sympathy1 the more our senses are  
struck dumb1 and we are repressed by a  
delicate respect1 so that to indifferent
 eyes we are least his friend1 because  
no vulgar symbols pass between us4 ,on  
after thought1 perhaps1 we come to fear 
that we have been the losers by such    
seeming indifference1 but in truth that 
which withholds us is the bond between  
us4         99       99       99        
99       99  ,my friend will be as much 
better than myself as my aspiration is  
above my performance4         99        
99       99       99       99  ,this is 

most serene autumn weather4 ,the chirp  
of crickets may be heard at noon over   
all the land4 ,as in summer they are    
heard only at nightfall1 so now by their
 incessant chirp they usher in the      
evening of the year4#ajb ,the lively    
decay of autumn promises as infinite    
duration and freshness as the green     
leaves of spring4     ,,iv  #ahdj  7,t4 
#bb-bc7   ,,the ,,fisher',s ,,son#ajc   
,jan4 #aj4       ,i know the world where
 land and water meet1      ,by yonder   
hill abutting on the main2      ,one    
while ,i hear the waves incessant beat1 
,then1 turning round1 survey the land   
again4       ,within a humble cot that  
looks to sea1      ,daily ,i breathe    
this curious warm life2      ,beneath a 
friendly haven's sheltering lee      ,my
 noiseless day with myst'ry still is    
rife4       ',tis here1 they say1 my    
simple life began2      ,and easy credit
 to the tale ,i lend1      ,for well ,i 
know 'tis here ,i am a man4      ,but   
who will simply tell me of the end8     

,these eyes1 fresh opened1 spied the    
far-off ,sea1      ,which like a silent 
godfather did stand1      ,nor uttered  
one explaining word to me1      ,but    
introduced straight ,godmother ,land4   
,and yonder still stretches that silent 
main1      ,with many glancing ships    
besprinkled o'er2      ,and earnest     
still ,i gaze and gaze again      ,upon 
the selfsame waves and friendly shore1  
,till like a watery humor on the eye    
,it still appears whichever way ,i turn1
      ,its silent waste and mute        
o'erarching sky      ,with close-shut   
eyes ,i clearly still discern4          
,and yet with lingering doubt ,i haste  
each morn      ,to see if ocean still my
 gaze will greet1      ,and with each   
day once more to life am born1      ,and
 tread once more the earth with infant  
feet4         99       99       99      
99       99       ,my years are like a  
stroll upon the beach1      ,as near the
 ocean's edge as ,i can go2      ,my    
tardy steps its waves do oft o'erreach1 

,sometimes ,i stay to let them overflow4
       ,infinite work my hands find     
there to do1      ,gathering the relics 
which the waves upcast2      ,each storm
 doth scour the deep for something new1 
,and every time the strangest is the    
last4       ,my sole employment 'tis1   
and scrupulous care1      ,to place my  
gains beyond the reach of tides1        
,each smoother pebble1 and each shell   
more rare1      ,which ocean kindly to  
my hand confides4       ,i have no      
fellow-laborer on the shore2      ,they 
scorn the strand who sail upon the sea2 
,sometimes ,i think the ocean they've   
sailed o'er      ,is deeper known upon  
the strand to me4        ,the middle sea
 can show no crimson dulse1      ,its   
deeper waves cast up no pearls to view1 
,along the shore my hand is on its      
pulse1      ,whose feeble beat is       
elsewhere felt by few4       ,my        
neighbors come sometimes with lumb'ring 
carts4      ,as it would seem my        
pleasant toil to share1      ,but       

straightway take their loads to distant 
marts1      ,for only weeds and ballast 
are their care4         99       99     
99       99       99       ',tis by some
 strange coincidence1 if ,i      ,make  
common cause with ocean when he storms1 
,who can so well support a separate sky1
      ,and people it with multitude of  
forms4       ,oft in the stillness of   
the night ,i hear      ,some restless   
bird presage the coming din1      ,and  
distant murmurs faintly strike my ear   
,from some bold bluff projecting far    
within4       ,my stillest depths       
straightway do inly heave      ,more    
genially than rests the summer's calm2  
,the howling winds through my soul's    
cordage grieve1      ,till every shelf  
and ledge gives the alarm4       ,far   
from the shore the swelling billows     
rise1      ,and gathering strength come 
rolling to the land1      ,and1 as each 
wave retires1 and murmur dies1      ,i  
straight pursue upon the streaming sand1
       ,till the returning surge with   

gathered strength      ,compels once    
more the backward way to take1          
,and1 creeping up the beach a cable's   
length1      ,in many a thirsty hollow  
leaves a lake4       ,oft as some ruling
 star my tide has swelled      ,the sea 
can scarcely brag more wrecks than ,i2  
,ere other influence my waves has       
quelled1      ,the stanchest bark that  
floats is high and dry4   ,jan4 #ai4    
,by a strong liking we prevail          
,against the stoutest fort2      ,at    
length the fiercest heart will quail1   
,and our alliance court4   ,,friends    
,jan4 #bf4 ,they are like air bubbles on
 water1 hastening to flow together4     
,history tells of ,orestes and ,pylades1
 ,damon and ,pythias1 but why should not
 we put to shame those old reserved     
worthies by a community of such8        
99       99       99       99       99  
,constantly1 as it were through a remote
 skylight1 ,i have glimpses of a serene 
friendship-land1 and know the better why
 brooks murmur and violets grow4  ,this 

conjunction of souls1 like waves which  
meet and break1 subsides also backward  
over things1 and gives all a fresh      
aspect4         99       99       99    
99       99  ,i would live henceforth   
with some gentle soul such a life as may
 be conceived1 double for variety1      
single for harmony1--two1 only that we  
might admire at our oneness1--one1      
because indivisible4 ,such community to 
be a pledge of holy living4 ,how could  
aught unworthy be admitted into our     
society8 ,to listen with one ear to each
 summer sound1 to behold with one eye   
each summer scene1 our visual rays so to
 meet and mingle with the object as to  
be one bent and doubled2 with two       
tongues to be wearied1 and thought to   
spring ceaselessly from a double        
fountain4   ,,poetry  ,jan4 ,no         
definition of poetry is adequate unless 
it be poetry itself4 ,the most accurate 
analysis by the rarest wisdom is yet    
insufficient1 and the poet will         
instantly prove it false by setting     

aside its requisitions4#ajd ,it is      
indeed all that we do not know4  ,the   
poet does not need to see how meadows   
are something else than earth1 grass1   
and water1 but how they are thus much4  
,he does not need discover that potato  
blows are as beautiful as violets1 as   
the farmer thinks1 but only how good    
potato blows are4  ,the poem is drawn   
out from under the feet of the poet1 his
 whole weight has rested on this ground4
  ,it has a logic more severe than the  
logician's4  ,you might as well think to
 go in pursuit of the rainbow1 and      
embrace it on the next hill1 as to      
embrace the whole of poetry even in     
thought4 ,the best book is only an      
advertisement of it1 such as is         
sometimes sewed in with its cover4#aje  
99       99       99       99       99  
,its eccentric and unexplored orbit     
embraces the system4   ,jan4 #bg4 ,what 
a tame life we are living6 ,how little  
heroic it is6 ,let us devise never so   
perfect a system of living1 and         

straightway the soul leaves it to       
shuffle along its own way alone4 ,it is 
easy enough to establish a durable and  
harmonious routine2 immediately all     
parts of nature consent to it4#ajf ,the 
sun-dial still points to the noon mark1 
and the sun rises and sets for it4 ,the 
neighbors are never fatally obstinate   
when such a scheme is to be instituted2 
but forthwith all lend a hand1 and ring 
the bell1 and bring fuel and lights1 and
 put by work and don their best         
garments1 with an earnest conformity    
which matches the operations of nature4 
,there is always a present and extant   
life which all combine to uphold1 though
 its insufficiency is manifest          
enough4#ajg ,still the sing-song goes   
on4   ,jan4 #bi4 ,a friend in history   
looks like some premature soul4 ,the    
nearest approach to a community of love 
in these days is like the distant       
breaking of waves on the seashore4 ,an  
ocean there must be1 for it washes our  
beach4  ,this alone do all men sail for1

 trade for1 plow for1 preach for1 fight 
for4   ,,schylus  ,the ,greeks1 as the  
,southerns generally1 expressed         
themselves with more facility than we in
 distinct and lively images1 and as to  
the grace and completeness with which   
they treated the subjects suited to     
their genius they must be allowed to    
retain their ancient supremacy4 ,but a  
rugged and uncouth array of thought1    
though never so modern1 may rout them at
 any moment4 ,it remains for other than 
,greeks to write the literature of the  
next century4  schylus had a clear eye  
for the commonest things4 ,his genius   
was only an enlarged common sense4 ,he  
adverts with chaste severity to all     
natural facts4 ,his sublimity is ,greek 
sincerity and simpleness1 naked wonder  
which mythology had not helped to       
explain4  ,tydeus' shield had for device
       ,an artificial heaven blazing    
with stars2      ,a bright full moon in 
the midst of the shield1      ,eldest of
 stars1 eye of night1 is prominent4     

99       99       99       99       99  
,the ,greeks were stern but simple      
children in their literature4 ,we have  
gained nothing by the few ages which we 
have the start of them4 ,this universal 
wondering at those old men is as if a   
matured grown person should discover    
that the aspirations of his youth argued
 a diviner life than the contented      
wisdom of his manhood4         99       
99       99       99       99  ,he is   
competent to express any of the common  
manly feelings4 ,if his hero is to make 
a boast1 it does not lack fullness1 it  
is as boastful as could be desired2 he  
has a flexible mouth1 and can fill it   
readily with strong1 round words1 so    
that you will say the man's speech wants
 nothing1 he has left nothing unsaid1   
but he has actually wiped his lips of   
it4  ,whatever the common eye sees at   
all and expresses as best it may1 he    
sees uncommonly and describes with rare 
completeness4 ,the multitude that       
thronged the theatre could no doubt go  

along with him to the end4 ,the ,greeks 
had no transcendent geniuses like       
,milton and ,shakespeare1 whose merit   
only posterity could fully appreciate4  
99       99       99       99       99  
,the social condition of genius is the  
same in all ages4 schylus was           
undoubtedly alone and without sympathy  
in his simple reverence for the mystery 
of the universe4   ,feb4 #aj4           
,,criticism ,,on ,,aulus ,,persius      
,,flaccus#ajh   ,feb4 #aa4 ,truth1 says 
,lord ,bacon1 may perhaps come to the   
price of a pearl1 that sheweth best by  
day2 but it will not rise to the price  
of a diamond or carbuncle1 which sheweth
 best in varied lights4 ,like the pearl1
 truth shines with a steady but pale    
light which invites to introspection2 it
 is intrinsically bright1 not           
accidentally as the diamond4 ,we seem to
 behold its rear always1 as though it   
were not coming toward us but retiring  
from us4 ,its light is not reflected    
this way1 but we see the sombre and     

wrong side of its rays4 ,as the dust in 
his beams makes known that the sun      
shines4  ,falsehoods that glare and     
dazzle are sloped toward us1 reflecting 
full in our faces even the light of the 
sun4 ,wait till sunset1 or go round     
them1 and the falsity will be apparent4 
99       99       99       99       99  
,it is never enough that our life is an 
easy one4 ,we must live on the stretch2 
not be satisfied with a tame and        
undisturbed round of weeks and days1 but
 retire to our rest like soldiers on the
 eve of a battle1 looking forward with  
ardor to the strenuous sortie of the    
morrow4#aji ,sit not down in the popular
 seats and common level of virtues1 but 
endeavor to make them heroical4 ,offer  
not only peace offerings but holocausts 
unto ,god4 ,to the brave soldier the    
rust and leisure of peace are harder    
than the fatigues of war4 ,as our bodies
 court physical encounters1 and languish
 in the mild and even climate of the    
tropics1 so our souls thrive best on    

unrest and discontent4#aaj  ,he enjoys  
true leisure who has time to improve his
 soul's estate4   ,feb4 #ab4 ,opposition
 is often so strong a likeness as to    
remind us of the difference4         99 
99       99       99       99  ,truth   
has properly no opponent1 for nothing   
gets so far up on the other side as to  
be opposite4 ,she looks broadcast over  
the field and sees no opponent4  ,the   
ring-leader of the mob will soonest be  
admitted into the councils of state4    
99       99       99       99       99  
,knavery is more foolish than folly1 for
 that1 half knowing its own foolishness1
 it still persists4 ,the knave has      
reduced folly to a system1 is the       
prudent1 common-sense fool4 ,the witling
 has the simplicity and directness of   
genius1 is the inspired fool4 ,his      
incomprehensible ravings become the     
creed of the dishonest of a succeeding  
era4   ,feb4 #ac4 ,an act of integrity  
is to an act of duty what the ,french   
verb tre is to devoir4 ,duty is ce que  

devrait tre4  ,duty belongs to the      
understanding1 but genius is not        
dutiful1 the highest talent is dutiful4 
,goodness results from the wisest use of
 talent4  ,the perfect man has both     
genius and talent4 ,the one is his head1
 the other his foot2 by one he is1 by   
the other he lives4  ,the               
unconsciousness of man is the           
consciousness of ,god1 the end of the   
world4#aaa  ,the very thrills of genius 
are disorganizing4 ,the body is never   
quite acclimated to its atmosphere1 but 
how often succumbs and goes into a      
decline6   ,feb4 #ad4 ,beauty lives by  
rhymes4 ,double a deformity is a beauty4
 ,draw this blunt quill over the paper1 
and fold it once transversely to the    
line1 pressing it suddenly before the   
ink dries1 and a delicately shaded and  
regular figure is the result1 which art 
cannot surpass4#aab         99       99 
99       99       99  ,a very meagre    
natural history suffices to make me a   
child4 ,only their names and genealogy  

make me love fishes4 ,i would know even 
the number of their fin-rays1 and how   
many scales compose the lateral line4 ,i
 fancy ,i am amphibious and swim in all 
the brooks and pools in the             
neighborhood1 with the perch and bream1 
or doze under the pads of our river amid
 the winding aisles and corridors formed
 by their stems1 with the stately       
pickerel4 ,i am the wiser in respect to 
all knowledges1 and the better qualified
 for all fortunes1 for knowing that     
there is a minnow in the brook4         
,methinks ,i have need even of his      
sympathy1 and to be his fellow in a     
degree4 ,i do like him sometimes when he
 balances himself for an hour over the  
yellow floor of his basin4#aac   ,feb4  
#ae4 ,the good seem to inhale a more    
generous atmosphere and be bathed in a  
more precious light than other men4     
,accordingly ,virgil describes the sedes
 beatas thus3--       ,largior hic      
campos aether et lumine vestit          
,purpureo3 ,solemque suum1 sua sidera   

nrunt4#aad   ,feb4 #af4 ,divination is  
prospective memory4         99       99 
99       99       99  ,there is a       
kindred principle at the bottom of all  
affinities4 ,the magnet cultivates a    
steady friendship with the pole1 all    
bodies with all others4 ,the            
friendliness of nature is that goddess  
,ceres who presides over every sowing   
and harvest1 and we bless the same in   
sun and rain4 ,the seed in the ground   
tarries for a season with its genial    
friends there2 all the earths and       
grasses and minerals are its hosts1 who 
entertain it hospitably1 and plenteous  
crops and teeming wagons are the result4
   ,feb4 #ah4 ,all romance is grounded  
on friendship4 ,what is this rural1 this
 pastoral1 this poetical life but its   
invention8 ,does not the moon shine for 
,endymion8 ,smooth pastures and mild    
airs are for some ,corydon and ,phyllis4
 ,paradise belongs to ,adam and ,eve4   
,plato's republic is governed by        
,platonic love4   ,feb4 #bj4 ,the       

coward's hope is suspicion1 the hero's  
doubt a sort of hope4 ,the gods neither 
hope nor doubt4   ,feb4 #bb4 ,the river 
is unusually high1 owing to the melting 
of the snow4 ,men go in boats over their
 gardens and potato-fields1 and all the 
children of the village are on tiptoe to
 see whose fence will be carried away   
next4 ,great numbers of muskrats1 which 
have been driven out of their holes by  
the water1 are killed by the sportsmen4 
,they are to us instead of the beaver4  
,the wind from over the meadows is laden
 with a strong scent of musk1 and by its
 racy freshness advertises us of an     
unexplored wildness4 ,those backwoods   
are not far off4 ,i am affected by the  
sight of their cabins of mud and grass1 
raised four or five feet1 along the     
river1 as when ,i read of the ,pyramids1
 or the barrows of ,asia4#aae  ,people  
step brisker in the street for this     
unusual movement of the waters4 ,you    
seem to hear the roar of a waterfall and
 the din of factories where the river   

breaks over the road4  ,who would have  
thought that a few feet might not have  
been spared from the trunks of most     
trees8 ,such as grow in the meadows1 and
 are now surrounded by that depth of    
water1 have a dwarfish appearance4 ,no  
matter whether they are longer or       
shorter1 they are now equally out of    
proportion4   ,,the ,,freshet  ,feb4    
#bd4       ,a stir is on the ,worcester 
hills1      ,and ,nobscot too the valley
 fills2      ,where scarce you'd fill an
 acorn cup      ,in summer when the sun 
was up1      ,no more you'll find a cup 
at all1      ,but in its place a        
waterfall4       ,o that the moon were  
in conjunction      ,to the dry land's  
extremest unction1      ,till every dike
 and pier were flooded1      ,and all   
the land with islands studded1      ,for
 once to teach all human kind1          
,both those that plow and those that    
grind1      ,there is no fixture in the 
land1      ,but all unstable is as sand4
       ,the river swelleth more and     

more1      ,like some sweet influence   
stealing o'er      ,the passive town2   
and for a while      ,each tussock makes
 a tiny isle1      ,where1 on some      
friendly ,ararat1      ,resteth the     
weary water-rat4       ,no ripple shows 
,musketaquid1      ,her very current    
e'en is hid1      ,as deepest souls do  
calmest rest      ,when thoughts are    
swelling in the breast2      ,and she1  
that in the summer's drought      ,doth 
make a rippling and a rout1      ,sleeps
 from ,nawshawtuct to the ,cliff1       
,unruffled by a single skiff2      ,so  
like a deep and placid mind      ,whose 
currents underneath it wind1      ,for  
by a thousand distant hills      ,the   
louder roar a thousand rills1      ,and 
many a spring which now is dumb1        
,and many a stream with smothered hum1  
,doth faster well and swifter glide1    
,though buried deep beneath the tide4   
,our village shows a rural ,venice1     
,its broad lagunes where yonder fen is1 
,far lovelier than the ,bay of ,naples  

,yon placid cove amid the maples1       
,and in my neighbor's field of corn     
,i recognize the ,golden ,horn4         
,here ,nature taught from year to year1 
,when only red men came to hear1        
,methinks 'twas in this school of art   
,venice and ,naples learned their part1 
,but still their mistress1 to my mind1  
,her young disciples leaves behind4#aaf 
,feb4 #bf4 ,the most important events   
make no stir on their first taking      
place1 nor indeed in their effects      
directly4 ,they seem hedged about by    
secrecy4 ,it is concussion1 or the      
rushing together of air to fill a       
vacuum1 which makes a noise4 ,the great 
events to which all things consent1 and 
for which they have prepared the way1   
produce no explosion1 for they are      
gradual1 and create no vacuum which     
requires to be suddenly filled2 as a    
birth takes place in silence1 and is    
whispered about the neighborhood1 but an
 assassination1 which is at war with the
 constitution of things1 creates a      

tumult immediately4  ,corn grows in the 
night4#aag   ,feb4 #bg4 ,some geniuses  
seem to hover in the horizon1 like heat 
lightning1 which is not accompanied with
 fertilizing rain to us1 but we are     
obliged to rest contented with the      
belief that it is purifying the air     
somewhere4 ,others make known their     
presence by their effects1 like that    
vivid lightning which is accompanied by 
copious rain and thunder and1 though it 
clears our atmosphere1 sometimes        
destroys our lives4 ,others still impart
 a steady and harmless light at once to 
large tracts1 as the aurora borealis2   
and this phenomenon is hardest to be    
accounted for1 some thinking it to be a 
reflection of the polar splendor1 others
 a subtle fluid which pervades all      
things and tends always to the zenith4  
,all are agreed that these are equally  
electrical phenomena1 as some clever    
persons have shown by drawing a spark   
with their knuckles4 ,modern philosophy 
thinks it has drawn down lightning from 

the clouds4   ,feb4 #bh4 ,on the death  
of a friend1 we should consider that the
 fates through confidence have devolved 
on us the task of a double living1 that 
we have henceforth to fulfill the       
promise of our friend's life also1 in   
our own1 to the world4   ,feb4 #bi4 ,a  
friend advises by his whole             
behavior1#aah and never condescends to  
particulars2 another chides away a      
fault1 he loves it away4 ,while he sees 
the other's error1 he is silently       
conscious of it1 and only the more loves
 truth himself1 and assists his friend  
in loving it1 till the fault is expelled
 and gently extinguished4   ,march #b4  
,love is the burden of all ,nature's    
odes4 ,the song of the birds is an      
epithalamium1 a hymeneal4 ,the marriage 
of the flowers spots the meadows and    
fringes the hedges with pearls and      
diamonds4 ,in the deep water1 in the    
high air1 in woods and pastures1 and the
 bowels of the earth1 this is the       
employment and condition of all things4 

,march #d4 ,i learned to-day that my    
ornithology had done me no service4 ,the
 birds ,i heard1 which fortunately did  
not come within the scope of my science1
 sung as freshly as if it had been the  
first morning of creation1 and had for  
background to their song an untrodden   
wilderness1 stretching through many a   
,carolina and ,mexico of the soul4#aai  
,march #f4 ,there is no delay in        
answering great questions2 for them all 
things have an answer ready4 ,the       
,pythian priestess gave her answers     
instantly1 and ofttimes before the      
questions were fairly propounded4 ,great
 topics do not wait for past or future  
to be determined1 but the state of the  
crops or ,brighton market no bird       
concerns itself about4   ,march #h4 ,the
 wind shifts from northeast and east to 
northwest and south1 and every icicle   
which has tinkled on the meadow grass so
 long trickles down its stem and seeks  
its water level unerringly with a       
million comrades4 ,in the ponds the ice 

cracks with a busy and inspiriting din  
and down the larger streams is whirled1 
grating hoarsely and crashing its way   
along1 which was so lately a firm field 
for the woodman's team and the fox1     
sometimes with the tracks of the skaters
 still fresh upon it1 and the holes cut 
for pickerel4 ,town committees inspect  
the bridges and causeways1 as if by mere
 eye-force to intercede with the ice and
 save the treasury4  ,in the brooks the 
slight grating sound of small cakes of  
ice1 floating with various speed1 is    
full of content and promise1 and where  
the water gurgles under a natural       
bridge1 you may hear these hasty rafts  
hold conversation in an undertone4      
,every rill is a channel for the juices 
of the meadow4#abj ,last year's grasses 
and flower-stalks have been steeped in  
rain and snow1 and now the brooks flow  
with meadow tea1--thoroughwort1 mint1   
flagroot1 and pennyroyal1 all at one    
draught4  ,in the ponds the sun makes   
incroachments around the edges first1 as

 ice melts in a kettle on the fire1     
darting his rays through this crevice1  
and preparing the deep water to act     
simultaneously on the under side4       
,two years and twenty now have flown2   
,their meanness time away has flung2    
,these limbs to man's estate have grown1
      ,but cannot claim a manly tongue4 
,amidst such boundless wealth without   
,i only still am poor within2      ,the 
birds have sung their summer out1       
,but still my spring does not begin4    
,in vain ,i see the morning rise1       
,in vain observe the western blaze1     
,who idly look to other skies1          
,expecting life by other ways4          
,the sparrow sings at earliest dawn1    
,building her nest without delay2       
,all things are ripe to hear her song1  
,and now arrives the perfect day4       
,shall ,i then wait the autumn wind1    
,compelled to seek a milder ray1        
,and leave no empty nest behind1        
,no wood still echoing to my lay8#aba   
,march #af4 ,the cabins of the settlers 

are the points whence radiate these rays
 of green and yellow and russet over the
 landscape2 out of these go the axes and
 spades with which the landscape is     
painted4 ,how much is the ,indian summer
 and the budding of spring related to   
the cottage8 ,have not the flight of the
 crow and the gyrations of the hawk a   
reference to that roof8         99      
99       99       99       99  ,the     
ducks alight at this season on the      
windward side of the river1 in the      
smooth water1 and swim about by twos and
 threes1 pluming themselves and diving  
to peck at the root of the lily and the 
cranberries which the frost has not     
loosened4 ,it is impossible to approach 
them within gunshot when they are       
accompanied by the gull1 which rises    
sooner and makes them restless4 ,they   
fly to windward first1 in order to get  
under weigh1 and are more easily reached
 by the shot if approached on that side4
 ,when preparing to fly1 they swim about
 with their heads erect1 and then1      

gliding along a few feet with their     
bodies just touching the surface1 rise  
heavily with much splashing and fly low 
at first1 if not suddenly aroused1 but  
otherwise rise directly to survey the   
danger4 ,the cunning sportsman is not in
 haste to desert his position1 but waits
 to ascertain if1 having got themselves 
into flying trim1 they will not return  
over the ground in their course to a new
 resting-place4   ,march #bj4 ,in       
society all the inspiration of my lonely
 hours seems to flow back on me1 and    
then first have expression4  ,love never
 degrades its votaries1 but lifts them  
up to higher walks of being4 ,they      
over-look one another4 ,all other       
charities are swallowed up in this2 it  
is gift and reward both4  ,we will have 
no vulgar ,cupid for a go-between1 to   
make us the playthings of each other1   
but rather cultivate an irreconcilable  
hatred instead of this4   ,march #ba4   
,the world is a fit theatre to-day in   
which any part may be acted4 ,there is  

this moment proposed to me every kind of
 life that men lead anywhere1 or that   
imagination can paint4 ,by another      
spring ,i may be a mail-carrier in      
,peru1 or a ,south ,african planter1 or 
a ,siberian exile1 or a ,greenland      
whaler1 or a settler on the ,columbia   
,river1 or a ,canton merchant1 or a     
soldier in ,florida1 or a               
mackerel-fisher off ,cape ,sable1 or a  
,robinson ,crusoe in the ,pacific1 or a 
silent navigator of any sea4 ,so wide is
 the choice of parts1 what a pity if the
 part of ,hamlet be left out6  ,i am    
freer than any planet2 no complaint     
reaches round the world4 ,i can move    
away from public opinion1 from          
government1 from religion1 from         
education1 from society4 ,shall ,i be   
reckoned a ratable poll in the county of
 ,middlesex1 or be rated at one spear   
under the palm trees of ,guinea8 ,shall 
,i raise corn and potatoes in           
,massachusetts1 or figs and olives in   
,asia ,minor8 sit out the day in my     

office in ,state ,street1 or ride it out
 on the steppes of ,tartary8 ,for my    
,brobdingnag ,i may sail to ,patagonia2 
for my ,lilliput1 to ,lapland4 ,in      
,arabia and ,persia1 my day's adventures
 may surpass the ,arabian ,nights'      
,entertainments4 ,i may be a logger on  
the head waters of the ,penobscot1 to be
 recorded in fable hereafter as an      
amphibious river-god1 by as sounding a  
name as ,triton or ,proteus2 carry furs 
from ,nootka to ,china1 and so be more  
renowned than ,jason and his golden     
fleece2 or go on a ,south ,sea exploring
 expedition1 to be hereafter recounted  
along with the periplus of ,hanno4 ,i   
may repeat the adventures of ,marco     
,polo or ,mandeville4  ,these are but   
few of my chances1 and how many more    
things may ,i do with which there are   
none to be compared6         99       99
       99       99       99  ,thank     
,fortune1 we are not rooted to the soil1
 and here is not all the world4 ,the    
buckeye does not grow in ,new ,england2 

the mockingbird is rarely heard here4   
,why not keep pace with the day1 and not
 allow of a sunset nor fall behind the  
summer and the migration of birds8      
,shall we not compete with the buffalo1 
who keeps pace with the seasons1        
cropping the pastures of the ,colorado  
till a greener and sweeter grass awaits 
him by the ,yellowstone8 ,the wild goose
 is more a cosmopolite than we2 he      
breaks his fast in ,canada1 takes a     
luncheon in the ,susquehanna1 and plumes
 himself for the night in a ,louisiana  
bayou4 ,the pigeon carries an acorn in  
his crop from the ,king of ,holland's to
 ,mason and ,dixon's line4 ,yet we think
 if rail fences are pulled down and     
stone walls set up on our farms1 bounds 
are henceforth set to our lives and our 
fates decided4 ,if you are chosen town  
clerk1 forsooth1 you can't go to ,tierra
 del ,fuego this summer4#abb  ,but what 
of all this8 ,a man may gather his limbs
 snugly within the shell of a mammoth   
squash1 with his back to the            

northeastern boundary1 and not be       
unusually straitened after all4 ,our    
limbs1 indeed1 have room enough1 but it 
is our souls that rust in a corner4 ,let
 us migrate interiorly without          
intermission1 and pitch our tent each   
day nearer the western horizon4 ,the    
really fertile soils and luxuriant      
prairies lie on this side the           
,alleghanies4 ,there has been no ,hanno 
of the affections4 ,their domain is     
untravelled ground1 to the ,mogul's     
dominions4   ,march #bb4 ,while ,i bask 
in the sun on the shores of ,walden     
,pond1 by this heat and this rustle ,i  
am absolved from all obligation to the  
past4 ,the council of nations may       
reconsider their votes2 the grating of a
 pebble annuls them4#abc   ,march #bg4  
,how many are now standing on the       
,european coast whom another spring will
 find located on the ,red ,river1 or    
,wisconsin6 ,to-day we live an          
antediluvian life on our quiet          
homesteads1 and to-morrow are           

transported to the turmoil and bustle of
 a crusading era4  ,think how finite    
after all the known world is4 ,money    
coined at ,philadelphia is a legal      
tender over how much of it6 ,you may    
carry ship biscuit1 beef1 and pork quite
 round to the place you set out from4   
,england sends her felons to the other  
side for safe keeping and convenience4  
,march #cj4 ,pray1 what things interest 
me at present8 ,a long1 soaking rain1   
the drops trickling down the stubble1   
while ,i lay drenched on a last year's  
bed of wild oats1 by the side of some   
bare hill1 ruminating4 ,these things are
 of moment4 ,to watch this crystal globe
 just sent from heaven to associate with
 me4 ,while these clouds and this sombre
 drizzling weather shut all in1 we two  
draw nearer and know one another4 ,the  
gathering in of the clouds with the last
 rush and dying breath of the wind1 and 
then the regular dripping of twigs and  
leaves the country o'er1 the impression 
of inward comfort and sociableness1 the 

drenched stubble and trees that drop    
beads on you as you pass1 their dim     
outline seen through the rain on all    
sides drooping in sympathy with         
yourself4 ,these are my undisputed      
territory4 ,this is ,nature's ,english  
comfort4 ,the birds draw closer and are 
more familiar under the thick foliage1  
composing new strains on their roosts   
against the sunshine4   ,april #d4 ,we  
look to windward for fair weather4      
,april #h4 ,how shall ,i help myself8   
,by withdrawing into the garret1 and    
associating with spiders and mice1      
determining to meet myself face to face 
sooner or later4 ,completely silent and 
attentive ,i will be this hour1 and the 
next1 and forever4 ,the most positive   
life that history notices has been a    
constant retiring out of life1 a wiping 
one's hands of it1 seeing how mean it   
is1 and having nothing to do with it4   
,april #i4 ,i read in ,cudworth how     
,origen determines that the stars do not
 make but signify2 and that the heavens 

are a kind of divine volume1 in whose   
characters they that are skilled may    
read or spell out human events4 ,nothing
 can be truer1 and yet astrology is     
possible4 ,men seem to be just on the   
point of discerning a truth when the    
imposition is greatest4   ,april #ag4   
,farewell1 etiquette6 ,my neighbor      
inhabits a hollow sycamore1 and ,i a    
beech tree4 ,what then becomes of       
morning calls with cards1 and deference 
paid to door-knockers and front entries1
 and presiding at one's own table8      
,april #ai4 ,the infinite bustle of     
,nature of a summer's noon1 or her      
infinite silence of a summer's night1   
gives utterance to no dogma4 ,they do   
not say to us even with a seer's        
assurance1 that this or that law is     
immutable and so ever and only can the  
universe exist4 ,but they are the       
indifferent occasion for all things and 
the annulment of all laws4   ,april #bj4
 ,the universe will not wait to be      
explained4 ,whoever seriously attempts a

 theory of it is already behind his age4
 ,his yea has reserved no nay for the   
morrow4  ,the wisest solution is no     
better than dissolution4 ,already the   
seer whispers his convictions to bare   
walls2 no audience in the land can      
attend to them4         99       99     
99       99       99  ,an early morning 
walk is a blessing for the whole day4   
,to my neighbors who have risen in mist 
and rain ,i tell of a clear sunrise and 
the singing of birds as some            
traditionary mythus4 ,i look back to    
those fresh but now remote hours as to  
the old dawn of time1 when a solid and  
blooming health reigned and every deed  
was simple and heroic4   ,april #bb4    
,thales was the first of the ,greeks who
 taught that souls are immortal1 and it 
takes equal wisdom to discern this old  
fact to-day4 ,what the first philosopher
 taught1 the last will have to repeat4  
,the world makes no progress4         99
       99       99       99       99  ,i
 cannot turn on my heel in a carpeted   

room4 ,what a gap in the morning is a   
breakfast6 ,a supper supersedes the     
sunset4         99       99       99    
99       99  ,methinks ,i hear the ranz 
des vaches and shall soon be tempted to 
desert4         99       99       99    
99       99  ,will not one thick garment
 suffice for three thin ones8 ,then ,i  
shall be less compound1 and can lay my  
hand on myself in the dark4   ,may #ad4 
,a kind act or gift lays us under       
obligation not so much to the giver as  
to ,truth and ,love4 ,we must then be   
truer and kinder ourselves4 ,just in    
proportion to our sense of the kindness1
 and pleasure at it1 is the debt paid4  
,what is it to be grateful but to be    
gratified1--to be pleased8 ,the nobly   
poor will dissolve all obligations by   
nobly accepting a kindness4         99  
99       99       99       99  ,if we   
are not sensible of kindness1 then      
indeed we incur a debt4 ,not to be      
pleased by generous deeds at any time1  
though done to another1 but to sit      

crabbedly silent in a corner1 what is it
 but a voluntary imprisonment for debt8 
,it is to see the world through a       
grating4 ,not to let the light of       
virtuous actions shine on us at all     
times1 through every crevice1 is to live
 in a dungeon4         99       99      
99       99       99  ,war is the       
sympathy of concussion4 ,we would fain  
rub one against another4 ,its rub may be
 friction merely1 but it would rather be
 titillation4 ,we discover in the       
quietest scenes how faithfully war has  
copied the moods of peace4 ,men do not  
peep into heaven but they see embattled 
hosts there4 ,milton's heaven was a     
camp4 ,when the sun bursts through the  
morning fog ,i seem to hear the din of  
war louder than when his chariot        
thundered on the plains of ,troy4 ,every
 man is a warrior when he aspires4 ,he  
marches on his post4 ,the soldier is the
 practical idealist2 he has no sympathy 
with matter1 he revels in the           
annihilation of it4 ,so do we all at    

times4 ,when a freshet destroys the     
works of man1 or a fire consumes them1  
or a ,lisbon earthquake shakes them     
down1 our sympathy with persons is      
swallowed up in a wider sympathy with   
the universe4 ,a crash is apt to grate  
agreeably on our ears4         99       
99       99       99       99  ,let not 
the faithful sorrow that he has no ear  
for the more fickle harmonies of        
creation1 if he is awake to the slower  
measure of virtue and truth4 ,if his    
pulse does not beat in unison with the  
musician's quips and turns1 it accords  
with the pulse-beat of the ages4#abd    
,june #aa4 ,we had appointed ,saturday1 
,august #cast1 #ahci1 for the           
commencement of our ,white ,mountain    
expedition4 ,we awake to a warm1        
drizzling rain which threatens delay to 
our plans1 but at length the leaves and 
grass are dried1 and it comes out a mild
 afternoon1 of such a sober serenity and
 freshness that ,nature herself seems   
maturing some greater scheme of her own4

 ,all things wear the aspect of a       
fertile idleness4 ,it is the eventide of
 the soul4 ,after this long dripping and
 oozing from every pore ,nature begins  
to respire again more healthily than    
ever4 ,so with a vigorous shove we      
launch our boat from the bank1 while the
 flags and bulrushes curtsy a           
,god-speed1 and drop silently down the  
stream4#abe ,as if we had launched our  
bark in the sluggish current of our     
thoughts1 and were bound nowhither4     
,gradually the village murmur subsides1 
as when one falls into a placid dream   
and on its ,lethe tide is floated from  
the past into the future1 or as silently
 as fresh thoughts awaken us to new     
morning or evening light4#abf  ,our     
boat#abg was built like a fisherman's   
dory1 with thole-pins for four oars4    
,below it was green with a border of    
blue1 as if out of courtesy to the green
 sea and the blue heavens4 ,it was well 
calculated for service1 but of          
consequence difficult to be dragged over

 shoal places or carried round falls4   
,a boat should have a sort of life and  
independence of its own4 ,it is a sort  
of amphibious animal1 a creature of two 
elements1 a fish to swim and a bird to  
fly1 related by one half of its         
structure to some swift and shapely fish
 and by the other to some strong-winged 
and graceful bird4 ,the fins of the fish
 will tell where to set the oars1 and   
the tail give some hint for the form and
 position of the rudder4 ,and so may we 
learn where there should be the greatest
 breadth of beam and depth in the hold4 
,the bird will show how to rig and trim 
the sails1 and what form to give to the 
prow1 that it may balance the boat and  
divide the air and water best4  ,the    
boat took to the water2 from of old     
there had been a tacit league struck    
between these two1 and now it gladly    
availed itself of the old law that the  
heavier shall float the lighter4  ,two  
masts we had provided1 one to serve for 
a tent-pole at night1 and likewise other

 slender poles1 that we might exchange  
the tedium of rowing for poling in      
shallow reaches4 ,at night we lay on a  
buffalo-skin under a tent of drilled    
cotton eight feet high and as many in   
diameter1 which effectually defended    
from dampness1 so short a step is it    
from tiled roofs to drilled cotton1 from
 carpeted floors to a buffalo-skin4#abh 
,there were a few berries left still on 
the hills1 hanging with brave content by
 the slenderest threads4#abi  ,as the   
night stole over1 such a freshness stole
 across the meadow that every blade of  
cut-grass seemed to teem with life4#acj 
,we stole noiselessly down the stream1  
occasionally driving a pickerel from the
 covert of the pads1 or a bream from her
 nest1 and the small green bittern would
 now and then sail away on sluggish     
wings from some recess of the shore4#aca
 ,with its patient study by rocks and   
sandy capes1 has it wrested the whole of
 her secret from ,nature yet8 ,it has   
looked out from its dull eye for so     

long1 standing on one leg1 on moon and  
stars sparkling through silence and     
dark1 and now what a rich experience is 
its6 ,what says it of stagnant pools1   
and reeds1 and damp night fogs8 ,it     
would be worth while to look in the eye 
which has been open and seeing at such  
hours and in such solitudes4 ,when ,i   
behold that dull yellowish green1 ,i    
wonder if my own soul is not a bright1  
invisible green4 ,i would fain lay my   
eye side by side with its and learn of  
it4#acb   ,end of my ,journal of #edf   
pages4#acc   ,june #ad4                 
4--,aristotle's definition of art4#acd  
4--,chaldaic ,oracles4      1  1  1     
4--,inscription upon the temple at      
,sais4  ,plotinus aimed at 1 and   1 and
        4     '   4--,,euripides in     
,orestes4  ,the right ,reason is in part
 divine1 in part human2 the second can  
be expressed1 but no language can       
translate the first4--,,empedocles4     
,in glory and in joy1      ,behind his  
plough1 upon the mountain-side6#ace  ,i 

seemed to see the woods wave on a       
hundred mountains1 as ,i read these     
lines1 and the distant rustling of their
 leaves reached my ear4   ,june #ae4 ,i 
stood by the river to-day considering   
the forms of the elms reflected in the  
water4 ,for every oak and birch1 too1   
growing on the hilltop1 as well as for  
elms and willows1 there is a graceful   
ethereal tree making down from the      
roots1 as it were the original idea of  
the tree1 and sometimes ,nature in high 
tides brings her mirror to its foot and 
makes it visible4#acf ,anxious ,nature  
sometimes reflects from pools and       
puddles the objects which our grovelling
 senses may fail to see relieved against
 the sky with the pure ether for        
background4  ,it would be well if we saw
 ourselves as in perspective always1    
impressed with distinct outline on the  
sky1 side by side with the shrubs on the
 river's brim4 ,so let our life stand to
 heaven as some fair1 sunlit tree       
against the western horizon1 and by     

sunrise be planted on some eastern hill 
to glisten in the first rays of the     
dawn4         99       99       99      
99       99  ,why always insist that men
 incline to the moral side of their     
being8 ,our life is not all moral4      
,surely1 its actual phenomena deserve to
 be studied impartially4 ,the science of
 ,human ,nature has never been          
attempted1 as the science of ,nature    
has4 ,the dry light has never shone on  
it4 ,neither physics nor metaphysics    
have touched it4         99       99    
99       99       99  ,we have not yet  
met with a sonnet1 genial and           
affectionate1 to prophane swearing1     
breaking on the still night air1        
perhaps1 like the hoarse croak of some  
bird4 ,noxious weeds and stagnant waters
 have their lovers1 and the utterer of  
oaths must have honeyed lips1 and be    
another ,attic bee after a fashion1 for 
only prevalent and essential harmony and
 beauty can employ the laws of sound and
 of light4    ,illustration3 ,trees     

,reflected in the ,river   ,june #af4   
,the river down which we glided for that
 long afternoon was like a clear drop of
 dew with the heavens and the landscape 
reflected in it4 ,and as evening drew   
on1 faint purple clouds began to be     
reflected in its water1 and the         
cow-bells tinkled louder and more       
incessantly on the banks1 and like shy  
water-rats we stole along near the      
shore1 looking out for a place to pitch 
our camp4#acg  ,it seems insensibly to  
grow lighter as night shuts in2 the     
furthest hamlet begins to be revealed1  
which before lurked in the shade of the 
noon4#ach ,it twinkles now through the  
trees like some fair evening star       
darting its ray across valley and wood4 
99       99       99       99       99  
,would it not be a luxury to stand up to
 one's chin in some retired swamp for a 
whole summer's day1 scenting the        
sweet-fern and bilberry blows1 and      
lulled by the minstrelsy of gnats and   
mosquitoes8 ,a day passed in the society

 of those ,greek sages1 such as         
described in the ,banquet of ,xenophon1 
would not be comparable with the dry wit
 of decayed cranberry vines1 and the    
fresh ,attic salt of the moss beds4 ,say
 twelve hours of genial and familiar    
converse with the leopard frog4 ,the sun
 to rise behind alder and dogwood1 and  
climb buoyantly to his meridian of three
 hands' breadth1 and finally sink to    
rest behind some bold western hummock4  
,to hear the evening chant of the       
mosquito from a thousand green chapels1 
and the bittern begin to boom from his  
concealed fort like a sunset gun6       
,surely1 one may as profitably be soaked
 in the juices of a marsh for one day1  
as pick his way dry-shod over sand4     
,cold and damp1--are they not as rich   
experience as warmth and dryness8#aci   
,so is not shade as good as sunshine1   
night as day8 ,why be eagles and        
thrushes always1 and owls and           
whip-poor-wills never8         99       
99       99       99       99  ,i am    

pleased to see the landscape through the
 bottom of a tumbler1 it is clothed in  
such a mild1 quiet light1 and the barns 
and fences checker and partition it with
 new regularity4 ,these rough and uneven
 fields stretch away with lawn-like     
smoothness to the horizon4 ,the clouds  
are finely distinct and picturesque1 the
 light-blue sky contrasting with their  
feathery whiteness4 ,they are fit       
drapery to hang over ,persia4#adj ,the  
smith's shop1 resting in such a ,grecian
 light1 is worthy to stand beside the   
,parthenon4 ,the potato and grain fields
 are such gardens as he imagines who has
 schemes of ornamental husbandry4  ,if  
,i were to write of the dignity of the  
farmer's life1 ,i would behold his farms
 and crops through a tumbler4 ,all the  
occupations of men are ennobled so4     
,our eyes1 too1 are convex lenses1 but  
we do not learn with the eyes2 they     
introduce us1 and we learn after by     
converse with things4   ,june #ag4 ,our 
lives will not attain to be spherical by

 lying on one or the other side forever2
 but only by resigning ourselves to the 
law of gravity in us1 will our axis     
become coincident with the celestial    
axis1 and only by revolving incessantly 
through all circles1 shall we acquire a 
perfect sphericity4#ada         99      
99       99       99       99  ,men are 
inclined to lay the chief stress on     
likeness and not on difference4 ,we seek
 to know how a thing is related to us1  
and not if it is strange4 ,we call those
 bodies warm whose temperature is many  
degrees below our own1 and never those  
cold which are warmer than we4 ,there   
are many degrees of warmth below blood  
heat1 but none of cold above it4#adb    
99       99       99       99       99  
,even the motto ,business before friends
 admits of a high interpretation4 ,no   
interval of time can avail to defer     
friendship4 ,the concerns of time must  
be attended to in time4 ,i need not make
 haste to explore the whole secret of a 
star2 if it were vanished quite out of  

the firmament1 so that no telescope     
could longer discover it1 ,i should not 
despair of knowing it entirely one day4 
,we meet our friend with a certain awe1 
as if he had just lighted on the earth1 
and yet as if we had some title to be   
acquainted with him by our old          
familiarity with sun and moon4   ,june  
#ah4 ,i should be pleased to meet man in
 the woods4 ,i wish he were to be       
encountered like wild caribous and      
moose4         99       99       99     
99       99  ,i am startled when ,i     
consider how little ,i am actually      
concerned about the things ,i write in  
my journal4         99       99       99
       99       99  ,think of the       
,universal ,history1 and then tell      
me1--when did burdock and plantain      
sprout first8#adc  ,a fair land1 indeed1
 do books spread open to us1 from the   
,genesis down2 but alas6 men do not take
 them up kindly into their own being1   
and breathe into them a fresh beauty1   
knowing that the grimmest of them       

belongs to such warm sunshine and still 
moonlight as the present4         99    
99       99       99       99  ,of what 
consequence whether ,i stand on ,london 
bridge for the next century1 or look    
into the depths of this bubbling spring 
which ,i have laid open with my hoe8    
,june #ai4 ,the other day ,i rowed in my
 boat a free1 even lovely young lady1   
and1 as ,i plied the oars1 she sat in   
the stern1 and there was nothing but she
 between me and the sky4#add ,so might  
all our lives be picturesque if they    
were free enough1 but mean relations and
 prejudices intervene to shut out the   
sky1 and we never see a man as simple   
and distinct as the man-weathercock on a
 steeple4         99       99       99  
99       99  ,the faint bugle notes     
which ,i hear in the west seem to flash 
on the horizon like heat lightning4#ade 
,cows low in the street more friendly   
than ever1 and the note of the          
whip-poor-will1 borne over the fields1  
is the voice with which the woods and   

moonlight woo me4         99       99   
99       99       99  ,i shall not soon 
forget the sounds which lulled me when  
falling asleep on the banks of the      
,merrimack4 ,far into night ,i hear some
 tyro beating a drum incessantly with a 
view to some country muster1 and am     
thrilled by an infinite sweetness as of 
a music which the breeze drew from the  
sinews of war4 ,i think of the line1--  
,when the drum beat at dead of night4   
,how ,i wish it would wake the whole    
world to march to its melody1 but still 
it drums on alone in the silence and the
 dark4 ,cease not1 thou drummer of the  
night1 thou too shalt have thy reward4  
,the stars and the firmament hear thee1 
and their aisles shall echo thy beat    
till its call is answered1 and the      
forces are mustered4 ,the universe is   
attentive as a little child to thy      
sound1 and trembles as if each stroke   
bounded against an elastic vibrating    
firmament4 ,i should be contented if the
 night never ended1 for in the darkness 

heroism will not be deferred1 and ,i see
 fields where no hero has couched his   
lance4#adf   ,june #bj4 ,perfect        
sincerity and transparency make a great 
part of beauty1 as in dewdrops1 lakes1  
and diamonds4 ,a spring is a cynosure in
 the fields4 ,all ,muscovy glitters in  
the minute particles of mica on its     
bottom1 and the ripples cast their      
shadows flickeringly on the white sand1 
as the clouds which flit across the     
landscape4         99       99       99 
99       99  ,something like the        
woodland sounds will be heard to echo   
through the leaves of a good book4      
,sometimes ,i hear the fresh emphatic   
note of the oven-bird1 and am tempted to
 turn many pages2 sometimes the hurried 
chuckling sound of the squirrel when he 
dives into the wall4         99       99
       99       99       99  ,if we only
 see clearly enough how mean our lives  
are1 they will be splendid enough4 ,let 
us remember not to strive upwards too   
long1 but sometimes drop plumb down the 

other way1 and wallow in meanness4 ,from
 the deepest pit we may see the stars1  
if not the sun4 ,let us have presence of
 mind enough to sink when we can't swim4
 ,at any rate1 a carcass had better lie 
on the bottom than float an offense to  
all nostrils4 ,it will not be falling1  
for we shall ride wide of the earth's   
gravity as a star1 and always be drawn  
upward still1--semper cadendo nunquam   
cadit1--and so1 by yielding to universal
 gravity1 at length become fixed stars4 
99       99       99       99       99  
,praise begins when things are seen     
partially4 ,we begin to praise when we  
begin to see that a thing needs our     
assistance4         99       99       99
       99       99  ,when the heavens   
are obscured to us1 and nothing noble or
 heroic appears1 but we are oppressed by
 imperfection and shortcoming on all    
hands1 we are apt to suck our thumbs and
 decry our fates4 ,as if nothing were to
 be done in cloudy weather1 or1 if      
heaven were not accessible by the upper 

road1 men would not find out a lower4   
,sometimes ,i feel so cheap that ,i am  
inspired1 and could write a poem about  
it1--but straightway ,i cannot1 for ,i  
am no longer mean4 ,let me know that ,i 
am ailing1 and ,i am well4 ,we should   
not always beat off the impression of   
trivialness1 but make haste to welcome  
and cherish it4 ,water the weed till it 
blossoms2 with cultivation it will bear 
fruit4 ,there are two ways to           
victory1--to strive bravely1 or to      
yield4 ,how much pain the last will save
 we have not yet learned4   ,june #ba4  
,i shall not soon forget my first night 
in a tent1--how the distant barking of  
dogs for so many still hours revealed to
 me the riches of the night4 ,who would 
not be a dog and bay the moon8#adg      
99       99       99       99       99  
,i never feel that ,i am inspired unless
 my body is also4 ,it too spurns a tame 
and commonplace life4 ,they are fatally 
mistaken who think1 while they strive   
with their minds1 that they may suffer  

their bodies to stagnate in luxury or   
sloth4 ,the body is the first proselyte 
the ,soul makes4 ,our life is but the   
,soul made known by its fruits1 the     
body4 ,the whole duty of man may be     
expressed in one line1--,make to        
yourself a perfect body4   ,june #bb4   
,what a man knows1 that he does4        
99       99       99       99       99  
,it is odd that people will wonder how  
,shakespeare could write as he did      
without knowing ,latin1 or ,greek1 or   
geography1 as if these were of more     
consequence than to know how to whistle4
 ,they are not backward to recognize    
,genius1--how it dispenses with those   
furtherances which others require1 leaps
 where they crawl1--and yet they never  
cease to marvel that so it was1--that it
 was ,genius1 and helped itself4        
99       99       99       99       99  
,nothing can shock a truly brave man but
 dullness4 ,one can tolerate many       
things4 ,what mean these sly1 suspicious
 looks1 as if you were an odd fish1 a   

piece of crockery-ware to be tenderly   
handled8 ,surely people forget how many 
rebuffs every man has experienced in his
 day1--perhaps has fallen into a        
horsepond1 eaten freshwater clams1 or   
worn one shirt for a week without       
washing4 ,cannot a man be as calmly     
tolerant as a potato field in the sun1  
whose equanimity is not disturbed by    
,scotch thistles over the wall1 but     
there it smiles and waxes till the      
harvest1 let thistles mount never so    
high8 ,you cannot receive a shock1      
unless you have an electric affinity for
 that which shocks you4 ,have no        
affinity for what is shocking4#adh  ,do 
not present a gleaming edge to ward off 
harm1 for that will oftenest attract the
 lightning1 but rather be the           
all-pervading ether which the lightning 
does not strike but purify4 ,then will  
the rudeness or profanity of your       
companion be like a flash across the    
face of your sky1 lighting up and       
revealing its serene depths4#adi ,earth 

cannot shock the heavens2 but its dull  
vapor and foul smoke make a bright cloud
 spot in the ether1 and anon the sun1   
like a cunning artificer1 will cut and  
paint it1 and set it for a jewel in the 
breast of the sky4#aej  ,when we are    
shocked at vice we express a lingering  
sympathy with it4 ,dry rot1 rust1 and   
mildew shock no man1 for none is subject
 to them4   ,june #bc4 ,we ,yankees are 
not so far from right1 who answer one   
question by asking another4 ,yes and ,no
 are lies4 ,a true answer will not aim  
to establish anything1 but rather to set
 all well afloat4 ,all answers are in   
the future1 and day answereth to day4   
,do we think we can anticipate them8    
,in ,latin1 to respond is to pledge     
one's self before the gods to do        
faithfully and honorably1 as a man      
should1 in any case4 ,this is good4     
99       99       99       99       99  
,music soothes the din of philosophy and
 lightens incessantly over the heads of 
sages4#aea         99       99       99 

99       99  ,how can the language of   
the poet be more expressive than nature8
 ,he is content that what he has already
 read in simple characters1 or          
indifferently in all1 be translated into
 the same again4         99       99    
99       99       99  ,he is the true   
artist whose life is his material2 every
 stroke of the chisel must enter his own
 flesh and bone and not grate dully on  
marble4#aeb         99       99       99
       99       99  ,the                
,springs4--,what is any man's discourse 
to me if ,i am not sensible of something
 in it as steady and cheery as the creak
 of the crickets8 ,in it the woods must 
be relieved against the sky4 ,men tire  
me when ,i am not constantly greeted and
 cheered in their discourse1 as it were 
by the flux of sparkling streams4       
99       99       99       99       99  
,i cannot see the bottom of the sky1    
because ,i cannot see to the bottom of  
myself4 ,it is the symbol of my own     
infinity4 ,my eye penetrates as far into

 the ether as that depth is inward from 
which my contemporary thought springs4  
,not by constraint or severity shall you
 have access to true wisdom1 but by     
abandonment1 and childlike mirthfulness4
 ,if you would know aught1 be gay before
 it4   ,june #bd4 ,when ,i read         
,cudworth ,i find ,i can tolerate       
all1--atomists1 pneumatologists1        
atheists1 and theists1--,plato1         
,aristotle1 ,leucippus1 ,democritus1 and
 ,pythagoras4 ,it is the attitude of    
these men1 more than any communication1 
which charms me4 ,it is so rare to find 
a man musing4 ,but between them and     
their commentators there is an endless  
dispute4 ,but if it come to that1 that  
you compare notes1 then you are all     
wrong4 ,as it is1 each takes me up into 
the serene heavens1 and paints earth and
 sky4 ,any sincere thought is           
irresistible2 it lifts us to the zenith1
 whither the smallest bubble rises as   
surely as the largest4  ,dr4 ,cudworth  
does not consider that the belief in a  

deity is as great a heresy as exists4   
,epicurus held that the gods were of    
human form1 yet were so thin and        
subtile1 as that1 comparatively with our
 terrestrial bodies1 they might be      
called incorporeal2 they having not so  
much carnem as quasi-carnem1 nor        
sanguinem as quasi-sanguinem1 a certain 
kind of aerial or ethereal flesh and    
blood4 ,this1 which ,cudworth pronounces
 romantical1 is plainly as good doctrine
 as his own4 ,as if any sincere thought 
were not the best sort of truth6        
99       99       99       99       99  
,there is no doubt but the highest      
morality in the books is rhymed or      
measured1--is1 in form as well as       
substance1 poetry4 ,such is the         
scripture of all nations4 ,if ,i were to
 compile a volume to contain the        
condensed wisdom of mankind1 ,i should  
quote no rhythmless line4#aec         99
       99       99       99       99    
,not all the wit of a college can avail 
to make one harmonious line4 ,it never  

happens4 ,it may get so as to jingle1   
but a jingle is akin to a jar1--jars    
regularly recurring4#aed  ,so delicious 
is plain speech to my ears1 as if ,i    
were to be more delighted by the        
whistling of the shot than frightened by
 the flying of the splinters1 ,i am     
content1 ,i fear1 to be quite battered  
down and made a ruin of4 ,i outgeneral  
myself when ,i direct the enemy to my   
vulnerable points4  ,the loftiest       
utterance of ,love is1 perhaps1         
sublimely satirical4 ,sympathy with what
 is sound makes sport of what is        
unsound4         99       99       99   
99       99  ,cliffs4 ,evening4--,though
 the sun set a quarter of an hour ago1  
his rays are still visible1 darting     
half-way to the zenith4 ,that glowing   
morrow in the west flashes on me like a 
faint presentiment of morning when ,i am
 falling asleep4 ,a dull mist comes     
rolling from the west1 as if it were the
 dust which day has raised4 ,a column of
 smoke is rising from the woods yonder1 

to uphold heaven's roof till the light  
comes again4 ,the landscape1 by its     
patient resting there1 teaches me that  
all good remains with him that waiteth1 
and that ,i shall sooner overtake the   
dawn by remaining here1 than by hurrying
 over the hills of the west4  ,morning  
and evening are as like as brother and  
sister4 ,the sparrow and thrush sing and
 the frogs peep for both4  ,the woods   
breathe louder and louder behind me4    
,with what hurry-skurry night takes     
place6 ,the wagon rattling over yonder  
bridge is the messenger which day sends 
back to night2 but the dispatches are   
sealed4 ,in its rattle the village seems
 to say1 ,this one sound1 and ,i have   
done4  ,red1 then1 is ,day's color2 at  
least it is the color of his heel4 ,he  
is 'stepping westward4' ,we only notice 
him when he comes and when he goes4     
,with noble perseverance the dog bays   
the stars yonder4 ,i too1 like thee1    
walk alone in this strange1 familiar    
night1 my voice1 like thine1 beating    

against its friendly concave2 and       
barking ,i hear only my own voice4 #aj  
o'clock4   ,june #be4 ,let me see no    
other conflict but with prosperity4 ,if 
my path run on before me level and      
smooth1 it is all a mirage2 in reality  
it is steep and arduous as a chamois    
pass4 ,i will not let the years roll    
over me like a ,juggernaut car4  ,we    
will warm us at each other's fire4      
,friendship is not such a cold refining 
process as a double sieve1 but a glowing
 furnace in which all impurities are    
consumed4  ,men have learned to touch   
before they scrutinize1--to shake hands1
 and not to stare4   ,june #bf4 ,the    
best poetry has never been written1 for 
when it might have been1 the poet forgot
 it1 and when it was too late remembered
 it2 or when it might have been1 the    
poet remembered it1 and when it was too 
late forgot it4  ,the highest condition 
of art is artlessness4  ,truth is always
 paradoxical4  ,he will get to the goal 
first who stands stillest4  ,there is   

one let better than any help1 and that  
is1--,let-alone4  ,by sufferance you may
 escape suffering4  ,he who resists not 
at all will never surrender4  ,when a   
dog runs at you1 whistle for him4  ,say1
 ,not so1 and you will outcircle the    
philosophers4  ,stand outside the wall1 
and no harm can reach you4 ,the danger  
is that you be walled in with it4  ,june
 #bg4 ,i am living this #bgth of ,june1 
#ahdj1 a dull1 cloudy day and no sun    
shining4 ,the clink of the smith's      
hammer sounds feebly over the roofs1 and
 the wind is sighing gently1 as if      
dreaming of cheerfuller days4 ,the      
farmer is plowing in yonder field1      
craftsmen are busy in the shops1 the    
trader stands behind the counter1 and   
all works go steadily forward4 ,but ,i  
will have nothing to do2 ,i will tell   
fortune that ,i play no game with her1  
and she may reach me in my ,asia of     
serenity and indolence if she can4      
99       99       99       99       99  
,for an impenetrable shield1 stand      

inside yourself4#aee         99       99
       99       99       99  ,he was no 
artist1 but an artisan1 who first made  
shields of brass4#aef         99        
99       99       99       99  ,unless  
we meet religiously1 we prophane one    
another4 ,what was the consecrated      
ground round the temple1 we have used as
 no better than a domestic court4  ,our 
friend's is as holy a shrine as any     
,god's1 to be approached with sacred    
love and awe4 ,veneration is the measure
 of ,love4 ,our friend answers          
ambiguously1 and sometimes before the   
question is propounded1 like the oracle 
of ,delphi4 ,he forbears to ask         
explanation1 but doubts and surmises    
darkly with full faith1 as we silently  
ponder our fates4  ,in no presence are  
we so susceptible to shame4 ,our hour is
 a sabbath1 our abode a temple1 our     
gifts peace offerings1 our conversation 
a communion1 our silence a prayer4 ,in  
prophanity we are absent1 in holiness   
near1 in sin estranged1 in innocence    

reconciled4   ,june #bh4 ,the prophane  
never hear music2 the holy ever hear it4
 ,it is ,god's voice1 the divine breath 
audible4 ,where it is heard1 there is a 
sabbath4 ,it is omnipotent2 all things  
obey it as they obey virtue4 ,it is the 
herald of virtue4#aeg ,it passes by     
sorrow1 for grief hangs its harp on the 
willows4   ,june #bi4 ,of all phenomena1
 my own race are the most mysterious and
 undiscoverable4 ,for how many years    
have ,i striven to meet one1 even on    
common manly ground1 and have not       
succeeded6   ,june #cj4 ,i sailed from  
,fair ,haven last evening as gently and 
steadily as the clouds sail through the 
atmosphere4 ,the wind came blowing      
blithely from the southwest fields1 and 
stepped into the folds of our sail like 
a winged horse1 pulling with a strong   
and steady impulse4 ,the sail bends     
gently to the breeze1 as swells some    
generous impulse of the heart1 and anon 
flutters and flaps with a kind of human 
suspense4 ,i could watch the motions of 

a sail forever1 they are so rich and    
full of meaning4 ,i watch the play of   
its pulse1 as if it were my own blood   
beating there4 ,the varying temperature 
of distant atmospheres is graduated on  
its scale4 ,it is a free1 buoyant       
creature1 the bauble of the heavens and 
the earth4 ,a gay pastime the air plays 
with it4 ,if it swells and tugs1 it is  
because the sun lays his windy finger on
 it4 ,the breeze it plays with has been 
outdoors so long4 ,so thin is it1 and   
yet so full of life2 so noiseless when  
it labors hardest1 so noisy and         
impatient when least serviceable4#aeh   
,so am ,i blown on by ,god's breath1 so 
flutter and flap1 and fill gently out   
with the breeze4  ,in this fresh evening
 each blade and leaf looks as if it had 
been dipped in an icy liquid greenness4 
,let eyes that ache come here and       
look1--the sight will be a sovereign    
eyewater1--or else wait and bathe them  
in the dark4  ,we go forth into the     
fields1 and there the wind blows freshly

 onward1 and still on1 and we must make 
new efforts not to be left behind4 ,what
 does the dogged wind intend1 that1 like
 a willful cur1 it will not let me turn 
aside to rest or content8 ,must it      
always reprove and provoke me1 and never
 welcome me as an equal8  ,the truth    
shall prevail and falsehood discover    
itself1 as long as the wind blows on the
 hills4         99       99       99    
99       99  ,a man's life should be a  
stately march to a sweet but unheard    
music1 and when to his fellows it shall 
seem irregular and inharmonious1 he will
 only be stepping to a livelier measure1
 or his nicer ear hurry him into a      
thousand symphonies and concordant      
variations4 ,there will be no halt ever1
 but at most a marching on his post1 or 
such a pause as is richer than any      
sound1 when the melody runs into such   
depth and wildness as to be no longer   
heard1 but implicitly consented to with 
the whole life and being4 ,he will take 
a false step never1 even in the most    

arduous times1 for then the music will  
not fail to swell into greater sweetness
 and volume1 and itself rule the        
movement it inspired4#aei         99    
99       99       99       99  ,i have a
 deep sympathy with war1 it so apes the 
gait and bearing of the soul4         99
       99       99       99       99    
,value and effort are as much coincident
 as weight and a tendency to fall4 ,in a
 very wide but true sense1 effort is the
 deed itself1 and it is only when these 
sensible stuffs intervene1 that our     
attention is distracted from the deed to
 the accident4 ,it is never the deed men
 praise1 but some marble or canvas which
 are only a staging to the real         
work4#afj   ,july #a4 ,to be a man is to
 do a man's work2 always our resource is
 to endeavor4 ,we may well say1 ,success
 to our endeavors4 ,effort is the       
prerogative of virtue4#afa  ,the true   
laborer is recompensed by his labor1 not
 by his employer4 ,industry is its own  
wages4 ,let us not suffer our hands to  

lose one jot of their handiness by      
looking behind to a mean recompense1    
knowing that our true endeavor cannot be
 thwarted1 nor we be cheated of our     
earnings unless by not earning them4#afb
         99       99       99       99  
99  ,the true poem is not that which the
 public read4 ,there is always a poem   
not printed on paper1 coincident with   
the production of this1 which is        
stereotyped in the poet's life1 is what 
he has become through his work4 ,some   
symbol of value may shape itself to the 
senses in wood1 or marble1 or verse1 but
 this is fluctuating as the laborer's   
hire1 which may or may not be withheld4 
,his very material is not material but  
supernatural4 ,perhaps the hugest and   
most effective deed may have no sensible
 result at all on earth1 but paint      
itself in the heavens in new stars and  
constellations4 ,its very material lies 
out of nature4 ,when1 in rare moments1  
we strive wholly with one consent1 which
 we call a yearning1 we may not hope    

that our work will stand in any artist's
 gallery4#afc ,let not the artist expect
 that his true work will stand in any   
prince's gallery4   ,july #b4 ,i am not 
taken up1 like ,moses1 upon a mountain  
to learn the law1 but lifted up in my   
seat here1 in the warm sunshine and     
genial light4         99       99       
99       99       99  ,they who are     
ready to go are already invited4        
99       99       99       99       99  
,neither men nor things have any true   
mode of invitation but to be inviting4  
99       99       99       99       99  
,can that be a task which all things    
abet1 and to postpone which is to strive
 against nature8#afd   ,july #c4 ,when  
,alexander appears1 the ,hercynian and  
,dodonean woods seem to wave a welcome  
to him4         99       99       99    
99       99  ,do not thoughts and men's 
lives enrich the earth and change the   
aspect of things as much as a new growth
 of wood8         99       99       99  
99       99  ,what are ,godfrey and     

,gonsalvo unless we breathe a life into 
them1 and renact their exploits as a    
prelude to our own8 ,the past is only so
 heroic as we see it2 it is the canvas  
on which our conception of heroism is   
painted1 the dim prospectus of our      
future field4 ,we are dreaming of what  
we are to do4#afe         99       99   
99       99       99  ,the last sunrise 
,i witnessed seemed to outshine the     
splendor of all preceding ones1 and ,i  
was convinced that it behooved man to   
dawn as freshly1 and with equal promise 
and steadiness advance into the career  
of life1 with as lofty and serene a     
countenance to move onward through his  
midday to a yet fairer and more         
promising setting4 ,has the day grown   
old when it sets8 and shall man wear out
 sooner than the sun8 ,in the crimson   
colors of the west ,i discern the       
budding hues of dawn4 ,to my western    
brother it is rising pure and bright as 
it did to me1 but the evening exhibits  
in the still rear of day the beauty     

which through morning and noon escaped  
me4#aff ,when we are oppressed by the   
heat and turmoil of the noon1 let us    
remember that the sun which scorches us 
with brazen beams is gilding the hills  
of morning and awaking the woodland     
quires for other men4  ,we will have a  
dawn1 and noon1 and serene sunset in    
ourselves4  ,what we call the gross     
atmosphere of evening is the accumulated
 deed of the day1 which absorbs the rays
 of beauty1 and shows more richly than  
the naked promise of the dawn4 ,by      
earnest toil in the heat of the noon1   
let us get ready a rich western blaze   
against the evening of our lives4#afg   
99       99       99       99       99  
,low-thoughted1 plodding men have come  
and camped in my neighbor's field       
to-night1 with camp music and bustle4   
,their bugle instantly finds a sounding 
board in the heavens1 though mean lips  
blow it4 ,the sky is delighted with     
strains which the connoisseur rejects4  
,it seems to say1 ,now is this my own   

earth4#afh         99       99       99 
99       99  ,in music are the          
centripetal and centrifugal forces4 ,the
 universe needed only to hear a divine  
harmony that every star might fall into 
its proper place and assume a true      
sphericity4#afi   ,july #d4 #d o'clock1 
,a4 ,m4 ,the ,townsend ,light ,infantry 
encamped last night in my neighbor's    
inclosure4  ,the night still breathes   
slumberously over field and wood1 when a
 few soldiers gather about one tent in  
the twilight1 and their band plays an   
old ,scotch air1 with bugle and drum and
 fife attempered to the season4 ,it     
seems like the morning hymn of creation4
 ,the first sounds of the awakening     
camp1 mingled with the chastened strains
 which so sweetly salute the dawn1      
impress me as the morning prayer of an  
army4#agj  ,and now the morning gun     
fires4 ,the soldier awakening to        
creation and awakening it4 ,i am sure   
none are cowards now4 ,these strains are
 the roving dreams which steal from tent

 to tent1 and break forth into distinct 
melody4 ,they are the soldier's morning 
thought4 ,each man awakes himself with  
lofty emotions1 and would do some heroic
 deed4 ,you need preach no homily to    
him2 he is the stuff they are made of4  
99       99       99       99       99  
,the whole course of our lives should be
 analogous to one day of the soldier's4 
,his ,genius seems to whisper in his ear
 what demeanor is befitting1 and in his 
bravery and his march he yields a blind 
and partial obedience4         99       
99       99       99       99  ,the     
fresher breeze which accompanies the    
dawn rustles the oaks and birches1 and  
the earth respires calmly with the      
creaking of crickets4 ,some hazel leaf  
stirs gently1 as if anxious not to awake
 the day too abruptly1 while the time is
 hastening to the distinct line between 
darkness and light4 ,and soldiers issue 
from their dewy tents1 and as if in     
answer to expectant nature1 sing a sweet
 and far-echoing hymn4         99       

99       99       99       99  ,we may  
well neglect many things1 provided we   
overlook them4         99       99      
99       99       99  ,when to-day ,i   
saw the ,great ,ball rolled majestically
 along1 it seemed a shame that man could
 not move like it4 ,all dignity and     
grandeur has something of the           
undulatoriness of the sphere4 ,it is the
 secret of majesty in the rolling gait  
of the elephant1 and of all grace in    
action and in art4 ,the line of beauty  
is a curve4 ,each man seems striving to 
imitate its gait1 and keep pace with it1
 but it moves on regardless and conquers
 the multitude with its majesty4 ,what  
shame that our lives1 which should be   
the source of planetary motion and      
sanction the order of the spheres1 are  
full of abruptness and angularity1 so as
 not to roll1 nor move majestically4#aga
   ,july #e4 ,go where we will1 we      
discover infinite change in particulars 
only1 not in generals4         99       
99       99       99       99  ,you     

cannot rob a man of anything which he   
will miss4   ,july #f4 ,all this worldly
 wisdom was once the unamiable heresy of
 some wise man4#agb         99       99 
99       99       99  ,i observe a truly
 wise practice on every hand1 in        
education1 in religion1 and the morals  
of society1--enough embodied wisdom to  
have set up many an ancient             
philosopher4#agc  ,this society1 if it  
were a person to be met face to face1   
would not only be tolerated but courted1
 with its so impressive experience and  
admirable acquaintance with things4     
,consider society at any epoch1 and who 
does not see that heresy has already    
prevailed in it8#agd         99       99
       99       99       99  ,have no   
mean hours1 but be grateful for every   
hour1 and accept what it brings4 ,the   
reality will make any sincere record    
respectable4 ,no day will have been     
wholly misspent1 if one sincere1        
thoughtful page has been written4  ,let 
the daily tide leave some deposit on    

these pages1 as it leaves sand and      
shells on the shore4 ,so much increase  
of terra firma4 ,this may be a calendar 
of the ebbs and flows of the soul2 and  
on these sheets as a beach1 the waves   
may cast up pearls and seaweed4   ,july 
#g4 ,i have experienced such simple joy 
in the trivial matters of fishing and   
sporting1 formerly1 as might inspire the
 muse of ,homer and ,shakespeare4 ,and  
now1 when ,i turn over the pages and    
ponder the plates of the ,angler's      
,souvenir1 ,i exclaim with the poet1--  
,can such things be1      ,and overcome 
us like a summer's cloud8#age  ,when ,i 
hear a sudden burst from a horn1 ,i am  
startled1 as if one had provoked such   
wildness as he could not rule nor tame4 
,he dares to wake the echoes which he   
cannot put to rest4#agf   ,july #h4     
,doubt and falsehood are yet good       
preachers4 ,they affirm roundly1 while  
they deny partially4         99       99
       99       99       99  ,i am      
pleased to learn that ,thales was up and

 stirring by night not unfrequently1 as 
his astronomical discoveries prove4     
99       99       99       99       99  
,it was a saying of ,solon that it is   
necessary to observe a medium in all    
things4  ,the golden mean1 in ethics as 
in physics1 is the centre of the system1
 and that about which all revolve2 and  
though1 to a distant and plodding       
planet1 it is the uttermost extreme1    
yet1 when that planet's year is         
complete1 it will be found central4#agg 
,they who are alarmed lest virtue run   
into extreme good1 have not yet wholly  
embraced her1 but described only a      
slight arc about her1 and from so small 
a curvature you can calculate no centre 
whatever2 but their mean is no better   
than meanness1 nor their medium than    
mediocrity4  ,the brave man1 while he   
observes strictly this golden mean1     
seems to run through all extremes with  
impunity2 like the sun1 which now       
appears in the zenith1 now in the       
horizon1 and again is faintly reflected 

from the moon's disk1 and has the credit
 of describing an entire great circle1  
crossing the equinoctial and solstitial 
colures1 without detriment to his       
steadfastness or mediocrity4#agh        
99       99       99       99       99  
,every planet asserts its own to be the 
centre of the system4         99        
99       99       99       99  ,only    
meanness is mediocre1 moderate2 but the 
true medium is not contained within any 
bounds1 but is as wide as the ends it   
connects4         99       99       99  
99       99  ,when ,solon endeavored to 
prove that ,salamis had formerly        
belonged to the ,athenians and not to   
the ,megarians1 he caused the tombs to  
be opened1 and showed that the          
inhabitants of ,salamis turned the faces
 of their dead to the same side with the
 ,athenians1 but the ,megarians to the  
opposite side4#agi  ,so does each part  
bear witness to all1 and the history of 
all the past may be read in a single    
grain of its ashes4   ,july #i4 ,in most

 men's religion the ligature which      
should be its muscle and sinew is rather
 like that thread which the accomplices 
of ,cylon held in their hands1 when they
 went abroad from the temple of         
,minerva1 the other end being attached  
to the statue of the goddess4 ,but      
frequently1 as in their case1 the thread
 breaks1 being stretched1 and they are  
left without an asylum4#ahj         99  
99       99       99       99  ,the     
value of many traits in ,grecian history
 depends not so much on their importance
 as history1 as on the readiness with   
which they accept a wide interpretation1
 and illustrate the poetry and ethics of
 mankind4 ,when they announce no        
particular truth1 they are yet central  
to all truth4 ,they are like those      
examples by which we improve1 but of    
which we never formally extract the     
moral4 ,even the isolated and           
unexplained facts are like the ruins of 
the temples which in imagination we     
restore1 and ascribe to some ,phidias1  

or other master4         99       99    
99       99       99  ,the ,greeks were 
boys in the sunshine1 the ,romans were  
men in the field1 the ,persians women in
 the house1 the ,egyptians old men in   
the dark4         99       99       99  
99       99  ,he who receives an injury 
is an accomplice of the wrong-doer4     
,july #aj4 ,to myself ,i am as pliant as
 osier1 and my courses seem not so easy 
to be calculated as ,encke's comet2 but 
,i am powerless to bend the character of
 another2 he is like iron in my hands4  
,i could tame a hyena more easily than  
my friend4 ,i contemplate him as a      
granite boulder4 ,he is material which  
no tool of mine will work4 ,a naked     
savage will fell an oak with a          
firebrand1 and wear a hatchet out of the
 rock1 but ,i cannot hew the smallest   
chip out of my fellow4 ,there is a      
character in every one which no art can 
reach to beautify or deform4#aha        
99       99       99       99       99  
,nothing was ever so unfamiliar and     

startling to me as my own thoughts4     
99       99       99       99       99  
,we know men through their eyes4 ,you   
might say that the eye was always       
original and unlike another4 ,it is the 
feature of the individual1 and not of   
the family1--in twins still different4  
,all a man's privacy is in his eye1 and 
its expression he cannot alter more than
 he can alter his character4 ,so long as
 we look a man in the eye1 it seems to  
rule the other features1 and make them1 
too1 original4 ,when ,i have mistaken   
one person for another1 observing only  
his form1 and carriage1 and inferior    
features1 the unlikeness seemed of the  
least consequence2 but when ,i caught   
his eye1 and my doubts were removed1 it 
seemed to pervade every feature4  ,the  
eye revolves on an independent pivot    
which we can no more control than our   
own will4 ,its axle is the axle of the  
soul1 as the axis of the earth is       
coincident with the axis of the heavens4
   ,july #aa4 ,the true art is not      

merely a sublime consolation and holiday
 labor which the gods have given to     
sickly mortals1 to be wrought at in     
parlors1 and not in stithies amid soot  
and smoke1 but such a masterpiece as you
 may imagine a dweller on the           
table-lands of ,central ,asia might     
produce1 with threescore and ten years  
for canvas1 and the faculties of a man  
for tools1--a human life1 wherein you   
might hope to discover more than the    
freshness of ,guido's ,aurora1 or the   
mild light of ,titian's landscapes2 not 
a bald imitation or rival of ,nature1   
but the restored original of which she  
is the reflection4 ,for such a work as  
this1 whole galleries of ,greece and    
,italy are a mere mixing of colors and  
preparatory quarrying of marble4#ahb    
,not how is the idea expressed in stone 
or on canvas1 is the question1 but how  
far it has obtained form and expression 
in the life of the artist4  ,there is   
much covert truth in the old mythology  
which makes ,vulcan a brawny and        

deformed smith1 who sweat more than the 
other gods4 ,his stithy was not like a  
modern studio4         99       99      
99       99       99  ,let us not wait  
any longer1 but step down from the      
mountains on to the plain of earth4 ,let
 our delay be like the sun's1 when he   
lingers on the dividing line of day and 
night a brief space when the world is   
grateful for his light4 ,we will make   
such haste as the morning and such delay
 as the evening4#ahc         99       99
       99       99       99  ,it        
concerns us rather to be something here 
present than to leave something behind  
us4#ahd         99       99       99    
99       99  ,it is the man determines  
what is said1 not the words4 ,if a mean 
person uses a wise maxim1 ,i bethink me 
how it can be interpreted so as to      
commend itself to his meanness2 but if a
 wise man makes a commonplace remark1 ,i
 consider what wider construction it    
will admit4 ,when ,pittacus says1 ,it is
 necessary to accommodate one's self to 

the time and take advantage of the      
occasion1 ,i assent4 ,he might have     
considered that to accommodate one's    
self to all times1 and take advantage of
 all occasions1 was really to be        
independent1 and make our own           
opportunity4   ,july #ab4 ,what first   
suggested that necessity was grim1 and  
made fate so fatal8 ,the strongest is   
always the least violent4 ,necessity is 
a sort of ,eastern cushion on which ,i  
recline4 ,i contemplate its mild1       
inflexible countenance1 as the haze in  
,october days4 ,when ,i am vexed ,i only
 ask to be left alone with it4 ,leave me
 to my fate4 ,it is the bosom of time   
and the lap of eternity2 since to be    
necessary is to be needful1 it is only  
another name for inflexibility of good4 
,how ,i welcome my grim fellow and      
aspire to be such a necessity as he6 ,he
 is so flexible1 and yields to me as the
 air to my body6 ,i leap and dance in   
his midst1 and play with his beard till 
he smiles4 ,i greet thee1 my elder      

brother1 who with thy touch ennoblest   
all things4 ,must it be so1 then is it  
good4 ,thou commendest even petty ills  
by thy countenance4  ,over ,greece hangs
 the divine necessity1 ever a mellower  
heaven of itself1 whose light too gilds 
the ,acropolis and a thousand fanes and 
groves4#ahe         99       99       99
       99       99  ,pittacus said there
 was no better course than to endeavor  
to do well what you are doing at any    
moment4         99       99       99    
99       99  ,go where he will1 the wise
 man is proprietor of all things4       
,everything bears a similar inscription1
 if we could but read it1 to that on the
 vase found in the stomach of a fish in 
old times1--,to the most wise4          
99       99       99       99       99  
,when his impious fellow-passengers     
invoked the gods in a storm1 ,bias      
cried1 ,hist6 hist6 lest the gods       
perceive that you are here1 for we      
should all be lost4         99       99 
99       99       99  ,a wise man will  

always have his duds picked up1 and be  
ready for whatever may happen1 as the   
prudent merchant1 notwithstanding the   
lavish display of his wares1 will yet   
have them packed or easy to be removed  
in emergencies4 ,in this sense there is 
something sluttish in all finery4 ,when 
,i see a fine lady or gentleman dressed 
to the top of the fashion1 ,i wonder    
what they would do if an earthquake     
should happen1 or a fire suddenly break 
out1 for they seem to have counted only 
on fair weather1 and that things will go
 on smoothly and without jostling4      
,those curls and jewels1 so nicely      
adjusted1 expect an unusual deference   
from the elements4  ,our dress should be
 such as will hang conveniently about   
us1 and fit equally well in good and in 
bad fortune2 such as will approve itself
 of the right fashion and fabric1       
whether for the cotillion or the        
earthquake4 ,in the sack of ,priene1    
when the inhabitants with much hurry and
 bustle were carrying their effects to a

 place of safety1 some one asked ,bias1 
who remained tranquil amid the          
confusion1 why he was not thinking how  
he should save something1 as the others 
were4 ,i do so1 said ,bias1 for ,i carry
 all my effects with me4   ,july #ad4   
,our discourse should be ex tempore1 but
 not pro tempore4   ,july #af4 ,we are  
as much refreshed by sounds as by       
sights1 or scents1 or flavors1--as the  
barking of a dog heard in the woods at  
midnight1 or the tinklings which attend 
the dawn4  ,as ,i picked blackberries   
this morning1 by starlight1 the distant 
yelping of a dog fell on my inward ear1 
as the cool breeze on my cheek4   ,july 
#ai4 ,these two days that ,i have not   
written in my ,journal1 set down in the 
calendar as the #agth and #ahth of      
,july1 have been really an on in which a
 ,syrian empire might rise and fall4    
,how many ,persias have been lost and   
won in the interim8 ,night is spangled  
with fresh stars4   ,july #bf4 ,when ,i 
consider how1 after sunset1 the stars   

come out gradually in troops from behind
 the hills and woods1 ,i confess that ,i
 could not have contrived a more curious
 and inspiring night4   ,july #bg4 ,some
 men1 like some buildings1 are bulky but
 not great4 ,the ,pyramids any traveller
 may measure with his line1 but the     
dimensions of the ,parthenon in feet and
 inches will seem to dangle from its    
entablature like an elastic drapery4#ahf
         99       99       99       99  
99  ,much credit is due to a brave man's
 eye4 ,it is the focus in which all rays
 are collected4 ,it sees from within1 or
 from the centre1 just as we scan the   
whole concave of the heavens at a       
glance1 but can compass only one side of
 the pebble at our feet4#ahg         99 
99       99       99       99  ,the     
grandeur of these stupendous masses of  
clouds1 tossed into such irregular      
greatness across the sky1 seems thrown  
away on the meanness of my employment4  
,the drapery seems altogether too rich  
for such poor acting4#ahh  ,in vain the 

sun challenges man to equal greatness in
 his career4 ,we look in vain over earth
 for a ,roman greatness to answer the   
eternal provocation4#ahi  ,we look up to
 the gilded battlements of the eternal  
city1 and are contented to be suburban  
dwellers outside the walls4#aij         
99       99       99       99       99  
,by the last breath of the ,may air ,i  
inhale ,i am reminded that the ages     
never got so far down as this before4   
,the wood thrush is a more modern       
philosopher than ,plato and ,aristotle4 
,they are now a dogma1 but he preaches  
the doctrine of this hour4         99   
99       99       99       99  ,this    
systole-diastole of the heart1 the      
circulation of the blood from the centre
 to the extremities1 the chylification  
which is constantly going on in our     
bodies are a sort of military evolution1
 a struggle to outgeneral the decay of  
time by the skillfulest tactics4        
99       99       99       99       99  
,when bravery is worsted1 it joins the  

peace society4         99       99      
99       99       99  ,a word is wiser  
than any man1 than any series of words4 
,in its present received sense it may be
 false1 but in its inner sense by       
descent and analogy it approves itself4 
,language is the most perfect work of   
art in the world4 ,the chisel of a      
thousand years retouches it4         99 
99       99       99       99  ,nature  
refuses to sympathize with our sorrow4  
,she seems not to have provided for1 but
 by a thousand contrivances against it4 
,she has bevelled the margins of the    
eyelids that the tears may not overflow 
on the cheek4#aia         99       99   
99       99       99  ,we can conceive  
of a ,bravery so wide that nothing can  
meet to befall it1 so omnipresent that  
nothing can lie in wait for it1 so      
permanent that no obstinacy can reduce  
it4 ,the stars are its silent sentries  
by night1 and the sun its pioneer by    
day4 ,from its abundant cheerfulness    
spring flowers and the rainbow1 and its 

infinite humor and wantonness produce   
corn and vines4#aib     ,v  #ahda  7,t4 
#bc-bd7   ,jan4 #bc4 ,a day is lapsing4 
,i hear cockerels crowing in the yard1  
and see them stalking among the chips in
 the sun4 ,i hear busy feet on the      
floors1 and the whole house jars with   
industry4 ,surely the day is well spent1
 and the time is full to overflowing4   
,mankind is as busy as the flowers in   
summer1 which make haste to unfold      
themselves in the forenoon1 and close   
their petals in the afternoon4  ,the    
momentous topics of human life are      
always of secondary importance to the   
business in hand1 just as carpenters    
discuss politics between the strokes of 
the hammer while they are shingling a   
roof4#aic  ,the squeaking of the pump   
sounds as necessary as the music of the 
spheres4  ,the solidity and apparent    
necessity of this routine insensibly    
recommend it to me4 ,it is like a cane  
or a cushion for the infirm1 and in view
 of it all are infirm4 ,if there were   

but one erect and solid-standing tree in
 the woods1 all creatures would go to   
rub against it and make sure of their   
footing4 ,routine is a ground to stand  
on1 a wall to retreat to2 we cannot draw
 on our boots without bracing ourselves 
against it4#aid ,it is the fence over   
which neighbors lean when they talk4    
,all this cockcrowing1 and hawing and   
geeing1 and business in the streets1 is 
like the spring-board on which tumblers 
perform and develop their elasticity4   
,our health requires that we should     
recline on it from time to time4 ,when  
we are in it1 the hand stands still on  
the face of the clock1 and we grow like 
corn in the genial dankness and silence 
of the night4#aie ,our weakness wants   
it1 but our strength uses it4 ,good for 
the body is the work of the body1 good  
for the soul the work of the soul1 and  
good for either the work of the other4  
,let them not call hard names1 nor know 
a divided interest4         99       99 
99       99       99  ,when ,i detect a 

beauty in any of the recesses of nature1
 ,i am reminded1 by the serene and      
retired spirit in which it requires to  
be contemplated1 of the inexpressible   
privacy of a life1--how silent and      
unambitious it is4 ,the beauty there is 
in mosses will have to be considered    
from the holiest1 quietest nook4#aif    
,the gods delight in stillness2 they    
say1 ',st--'st4 ,my truest1 serenest    
moments are too still for emotion2 they 
have woollen feet4 ,in all our lives we 
live under the hill1 and if we are not  
gone we live there still4   ,jan4 #bd4  
,sunday4 ,i almost shrink from the      
arduousness of meeting men erectly day  
by day4  ,be resolutely and faithfully  
what you are2 be humbly what you aspire 
to be4 ,be sure you give men the best of
 your wares1 though they be poor enough1
 and the gods will help you to lay up a 
better store for the future4 ,man's     
noblest gift to man is his sincerity1   
for it embraces his integrity also4 ,let
 him not dole out of himself anxiously1 

to suit their weaker or stronger        
stomachs1 but make a clean gift of      
himself1 and empty his coffers at once4 
,i would be in society as in the        
landscape2 in the presence of nature    
there is no reserve1 nor effrontery4    
99       99       99       99       99  
,coleridge says of the ideas spoken out 
everywhere in the ,old and ,new         
,testament1 that they resemble the fixed
 stars1 which appear of the same size to
 the naked as to the armed eye2 the     
magnitude of which the telescope may    
rather seem to diminish than to         
increase4         99       99       99  
99       99  ,it is more proper for a   
spiritual fact to have suggested an     
analogous natural one1 than for the     
natural fact to have preceded the       
spiritual in our minds4         99      
99       99       99       99  ,by      
spells seriousness will be forced to cut
 capers1 and drink a deep and refreshing
 draught of silliness2 to turn this     
sedate day of ,lucifer's and ,apollo's1 

into an all fools' day for ,harlequin   
and ,cornwallis4 ,the sun does not      
grudge his rays to either1 but they are 
alike patronized by the gods4 ,like     
overtasked schoolboys1 all my members   
and nerves and sinews petition ,thought 
for a recess1 and my very thigh-bones   
itch to slip away from under me1 and run
 and join the mle4 ,i exult in stark    
inanity1 leering on nature and the soul4
 ,we think the gods reveal themselves   
only to sedate and musing gentlemen4    
,but not so2 the buffoon in the midst of
 his antics catches unobserved glimpses1
 which he treasures for the lonely hour4
 ,when ,i have been playing tomfool1 ,i 
have been driven to exchange the old for
 a more liberal and catholic philosophy4
   ,jan4 #be4 ,monday4 ,to-day ,i feel  
the migratory instinct strong in me1 and
 all my members and humors anticipate   
the breaking up of winter4 ,if ,i       
yielded to this impulse1 it would surely
 guide me to summer haunts4 ,this       
indefinite restlessness and fluttering  

on the perch do1 no doubt1 prophesy the 
final migration of souls out of nature  
to a serene summer1 in long harrows and 
waving lines#aig in the spring weather1 
over what fair uplands and fertile      
,elysian meadows winging their way at   
evening and seeking a resting-place with
 loud cackling and uproar6         99   
99       99       99       99  ,wealth1 
no less than knowledge1 is power4 ,among
 the ,bedouins the richest man is the   
sheik1 among savages he who has most    
iron and wampum is chief1 and in        
,england and ,america he is the merchant
 prince4         99       99       99   
99       99  ,we should strengthen1 and 
beautify1 and industriously mould our   
bodies to be fit companions of the      
soul1--assist them to grow up like      
trees1 and be agreeable and wholesome   
objects in nature4 ,i think if ,i had   
had the disposal of this soul of man1 ,i
 should have bestowed it sooner on some 
antelope of the plains than upon this   
sickly and sluggish body4   ,jan4 #bf4  

,tuesday4 ,i have as much property as ,i
 can command and use4 ,if by a fault in 
my character ,i do not derive my just   
revenues1 there is virtually a mortgage 
on my inheritance4 ,a man's wealth is   
never entered in the registrar's office4
 ,wealth does not come in along the     
great thoroughfares1 it does not float  
on the ,erie or ,pennsylvania canal1 but
 is imported by a solitary track without
 bustle or competition1 from a brave    
industry to a quiet mind4         99    
99       99       99       99  ,i had a 
dream last night which had reference to 
an act in my life in which ,i had been  
most disinterested and true to my       
highest instinct but completely failed  
in realizing my hopes2 and now1 after so
 many months1 in the stillness of sleep1
 complete justice was rendered me4 ,it  
was a divine remuneration4 ,in my waking
 hours ,i could not have conceived of   
such retribution2 the presumption of    
desert would have damned the whole4 ,but
 now ,i was permitted to be not so much 

a subject as a partner to that          
retribution4 ,it was the award of divine
 justice1 which will at length be and is
 even now accomplished4#aih         99  
99       99       99       99  ,good    
writing as well as good acting will be  
obedience to conscience4 ,there must not
 be a particle of will or whim mixed    
with it4 ,if we can listen1 we shall    
hear4 ,by reverently listening to the   
inner voice1 we may reinstate ourselves 
on the pinnacle of humanity4   ,jan4    
#bg4 ,wednesday4 ,in the compensation of
 the dream1 there was no implied loss to
 any1 but immeasurable advantage to     
all4#aii         99       99       99   
99       99  ,the punishment of sin is  
not positive1 as is the reward of       
virtue4         99       99       99    
99       99  ,for a flower1 ,i like the 
name pansy1 or pense1 best of any4      
,jan4 #bh4 ,no innocence can quite stand
 up under suspicion1 if it is conscious 
of being suspected4 ,in the company of  
one who puts a wrong construction upon  

your actions1 they are apt really to    
deserve a mean construction4 ,while in  
that society ,i can never retrieve      
myself4 ,attribute to me a great motive1
 and ,i shall not fail to have one2 but 
a mean one1 and the fountain of virtue  
will be poisoned by the suspicion4 ,show
 men unlimited faith as the coin with   
which you will deal with them1 and they 
will invariably exhibit the best wares  
they have4 ,i would meet men as the     
friends of all their virtue1 and the    
foes of all their vice1 for no man is   
the partner of his guilt4 ,if you       
suspect me you will never see me1 but   
all our intercourse will be the politest
 leave-taking2 ,i shall constantly defer
 and apologize1 and postpone myself in  
your presence4 ,the self-defender is    
accursed in the sight of gods and men2  
he is a superfluous knight1 who serves  
no lady in the land4 ,he will find in   
the end that he has been fighting       
windmills1 and battered his mace to no  
purpose4 ,the injured man with querulous

 tone resisting his fate is like a tree 
struck by lightning1 which rustles its  
sere leaves the winter through1 not     
having vigor enough to cast them off4   
,as for apologies1 ,i must be off with  
the dew and the frost1 and leave mankind
 to repair the damage with their gauze  
screens and straw4         99       99  
99       99       99  ,resistance is a  
very wholesome and delicious morsel at  
times4 ,when ,venus advanced against the
 ,greeks with resistless valor1 it was  
by far the most natural attitude into   
which the poet could throw his hero to  
make him resist heroically4 ,to a devil 
one might yield gracefully1 but a god   
would be a worthy foe1 and would pardon 
the affront4         99       99        
99       99       99  ,it would be worth
 while1 once for all1 fairly and cleanly
 to tell how we are to be used1 as      
vendors of lucifer matches send         
directions in the envelope1 both how    
light may be readily procured and no    
accident happen to the user4         99 

99       99       99       99  ,let your
 mood determine the form of salutation1 
and approach the creature with a natural
 nonchalance1 as though he were anything
 but what he is1 and you were anything  
but what you are1--as though he were he1
 and you were you2 in short1 as though  
he were so insignificant that it did not
 signify1 and so important that it did  
not import4 ,depend upon it1 the timber 
is well seasoned and tough1 and will    
bear rough usage2 and if it should      
crack1 there is plenty more where it    
came from4 ,i am no piece of china-ware 
that cannot be jostled against my       
neighbor1 without danger of rupture from
 the collision1 and must needs ring a   
scrannel strain to the end of my days   
when once ,i am cracked2 but rather one 
of the old-fashioned wooden trenchers1  
which one while stands at the head of   
the table1 and at another is a          
milking-stool1 and at another a seat for
 children1 and finally goes down to its 
grave not unadorned with honorable      

scars1 and does not die till it is worn 
out4 ,use me1 for ,i am useful in my    
way4 ,i stand as one of many            
petitioners1 from toadstool and henbane 
up to dahlia and violet1 supplicating to
 be put to my use1 if by any means ye   
may find me serviceable2 whether for a  
medicated drink or bath1 as balm and    
lavender2 or for fragrance1 as verbena  
and geranium2 or for sight1 as cactus2  
or for thoughts1 as pansy4#bjj   ,jan4  
#bi4 ,there is something proudly        
thrilling in the thought that this      
obedience to conscience and trust in    
,god1 which is so solemnly preached in  
extremities and arduous circumstances1  
is only to retreat to one's self1 and   
rely on our own strength4 ,in trivial   
circumstances ,i find myself sufficient 
to myself1 and in the most momentous ,i 
have no ally but myself1 and must       
silently put by their harm by my own    
strength1 as ,i did the former4 ,as my  
own hand bent aside the willow in my    
path1 so must my single arm put to      

flight the devil and his angels4 ,god is
 not our ally when we shrink1 and neuter
 when we are bold4 ,if by trusting in   
,god you lose any particle of your      
vigor1 trust in ,him no longer4 ,when   
you trust1 do not lay aside your armor1 
but put it on and buckle it tighter4 ,if
 by reliance on the gods ,i have        
disbanded one of my forces1 then was it 
poor policy4 ,i had better have retained
 the most inexperienced tyro who had    
straggled into the camp1 and let go the 
heavenly alliance4 ,i cannot afford to  
relax discipline because ,god is on my  
side1 for ,he is on the side of         
discipline4 ,and if the gods were only  
the heavens ,i fought under1 ,i would   
not care if they stormed or were calm4  
,i do not want a countenance1 but a     
help4 ,and there is more of ,god and    
divine help in a man's little finger    
than in idle prayer and trust4          
99       99       99       99       99  
,the best and bravest deed is that which
 the whole man--heart1 lungs1 hands1    

fingers1 and toes--at any time prompts4 
,each hanger-on in the purlieus of the  
camp1 must strike his standard at the   
signal from the ,prtorian tent1 and fall
 into the line of march2 but if a single
 sutler delay to make up his pack1 then 
suspect the fates and consult the omens 
again4 ,this is the meaning of          
integrity2 this is to be an integer1 and
 not a fraction4 ,be even for all       
virtuous ends1 but odd for all vice4 ,be
 a perfect power1 so that any of your   
roots multiplied into itself may give   
the whole again4         99       99    
99       99       99  ,beauty is        
compared1 not measured1 for it is the   
creature of proportions1 not of size4   
,size must be subdued to it4 ,it is hard
 for a tall or a short person to be     
beautiful4  ,to graft the ,persian lilac
 on the ash1 is as if you were to splice
 the thigh-bones of the ,venus de       
,medici4         99       99       99   
99       99  ,friends will have to be   
introduced each time they meet4 ,they   

will be eternally strange to one        
another1 and when they have mutually    
appropriated their value for the last   
hour1 they will go and gather a new     
measure of strangeness for the next4    
,they are like two boughs crossed in the
 wood1 which play backwards and forwards
 upon one another in the wind1 and only 
wear into each other1 but never the sap 
of the one flows into the pores of the  
other1 for then the wind would no more  
draw from them those strains which      
enchanted the wood4 ,they are not two   
united1 but rather one divided4         
99       99       99       99       99  
,of all strange and unaccountable things
 this journalizing is the strangest4 ,it
 will allow nothing to be predicated of 
it2 its good is not good1 nor its bad   
bad4 ,if ,i make a huge effort to expose
 my innermost and richest wares to      
light1 my counter seems cluttered with  
the meanest homemade stuffs2 but after  
months or years ,i may discover the     
wealth of ,india1 and whatever rarity is

 brought overland from ,cathay1 in that 
confused heap1 and what perhaps seemed a
 festoon of dried apple or pumpkin will 
prove a string of ,brazilian diamonds1  
or pearls from ,coromandel4         99  
99       99       99       99  ,men lie 
behind the barrier of a relation as     
effectually concealed as the landscape  
by a mist2 and when at length some      
unforeseen accident throws me into a new
 attitude to them1 ,i am astounded1 as  
if for the first time ,i saw the sun on 
the hillside4 ,they lie out before me   
like a new order of things4 ,as1 when   
the master meets his pupil as a man1    
then first do we stand under the same   
heavens1 and master and pupil alike go  
down the resistless ocean stream        
together4   ,jan4 #cj4 ,saturday4 ,far  
over the fields1 between the tops of    
yonder wood1 ,i see a slight cloud not  
larger than the vapor from a kettle1    
drifting by its own inward purpose in a 
direction contrary to the planet4 ,as it
 flits across the dells and defiles of  

the tree-tops1 now seen1 then lost      
beyond a pine1 ,i am curious to know    
wherein its will resides1 for to my eye 
it has no heart1 nor lungs1 nor brain1  
nor any interior and private chamber    
which it may inhabit4  ,its motion      
reminds me of those lines of ,milton3-- 
,as when far off at sea a fleet descried
      ,hangs in the clouds1 by          
equinoctial winds      ,close sailing   
from ,bengala1 or the isles      ,of    
,ternate and ,tidore1 whence merchants  
bring      ,their spicy drugs2 they on  
the trading flood1      ,ply stemming   
nightly toward the pole4  ,the snow     
collects upon the plumes of the pitch   
pine in the form of a pineapple1 which  
if you divide in the middle will expose 
three red kernels like the              
tamarind-stone4 ,so does winter with his
 mock harvest jeer at the sincerity of  
summer4 ,the tropical fruits1 which will
 not bear the rawness of our summer1 are
 imitated in a thousand fantastic shapes
 by the whimsical genius of winter4     

99       99       99       99       99  
,in winter the warmth comes directly    
from the sun1 and is not radiated from  
the earth4 ,in summer ,i forget to bless
 the sun for his heat2 but when ,i feel 
his beams on my back as ,i thread some  
snowy dale1 ,i am grateful as for a     
special kindness which would not be     
weary of well doing but had pursued me  
even into that by-place4         99     
99       99       99       99  ,when the
 wind blows1 the fine snow comes        
filtering down through all the aisles of
 the wood in a golden cloud4         99 
99       99       99       99  ,the     
trees covered with snow admit a very    
plain and clean light1 but not          
brilliant1 as if through windows of     
ground glass2 a sort of white darkness  
it is1 all of the sun's splendor that   
can be retained4         99       99    
99       99       99  ,the fashions of  
the wood are more fluctuating than those
 of ,paris2 snow1 rime1 ice1 green and  
dry leaves incessantly make new         

patterns4 ,there are all the shapes and 
hues of the kaleidoscope and the designs
 and ciphers of books of heraldry in the
 outlines of the trees4 ,every time ,i  
see a nodding pine-top1 it seems as if a
 new fashion of wearing plumes had come 
into vogue4         99       99       99
       99       99  ,i saw a team come  
out of a path in the woods1 as though it
 had never gone in1 but belonged there1 
and only came out like ,elisha's bears4 
,it was wholly of the village1 and not  
at all of the wood4         99       99 
99       99       99  ,these particles  
of snow which the early wind shakes down
 are what is stirring1 or the morning   
news of the wood4 ,sometimes it is blown
 up above the trees1 like the sand of   
the desert4         99       99       99
       99       99  ,you glance up these
 paths1 closely imbowered by bent trees1
 as through the side aisles of a        
cathedral1 and expect to hear a choir   
chanting from their depths4 ,you are    
never so far in them as they are far    

before you4 ,their secret is where you  
are not and where your feet can never   
carry you4         99       99       99 
99       99  ,i tread in the tracks of  
the fox which has gone before me by some
 hours1 or which perhaps ,i have        
started1 with such a tiptoe of          
expectation as if ,i were on the trail  
of the ,spirit itself which resides in  
these woods1 and expected soon to catch 
it in its lair4#bja         99       99 
99       99       99  ,the snow falls on
 no two trees alike1 but the forms it   
assumes are as various as those of the  
twigs and leaves which receive it4 ,they
 are1 as it were1 predetermined by the  
genius of the tree4 ,so one divine      
spirit descends alike on all1 but bears 
a peculiar fruit in each4 ,the divinity 
subsides on all men1 as the snowflakes  
settle on the fields and ledges and     
takes the form of the various clefts and
 surfaces on which it lodges4         99
       99       99       99       99    
,here is the distinct trail of a fox    

stretching a quarter of a mile across   
the pond4 ,now ,i am curious to know    
what has determined its graceful        
curvatures1 its greater or less spaces  
and distinctness1 and how surely they   
were coincident with the fluctuations of
 some mind1 why they now lead me two    
steps to the right1 and then three to   
the left4 ,if these things are not to be
 called up and accounted for in the     
,lamb's ,book of ,life1 ,i shall set    
them down for careless accountants4     
,here was one expression of the divine  
mind this morning4 ,the pond was his    
journal1 and last night's snow made a   
tabula rasa for him4 ,i know which way a
 mind wended this morning1 what horizon 
it faced1 by the setting of these       
tracks2 whether it moved slowly or      
rapidly1 by the greater or less         
intervals and distinctness1 for the     
swiftest step leaves yet a lasting      
trace4#bjb         99       99       99 
99       99  ,sometimes ,i come out     
suddenly upon a high plain1 which seems 

to be the upper level and true surface  
of the earth1 and by its very baldness  
aspires and lies up nearer to the       
stars1--a place where a decalogue might 
be let down or a saint translated4      
99       99       99       99       99  
,i take a horse and oxen1 standing among
 the wood-piles in the forest1 for one  
of them1 and when at length the horse   
pricks his ears1 and ,i give him another
 name1 where's the difference8 ,i am    
startled by the possibility of such     
errors1 and the indifference with which 
they are allowed to occur4         99   
99       99       99       99  ,fair    
,haven ,pond is scored with the trails  
of foxes1 and you may see where they    
have gambolled and gone through a       
hundred evolutions1 which testify to a  
singular listlessness and leisure in    
nature4  ,suddenly1 looking down the    
river1 ,i saw a fox some sixty rods off1
 making across to the hills on my left4 
,as the snow lay five inches deep1 he   
made but slow progress1 but it was no   

impediment to me4 ,so1 yielding to the  
instinct of the chase1 ,i tossed my head
 aloft and bounded away1 snuffing the   
air like a fox-hound1 and spurning the  
world and the ,humane ,society at each  
bound4 ,it seemed the woods rang with   
the hunter's horn1 and ,diana and all   
the satyrs joined in the chase and      
cheered me on4 ,olympian and ,elean     
youths were waving palms on the hills4  
,in the meanwhile ,i gained rapidly on  
the fox2 but he showed a remarkable     
presence of mind1 for1 instead of       
keeping up the face of the hill1 which  
was steep and unwooded in that part1 he 
kept along the slope in the direction of
 the forest1 though he lost ground by   
it4 ,notwithstanding his fright1 he took
 no step which was not beautiful4 ,the  
course on his part was a series of most 
graceful curves4 ,it was a sort of      
leopard canter1 ,i should say1 as if he 
were nowise impeded by the snow1 but    
were husbanding his strength all the    
while4 ,when he doubled ,i wheeled and  

cut him off1 bounding with fresh vigor1 
and ,antus-like1 recovering my strength 
each time ,i touched the snow4 ,having  
got near enough for a fair view1 just as
 he was slipping into the wood1 ,i      
gracefully yielded him the palm4 ,he ran
 as though there were not a bone in his 
back1 occasionally dropping his muzzle  
to the snow for a rod or two1 and then  
tossing his head aloft when satisfied of
 his course4 ,when he came to a         
declivity he put his fore feet together 
and slid down it like a cat4 ,he trod so
 softly that you could not have heard it
 from any nearness1 and yet with such   
expression that it would not have been  
quite inaudible at any distance4 ,so1   
hoping this experience would prove a    
useful lesson to him1 ,i returned to the
 village by the highway of the          
river4#bjc         99       99       99 
99       99  ,there is all the romance  
of my youthfulest moment in music4      
,heaven lies about us1 as in our        
infancy4 ,there is nothing so wild and  

extravagant that it does not make true4 
,it makes a dream my only real          
experience1 and prompts faith to such   
elasticity that only the incredible can 
satisfy it4 ,it tells me again to trust 
the remotest and finest1 as the         
divinest1 instinct4 ,all that ,i have   
imagined of heroism1 it reminds and     
reassures me of4 ,it is a life unlived1 
a life beyond life1 where at length my  
years will pass4 ,i look under the lids 
of ,time4   ,jan4 #ca4 ,sunday4 ,at each
 step man measures himself against the  
system4 ,if he cannot actually belay the
 sun and make it fast to this planet1   
yet the ,british man alone spins a yarn 
in one year which will reach fifty-one  
times the distance from the earth to the
 sun4 ,so1 having his cable ready       
twisted and coiled1 the fixed stars are 
virtually within his grasp4 ,he carries 
his lasso coiled at his saddle bow1 but 
is never forced to cast it4  ,all things
 are subdued to me by virtue of that    
coiled lasso ,i carry1 and ,i lead them 

without the trouble of a cast4 ,it is   
the rope that lies coiled on the deck1  
which moors my ship1 and ,i have never  
to bend a cable4  ,in ,god's hall hang  
cables of infinite length1 and in ,his  
entries stand bars of infinite strength2
 but those cables were never bent1 nor  
those bars ever poised1 for all things  
have been subdued to the divinity from  
the first1 and these are the seals of   
,his power4  ,the guilty never escape1  
for a steed stands ever ready saddled   
and bridled at ,god's door1 and the     
sinner surrenders at last4   ,end of my 
,journal of #cif pages4   ,feb4 #b4     
,tuesday4 ,it is easy to repeat1 but    
hard to originate4 ,nature is readily   
made to repeat herself in a thousand    
forms1 and in the daguerreotype her own 
light is amanuensis1 and the picture too
 has more than a surface                
significance1--a depth equal to the     
prospect1--so that the microscope may be
 applied to the one as the spy-glass to 
the other4 ,thus we may easily multiply 

the forms of the outward2 but to give   
the within outwardness1 that is not     
easy4  ,that an impression may be taken1
 perfect stillness1 though but for an   
instant1 is necessary4 ,there is        
something analogous in the birth of all 
rhymes4  ,our sympathy is a gift whose  
value we can never know1 nor when we    
impart it4 ,the instant of communion is 
when1 for the least point of time1 we   
cease to oscillate1 and coincide in rest
 by as fine a point as a star pierces   
the firmament4         99       99      
99       99       99  ,the stars are the
 mountain peaks of celestial countries4 
99       99       99       99       99  
,a child asked its father what became of
 the old moon1 and he said it was cut up
 into stars4         99       99        
99       99       99  ,there is always a
 single ear in the audience1 to which we
 address ourselves4         99       99 
99       99       99  ,how much does it 
concern you1 the good opinion of your   
friend8 ,therein is the measure of fame4

 ,for the herd of men multiplied many   
times will never come up to the value of
 one friend4 ,in this society there is  
no fame but love2 for as our name may be
 on the lips of men1 so are we in each  
other's hearts4 ,there is no ambition   
but virtue2 for why should we go round  
about1 who may go direct8  ,all those   
contingencies which the philanthropist1 
statesman1 and housekeeper write so many
 books to meet are simply and quietly   
settled in the intercourse of friends4  
99       99       99       99       99  
,for our aspirations there is no        
expression as yet1 but if we obey       
steadily1 by another year we shall have 
learned the language of last year's     
aspirations4         99       99        
99       99       99  ,when ,i read the 
other day the weight of some of the     
generals of the ,revolution1 it seemed  
no unimportant fact in their biography4 
,it is at least one other means of      
comparing ourselves with them4 ,tell me 
how much ,milton or ,shakespeare        

weighed1 and ,i will get weighed myself1
 that ,i may know better what they are  
to me4  ,weight has something very      
imposing in it1 for we cannot get rid of
 it4 ,once in the scales we must weigh4 
,and are we not always in the scales1   
and weighing just our due1 though we    
kick the beam1 and do all we can to     
heavy or lighten ourselves8   ,feb4 #c4 
,wednesday4 ,the present seems never to 
get its due2 it is the least            
obvious1--neither before1 nor behind1   
but within us4 ,all the past plays into 
this moment1 and we are what we are4 ,my
 aspiration is one thing1 my reflection 
another1 but1 over all1 myself and      
condition is and does4 ,to men and      
nature ,i am each moment a finished     
tool1--a spade1 a barrow1 or a pickaxe4 
,this immense promise is no efficient   
quality4 ,for all practical purposes ,i 
am done4  ,when we do a service to our  
neighbor1 we serve our next neighbor4   
99       99       99       99       99  
,we are constantly invited to be what we

 are2 as to something worthy and noble4 
,i never waited but for myself to come  
round2 none ever detained me1 but ,i    
lagged or tagged after myself4          
99       99       99       99       99  
,it steads us to be as true to children 
and boors as to ,god himself4 ,it is the
 only attitude which will suit all      
occasions2 it only will make the earth  
yield her increase1 and by it do we     
effectually expostulate with the wind4  
,if ,i run against a post1 this is the  
remedy4 ,i would meet the morning and   
evening on very sincere ground4 ,when   
the sun introduces me to a new day1 ,i  
silently say to myself1 ,let us be      
faithful all round2 we will do justice  
and receive it4 ,something like this is 
the secret charm of ,nature's demeanor  
toward us1 strict conscientiousness 8   
and disregard of us when we have ceased 
to have regard for ourselves4 ,so she   
can never offend us4 ,how true she      
is6--and never swerves4 ,in her most    
genial moment her laws are as           

steadfastly and relentlessly            
fulfilled--though the decalogue is      
rhymed and set to sweetest music--as in 
her sternest4         99       99       
99       99       99  ,any exhibition of
 affection--as an inadvertent word1 or  
act1 or look--seems premature1 as if the
 time were not ripe for it2 like the    
buds which the warm days near the end of
 winter cause to push out and unfold    
before the frosts are yet gone4         
99       99       99       99       99  
,my life must seem as if it were passing
 at a higher level than that which ,i   
occupy4 ,it must possess a dignity which
 will not allow me to be familiar4      
99       99       99       99       99  
,the unpretending truth of a simile     
implies sometimes such distinctness in  
the conception as only experience could 
have supplied4 ,homer could not improve 
the simile of a soldier who was careful 
enough to tell the truth4 ,if he knows  
what it was1 he will know what it was   
like4         99       99       99      

99       99  ,as the ancient ,britons   
were exhibited in ,rome in their native 
costume1 and the ,dacian came to display
 his swordsmanship in the arena1 so     
,tyrolese peasants have come farther    
yet1 even from the neighborhood of ,rome
 to ,concord1 for our entertainment this
 night4   ,feb4 #d4 ,thursday4 ,when you
 are once comfortably seated at a public
 meeting1 there is something unmanly in 
the sitting on tiptoe and qui vive      
attitude1--the involuntarily rising into
 your throat1 as if gravity had ceased  
to operate1--when a lady approaches1    
with quite godlike presumption1 to      
elicit the miracle of a seat where none 
is4         99       99       99        
99       99  ,music will make the most  
nervous chord vibrate healthily4        
99       99       99       99       99  
,such a state of unrest becomes only a  
fluttered virtue4 ,when once ,i have    
learned my place in the sphere1 ,i will 
fill it once for all1 rather like a     
fixed star than a planet4 ,i will rest  

as the mountains do1 so that your ladies
 might as well walk into the midst of   
the ,tyrol1 and look for ,nature to     
spread them a green lawn for their      
disport in the midst of those solemn    
fastnesses1 as that ,i should fly out of
 my orbit at their approach and go about
 eccentric1 like a comet1 to endanger   
other systems4 ,no1 be true to your     
instincts1 and sit2 wait till you can be
 genuinely polite1 if it be till        
doomsday1 and not lose your chance      
everlastingly by a cowardly yielding to 
young etiquette4 ,by your look say unto 
them1 ,the lines have fallen to me in   
pleasant places1 and ,i will fill that  
station ,god has assigned me4 ,as well  
,miss ,cassiopeia up there might ask the
 brazen-fronted ,taurus to draw in his  
horns1 that she might shine in his      
stead4 ,no1 no6 not till my cycle is    
completed4  ,how is it that motion will 
always find space to move in1 and rest a
 seat8 ,men hate antagonism1 and the    
weaker will always yield to the         

stronger4 ,if a stranger enter with     
sufficient determination into a crowded 
assembly1 as if commissioned by the gods
 to find a seat there1 as the falling   
stone by a divine impulse seeks a       
resting-place1 each one will rise       
without thinking to offer his place4    
,now we have only to be commissioned to 
sit1 and depend upon it the gods will   
not balk their own work4 ,ye came one   
day too late1 as did the poet after the 
world had been divided1 and so returned 
to dwell with the god that sent him4    
,when presumptuous womanhood demands to 
surrender my position1 ,i bide my       
time1--though it be with misgiving1--and
 yield to no mortal shove1 but expect a 
divine impulse4 ,produce your warrant1  
and ,i will retire2 for not now can ,i  
give you a clear seat1 but must leave   
part of my manhood behind and wander a  
diminished man1 who at length will not  
have length and breadth enough to fill  
any seat at all4 ,it was very kind in   
the gods who gave us a now condition1 or

 condition of rest1 in which we might   
unhurriedly deliberate before taking a  
step4 ,when ,i give up my now and here  
without having secured my then and      
there1 ,i am the prodigal son of a kind 
father and deserve no better than the   
husks which the swine eat1 nor that the 
fatted calf be killed for me4  ,rest    
forever4 ,when instinct comes to the    
rescue of your politeness1 it will seat 
you securely still1 though it be to hang
 by a rail or poise yourself on a stick4
 ,to do otherwise is to be polite only  
as the soldier who runs away when the   
enemy demands his post4 ,politeness is  
rather when the generals interchange    
civilities before the fight1 not when   
one returns a sword after the victory4  
99       99       99       99       99  
,not only in his cunning hand and brain1
 but when he speaks1 too1 does man      
assert his superiority4 ,he conquers the
 spaces with his voice1 as well as the  
lion4 ,the voice of a strong man        
modulated to the cadence of some tune is

 more imposing than any natural sound4  
,the keeper's is the most commanding1   
and is heard over all the din of the    
menagerie4 ,a strong1 musical voice     
imposes a new order and harmony upon    
nature2 from it as a centre the law is  
promulgated to the universe4 ,what it   
lacks in volume and loudness may always 
be made up in musical expression and    
distinctness4 ,the brute growls to      
secure obedience2 he threatens4 ,the man
 speaks as though obedience were already
 secured4         99       99       99  
99       99  ,brave speaking is the most
 entire and richest sacrifice to the    
gods4   ,feb4 #e4 ,friday4 ,only on rare
 occasions am ,i reminded that man too  
has a voice1 as well as birds and       
quadrupeds1 which breaks on the         
stillness of nature with its peculiar   
accent4 ,the least sound pervades and   
subdues all space to it as long as it   
fills my ear4 ,contrasted single with   
the silence1 it is as wide as it4 ,music
 is the crystallization of sound4 ,there

 is something in the effect of a        
harmonious voice upon the disposition of
 its neighborhood analogous to the law  
of crystals2 it centralizes itself and  
sounds like the published law of things4
 ,if the law of the universe were to be 
audibly promulgated1 no mortal lawgiver 
would suspect it1 for it would be a     
finer melody than his ears ever attended
 to4 ,it would be sphere music4#bjd     
99       99       99       99       99  
,when by tutoring their voices singers  
enhance one another's performance1 the  
harmony is more complete and essential  
than is heard4 ,the quire is one family 
held together by a very close bond4     
,hence the romance we associate with    
,gypsies and circus companies and       
strolling musicians4 ,the idea of       
brotherhood is so strong in them4 ,their
 society is ideal for that one end4     
,there is something in this             
brotherhood--this feeling of kind1 or   
kindness--which insensibly elevates the 
subjects of it in our eyes4 ,however    

poor or mean1 they have something which 
counterbalances our contempt4 ,this is  
that in the strolling pauper family     
which does not court our charity but can
 even bless and smile on us and make the
 kindness reciprocal4 ,it sanctifies the
 place and the hour4  ,these ,rainers1  
if they are not brothers and sisters1   
must be uncles and cousins at least4    
,these ,swiss who have come to sing to  
us1 we have no doubt are the flower of  
the ,tyrol4#bje ,such is the instinctive
 kindness with which the foreigner is   
always received1 that he is ever        
presumed to be the fairest and noblest  
of his race4 ,the traveller finds that  
it is not easy to move away from his    
friends1 after all1 but all people whom 
he visits are anxious to supply the     
place to him of his parents and brothers
 and sisters4 ,to these ,swiss ,i find  
that ,i have attributed all ,tell's     
patriotism and the devotion of ,arnold  
,winkelried and whatever goodness or    
greatness belongs to the nation4        

99       99       99       99       99  
,all costume off a man1 when not simply 
doffed1 is grotesque4 ,there must be a  
heart inside it4 ,when these ,swiss     
appear before me in gaiters and         
high-crowned hats with feathers1 ,i am  
disposed to laugh1 but soon ,i see that 
their serious eye becomes these and they
 it4 ,it is the sincere life passed     
within it which consecrates the costume 
of any people4 ,a sufficiently sober eye
 will retrieve itself and subordinate   
any grotesqueness4 ,let ,harlequin be   
taken with a fit of the colic in the    
midst of his buffoonery1 and his        
trappings and finery will serve that    
mood too and with their drooping        
sympathy enhance the sincerity of his   
misfortune4 ,when the soldier is hit by 
a cannon-ball1 rags are as becoming as  
purple4#bjf ,so soon as a man engages to
 eat1 drink1 sleep1 walk1 and sit1 and  
meet all the contingencies of life      
therein1 his costume is hallowed and a  
theme for poetry1 whether it be a bear's

 skin or ermine1 a beaver hat or a      
,turkish turban4 ,he will not wear      
anything because it is blue1 or black1  
or round1 or square1 but from a         
necessity which cannot be superseded4   
,i look into the face and manners for   
something familiar and homely even1 to  
be assured that the costume of the      
foreigner is not whimsical or finical4  
99       99       99       99       99  
,in all emergencies there is always one 
step which you may take on firm ground  
where gravity will assure you footing4  
,so you hold a draft on ,fate payable at
 sight4   ,feb4 #f4 ,saturday4 ,one may 
discover a new side to his most intimate
 friend when for the first time he hears
 him speak in public4 ,he will be       
stranger to him as he is more familiar  
to the audience4 ,the longest intimacy  
could not foretell how he would behave  
then4 ,when ,i observe my friend's      
conduct toward others1 then chiefly ,i  
learn the traits in his character1 and  
in each case ,i am unprepared for the   

issue4  ,when one gets up to address    
briefly a strange audience1 in that     
little he may have opportunity to say he
 will not quite do himself injustice4   
,for he will instantly and instinctively
 average himself to his audience1 and   
while he is true to his own character   
still1 he will in a few moments make    
that impression which a series of months
 and years would but expand4 ,before he 
answers1 his thought like lightning runs
 round the whole compass of his         
experiences1 and he is scrupulous to    
speak from that which he is and with a  
more entire truthfulness than usual4    
,how little do we know each other then6 
,who can tell how his friend would      
behave on any occasion8         99      
99       99       99       99  ,as for  
those ,swiss1 ,i think of the fields    
their hands have plowed and reaped1 and 
respect their costume as the memorial or
 rather cotemporary and witness of this4
 ,what is there in a toga but a ,roman8 
,what but a ,quaker in a broad-brimmed  

hat8 ,he who describes the dress of a   
,janizary going to war does me a similar
 service as when he paints the scenery  
of the battle-field4 ,it helps make his 
exploit picturesque4  ,costume is not   
determined by whim1 not even the        
tattooing and paint of the savage4 ,sun1
 wind1 rain1 and the form of our bodies 
shape our hats and coats for us1 more   
even than taste4 ,good taste secures the
 utmost gratification without           
sacrificing any conveniences4 ,if all   
nations derived their fashions from     
,paris or ,london1 the world would seem 
like a ,vanity ,fair or all fools' day1 
and the ,tartar and ,bedouin ride in it 
like jesters in a circus1 and the       
,pawnee and ,esquimau hunt in           
masquerade4 ,what ,i am must make you   
forget what ,i wear4 ,the fashionable   
world is content to be eclipsed by its  
dress1 and never will bear the contrast4
 ,only industry will reform their dress4
 ,they are idle1--exostrious1 building  
without4         99       99       99   

99       99  ,the value of the recess in
 any public entertainment consists in   
the opportunity for self-recovery which 
it offers4 ,we who have been swayed as  
one heart1 expanding and contracting    
with the common pulse1 find ourselves in
 the interim1 and set us up again1 and  
feel our own hearts beating in our      
breasts4 ,we are always a little        
astonished to see a man walking across  
the room1 through an attentive audience1
 with any degree of self-possession4 ,he
 makes himself strange to us4 ,he is a  
little stubborn withal1 and seems to    
say1 ,i am self-sustained and           
independent as well as the performer1   
and am not to be swallowed up in the    
common enthusiasm4 ,no1 no1 there are   
two of us1 and ,john's as good as       
,thomas4 ,in the recess the audience is 
cut up into a hundred little coteries1  
and as soon as each individual life has 
recovered its tone and the purposes of  
health have been answered1 it is time   
for the performances to commence again4 

99       99       99       99       99  
,in a public performer1 the simplest    
actions1 which at other times are left  
to unconscious nature1 as the ascending 
a few steps in front of an audience1    
acquire a fatal importance and become   
arduous deeds4         99       99      
99       99       99  ,when ,i select   
one here and another there1 and strive  
to join sundered thoughts1 ,i make but a
 partial heap after all4 ,nature strews 
her nuts and flowers broadcast1 and     
never collects them into heaps4 ,a man  
does not tell us all he has thought upon
 truth or beauty at a sitting1 but1 from
 his last thought on the subject1       
wanders through a varied scenery of     
upland1 meadow1 and woodland to his     
next4 ,sometimes a single and casual    
thought rises naturally and inevitably  
with a queenly majesty and escort1 like 
the stars in the east4 ,fate has surely 
enshrined it in this hour and           
circumstances for some purpose4 ,what   
she has joined together1 let not man put

 asunder4 ,shall ,i transplant the      
primrose by the river's brim1 to set it 
beside its sister on the mountain8 ,this
 was the soil it grew in1 this the hour 
it bloomed in4 ,if sun1 wind1 and rain  
came here to cherish and expand it1     
shall not we come here to pluck it8     
,shall we require it to grow in a       
conservatory for our convenience8       
99       99       99       99       99  
,i feel slightly complimented when      
,nature condescends to make use of me   
without my knowledge1 as when ,i help   
scatter her seeds in my walk1 or carry  
burs and cockles on my clothes from     
field to field4#bjg ,i feel as though ,i
 had done something for the commonweal1 
and were entitled to board and lodging4 
,i take such airs upon me as the boy who
 holds a horse for the circus company1  
whom all the spectators envy4         99
       99       99       99       99    
,lu ral lu ral lu may be more           
impressively sung than very respectable 
wisdom talked4 ,it is well-timed1 as    

wisdom is not always4         99        
99       99       99       99  ,all     
things prophesy but the prophet4 ,in    
augury and divination nature is put to  
the torture4 ,in ,ben ,jonson's tragedy 
of ,catiline1 ,lentulus makes answer to 
,catiline1 who has bribed the augurs to 
say that he is that third ,cornelius who
 is to be king of ,rome1 ,all           
prophecies1 you know1 suffer the        
torture4 ,he who inspects the entrails  
is always bribed1 but they are          
unbribable4 ,he who seeks to know the   
future by unlawful means has unavoidably
 subjected the oracle to the torture of 
private and partial interests4 ,the     
oracles of ,god serve the public        
interest without fee4 ,to the just and  
benevolent mind nature declares1 as the 
sun lights the world4   ,feb4 #g4       
,sunday4 ,without greatcoat or drawers  
,i have advanced thus far into the      
snow-banks of the winter1 without       
thought and with impunity4#bjh ,when ,i 
meet my neighbors in muffs and furs and 

tippets1 they look as if they had       
retreated into the interior fastnesses  
from some foe invisible to me4 ,they    
remind me that this is the season of    
winter1 in which it becomes a man to be 
cold4 ,for feeling1 ,i am a piece of    
clean wood of this shape1 which will do 
service till it rots1 and though the    
cold has its physical effect on me1 it  
is a kindly one1 for it finds its       
acquaintance there4 ,my diet is so      
little stimulating1 and my body in      
consequence so little heated1 as to     
excite no antagonism in nature1 but     
flourishes like a tree1 which finds even
 the winter genial to its expansion and 
the secretion of sap4 ,may not the body 
defend itself against cold by its very  
nakedness1 and its elements be so simple
 and single that they cannot congeal8   
,frost does not affect one but several4 
,my body now affords no more pasture for
 cold than a leafless twig4#bji ,i call 
it a protestant warmth4 ,my limbs do not
 tire as formerly1 but ,i use myself as 

any other piece of nature1 and from mere
 indifference and thoughtlessness may   
break the timber4  ,it is the vice of   
the last season which compels us to arm 
ourselves for the next4 ,if man always  
conformed to ,nature1 he would not have 
to defend himself against her1 but find 
her his constant nurse and friend1 as do
 plants and quadrupeds4         99      
99       99       99       99  ,in the  
sunshine and the crowing of cocks ,i    
feel an illimitable holiness1 which     
makes me bless ,god and myself4 ,the    
warm sun casts his incessant gift at my 
feet as ,i walk along1 unfolding his    
yellow worlds4 ,yonder sexton with a few
 cheap sounds makes me richer than these
 who mind his summons4 ,the true gift is
 as wide as my gratitude1 and as        
frequent1 and the donor is as grateful  
as the recipient4 ,there would be a ,new
 ,year's gift indeed1 if we would bestow
 on each other our sincerity4 ,we should
 communicate our wealth1 and not        
purchase that which does not belong to  

us for a sign4 ,why give each other a   
sign to keep8 ,if we gave the thing     
itself1 there would be no need of a     
sign4         99       99       99      
99       99  ,i am not sure ,i should   
find out a really great person soon4 ,he
 would be simple ,thomas or ,oliver for 
some centuries first4 ,the lesser       
eminences would hide the higher1 and ,i 
should at last reach his top by a gentle
 acclivity4 ,i felt it would be         
necessary to remain some weeks at the   
,notch to be impressed by the grandeur  
of the scenery4 ,we do not expect that  
,alexander will conquer ,asia the first 
time we are introduced to him4 ,a great 
man accepts the occasion the fates offer
 him4 ,let us not be disappointed4 ,we  
stand at first upon the pampas which    
surround him4 ,it is these mountains    
round about which make the valleys here 
below4 ,he is not a dead level1 so many 
feet above low-water mark4 ,greatness is
 in the ascent4 ,but there is no        
accounting for the little men4          

,they must sweat no less      ,to fit   
their properties1 than t' express their 
parts4  ,or the line before this3--     
,would you have      ,such an ,herculean
 actor in the scene1      ,and not his  
hydra8--,,jonson4  ,the eaves are       
running on the south side of the house2 
the titmouse lisps in the poplar2 the   
bells are ringing for church2 while the 
sun presides over all and makes his     
simple warmth more obvious than all     
else4#baj ,what shall ,i do with this   
hour1 so like time and yet so fit for   
eternity8 ,where in me are these russet 
patches of ground1 and scattered logs   
and chips in the yard8 ,i do not feel   
cluttered4 ,i have some notion what the 
,john's-wort and life-everlasting may be
 thinking about when the sun shines on  
me as on them and turns my prompt       
thought into just such a seething       
shimmer4 ,i lie out indistinct as a     
heath at noonday4 ,i am evaporating and 
ascending into the sun4         99      
99       99       99       99  ,nothing 

stands in the way to success1 but to    
failure4 ,to victory is all the way up  
hill2 to defeat the simplest wight that 
weighs may soon slide down4 ,cowards    
would not have victory but the fruits of
 victory2 but she it is that sweetens   
all the spoil4 ,thus1 by a just fate1   
the booty cannot fall to him who did not
 win it4 ,there is victory in every     
effort4 ,in the least swing of the arm1 
in indignant thought1 in stern content1 
we conquer our foes4         99       99
       99       99       99  ,great     
thoughts make great men4 ,without these 
no heraldry nor blood will avail4  ,the 
blood circulates to the feet and hands1 
but the thought never descends from the 
head4         99       99       99      
99       99  ,the most ,i can do for my 
friend is simply to be his friend4 ,i   
have no wealth to bestow on him4 ,if he 
knows that ,i am happy in loving him1 he
 will want no other reward4 ,is not     
,friendship divine in this8  ,i have    
myself to respect1 but to myself ,i am  

not amiable2 but my friend is my        
amiableness personified4  ,and yet we   
walk the stage indifferent actors1 not  
thinking what a sublime drama we might  
enact if we would be joint workers and a
 mutual material4 ,why go to the woods  
to cut timber to display our art upon1  
when here are men as trees walking8 ,the
 world has never learned what men can   
build each other up to be1 when both    
master and pupil work in love4  ,he that
 comes as a stranger to my house will   
have to stay as a stranger4 ,he has made
 his own reception4 ,but persevering    
love was never yet refused4       ,the  
vicious count their years1 virtuous     
their acts4                             
,,jonson4  ,the former consider the     
length of their service1 the latter its 
quality4       ,wait not till ,i invite 
thee1 but observe      ,i'm glad to see 
thee when thou com'st4#baa  ,the most   
ardent lover holds yet a private court1 
and his love can never be so strong or  
ethereal that there will not be danger  

that judgment may be rendered against   
the beloved4         99       99        
99       99       99  ,i would have men 
make a greater use of me4#bab ,now ,i   
must belittle myself to have dealings   
with them4 ,my friend will show such a  
noble confidence that ,i shall aspire to
 the society of his good opinion4 ,never
 presume men less that you may make them
 more4 ,so far as we respond to our     
ideal estimate of each other do we have 
profitable intercourse4         99      
99       99       99       99  ,a brave 
man always knows the way1 no matter how 
intricate the roads4   ,feb4 #h4 ,all we
 have experienced is so much gone within
 us1 and there lies4 ,it is the company 
we keep4 ,one day1 in health or         
sickness1 it will come out and be       
remembered4 ,neither body nor soul      
forgets anything4 ,the twig always      
remembers the wind that shook it1 and   
the stone the cuff it received4 ,ask the
 old tree and the sand4         99      
99       99       99       99  ,to be of

 most service to my brother ,i must meet
 him on the most equal and even ground1 
the platform on which our lives are     
passing4 ,but how often does politeness 
permit this8         99       99        
99       99       99  ,i seek a man who 
will appeal to me when ,i am in fault4  
,we will treat as gods settling the     
affairs of men4 ,in his intercourse ,i  
shall be always a god to-day1 who was a 
man yesterday4 ,he will never confound  
me with my guilt1 but let me be         
immaculate and hold up my skirts4       
,differences he will make haste to clear
 up1 but leave agreements unsettled the 
while4         99       99       99     
99       99  ,as time is measured by the
 lapse of ideas1 we may grow of our own 
force1 as the mussel adds new circles to
 its shell4 ,my thoughts secrete the    
lime4 ,we may grow old with the vigor of
 youth4 ,are we not always in youth so  
long as we face heaven8 ,we may always  
live in the morning of our days4 ,to him
 who seeks early1 the sun never gets    

over the edge of the hill1 but his rays 
fall slanting forever4 ,his wise sayings
 are like the chopping of wood and      
crowing of cocks in the dawn4         99
       99       99       99       99    
,my ,journal is that of me which would  
else spill over and run to waste1       
gleanings from the field which in action
 ,i reap4 ,i must not live for it1 but  
in it for the gods4 ,they are my        
correspondent1 to whom daily ,i send off
 this sheet postpaid4 ,i am clerk in    
their counting-room1 and at evening     
transfer the account from day-book to   
ledger4 ,it is as a leaf which hangs    
over my head in the path4 ,i bend the   
twig and write my prayers on it2 then   
letting it go1 the bough springs up and 
shows the scrawl to heaven4 ,as if it   
were not kept shut in my desk1 but were 
as public a leaf as any in nature4 ,it  
is papyrus by the riverside2 it is      
vellum in the pastures2 it is parchment 
on the hills4 ,i find it everywhere as  
free as the leaves which troop along the

 lanes in autumn4 ,the crow1 the goose1 
the eagle carry my quill1 and the wind  
blows the leaves as far as ,i go4 ,or1  
if my imagination does not soar1 but    
gropes in slime and mud1 then ,i write  
with a reed4  ,it is always a chance    
scrawl1 and commemorates some           
accident1--as great as earthquake or    
eclipse4 ,like the sere leaves in yonder
 vase1 these have been gathered far and 
wide4 ,upland and lowland1 forest and   
field have been ransacked4         99   
99       99       99       99  ,in our  
holiest moment our devil with a leer    
stands close at hand4 ,he is a very busy
 devil4 ,it gains vice some respect1 ,i 
must confess1 thus to be reminded how   
indefatigable it is4 ,it has at least   
the merit of industriousness4 ,when ,i  
go forth with zeal to some good work1 my
 devil is sure to get his robe tucked up
 the first and arrives there as soon as 
,i1 with a look of sincere earnestness  
which puts to shame my best intent4 ,he 
is as forward as ,i to a good work1 and 

as disinterested4 ,he has a winning way 
of recommending himself by making       
himself useful4 ,how readily he comes   
into my best project1 and does his work 
with a quiet and steady cheerfulness    
which even virtue may take pattern from4
  ,i never was so rapid in my virtue but
 my vice kept up with me4 ,it always    
came in by a hand1 and never panting1   
but with a curried coolness halted1 as  
if halting were the beginning not the   
end of the course4 ,it only runs the    
swifter because it has no rider4 ,it    
never was behind me but when ,i turned  
to look and so fell behind myself4 ,i   
never did a charitable thing but there  
he stood1 scarce in the rear1 with hat  
in hand1 partner on the same errand1    
ready to share the smile of gratitude4  
,though ,i shut the door never so quick 
and tell it to stay at home like a good 
dog1 it will out with me1 for ,i shut in
 my own legs so1 and it escapes in the  
meanwhile and is ready to back and      
reinforce me in most virtuous deeds4    

,and if ,i turn and say1 ,get thee      
behind me1 he then indeed turns too and 
takes the lead1 though he seems to      
retire with a pensive and compassionate 
look1 as much as to say1 ,ye know not   
what ye do4  ,just as active as ,i      
become to virtue1 just so active is my  
remaining vice4 ,every time we teach our
 virtue a new nobleness1 we teach our   
vice a new cunning4 ,when we sharpen the
 blade it will stab better as well as   
whittle4 ,the scythe that cuts will cut 
our legs4 ,we are double-edged blades1  
and every time we whet our virtue the   
return stroke straps our vice4 ,and when
 we cut a clear descending blow1 our    
vice on t'other edge rips up the work4  
,where is the skillful swordsman that   
can draw his blade straight back out of 
the wound8#bac  ,every man proposes     
fairly1 and does not willfully take the 
devil for his guide2 as our shadows     
never fall between us and the sun4 ,go  
towards the sun and your shadow will    
fall behind you4   ,feb4 #i4 ,tuesday4  

,cato4 ,good ,marcus ,tullius 7which is 
more than great71               ,thou   
hadst thy education with the gods4      
,,jonson4  ,better be defamed than      
overpraised4 ,thou canst then justly    
praise thyself4 ,what notoriety art thou
 that can be defamed8 ,who can be       
praised for what they are not deserve   
rather to be damned for what they are4  
,it is hard to wear a dress that is too 
long and loose without stumbling4       
,whoe'er is raised1      ,for wealth he 
has not1 he is tax'd1 not prais'd1  says
 ,jonson4 ,if you mind the flatterer1   
you rob yourself and still cheat him4   
,the fates never exaggerate2 men pass   
for what they are4 ,the state never     
fails to get a revenue out of you       
without a direct tax4 ,flattery would   
lay a direct tax4 ,what ,i am praised   
for what ,i am not ,i put to the account
 of the gods4 ,it needs a skillful eye  
to distinguish between their coin and my
 own4 ,but however there can be no loss 
either way1 for what meed ,i have earned

 is equally theirs4 ,let neither fame   
nor infamy hit you1 but the one go as   
far beyond as the other falls behind4   
,let the one glance past you to the     
gods1 and the other wallow where it was 
engendered4 ,the home thrusts are at    
helmets upon blocks1 and my worst foes  
but stab an armor through4         99   
99       99       99       99  ,my life 
at this moment is like a summer morning 
when birds are singing4 ,yet that is    
false1 for nature's is an idle pleasure 
in comparison3 my hour has a more solid 
serenity4 ,i have been breaking silence 
these twenty-three years and have hardly
 made a rent in it4 ,silence has no end2
 speech is but the beginning of it4 ,my 
friend thinks ,i keep silence1 who am   
only choked with letting it out so fast4
 ,does he forget that new mines of      
secrecy are constantly opening in me8   
99       99       99       99       99  
,if any scorn your love1 let them see   
plainly that you serve not them but     
another4 ,if these bars are up1 go your 

way to other of ,god's pastures1 and    
browse there the while4 ,when your host 
shuts his door on you he incloses you in
 the dwelling of nature4 ,he thrusts you
 over the threshold of the world4 ,my   
foes restore me to my friends4          
99       99       99       99       99  
,i might say friendship had no ears as  
love has no eyes1 for no word is        
evidence in its court4 ,the least act   
fulfills more than all words profess4   
,the most gracious speech is but partial
 kindness1 but the least genuine deed   
takes the whole man4 ,if we had waited  
till doomsday it could never have been  
uttered4   ,feb4 #aj4 ,wednesday4 ,that 
was fine praise which ,ben ,jonson gave 
to ,thomas1 ,lord ,chancellor3--        
,whilst thou art certain to thy words1  
once gone1      ,as is thy conscience1  
which is always one4  ,words do not lose
 their truth by time or                 
misinterpretation1 but stand unscathed  
longer than he who spoke them4  ,let our
 words be such as we may unblushingly   

behold sculptured in granite on the     
walls to the least syllable4 ,our       
thoughts and actions may be very private
 for a long time1 for they demand a more
 catholic publicity to be displayed in  
than the world can afford4 ,our best    
deeds shun the narrow walks of men1 and 
are not ambitious of the faint light the
 world can shed on them1 but delight to 
unfold themselves in that public ground 
between ,god and conscience4  ,truth has
 for audience and spectator all the     
world4 ,within1 where ,i resolve and    
deal with principles1 there is more     
space and room than anywhere without1   
where my hands execute4 ,men should hear
 of your virtue only as they hear the   
creaking of the earth's axle and the    
music of the spheres4 ,it will fall into
 the course of nature and be effectually
 concealed by publicness4         99    
99       99       99       99  ,i asked 
a man to-day if he would rent me some   
land1 and he said he had four acres as  
good soil as any outdoors4 ,it was a    

true poet's account of it4 ,he and ,i1  
and all the world1 went outdoors to     
breathe the free air and stretch        
ourselves4 ,for the world is but        
outdoors1--and we duck behind a panel4  
,feb4 #aa4 ,true help1 for the most     
part1 implies a greatness in him who is 
to be helped as well as in the helper4  
,it takes a god to be helped even4 ,a   
great person1 though unconsciously1 will
 constantly give you great opportunities
 to serve him1 but a mean one will quite
 preclude all active benevolence4 ,it   
needs but simply and greatly to want it 
for once1 that all true men may contend 
who shall be foremost to render aid4 ,my
 neighbor's state must pray to heaven so
 devoutly yet disinterestedly as he     
never prayed in words1 before my ears   
can hear4 ,it must ask divinely4 ,but   
men so cobble and botch their request1  
that you must stoop as low as they to   
give them aid4 ,their meanness would    
drag down your deed to be a compromise  
with conscience1 and not leave it to be 

done on the high table-land of the      
benevolent soul4 ,they would have you   
doff your bright and knightly armor and 
drudge for them1--serve them and not    
,god4 ,but if ,i am to serve them ,i    
must not serve the devil4  ,what is     
called charity is no charity1 but the   
interference of a third person4 ,shall  
,i interfere with fate8 ,shall ,i       
defraud man of the opportunities which  
,god gave him1 and so take away his     
life8 ,beggars and silent poor cry--how 
often6--,get between me and my god4 ,i  
will not stay to cobble and patch ,god's
 rents1 but do clean1 new work when he  
has given me my hands full4 ,this       
almshouse charity is like putting new   
wine into old bottles1 when so many tuns
 in ,god's cellars stand empty4 ,we go  
about mending the times1 when we should 
be building the eternity4  ,i must serve
 a strong master1 not a weak one4 ,help 
implies a sympathy of energy and effort1
 else no alleviation will avail4   ,feb4
 #ab4 ,friday4 ,those great men who are 

unknown to their own generation are     
already famous in the society of the    
great who have gone before them4 ,all   
worldly fame but subsides from their    
high estimate beyond the stars4 ,we may 
still keep pace with those who have gone
 out of nature1 for we run on as smooth 
ground as they4  ,the early and the     
latter saints are separated by no       
eternal interval4  ,the child may soon  
stand face to face with the best father4
   ,feb4 #ac4 ,by the truthfulness of   
our story to-day we help explain        
ourselves for all our life henceforth4  
,how we hamper and belay ourselves by   
the least exaggeration6 ,the truth is   
,god's concern2 ,he will sustain it2 but
 who can afford to maintain a lie8 ,we  
have taken away one of the ,pillars of  
,hercules1 and must support the world on
 our shoulders1 who might have walked   
freely upon it4         99       99     
99       99       99  ,my neighbor says 
that his hill-farm is poor stuff and    
only fit to hold the world together4#bad

 ,he deserves that ,god should give him 
better for so brave a treating of his   
gifts1 instead of humbly putting up     
therewith4 ,it is a sort of stay1 or    
gore1 or gusset1 and he will not be     
blinded by modesty or gratitude1 but    
sees it for what it is2 knowing his     
neighbor's fertile land1 he calls his by
 its right name4 ,but perhaps my farmer 
forgets that his lean soil has sharpened
 his wits4 ,this is a crop it was good  
for4 ,and beside1 you see the heavens at
 a lesser angle from the hill than from 
the vale4         99       99       99  
99       99  ,we have nothing to fear   
from our foes2 ,god keeps a standing    
army for that service2 but we have no   
ally against our friends1 those ruthless
 vandals whose kind intent is a subtler 
poison than the ,colchian1 a more fatal 
shaft than the ,lydian4#bae   ,feb4 #ad4
 ,sunday4 ,i am confined to the house by
 bronchitis1 and so seek to content     
myself with that quiet and serene life  
there is in a warm corner by the        

fireside1 and see the sky through the   
chimney-top4 ,sickness should not be    
allowed to extend further than the body4
 ,we need only to retreat further within
 us to preserve uninterrupted the       
continuity of serene hours to the end of
 our lives4  ,as soon as ,i find my     
chest is not of tempered steel1 and     
heart of adamant1 ,i bid good-by to     
these and look out a new nature4 ,i will
 be liable to no accidents4         99  
99       99       99       99  ,i shall 
never be poor while ,i can command a    
still hour in which to take leave of my 
sin4         99       99       99       
99       99  ,the jingling team which is
 creaking past reminds me of that verse 
in the ,bible which speaks of ,god being
 heard in the bells of the horses4      
,feb4 #ae4 ,there is elevation in every 
hour4 ,no part of the earth is so low   
and withdrawn that the heavens cannot be
 seen from it1 but every part supports  
the sky4 ,we have only to stand on the  
eminence of the hour1 and look out      

thence into the empyrean1 allowing no   
pinnacle above us1 to command an        
uninterrupted horizon4 ,the moments will
 lie outspread around us like a blue    
expanse of mountain and valley1 while we
 stand on the summit of our hour as if  
we had descended on eagle's wings4 ,for 
the eagle has stooped to his perch on   
the highest cliff and has never climbed 
the rock2 he stands by his wings more   
than by his feet4 ,we shall not want a  
foothold1 but wings will sprout from our
 shoulders1 and we shall walk securely1 
self-sustained4         99       99     
99       99       99  ,for how slight an
 accident shall two noble souls wait to 
bring them together6   ,feb4 #ag4 ,our  
work should be fitted to and lead on the
 time1 as bud1 flower1 and fruit lead   
the circle of the seasons4         99   
99       99       99       99  ,the     
mechanic works no longer than his labor 
will pay for lights1 fuel1 and shop     
rent4 ,would it not be well for us to   
consider if our deed will warrant the   

expense of nature8 ,will it maintain the
 sun's light8         99       99       
99       99       99  ,our actions do   
not use time independently1 as the bud  
does4 ,they should constitute its lapse4
 ,it is their room4 ,but they shuffle   
after and serve the hour4   ,feb4 #ah4  
,thursday4 ,i do not judge men by       
anything they can do4 ,their greatest   
deed is the impression they make on me4 
,some serene1 inactive men can do       
everything4 ,talent only indicates a    
depth of character in some direction4   
,we do not acquire the ability to do new
 deeds1 but a new capacity for all      
deeds4 ,my recent growth does not appear
 in any visible new talent1 but its deed
 will enter into my gaze when ,i look   
into the sky1 or vacancy4 ,it will help 
me to consider ferns and everlasting4   
,man is like a tree which is limited to 
no age1 but grows as long as it has its 
root in the ground4 ,we have only to    
live in the alburnum and not in the old 
wood4 ,the gnarled stump has as tender a

 bud as the sapling4         99       99
       99       99       99  ,sometimes 
,i find that ,i have frequented a higher
 society during sleep1 and my thoughts  
and actions proceed on a higher level in
 the morning4         99       99       
99       99       99  ,a man is the     
hydrostatic paradox1 the counterpoise of
 the system4 ,you have studied flowers  
and birds cheaply enough1 but you must  
lay yourself out to buy him4   ,feb4    
#ai4 ,a truly good book attracts very   
little favor to itself4 ,it is so true  
that it teaches me better than to read  
it4 ,i must soon lay it down and        
commence living on its hint4 ,i do not  
see how any can be written more1 but    
this is the last effusion of genius4    
,when ,i read an indifferent book1 it   
seems the best thing ,i can do1 but the 
inspiring volume hardly leaves me       
leisure to finish its latter pages4 ,it 
is slipping out of my fingers while ,i  
read4 ,it creates no atmosphere in which
 it may be perused1 but one in which its

 teachings may be practiced4 ,it confers
 on me such wealth that ,i lay it down  
with the least regret4 ,what ,i began by
 reading ,i must finish by acting4 ,so  
,i cannot stay to hear a good sermon and
 applaud at the conclusion1 but shall be
 half-way to ,thermopyl before that4    
99       99       99       99       99  
,when any joke or hoax traverses the    
,union in the newspapers it apprises me 
of a fact which no geography or         
guide-book contains1 of a certain       
leisure and nonchalance pervading       
society4 ,it is a piece of information  
from over the ,alleghanies1 which ,i    
know how to prize1 though ,i did not    
expect it4 ,and it is just so in        
,nature4 ,i sometimes observe in her a  
strange trifling1 almost listlessness1  
which conducts to beauty and grace1--the
 fantastic and whimsical forms of snow  
and ice1 the unaccountable freaks which 
the tracks of rabbits exhibit4 ,i know  
now why all those busy speculators do   
not die of fever and ague4         99   

99       99       99       99           
,coleridge observed the landscapes made 
by damp on a whitewashed wall1 and so   
have ,i4         99       99       99   
99       99  ,we seem but to linger in  
manhood to tell the dreams of our       
childhood1 and they vanish out of memory
 ere we learn the language4#baf         
99       99       99       99       99  
,it is the unexplored grandeur of the   
storm which keeps up the spirits of the 
traveller4#bag ,when ,i contemplate a   
hard and bare life in the woods1 ,i find
 my last consolation in its             
untrivialness4 ,shipwreck is less       
distressing because the breakers do not 
trifle with us4 ,we are resigned as long
 as we recognize the sober and solemn   
mystery of nature4 ,the dripping mariner
 finds consolation and sympathy in the  
infinite sublimity of the storm4 ,it is 
a moral force as well as he4 ,with      
courage he can lay down his life on the 
strand1 for it never turned a deaf ear  
to him1 nor has he ever exhausted its   

sympathy4         99       99       99  
99       99  ,in the love of narrow     
souls ,i make many short voyages1 but in
 vain2 ,i find no sea-room4 ,but in     
great souls ,i sail before the wind     
without a watch1 and never reach the    
shore4         99       99       99     
99       99  ,you demand that ,i be less
 your friend that you may know it4      
99       99       99       99       99  
,nothing will reconcile friends but     
love4 ,they make a fatal mistake when   
they go about like foes to explain and  
treat with one another4 ,it is a mutual 
mistake4 ,none are so unmanageable4     
,feb4 #bj4 ,saturday4 ,i suspect the    
moral discrimination of the oldest and  
best authors4 ,i doubt if ,milton       
distinguished greatly between his ,satan
 and his ,raphael4 ,in ,homer and       
schylus and ,dante ,i miss a nice       
discrimination of the important shades  
of character4         99       99       
99       99       99  ,when ,i am going 
out for an evening ,i arrange the fire  

in my stove so that ,i do not fail to   
find a good one when ,i return1 though  
it would have engaged my frequent       
attention present4 ,so that1 when ,i    
know ,i am to be at home1 ,i sometimes  
make believe that ,i may go out1 to save
 trouble4 ,and this is the art of       
living1 too1--to leave our life in a    
condition to go alone1 and not to       
require a constant supervision4 ,we will
 then sit down serenely to live1 as by  
the side of a stove4  ,when ,i sit in   
earnest1 nothing must stand1 all must be
 sedentary with me4         99       99 
99       99       99  ,i hear the faint 
sound of a viol and voices from the     
neighboring cottage1 and think to       
myself1 ,i will believe the ,muse only  
for evermore4 ,it assures me that no    
gleam which comes over the serene soul  
is deceptive4 ,it warns me of a reality 
and substance1 of which the best that ,i
 see is but the phantom and shadow4 ,o  
music1 thou tellest me of things of     
which memory takes no heed2 thy strains 

are whispered aside from memory's ear4  
,this is the noblest plain of earth1    
over which these sounds are borne1 the  
plain of ,troy or ,eleusis4         99  
99       99       99       99  ,thou    
openest all my senses to catch thy least
 hint1 and givest me no thought4 ,it    
would be good to sit at my door of      
summer evenings forever and hear thy    
strains4 ,thou makest me to toy with    
speech1 or walk content without it1 not 
regretting its absence4 ,i am pleased to
 think how ignorant and shiftless the   
wisest are4 ,my imperfect sympathies    
with my friend are cheerful1 glimmering 
light in the valley4   ,feb4 #ba4       
,sunday4 ,it is hard to preserve        
equanimity and greatness on that        
debatable ground between love and       
esteem4 ,there is nothing so stable and 
unfluctuating as love4 ,the waves beat  
steadfast on its shore forever1 and its 
tide has no ebb4 ,it is a resource in   
all extremities1 and a refuge even from 
itself4 ,and yet love will not be leaned

 on4   ,feb4 #bb4 ,love is the tenderest
 mood of that which is tough--and the   
toughest mood of that which is tender4  
,it may be roughly handled as the       
nettle1 or gently as the violet4 ,it has
 its holidays1 but is not made for them4
         99       99       99       99  
99  ,the whole of the day should not be 
daytime1 nor of the night night-time1   
but some portion be rescued from time to
 oversee time in4 ,all our hours must   
not be current2 all our time must not   
lapse4 ,there must be one hour at least 
which the day did not bring forth1--of  
ancient parentage and long-established  
nobility1--which will be a serene and   
lofty platform overlooking the rest4 ,we
 should make our notch every day on our 
characters1 as ,robinson ,crusoe on his 
stick4 ,we must be at the helm at least 
once a day2 we must feel the tiller-rope
 in our hands1 and know that if we sail1
 we steer4         99       99       99 
99       99  ,friends will be much      
apart2 they will respect more each      

other's privacy than their communion1   
for therein is the fulfillment of our   
high aims and the conclusion of our     
arguments4 ,that we know and would      
associate with not only has high        
intents1 but goes on high errands1 and  
has much private business4 ,the hours he
 devotes to me were snatched from higher
 society4 ,he is hardly a gift level to 
me1 but ,i have to reach up to take it4 
,my imagination always assigns him a    
nobler employment in my absence than    
ever ,i find him engaged in4#bah  ,we   
have to go into retirement religiously1 
and enhance our meeting by rarity and a 
degree of unfamiliarity4 ,would you know
 why ,i see thee so seldom1 my friend8  
,in solitude ,i have been making up a   
packet for thee4         99       99    
99       99       99  ,the actions which
 grow out of some common but natural    
relations affect me strangely1 as       
sometimes the behavior of a mother to   
her children4 ,so quiet and noiseless an
 action often moves me more than many   

sounding exploits4   ,feb4 #bc4         
,tuesday4 ,let all our stores and       
munitions be provided for the lone      
state4         99       99       99     
99       99  ,the care of the body is   
the highest exercise of prudence4 ,if ,i
 have brought this weakness on my lungs1
 ,i will consider calmly and            
disinterestedly how the thing came      
about1 that ,i may find out the truth   
and render justice4 ,then1 after        
patience1 ,i shall be a wiser man than  
before4  ,let us apply all our wit to   
the repair of our bodies1 as we would   
mend a harrow1 for the body will be     
dealt plainly and implicitly with4 ,we  
want no moonshine nor surmises about it4
 ,this matter of health and sickness has
 no fatality in it1 but is a subject for
 the merest prudence4 ,if ,i know not   
what ails me1 ,i may resort to amulets  
and charms and1 moonstruck1 die of      
dysentery4  ,we do wrong to slight our  
sickness and feel so ready to desert our
 posts when we are harassed4 ,so much   

the more should we rise above our       
condition1 and make the most of it1 for 
the fruit of disease may be as good as  
that of health4#bai         99       99 
99       99       99  ,there is a subtle
 elixir in society which makes it a     
fountain of health to the sick4 ,we want
 no consolation which is not the        
overflow of our friend's health4 ,we    
will have no condolence who are not     
dolent ourselves4 ,we would have our    
friend come and respire healthily before
 us1 with the fragrance of many meadows 
and heaths in his breath1 and we will   
inhabit his body while our own recruits4
  ,nothing is so good medicine in       
sickness as to witness some nobleness in
 another which will advertise us of     
health4 ,in sickness it is our faith    
that ails1 and noble deeds reassure us4 
99       99       99       99       99  
,that anybody has thought of you on some
 indifferent occasion frequently implies
 more good will than you had reason to  
expect4 ,you have henceforth a higher   

motive for conduct4 ,we do not know how 
many amiable thoughts are current4      
,feb4 #bf4 ,friday4 ,my prickles or     
smoothness are as much a quality of your
 hand as of myself4 ,i cannot tell you  
what ,i am1 more than a ray of the      
summer's sun4 ,what ,i am ,i am1 and say
 not4 ,being is the great explainer4 ,in
 the attempt to explain1 shall ,i plane 
away all the spines1 till it is no      
thistle1 but a cornstalk8  ,if my world 
is not sufficient without thee1 my      
friend1 ,i will wait till it is and then
 call thee4 ,you shall come to a palace1
 not to an almshouse4         99        
99       99       99       99  ,my      
homeliest thought1 like the diamond     
brought from farthest within the mine1  
will shine with the purest lustre4      
,though ,i write every day1 yet when ,i 
say a good thing it seems as if ,i wrote
 but rarely4         99       99        
99       99       99  ,to be great1 we  
do as if we would be tall merely1 be    
longer than we are broad1 stretch       

ourselves and stand on tiptoe4 ,but     
greatness is well proportioned1         
unstrained1 and stands on the soles of  
the feet4         99       99       99  
99       99  ,how many are waiting for  
health and warm weather6 ,but they wait 
for none4         99       99       99  
99       99  ,in composition ,i miss the
 hue of the mind4 ,as if we could be    
satisfied with the dews of the morning  
and evening without their colors1 or the
 heavens without their azure4#bbj       
99       99       99       99       99  
,this good book helps the sun shine in  
my chamber4 ,the rays fall on its page  
as if to explain and illustrate it4#bba 
99       99       99       99       99  
,i who have been sick hear cattle low in
 the street1 with such a healthy ear as 
prophesies my cure4 ,these sounds lay a 
finger on my pulse to some purpose4 ,a  
fragrance comes in at all my senses     
which proclaims that ,i am still of     
,nature the child4 ,the threshing in    
yonder barn and the tinkling of the     

anvil come from the same side of ,styx  
with me4 ,if ,i were a physician ,i     
would try my patients thus4 ,i would    
wheel them to a window and let ,nature  
feel their pulse4 ,it will soon appear  
if their sensuous existence is sound4   
,these sounds are but the throbbing of  
some pulse in me4#bbb         99        
99       99       99       99  ,nature  
seems to have given me these hours to   
pry into her private drawers4 ,i watch  
the shadow of the insensible            
perspiration rising from my coat or hand
 on the wall4 ,i go and feel my pulse in
 all the recesses of the house and see  
if ,i am of force to carry a homely life
 and comfort into them4   ,feb4 #bg4    
,saturday4 ,life looks as fair at this  
moment as a summer's sea1 or a blond    
dress in a saffron light1 with its sun  
and grass and walled towns so bright and
 chaste1 as fair as my own virtue which 
would adventure therein4 ,like a        
,persian city or hanging gardens in the 
distance1 so washed in light1 so        

untried1 only to be thridded by clean   
thoughts4 ,all its flags are flowing1   
and tassels streaming1 and drapery      
flapping1 like some gay pavilion4 ,the  
heavens hang over it like some low      
screen1 and seem to undulate in the     
breeze4  ,through this pure1 unwiped    
hour1 as through a crystal glass1 ,i    
look out upon the future1 as a smooth   
lawn for my virtue to disport in4 ,it   
shows from afar as unrepulsive as the   
sunshine upon walls and cities1 over    
which the passing life moves as gently  
as a shadow4 ,i see the course of my    
life1 like some retired road1 wind on   
without obstruction into a country      
maze4#bbc  ,i am attired for the future 
so1 as the sun setting presumes all men 
at leisure and in contemplative         
mood1--and am thankful that it is thus  
presented blank and indistinct4 ,it     
still o'ertops my hope4 ,my future deeds
 bestir themselves within me and move   
grandly towards a consummation1 as ships
 go down the ,thames4 ,a steady onward  

motion ,i feel in me1 as still as that1 
or like some vast1 snowy cloud1 whose   
shadow first is seen across the fields4 
,it is the material of all things loose 
and set afloat that makes my sea4       
,these various words are not without    
various meanings4 ,the combined voice of
 the race makes nicer distinctions than 
any individual4 ,there are the words    
diversion and amusement4 ,it takes more 
to amuse than to divert4 ,we must be    
surrendered to our amusements1 but only 
turned aside to our diversions4 ,we have
 no will in the former1 but oversee the 
latter4 ,we are oftenest diverted in the
 street1 but amused in our chambers4 ,we
 are diverted from our engagements1 but 
amused when we are listless4 ,we may be 
diverted from an amusement1 and amused  
by a diversion4 ,it often happens that a
 diversion becomes our amusement1 and   
our amusement our employment4   ,feb4   
#bh4 ,nothing goes by luck in           
composition4 ,it allows of no tricks4   
,the best you can write will be the best

 you are4 ,every sentence is the result 
of a long probation4 ,the author's      
character is read from title-page to    
end4 ,of this he never corrects the     
proofs4 ,we read it as the essential    
character of a handwriting without      
regard to the flourishes4 ,and so of the
 rest of our actions2 it runs as        
straight as a ruled line through them   
all1 no matter how many curvets about   
it4 ,our whole life is taxed for the    
least thing well done2 it is its net    
result4 ,how we eat1 drink1 sleep1 and  
use our desultory hours1 now in these   
indifferent days1 with no eye to observe
 and no occasion to excite us1          
determines our authority and capacity   
for the time to come4   ,march #c4 ,i   
hear a man blowing a horn this still    
evening1 and it sounds like the plaint  
of nature in these times4 ,in this1     
which ,i refer to some man1 there is    
something greater than any man4 ,it is  
as if the earth spoke4 ,it adds a great 
remoteness to the horizon1 and its very 

distance is grand1 as when one draws    
back the head to speak4 ,that which ,i  
now hear in the west seems like an      
invitation to the east4 ,it runs round  
the earth as a whisper gallery4 ,it is  
the spirit of the ,west calling to the  
spirit of the ,east1 or else it is the  
rattling of some team lagging in ,day's 
train4 ,coming to me through the        
darkness and silence1 all things great  
seem transpiring there4 ,it is friendly 
as a distant hermit's taper4 ,when it is
 trilled1 or undulates1 the heavens are 
crumpled into time1 and successive waves
 flow across them4  ,it is a strangely  
healthy sound for these disjointed      
times4 ,it is a rare soundness when     
cow-bells and horns are heard from over 
the fields4 ,and now ,i see the beauty  
and full meaning of that word sound4    
,nature always possesses a certain      
sonorousness1 as in the hum of insects1 
the booming of ice1 the crowing of cocks
 in the morning1 and the barking of dogs
 in the night1 which indicates her sound

 state4#bbd ,god's voice is but a clear 
bell sound4 ,i drink in a wonderful     
health1 a cordial1 in sound4 ,the effect
 of the slightest tinkling in the       
horizon measures my own soundness4 ,i   
thank ,god for sound2 it always mounts1 
and makes me mount4 ,i think ,i will not
 trouble myself for any wealth1 when ,i 
can be so cheaply enriched4 ,here ,i    
contemplate to drudge that ,i may own a 
farm--and may have such a limitless     
estate for the listening4 ,all good     
things are cheap3 all bad are very dear4
         99       99       99       99  
99  ,as for these communities1 ,i think 
,i had rather keep bachelor's hall in   
hell than go to board in heaven4 ,do you
 think your virtue will be boarded with 
you8 ,it will never live on the interest
 of your money1 depend upon it4 ,the    
boarder has no home4 ,in heaven ,i hope 
to bake my own bread and clean my own   
linen4 ,the tomb is the only            
boarding-house in which a hundred are   
served at once4 ,in the catacomb we may 

dwell together and prop one another     
without loss4   ,march #d4 ,ben ,jonson 
says in his epigrams1--       ,he makes 
himself a thorough-fare of ,vice4  ,this
 is true1 for by vice the substance of a
 man is not changed1 but all his pores1 
and cavities1 and avenues are prophaned 
by being made the thoroughfares of vice4
 ,he is the highway of his vice4 ,the   
searching devil courses through and     
through him4 ,his flesh and blood and   
bones are cheapened4 ,he is all trivial1
 a place where three highways of sin    
meet4 ,so is another the thoroughfare of
 virtue1 and virtue circulates through  
all his aisles like a wind1 and he is   
hallowed4         99       99       99  
99       99  ,we reprove each other     
unconsciously by our own behavior4 ,our 
very carriage and demeanor in the       
streets should be a reprimand that will 
go to the conscience of every beholder4 
,an infusion of love from a great soul  
gives a color to our faults1 which will 
discover them1 as lunar caustic detects 

impurities in water4         99       99
       99       99       99  ,the best  
will not seem to go contrary to others1 
but1 as if they could afford to travel  
the same way1 they go a parallel but    
higher course1 a sort of upper road4    
,jonson says1--       ,that to the      
vulgar canst thyself apply1             
,treading a better path not contrary4   
,their way is a mountain slope1 a river 
valley's course1 a tide which mingles a 
myriad lesser currents4   ,march #e4    
,friday4 ,how can our love increase1    
unless our loveliness increase also8 ,we
 must securely love each other as we    
love ,god1 with no more danger that our 
love be unrequited or ill-bestowed4     
,there is that in my friend before which
 ,i must first decay and prove untrue4  
,love is the least moral and the most4  
,are the best good in their love8 or the
 worst1 bad8   ,march #f4 ,an honest    
misunderstanding is often the ground of 
future intercourse4   ,,the ,,sphinx#bbe
  ,march #g1 #h1 #i1 #aj4 ,the ,sphinx  

is man's insatiable and questioning     
spirit1 which still1 as of old1 stands  
by the roadside in us and proposes the  
riddle of life to every passer4 ,the    
ancients represented this by a monster  
who was a riddle of herself1 having a   
body composed of various creatures1 as  
if to hint that she had no individual   
existence1 but was nearly allied to and 
brooded over all4 ,they made her devour 
those who were unable to explain her    
enigmas1 as we are devoured by doubt1   
and struggle towards the light1 as if to
 be assured of our lives4 ,for we live  
by confidence1 and our bravery is in    
some moment when we are certain to that 
degree that our certainty cannot be     
increased2 as1 when a ray bursts through
 a gap in a cloud1 it darts as far1 and 
reaches the earth as surely1 as the     
whole sun would have done4  #a4 ,in the 
first four lines is described the mood  
in which the ,sphinx bestirs herself in 
us4 ,we must look on the world with a   
drowsy and half-shut eye1 that it may   

not be too much in our eye1 and rather  
stand aloof from than within it4 ,when  
we are awake to the real world1 we are  
asleep to the actual4 ,the sinful drowse
 to eternity1 the virtuous to time4     
,menu says that the supreme omnipresent 
intelligence is a spirit which can only 
be conceived by a mind slumbering4      
,wisdom and holiness always slumber2    
they are never active in the ways of the
 world4 ,as in our night-dreams we are  
nearest to awakening1 so in our         
day-dreams we are nearest to a          
supernatural awakening1 and the plain   
and flat satisfactoriness of life       
becomes so significant as to be         
questioned4  ,the ,sphinx hints that in 
the ages her secret is kept1 but in the 
annihilation of ages alone is it        
revealed4 ,so far from solving the      
problem of life1 ,time only serves to   
propose and keep it in4 ,time waits but 
for its solution to become eternity4    
,its lapse is measured by the successive
 failures to answer the incessant       

question1 and the generations of men are
 the unskillful passengers devoured4    
#b4 ,she hints generally at man's       
mystery4 ,he knows only that he is1 not 
what1 nor whence4 ,not only is he       
curiously and wonderfully wrought1 but  
with ,ddalian intricacy4 ,he is lost in 
himself as a labyrinth and has no clue  
to get out by4 ,if he could get out of  
his humanity1 he would have got out of  
nature4 ,ddalian expresses both the     
skill and the inscrutable design of the 
builder4  ,the insolubleness of the     
riddle is only more forcibly expressed  
by the lines1--       ,out of sleeping a
 waking1        ,out of waking a sleep4 
,they express the complete uncertainty  
and renunciation of knowledge of the    
propounder4  #c1 #d1 #e1 #f4 ,in these  
verses is described the integrity of all
 animate and inanimate things but       
man1--how each is a problem of itself   
and not the solution of one and presides
 over and uses the mystery of the       
universe as unhesitatingly as if it were

 the partner of ,god2 how1 by a sort of 
essential and practical faith1 each     
understands all1 for to see that we     
understand is to know that we           
misunderstand4 ,each natural object is  
an end to itself4 ,a brave1 undoubting  
life do they all live1 and are content  
to be a part of the mystery which is    
,god1 and throw the responsibility on   
man of explaining them and himself too4 
#c4 ,the outlines of the trees are as   
correct as if ruled by ,god on the sky4 
,the motions of quadrupeds and birds    
,nature never thinks to mend1 but they  
are a last copy and the flourishes of   
,his hand4  #d4 ,the waves lapse with   
such a melody on the shore as shows that
 they have long been at one with        
,nature4 ,theirs is as perfect play as  
if the heavens and earth were not4 ,they
 meet with a sweet difference and       
independently1 as old playfellows4      
,nothing do they lack more than the     
world4 ,the ripple is proud to be a     
ripple and balances the sea4 ,the atoms1

 which are in such a continual flux1    
notwithstanding their minuteness1 have a
 certain essential valor and            
independence4 ,they have the integrity  
of worlds1 and attract and repel firmly 
as such4 ,the least has more manhood    
than ,democritus4  #e4 ,so also in      
,nature the perfection of the whole is  
the perfection of the parts1 and what is
 itself perfect serves to adorn and set 
off all the rest4 ,her distinctions are 
but reliefs4 ,night veileth the morning 
for the morning's sake1 and the vapor   
adds a new attraction to the hill4      
,nature looks like a conspiracy for the 
advantage of all her parts2 when one    
feature shines1 all the rest seem       
suborned to heighten its charm4 ,in her 
circle each gladly gives precedence to  
the other4 ,day gladly alternates with  
night4 ,behind these the vapor atones to
 the hill for its interference1 and this
 harmonious scene is the effect of that 
at-one-ment4  #f4 ,in a sense the babe  
takes its departure from ,nature as the 

grown man his departure out of her1 and 
so during its nonage is at one with her1
 and as a part of herself4 ,it is indeed
 the very flower and blossom of ,nature4
       ,shines the peace of all being   
,without cloud1 in its eyes2      ,and  
the sum of the world        ,in soft    
miniature lies4#bbf  ,to the charming   
consistency of the palm and thrush1 this
 universal and serene beauty is added1  
as all the leaves of the tree flower in 
the blossom4  #g4 ,but alas1 the fruit  
to be matured in these petals is fated  
to break the stem which holds it to     
universal consistency4 ,it passes       
through ,nature to manhood1 and becomes 
unnatural1 without being as yet quite   
supernatural4 ,man's most approved life 
is but conformity1 not a simple and     
independent consistency1 which would    
make all things conform to it4 ,his     
actions do not adorn ,nature nor one    
another1 nor does she exist in harmony  
but in contrast with them4 ,she is not  
their willing scenery4 ,we conceive that

 if a true action were to be performed  
it would be assisted by ,nature1 and    
perhaps be fondled and reflected many   
times as the rainbow4 ,the sun is a true
 light for the trees in a picture1 but  
not for the actions of men4 ,they will  
not bear so strong a light as the       
stubble2 the universe has little        
sympathy with them1 and sooner or later 
they rebound hollowly on the memory4    
,the ,april shower should be as reviving
 to our life as to the garden and the   
grove1 and the scenery in which we live 
reflect our own beauty1 as the dewdrop  
the flower4 ,it is the actual man1 not  
the actual ,nature1 that hurts the      
romance of the landscape4 ,he poisons   
the ground4 ,the haymakers must be lost 
in the grass of the meadow4 ,they may be
 ,faustus and ,amyntas here1 but near at
 hand they are ,reuben and ,jonas4 ,the 
woodcutter must not be better than the  
wood1 lest he be worse4 ,neither will   
bear to be considered as a distinct     
feature4 ,man's works must lie in the   

bosom of ,nature1 cottages be buried in 
trees1 or under vines and moss1 like    
rocks1 that they may not outrage the    
landscape4 ,the hunter must be dressed  
in ,lincoln green1 with a plume of      
eagle's feathers1 to imbosom him in     
,nature4 ,so the skillful painter       
secures the distinctness of the whole by
 the indistinctness of the parts4 ,we   
can endure best to consider our repose  
and silence4 ,only when the city1 the   
hamlet1 or the cottage is viewed from a 
distance does man's life seem in harmony
 with the universe2 but seen closely his
 actions have no eagle's feathers or    
,lincoln green to redeem them4 ,the     
sunlight on cities at a distance is a   
deceptive beauty1 but foretells the     
final harmony of man with ,nature4  ,man
 as he is1 is not the subject of any    
art1 strictly speaking4 ,the naturalist 
pursues his study with love1 but the    
moralist persecutes his with hate4 ,in  
man is the material of a picture1 with a
 design partly sketched1 but ,nature is 

such a picture drawn and colored4 ,he is
 a studio1 ,nature a gallery4 ,if men   
were not idealists1 no sonnets to       
beautiful persons nor eulogies on worthy
 ones would ever be written4 ,we wait   
for the preacher to express such love   
for his congregation as the botanist for
 his herbarium4  #h4 ,man1 however1     
detects something in the lingering      
ineradicable sympathy of ,nature which  
seems to side with him against the stern
 decrees of the soul4 ,her essential    
friendliness is only the more apparent  
to his waywardness1 for disease and     
sorrow are but a rupture with her4 ,in  
proportion as he renounces his will1 she
 repairs his hurts1 and1 if she burns1  
does oftener warm1 if she freezes1      
oftener refreshes4 ,this is the         
motherliness which the poet personifies1
 and the ,sphinx1 or wisely inquiring   
man1 makes express a real concern for   
him4 ,nature shows us a stern kindness1 
and only we are unkind4 ,she endures    
long with us1 and though the severity of

 her law is unrelaxed1 yet its evenness 
and impartiality look relenting1 and    
almost sympathize with our fault4  #i1  
#aj1 #aa1 #ab1 #ac1 #ad4 ,but to the    
poet there are no riddles4 ,they are    
pleasant songs to him2 his faith solves 
the enigmas which recurring wisdom does 
not fail to repeat4 ,poetry is the only 
solution time can offer4 ,but the poet  
is soonest a pilgrim from his own faith4
 ,our brave moments may still be        
distinguished from our wise4 ,though the
 problem is always solved for the soul1 
still does it remain to be solved by the
 intellect4 ,almost faith puts the      
question1 for only in her light can it  
be answered4 ,however true the answer1  
it does not prevent the question2 for   
the best answer is but plausible1 and   
man can only tell his relation to truth1
 but render no account of truth to      
herself4  #i4 ,believe1 and ask not1    
says the poet4       ,deep love lieth   
under        ,these pictures of time2   
,they fade in the light of        ,their

 meaning sublime4  ,nothing is plain but
 love4  #aj1 #aa1 #ab1 #ac4 ,man comes  
short1 because he seeks perfection4 ,he 
adorns no world1 while he is seeking to 
adorn a better4 ,his best actions have  
no reference to their actual scenery4   
,for when our actions become of that    
worth that they might confer a grace on 
,nature1 they pass out of her into a    
higher arena1 where they are still mean 
and awkward4 ,so that the world beholds 
only the rear of great deeds1 and       
mistakes them often for inconsistencies1
 not knowing with what higher they      
consist4 ,nature is beautiful as in     
repose1 not promising a higher beauty   
to-morrow4 ,her actions are level to one
 another1 and so are never unfit or     
inconsistent4 ,shame and remorse1 which 
are so unsightly to her1 have a         
prospective beauty and fitness which    
redeem them4 ,we would have our lover to
 be nobler than we1 and do not fear to  
sacrifice our love to his greater       
nobleness4 ,better the disagreement of  

noble lovers than the agreement of base 
ones4 ,in friendship each will be nobler
 than the other1 and so avoid the       
cheapness of a level and idle harmony4  
,love will have its chromatic           
strains1--discordant yearnings for      
higher chords1--as well as symphonies4  
,let us expect no finite satisfaction4  
#ac4 ,who looks in the sun will see no  
light else2 but also he will see no     
shadow4 ,our life revolves unceasingly1 
but the centre is ever the same1 and the
 wise will regard only the seasons of   
the soul4  #ad4 ,the poet concludes with
 the same trust he began with1 and jeers
 at the blindness which could inquire4  
,but our sphinx is so wise as to put no 
riddle that can be answered4 ,it is a   
great presumption to answer conclusively
 a question which any sincerity has put4
 ,the wise answer no questions1--nor do 
they ask them4 ,she silences his jeers  
with the conviction that she is the     
eye-beam of his eye4 ,our proper eye    
never quails before an answer4 ,to rest 

in a reply1 as a response of the oracle1
 that is error2 but to suspect time's   
reply1 because we would not degrade one 
of ,god's meanings to be intelligible to
 us1 that is wisdom4 ,we shall never    
arrive at his meaning1 but it will      
ceaselessly arrive to us4 ,the truth we 
seek with ardor and devotion will not   
reward us with a cheap acquisition4 ,we 
run unhesitatingly in our career1 not   
fearing to pass any goal of truth in our
 haste4 ,we career toward her eternally4
 ,a truth rested in stands for all the  
vice of an age1 and revolution comes    
kindly to restore health4  #af4 ,the    
cunning ,sphinx1 who had been hushed    
into stony silence and repose in us1    
arouses herself and detects a mystery in
 all things1--in infancy1 the moon1     
fire1 flowers1 sea1 mountain1--and1     
7#ag7 in the spirit of the old fable1   
declares proudly1--       ,who telleth  
one of my meanings        ,is master of 
all ,i am4  ,when some dipus has solved 
one of her enigmas1 she will go dash her

 head against a rock4         99        
99       99       99       99  ,you may 
find this as enigmatical as the         
,sphinx's riddle4 ,indeed1 ,i doubt if  
she could solve it herself4   ,march    
#aa4 ,thursday4 ,every man understands  
why a fool sings4   ,march #ac4         
,saturday4 ,there is a sort of homely   
truth and naturalness in some books1    
which is very rare to find1 and yet     
looks quite cheap4 ,there may be nothing
 lofty in the sentiment1 or polished in 
the expression1 but it is careless1     
countrified talk4 ,the scholar rarely   
writes as well as the farmer talks4     
,homeliness is a great merit in a book2 
it is next to beauty and a high art4    
,some have this merit only4 ,a few      
homely expressions redeem them4         
,rusticity is pastoral1 but affectation 
merely civil4 ,the scholar does not make
 his most familiar experience come      
gracefully to the aid of his expression1
 and hence1 though he live in it1 his   
books contain no tolerable pictures of  

the country and simple life4 ,very few  
men can speak of ,nature with any truth4
 ,they confer no favor2 they do not     
speak a good word for her4 ,most cry    
better than they speak4 ,you can get    
more nature out of them by pinching than
 by addressing them4 ,it is naturalness1
 and not simply good nature1 that       
interests4 ,i like better the surliness 
with which the woodchopper speaks of his
 woods1 handling them as indifferently  
as his axe1 than the mealy-mouthed      
enthusiasm of the lover of nature4      
,better that the primrose by the river's
 brim be a yellow primrose and nothing  
more1 than the victim of his bouquet or 
herbarium1 to shine with the flickering 
dull light of his imagination1 and not  
the golden gleam of a star4  ,aubrey    
relates of ,thomas ,fuller that his was 
a very working head1 in so much1 that   
walking and meditating before dinner1 he
 would eat up a penny loaf1 not knowing 
that he did it4 ,his natural memory was 
very great1 to which he added the art of

 memory4 ,he would repeat to you        
forwards and backwards all the signs    
from ,ludgate to ,charing-cross4 ,these 
are very good and wholesome facts to    
know of a man1 as copious as some modern
 volumes4  ,he also says of ,mr4 ,john  
,hales1 that1 he loved ,canarie and was 
buried under an altar monument of black 
marble 444 with a too long epitaph2 of  
,edmund ,halley1 that he at sixteen     
could make a dial1 and then he said he  
thought himself a brave fellow2 of      
,william ,holder1 who wrote a book upon 
his curing one ,popham1 who was deaf and
 dumb1 ,he was beholding to no author2  
did only consult with nature4 ,for the  
most part an author but consults with   
all who have written before upon any    
subject1 and his book is but the advice 
of so many4 ,but a true book will never 
have been forestalled1 but the topic    
itself will be new1 and1 by consulting  
with nature1 it will consult not only   
with those who have gone before1 but    
with those who may come after4 ,there is

 always room and occasion enough for a  
true book on any subject1 as there is   
room for more light the brightest day1  
and more rays will not interfere with   
the first4#bbg  ,how alone must our life
 be lived6 ,we dwell on the seashore1   
and none between us and the sea4 ,men   
are my merry companions1 my             
fellow-pilgrims1 who beguile the way but
 leave me at the first turn in the road1
 for none are travelling one road so far
 as myself4  ,each one marches in the   
van4 ,the weakest child is exposed to   
the fates henceforth as barely as its   
parents4 ,parents and relations but     
entertain the youth2 they cannot stand  
between him and his destiny4 ,this is   
the one bare side of every man4 ,there  
is no fence2 it is clear before him to  
the bounds of space4         99       99
       99       99       99  ,what is   
fame to a living man8 ,if he live       
aright1 the sound of no man's voice will
 resound through the aisles of his      
secluded life4 ,his life is a hallowed  

silence1 a fane4 ,the loudest sounds    
have to thank my little ear that they   
are heard4   ,march #ae4 ,when ,i have  
access to a man's barrel of sermons1    
which were written from week to week1 as
 his life lapsed1 though ,i now know him
 to live cheerfully and bravely enough1 
still ,i cannot conceive what interval  
there was for laughter and smiles in the
 midst of so much sadness4 ,almost in   
proportion to the sincerity and         
earnestness of the life will be the     
sadness of the record4 ,when ,i reflect 
that twice a week for so many years he  
pondered and preached such a sermon1 ,i 
think he must have been a splenetic and 
melancholy man1 and wonder if his food  
digested well4 ,it seems as if the fruit
 of virtue was never a careless         
happiness4  ,a great cheerfulness have  
all great wits possessed1 almost a      
prophane levity to such as understood   
them not1 but their religion had the    
broader basis in proportion as it was   
less prominent4 ,the religion ,i love is

 very laic4 ,the clergy are as diseased1
 and as much possessed with a devil1 as 
the reformers4 ,they make their topic as
 offensive as the politician1 for our   
religion is as unpublic and             
incommunicable as our poetical vein1 and
 to be approached with as much love and 
tenderness4   ,march #ag4 ,wednesday4   
,the stars go up and down before my only
 eye4 ,seasons come round to me alone4  
,i cannot lean so hard on any arm as on 
a sunbeam4 ,so solid men are not to my  
sincerity as is the shimmer of the      
fields4   ,march #ai4 ,friday4 ,no true 
and brave person will be content to live
 on such a footing with his fellow and  
himself as the laws of every household  
now require4 ,the house is the very     
haunt and lair of our vice4 ,i am       
impatient to withdraw myself from under 
its roof as an unclean spot4 ,there is  
no circulation there2 it is full of     
stagnant and mephitic vapors4   ,march  
#bj4 ,even the wisest and best are apt  
to use their lives as the occasion to do

 something else in than to live greatly4
 ,but we should hang as fondly over this
 work as the finishing and embellishment
 of a poem4         99       99       99
       99       99  ,it is a great      
relief when for a few moments in the day
 we can retire to our chamber and be    
completely true to ourselves4 ,it       
leavens the rest of our hours4 ,in that 
moment ,i will be nakedly as vicious as 
,i am2 this false life of mine shall    
have a being at length4   ,march #ba4   
,sunday4 ,to be associated with others  
by my friend's generosity when he       
bestows a gift is an additional favor to
 be grateful for4   ,march #bg4         
,saturday4 ,magnanimity1 though it look 
expensive for a short course1 is always 
economy in the long run4 ,be generous in
 your poverty1 if you would be rich4 ,to
 make up a great action there are no    
subordinate mean ones4 ,we can never    
afford to postpone a true life to-day to
 any future and anticipated nobleness4  
,we think if by tight economy we can    

manage to arrive at independence1 then  
indeed we will begin to be generous     
without stay4 ,we sacrifice all         
nobleness to a little present meanness4 
,if a man charges you eight hundred pay 
him eight hundred and fifty1 and it will
 leave a clean edge to the sum4 ,it will
 be like nature1 overflowing and rounded
 like the bank of a river1 not close and
 precise like a drain or ditch4         
99       99       99       99       99  
,it is always a short step to peace--of 
mind4         99       99       99      
99       99  ,under this line there is  
or has been life2 as1 when ,i see the   
mole's raised gallery in the meadow1 ,i 
know that he has passed underneath4     
99       99       99       99       99  
,i must not lose any of my freedom by   
being a farmer and landholder4 ,most who
 enter on any profession are doomed men4
 ,the world might as well sing a dirge  
over them forthwith4 ,the farmer's      
muscles are rigid4 ,he can do one thing 
long1 not many well4 ,his pace seems    

determined henceforth2 he never quickens
 it4 ,a very rigid ,nemesis is his fate4
 ,when the right wind blows or a star   
calls1 ,i can leave this arable and     
grass ground1 without making a will or  
settling my estate4 ,i would buy a farm 
as freely as a silken streamer4 ,let me 
not think my front windows must face    
east henceforth because a particular    
hill slopes that way4 ,my life must     
undulate still4 ,i will not feel that my
 wings are clipped when once ,i have    
settled on ground which the law calls my
 own1 but find new pinions grown to the 
old1 and talaria to my feet beside4     
,march #cj4 ,tuesday4 ,i find my life   
growing slovenly when it does not       
exercise a constant supervision over    
itself4 ,its duds accumulate4 ,next to  
having lived a day well is a clear and  
calm overlooking of all our days4       
,,friendship       ,now we are partners 
in such legal trade1      ,we'll look to
 the beginnings1 not the ends1      ,nor
 to pay-day1 knowing true wealth is made

      ,for current stock and not for    
dividends4  ,i am amused when ,i read   
how ,ben ,jonson engaged that the       
ridiculous masks with which the royal   
family and nobility were to be          
entertained should be grounded upon     
antiquity and solid learning4#bbh   ,,on
 ,,the ,,sun ,,coming ,,out ,,in ,,the  
,,afternoon  ,april #a4       ,methinks 
all things have travelled since you     
shined1      ,but only ,time1 and       
clouds1 ,time's team1 have moved2       
,again foul weather shall not change my 
mind1      ,but in the shade ,i will    
believe what in the sun ,i loved4  ,in  
reading a work on agriculture1 ,i skip  
the author's moral reflections1 and the 
words ,providence and ,he scattered     
along the page1 to come at the          
profitable level of what he has to say4 
,there is no science in men's religion2 
it does not teach me so much as the     
report of the committee on swine4 ,my   
author shows he has dealt in corn and   
turnips and can worship ,god with the   

hoe and spade1 but spare me his         
morality4#bbi   ,april #c4 ,friends will
 not only live in harmony1 but in       
melody4#bcj   ,april #d4 ,sunday4 ,the  
rattling of the tea-kettle below stairs 
reminds me of the cow-bells ,i used to  
hear when berrying in the ,great ,fields
 many years ago1 sounding distant and   
deep amid the birches4 ,that cheap piece
 of tinkling brass which the farmer     
hangs about his cow's neck has been more
 to me than the tons of metal which are 
swung in the belfry4       ,they who    
prepare my evening meal below           
,carelessly hit the kettle as they go1  
,with tongs or shovel1      ,and1       
ringing round and round1      ,out of   
this hovel      ,it makes an ,eastern   
temple by the sound4       ,at first ,i 
thought a cow-bell1 right at hand       
',mid birches1 sounded o'er the open    
land1      ,where ,i plucked flowers    
,many years ago1      ,speeding         
midsummer hours      ,with such secure  
delight they hardly seemed to flow4     

,april #e4 ,this long series of         
desultory mornings does not tarnish the 
brightness of the prospective days4     
,surely faith is not dead4 ,wood1 water1
 earth1 air are essentially what they   
were2 only society has degenerated4     
,this lament for a golden age is only a 
lament for golden men4         99       
99       99       99       99  ,i only  
ask a clean seat4 ,i will build my lodge
 on the southern slope of some hill1 and
 take there the life the gods send me4  
,will it not be employment enough to    
accept gratefully all that is yielded me
 between sun and sun8#bca ,even the fox 
digs his own burrow4 ,if my jacket and  
trousers1 my boots and shoes1 are fit to
 worship ,god in1 they will do4 ,won't  
they1 ,deacon ,spaulding8#bcb   ,april  
#g4 ,wednesday4 ,my life will wait for  
nobody1 but is being matured still      
irresistibly while ,i go about the      
streets and chaffer with this man and   
that to secure it a living4 ,it will cut
 its own channel1 like the mountain     

stream1 which by the longest ridges and 
by level prairies is not kept from the  
sea finally4 ,so flows a man's life1 and
 will reach the sea water1 if not by an 
earthy channel1 yet in dew and rain1    
overleaping all barriers1 with rainbows 
to announce its victory4 ,it can wind as
 cunningly and unerringly as water that 
seeks its level2 and shall ,i complain  
if the gods make it meander8 ,this      
staying to buy me a farm is as if the   
,mississippi should stop to chaffer with
 a clamshell4  ,what have ,i to do with 
plows8 ,i cut another furrow than you   
see4 ,where the off ox treads1 there is 
it not1 it is farther off2 where the    
nigh ox walks1 it will not be1 it is    
nigher still4 ,if corn fails1 my crop   
fails not4 ,what of drought8 ,what of   
rain8 ,is not my sand well clayed1 my   
peat well sanded8 ,is it not            
underdrained and watered8#bcc       ,my 
ground is high1      ,but 'tis not dry1 
,what you call dew      ,comes filtering
 through2      ,though in the sky1      

,it still is nigh2      ,its soil is    
blue      ,and virgin too4         99   
99       99       99       99       ,if 
from your price ye will not swerve1     
,why1 then ,i'll think the gods reserve 
,a greater bargain there above1         
,out of their sup'rabundant love        
,have meantime better for me cared1     
,and so will get my stock prepared1     
,plows of new pattern1 hoes the same1   
,designed a different soil to tame1     
,and sow my seed broadcast in air1      
,certain to reap my harvest there4      
,april #h4 ,friends are the ancient and 
honorable of the earth4 ,the oldest men 
did not begin friendship4 ,it is older  
than ,hindostan and the ,chinese        
,empire4 ,how long has it been          
cultivated1 and is still the staple     
article6 ,it is a divine league struck  
forever4 ,warm1 serene days only bring  
it out to the surface4 ,there is a      
friendliness between the sun and the    
earth in pleasant weather2 the gray     
content of the land is its color4       

99       99       99       99       99  
,you can tell what another's suspicions 
are by what you feel forced to become4  
,you will wear a new character1 like a  
strange habit1 in their presence4       
,april #i4 ,friday4 ,it would not be    
hard for some quiet brave man to leap   
into the saddle to-day and eclipse      
,napoleon's career by a grander1--show  
men at length the meaning of war4 ,one  
reproaches himself with supineness1 that
 he too has sat quiet in his chamber1   
and not treated the world to the sound  
of the trumpet2 that the indignation    
which has so long rankled in his breast 
does not take to horse and to the field4
 ,the bravest warrior will have to fight
 his battles in his dreams1 and no      
earthly war note can arouse him4 ,there 
are who would not run with ,leonidas4   
,only the third-rate ,napoleons and     
,alexanders does history tell of4 ,the  
brave man does not mind the call of the 
trumpet nor hear the idle clashing of   
swords without1 for the infinite din    

within4 ,war is but a training1 compared
 with the active service of his peace4  
,is he not at war8 ,does he not resist  
the ocean swell within him1 and walk as 
gently as the summer's sea8 ,would you  
have him parade in uniform1 and manuvre 
men1 whose equanimity is his uniform and
 who is himself manuvred8         99    
99       99       99       99  ,the     
times have no heart4 ,the true reform   
can be undertaken any morning before    
unbarring our doors4 ,it calls no       
convention4 ,i can do two thirds the    
reform of the world myself4 ,when two   
neighbors begin to eat corn bread1 who  
before ate wheat1 then the gods smile   
from ear to ear1 for it is very pleasant
 to them4 ,when an individual takes a   
sincere step1 then all the gods attend1 
and his single deed is sweet4#bcd       
99       99       99       99       99  
,april #aj4 ,saturday4 ,i don't know but
 we should make life all too tame if we 
had our own way1 and should miss these  
impulses in a happier time4         99  

99       99       99       99  ,how much
 virtue there is in simply seeing6 ,we  
may almost say that the hero has striven
 in vain for his pre-eminency1 if the   
student oversees him4 ,the woman who    
sits in the house and sees is a match   
for a stirring captain4 ,those still1   
piercing eyes1 as faithfully exercised  
on their talent1 will keep her even with
 ,alexander or ,shakespeare4 ,they may  
go to ,asia with parade1 or to          
fairyland1 but not beyond her ray4 ,we  
are as much as we see4 ,faith is sight  
and knowledge4 ,the hands only serve the
 eyes4 ,the farthest blue streak in the 
horizon ,i can see1 ,i may reach before 
many sunsets4 ,what ,i saw alters not2  
in my night1 when ,i wander1 it is still
 steadfast as the star which the sailor 
steers by4  ,whoever has had one thought
 quite lonely1 and could contentedly    
digest that in solitude1 knowing that   
none could accept it1 may rise to the   
height of humanity1 and overlook all    
living men as from a pinnacle4          

99       99       99       99       99  
,speech never made man master of men1   
but the eloquently refraining from it4  
,april #aa4 ,sunday4 ,a greater baldness
 my life seeks1 as the crest of some    
bare hill1 which towns and cities do not
 afford4 ,i want a directer relation    
with the sun4   ,,friendship',s         
,,steadfastness       ,true friendship  
is so firm a league      ,that's        
maintenance falls into the even tenor   
,of our lives1 and is no tie1      ,but 
the continuance of our life's thread4   
,if ,i would safely keep this new-got   
pelf1      ,i have no care henceforth   
but watch myself1      ,for lo6 it goes 
untended from my sight1      ,waxes and 
wanes secure with the safe star of      
night4       ,see with what liberal step
 it makes its way1      ,as we could    
well afford to let it stray             
,throughout the universe1 with the sun  
and moon1      ,which would dissolve    
allegiance as soon4       ,shall ,i     
concern myself for fickleness1      ,and

 undertake to make my friends more sure1
      ,when the great gods out of sheer 
kindliness1      ,gave me this office   
for a sinecure8         99       99     
99       99       99       ,death cannot
 come too soon      ,where it can come  
at all1      ,but always is too late    
,unless the fates it call4   ,april #ae4
 ,thursday4 ,the gods are of no sect2   
they side with no man4 ,when ,i imagine 
that ,nature inclined rather to some few
 earnest and faithful souls1 and        
specially existed for them1 ,i go to see
 an obscure individual who lives under  
the hill1 letting both gods and men     
alone1 and find that strawberries and   
tomatoes grow for him too in his garden 
there1 and the sun lodges kindly under  
his hillside1 and am compelled to       
acknowledge the unbribable charity of   
the gods4  ,any simple1 unquestioned    
mode of life is alluring to men4 ,the   
man who picks peas steadily for a living
 is more than respectable4 ,he is to be 
envied by his neighbors4   ,april #af4  

,i have been inspecting my neighbors'   
farms to-day and chaffering with the    
landholders1 and ,i must confess ,i am  
startled to find everywhere the old     
system of things so grim and assured4   
,wherever ,i go the farms are run out1  
and there they lie1 and the youth must  
buy old land and bring it to4           
,everywhere the relentless opponents of 
reform are a few old maids and          
bachelors1 who sit round the kitchen    
fire1 listening to the singing of the   
tea-kettle and munching                 
cheese-rinds4#bce   ,april #ah4 ,sunday4
 ,we need pine for no office for the    
sake of a certain culture1 for all      
valuable experience lies in the way of a
 man's duty4 ,my necessities of late    
have compelled me to study ,nature as   
she is related to the farmer1--as she   
simply satisfies a want of the body4    
,some interests have got a footing on   
the earth which ,i have not made        
sufficient allowance for4 ,that which   
built these barns and cleared the land  

thus had some valor4#bcf         99     
99       99       99       99  ,we take 
little steps1 and venture small stakes1 
as if our actions were very fatal and   
irretrievable4 ,there is no swing to our
 deeds4 ,but our life is only a retired 
valley where we rest on our packs       
awhile4 ,between us and our end there is
 room for any delay4 ,it is not a short 
and easy southern way1 but we must go   
over snow-capped mountains to reach the 
sun4   ,april #bj4 ,you can't beat down 
your virtue2 so much goodness it must   
have4         99       99       99      
99       99  ,when a room is furnished1 
comfort is not furnished4         99    
99       99       99       99  ,great   
thoughts hallow any labor4 ,to-day ,i   
earned seventy-five cents heaving manure
 out of a pen1 and made a good bargain  
of it4 ,if the ditcher muses the while  
how he may live uprightly1 the ditching 
spade and turf knife may be engraved on 
the coat-of-arms of his posterity4      
99       99       99       99       99  

,there are certain current expressions  
and blasphemous moods of viewing things1
 as when we say he is doing a good      
business1 more prophane than cursing and
 swearing4 ,there is death and sin in   
such words4 ,let not the children hear  
them4   ,april #bb4 ,thursday4 ,there   
are two classes of authors3 the one     
write the history of their times1 the   
other their biography4   ,april #bc4    
,friday4 ,any greatness is not to be    
mistaken4 ,who shall cavil at it8 ,it   
stands once for all on a level with the 
heroes of history4 ,it is not to be     
patronized4 ,it goes alone4         99  
99       99       99       99  ,when ,i 
hear music1 ,i flutter1 and am the scene
 of life1 as a fleet of merchantmen when
 the wind rises4   ,april #bd4 ,music is
 the sound of the circulation in        
nature's veins4 ,it is the flux which   
melts nature4 ,men dance to it1 glasses 
ring and vibrate1 and the fields seem to
 undulate4 ,the healthy ear always hears
 it1 nearer or more remote4         99  

99       99       99       99  ,it has  
been a cloudy1 drizzling day1 with      
occasional brightenings in the mist1    
when the trill of the tree sparrow      
seemed to be ushering in sunny          
hours4#bcg   ,april #be4 ,a momentous   
silence reigns always in the woods1 and 
their meaning seems just ripening into  
expression4 ,but alas6 they make no     
haste4 ,the rush sparrow1#bch ,nature's 
minstrel of serene hours1 sings of an   
immense leisure and duration4  ,when ,i 
hear a robin sing at sunset1 ,i cannot  
help contrasting the equanimity of      
,nature with the bustle and impatience  
of man4 ,we return from the lyceum and  
caucus with such stir and excitement1 as
 if a crisis were at hand2 but no       
natural scene or sound sympathizes with 
us1 for ,nature is always silent and    
unpretending as at the break of day4    
,she but rubs her eyelids4         99   
99       99       99       99  ,i am    
struck with the pleasing friendships and
 unanimities of nature in the woods1 as 

when the moss on the trees takes the    
form of their leaves4         99        
99       99       99       99  ,there is
 all of civilized life in the woods4    
,their wildest scenes have an air of    
domesticity and homeliness1 and when the
 flicker's cackle is heard in the       
clearings1 the musing hunter is reminded
 that civilization has imported nothing 
into them4#bci ,the ball-room is        
represented by the catkins of the alder 
at this season1 which hang gracefully   
like a lady's ear-drops4  ,all the      
discoveries of science are equally true 
in their deepest recesses2 nature there1
 too1 obeys the same laws4 ,fair weather
 and foul concern the little red bug    
upon a pine stump2 for him the wind goes
 round the right way and the sun breaks 
through the clouds4#bdj   ,april #bf4   
,monday4 ,at ,r4 ,w4 ,e4's4  ,the charm 
of the ,indian to me is that he stands  
free and unconstrained in ,nature1 is   
her inhabitant and not her guest1 and   
wears her easily and gracefully4 ,but   

the civilized man has the habits of the 
house4 ,his house is a prison1 in which 
he finds himself oppressed and confined1
 not sheltered and protected4 ,he walks 
as if he sustained the roof2 he carries 
his arms as if the walls would fall in  
and crush him1 and his feet remember the
 cellar beneath4 ,his muscles are never 
relaxed4 ,it is rare that he overcomes  
the house1 and learns to sit at home in 
it1 and roof and floor and walls support
 themselves1 as the sky and trees and   
earth4  ,it is a great art to saunter4  
,april #bg4 ,it is only by a sort of    
voluntary blindness1 and omitting to    
see1 that we know ourselves1 as when we 
see stars with the side of the eye4 ,the
 nearest approach to discovering what we
 are is in dreams4 ,it is as hard to see
 one's self as to look backwards without
 turning round4 ,and foolish are they   
that look in glasses with that intent4  
,the porters have a hard time1 but not  
so hard as he that carries his own      
shoulders4 ,that beats the ,smyrna      

,turks4 ,some men's broad shoulders are 
load enough4 ,even a light frame can    
stand under a great burden1 if it does  
not have to support itself4 ,virtue is  
buoyant and elastic2 it stands without  
effort and does not feel gravity2 but   
sin plods and shuffles4 ,newton needed  
not to wait for an apple to fall to     
discover the attraction of gravitation2 
it was implied in the fall of man4      
,april #bh4 ,wednesday4 ,we falsely     
attribute to men a determined character2
 putting together all their yesterdays  
and averaging them1 we presume we know  
them4 ,pity the man who has a character 
to support4 ,it is worse than a large   
family4 ,he is silent poor indeed4 ,but 
in fact character is never explored1 nor
 does it get developed in time1 but     
eternity is its development1 time its   
envelope4 ,in view of this distinction1 
a sort of divine politeness and heavenly
 good breeding suggests itself1 to      
address always the enveloped character  
of a man4 ,i approach a great nature    

with infinite expectation and           
uncertainty1 not knowing what ,i may    
meet4 ,it lies as broad and unexplored  
before me as a scraggy hillside or      
pasture4 ,i may hear a fox bark1 or a   
partridge drum1 or some bird new to     
these localities may fly up4 ,it lies   
out there as old1 and yet as new4 ,the  
aspect of the woods varies every day1   
what with their growth and the changes  
of the seasons and the influence of the 
elements1 so that the eye of the        
forester never twice rests upon the same
 prospect4 ,much more does a character  
show newly and variedly1 if directly    
seen4 ,it is the highest compliment to  
suppose that in the intervals of        
conversation your companion has expanded
 and grown4 ,it may be a deference which
 he will not understand1 but the nature 
which underlies him will understand it1 
and your influence will be shed as      
finely on him as the dust in the sun    
settles on our clothes4 ,by such        
politeness we may educate one another to

 some purpose4 ,so have ,i felt myself  
educated sometimes2 ,i am expanded and  
enlarged4   ,april #bi4 ,birds and      
quadrupeds pass freely through nature1  
without prop or stilt4 ,but man very    
naturally carries a stick in his hand1  
seeking to ally himself by many points  
to nature1 as a warrior stands by his   
horse's side with his hand on his mane4 
,we walk the gracefuler for a cane1 as  
the juggler uses a leaded pole to       
balance him when he dances on a slack   
wire4         99       99       99      
99       99  ,better a monosyllabic life
 than a ragged and muttered one2 let its
 report be short and round like a rifle1
 so that it may hear its own echo in the
 surrounding silence4   ,april #cj4     
,where shall we look for standard       
,english but to the words of any man who
 has a depth of feeling in him8 ,not in 
any smooth and leisurely essay4 ,from   
the gentlemanly windows of the          
country-seat no sincere eyes are        
directed upon nature1 but from the      

peasant's horn windows a true glance and
 greeting occasionally4 ,for summer     
being ended1 all things1 said the       
,pilgrim1 stood in appearance with a    
weather-beaten face1 and the whole      
country full of woods and thickets      
represented a wild and savage hue4      
,compare this with the agricultural     
report4   ,may #a4 ,saturday4 ,life in  
gardens and parlors is unpalatable to   
me4 ,it wants rudeness and necessity to 
give it relish4 ,i would at least strike
 my spade into the earth with as good   
will as the woodpecker his bill into a  
tree4#bda   ,,wachusett#bdb  ,may #b4   
,especial ,i remember thee1             
,wachusett1 who like me      ,standest  
alone without society4      ,thy far    
blue eye1      ,a remnant of the sky1   
,seen through the clearing or the gorge1
      ,or from the windows of the forge1
      ,doth leaven all it passes by4    
,nothing is true      ,but stands 'tween
 me and you1      ,thou western pioneer1
      ,who know'st not shame nor fear1  

,by venturous spirit driven      ,under 
the eaves of heaven2      ,and canst    
expand thee there1      ,and breathe    
enough of air8      ,upholding heaven1  
holding down earth1      ,thy pastime   
from thy birth1      ,not steadied by   
the one1 nor leaning on the other2      
,may ,i approve myself thy worthy       
brother6   ,may #c4 ,monday4 ,we are all
 pilots of the most intricate ,bahama   
channels4 ,beauty may be the sky        
overhead1 but ,duty is the water        
underneath4 ,when ,i see a man with     
serene countenance in the sunshine of   
summer1 drinking in peace in the garden 
or parlor1 it looks like a great inward 
leisure that he enjoys2 but in reality  
he sails on no summer's sea1 but this   
steady sailing comes of a heavy hand on 
the tiller4 ,we do not attend to larks  
and bluebirds so leisurely but that     
conscience is as erect as the attitude  
of the listener4 ,the man of principle  
gets never a holiday4 ,our true         
character silently underlies all our    

words and actions1 as the granite       
underlies the other strata4 ,its steady 
pulse does not cease for any deed of    
ours1 as the sap is still ascending in  
the stalk of the fairest flower4   ,may 
#f4 ,thursday4 ,the fickle person is he 
that does not know what is true or right
 absolutely1--who has not an ancient    
wisdom for a lifetime1 but a new        
prudence for every hour4 ,we must sail  
by a sort of dead reckoning on this     
course of life1 not speak any vessel nor
 spy any headland1 but1 in spite of all 
phenomena1 come steadily to port at     
last4 ,in general we must have a        
catholic and universal wisdom1 wiser    
than any particular1 and be prudent     
enough to defer to it always4 ,we are   
literally wiser than we know4 ,men do   
not fail for want of knowledge1 but for 
want of prudence to give wisdom the     
preference4#bdc ,these low weathercocks 
on barns and fences show not which way  
the general and steady current of the   
wind sets1--which brings fair weather or

 foul1--but the vane on the steeple1    
high up in another stratum of           
atmosphere1 tells that4 ,what we need to
 know in any case is very simple4#bdd ,i
 shall not mistake the direction of my  
life2 if ,i but know the high land and  
the main1--on this side the             
,cordilleras1 on that the ,pacific1--,i 
shall know how to run4 ,if a ridge      
intervene1 ,i have but to seek1 or make1
 a gap to the sea4   ,may #i4 ,sunday4  
,the pine stands in the woods like an   
,indian1--untamed1 with a fantastic     
wildness about it1 even in the          
clearings4 ,if an ,indian warrior were  
well painted1 with pines in the         
background1 he would seem to blend with 
the trees1 and make a harmonious        
expression4 ,the pitch pines are the    
ghosts of ,philip and ,massasoit4 ,the  
white pine has the smoother features of 
the squaw4         99       99       99 
99       99  ,the poet speaks only those
 thoughts that come unbidden1 like the  
wind that stirs the trees1 and men      

cannot help but listen4 ,he is not      
listened to1 but heard4 ,the weathercock
 might as well dally with the wind as a 
man pretend to resist eloquence4 ,the   
breath that inspires the poet has       
traversed a whole ,campagna1 and this   
new climate here indicates that other   
latitudes are chilled or heated4        
99       99       99       99       99  
,speak to men as to gods and you will   
not be insincere4   ,,westward1 ,,ho6   
,the needles of the pine      ,all to   
the west incline4#bde   ,,the ,,echo    
,,of ,,the ,,sabbath ,,bell ,,heard ,,in
 ,,the ,,woods#bdf       ,dong1 sounds  
the brass in the east1      ,as if for a
 civic feast1      ,but ,i like that    
sound the best      ,out of the         
fluttering west4       ,the steeple     
rings a knell1      ,but the fairies'   
silvery bell      ,is the voice of that 
gentle folk1      ,or else the horizon  
that spoke4       ,its metal is not of  
brass1      ,but air1 and water1 and    
glass1      ,and under a cloud it is    

swung1      ,and by the wind is rung1   
,with a slim silver tongue4       ,when 
the steeple tolls the noon1      ,it    
soundeth not so soon1      ,yet it rings
 an earlier hour1      ,and the sun has 
not reached its tower4   ,may #aj4      
,monday4 ,a good warning to the restless
 tourists of these days is contained in 
the last verses of ,claudian's ,old ,man
 of ,verona4       ,erret1 et extremos  
alter scrutetur ,iberos4      ,plus     
habet hic vitae1 plus habet ille        
viae4#bdg   ,may #bc4 ,sunday4          
,barn4--,the distant woods are but the  
tassels of my eye4  ,books are to be    
attended to as new sounds merely4 ,most 
would be put to a sore trial if the     
reader should assume the attitude of a  
listener4 ,they are but a new note in   
the forest4 ,to our lonely1 sober       
thought the earth is a wild unexplored4 
,wildness as of the jay and muskrat     
reigns over the great part of nature4   
,the oven-bird and plover are heard in  
the horizon4 ,here is a new book of     

heroes1 come to me like the note of the 
chewink from over the fen1 only over a  
deeper and wider fen4 ,the pines are    
unrelenting sifters of thought2 nothing 
petty leaks through them4 ,let me put my
 ear close1 and hear the sough of this  
book1 that ,i may know if any           
inspiration yet haunts it4 ,there is    
always a later edition of every book    
than the printer wots of1 no matter how 
recently it was published4 ,all nature  
is a new impression every instant4      
99       99       99       99       99  
,the aspects of the most simple object  
are as various as the aspects of the    
most compound4 ,observe the same sheet  
of water from different eminences4 ,when
 ,i have travelled a few miles ,i do not
 recognize the profile of the hills of  
my native village4   ,may #bg4          
,thursday4 ,i sit in my boat on ,walden1
 playing the flute this evening1 and see
 the perch1 which ,i seem to have       
charmed1 hovering around me1 and the    
moon travelling over the bottom1 which  

is strewn with the wrecks of the forest1
 and feel that nothing but the wildest  
imagination can conceive of the manner  
of life we are living4 ,nature is a     
wizard4 ,the ,concord nights are        
stranger than the ,arabian nights4  ,we 
not only want elbow-room1 but eye-room  
in this gray air which shrouds all the  
fields4 ,sometimes my eyes see over the 
county road by daylight to the tops of  
yonder birches on the hill1 as at others
 by moonlight4  ,heaven lies above1     
because the air is deep4         99     
99       99       99       99  ,in all  
my life hitherto ,i have left nothing   
behind4   ,may #ca4 ,monday4 ,that      
title1 ,the ,laws of ,menu#bdh with the 
,gloss of ,culluca1 comes to me with    
such a volume of sound as if it had     
swept unobstructed over the plains of   
,hindostan2 and when my eye rests on    
yonder birches1 or the sun in the water1
 or the shadows of the trees1 it seems  
to signify the laws of them all4 ,they  
are the laws of you and me1 a fragrance 

wafted down from those old times1 and no
 more to be refuted than the wind4      
,when my imagination travels eastward   
and backward to those remote years of   
the gods1 ,i seem to draw near to the   
habitation of the morning1 and the dawn 
at length has a place4 ,i remember the  
book as an hour before sunrise4         
99       99       99       99       99  
,we are height and depth both1 a calm   
sea at the foot of a promontory4 ,do we 
not overlook our own depths8   ,june #a4
 ,to have seen a man out of the ,east or
 ,west is sufficient to establish their 
reality and locality4 ,i have seen a    
,mr4 ,wattles to-day1 from ,vermont1 and
 now know where that is and that it is2 
a reformer1 with two soldier's eyes and 
shoulders1 who began to belabor the     
world at ten years1 a ragged mountain   
boy1 as fifer of a company1 with set    
purpose to remould it from those first  
years4         99       99       99     
99       99  ,the great person never    
wants an opportunity to be great1 but   

makes occasion for all about him4       
,june #b4 ,wednesday4 ,i am brought into
 the near neighborhood and am become a  
silent observer of the moon's paces     
to-night1 by means of a glass1 while the
 frogs are peeping all around me on the 
earth1 and the sound of the accordion   
seems to come from some bright saloon   
yonder4 ,i am sure the moon floats in a 
human atmosphere4 ,it is but a distant  
scene of the world's drama4 ,it is a    
wide theatre the gods have given us1 and
 our actions must befit it4 ,more sea   
and land1 mountain and valley1 here     
is1--a further ,west1 a freshness and   
wildness in reserve when all the land   
shall be cleared4  ,i see three little  
lakes between the hills near its edge1  
reflecting the sun's rays4 ,the light   
glimmers as on the water in a tumbler4  
,so far off do the laws of reflection   
hold4 ,i seem to see the ribs of the    
creature4 ,this is the aspect of their  
day1 its outside1--their heaven above   
their heads1 towards which they breathe 

their prayers4 ,so much is between me   
and them4 ,it is noon there1 perchance1 
and ships are at anchor in the havens or
 sailing on the seas1 and there is a din
 in the streets1 and in this light or   
that shade some leisurely soul          
contemplates4  ,but now dor-bugs fly    
over its disk and bring me back to earth
 and night4   ,june #g4 ,monday4 ,the   
inhabitants of those ,eastern plains    
seem to possess a natural and hereditary
 right to be conservative and magnify   
forms and traditions4 ,immemorial custom
 is transcendent law1 says ,menu4 ,that 
is1 it was the custom of gods before men
 used it4 ,the fault of our ,new        
,england custom is that it is memorial4 
,what is morality but immemorial custom8
 ,it is not manner but character1 and   
the conservative conscience sustains    
it4#bdi  ,we are accustomed to          
exaggerate the immobility and stagnation
 of those eras1 as of the waters which  
levelled the steppes2 but those slow    
revolving years of the gods were as     

rapid to all the needs of virtue as     
these bustling and hasty seasons4 ,man  
stands to revere1 he kneels to pray4    
,methinks history will have to be tried 
by new tests to show what centuries were
 rapid and what slow4 ,corn grows in the
 night4#bej ,will this bustling era     
detain the future reader longer8 ,will  
the earth seem to have conversed more   
with the heavens during these times8    
,who is writing better ,vedas8 ,how     
science and art spread and flourished1  
how trivial conveniences were           
multiplied1 that which is the gossip of 
the world is not recorded in them2 and  
if they are left out of our scripture1  
too1 what will remain8  ,since the      
,battle of ,bunker ,hill we think the   
world has not been at a standstill4     
,when ,i remember the treachery of      
memory and the manifold accidents to    
which tradition is liable1 how soon the 
vista of the past closes behind1--as    
near as night's crescent to the setting 
day1--and the dazzling brightness of    

noon is reduced to the faint glimmer of 
the evening star1 ,i feel as if it were 
by a rare indulgence of the fates that  
any traces of the past are left         
us1--that my ears which do not hear     
across the interval over which a crow   
caws should chance to hear this         
far-travelled sound4 ,with how little   
coperation of the societies1 after all1 
is the past remembered6         99      
99       99       99       99  ,i know  
of no book which comes to us with       
grander pretensions than the ,laws of   
,menu2 and this immense presumption is  
so impersonal and sincere that it is    
never offensive or ridiculous4 ,observe 
the modes in which modern literature is 
advertised1 and then consider this      
,hindoo prospectus4 ,think what a       
reading public it addresses1 what       
criticism it expects4 ,what wonder if   
the times were not ripe for it8#bea     
,june #h4 ,having but one chair1 ,i am  
obliged to receive my visitors standing1
 and1 now ,i think of it1 those old     

sages and heroes must always have met   
erectly4   ,july #aj to #ab4 ,this town1
 too1 lies out under the sky1 a port of 
entry and departure for souls to and    
from heaven4#beb  ,a slight sound at    
evening lifts me up by the ears1 and    
makes life seem inexpressibly serene and
 grand4 ,it may be in ,uranus1 or it may
 be in the shutter4 ,it is the original 
sound of which all literature is but the
 echo4 ,it makes all fear superfluous4  
,bravery comes from further than the    
sources of fear4   ,aug4 #a4 ,sunday4 ,i
 never met a man who cast a free and    
healthy glance over life1 but the best  
live in a sort of ,sabbath light1 a     
,jewish gloom4 ,the best thought is not 
only without sombreness1 but even       
without morality4 ,the universe lies    
outspread in floods of white light to   
it4 ,the moral aspect of nature is a    
jaundice reflected from man4 ,to the    
innocent there are no cherubim nor      
angels4 ,occasionally we rise above the 
necessity of virtue into an unchangeable

 morning light1 in which we have not to 
choose in a dilemma between right and   
wrong1 but simply to live right on and  
breathe the circumambient air4#bec      
,there is no name for this life unless  
it be the very vitality of vita4 ,silent
 is the preacher about this1 and silent 
must ever be1 for he who knows it will  
not preach4   ,aug4 #d4 ,wednesday4 ,my 
pen is a lever which1 in proportion as  
the near end stirs me further within1   
the further end reaches to a greater    
depth in the reader4         99       99
       99       99       99             
,nawshawtuct4--,far in the east ,i read 
,nature's ,corn ,law ,rhymes4 ,here1 in 
sight of ,wachusett and these rivers and
 woods1 my mind goes singing to itself  
of other themes than taxation4 ,the rush
 sparrow sings still unintelligible1 as 
from beyond a depth in me which ,i have 
not fathomed1 where my future lies      
folded up4 ,i hear several faint notes1 
quite outside me1 which populate the    
waste4  ,this is such fresh and flowing 

weather1 as if the waves of the morning 
had subsided over the day4   ,aug4 #f4  
,if ,i am well1 then ,i see well4 ,the  
bulletins of health are twirled along my
 visual rays1 like pasteboards on a kite
 string4  ,i cannot read a sentence in  
the book of the ,hindoos without being  
elevated as upon the table-land of the  
,ghauts4 ,it has such a rhythm as the   
winds of the desert1 such a tide as the 
,ganges1 and seems as superior to       
criticism as the ,himmaleh ,mounts4     
,even at this late hour1 unworn by time1
 with a native and inherent dignity it  
wears the ,english dress as             
indifferently as the ,sanscrit4 ,the    
great tone of the book is of such fibre 
and such severe tension that no time nor
 accident can relax it4#bed ,the great  
thought is never found in a mean dress1 
but is of virtue to ennoble any         
language4 ,let it issue from the lips of
 the ,wolofs1 or from the forum of      
,rome1 the nine ,muses will seem to have
 been purveyors for it4 ,its education  

is always liberal2 it has all the graces
 of oratory and of poetry4 ,the lofty   
tone which is its indispensable breath  
is grace to the eye and music to the    
ear4 ,it can endow a college4#bee       
99       99       99       99       99  
,so supremely religious a book imposes  
with authority on the latest age4 ,the  
very simplicity of style of the ancient 
lawgiver1 implying all in the omission  
of all1 proves an habitual elevation of 
thought1 which the multiplied glosses of
 later days strive in vain to slope up  
to4 ,the whole book by noble gestures   
and inclinations seems to render words  
unnecessary4 ,the abbreviated sentence  
points to the thing for explanation4 ,as
 the sublimest thought is most          
faithfully printed in the face1 and     
needs the fewest interpreting words4    
,the page nods toward the fact and is   
silent4  ,as ,i walk across the yard    
from the barn to the house through the  
fog1 with a lamp in my hand1 ,i am      
reminded of the ,merrimack nights1 and  

seem to see the sod between tent-ropes4 
,the trees1 seen dimly through the mist1
 suggest things which do not at all     
belong to the past1 but are peculiar to 
my fresh ,new ,england life4 ,it is as  
novel as green peas4 ,the dew hangs     
everywhere upon the grass1 and ,i       
breathe the rich1 damp air in slices4   
,aug4 #g4 ,saturday4 ,the impression    
which those sublime sentences made on me
 last night has awakened me before any  
cockcrowing4 ,their influence lingers   
around me like a fragrance1 or as the   
fog hangs over the earth late into the  
day4  ,the very locusts and crickets of 
a summer day are but later or older     
glosses on the ,dherma ,sstra of the    
,hindoos1 a continuation of the sacred  
code4#bef   ,aug4 #i4 ,it is vain to try
 to write unless you feel strong in the 
knees4  ,any book of great authority and
 genius seems to our imagination to     
permeate and pervade all space4 ,its    
spirit1 like a more subtle ether1 sweeps
 along with the prevailing winds of the 

country4 ,its influence conveys a new   
gloss to the meadows and the depths of  
the wood1 and bathes the huckleberries  
on the hills1 as sometimes a new        
influence in the sky washes in waves    
over the fields and seems to break on   
some invisible beach in the air4 ,all   
things confirm it4 ,it spends the       
mornings and the evenings4#beg          
99       99       99       99       99  
,everywhere the speech of ,menu demands 
the widest apprehension and proceeds    
from the loftiest plateau of the soul4  
,it is spoken unbendingly to its own    
level1 and does not imply any           
contemporaneous speaker4         99     
99       99       99       99  ,i read  
history as little critically as ,i      
consider the landscape1 and am more     
interested in the atmospheric tints and 
various lights and shades which the     
intervening spaces create than in its   
groundwork and composition4 ,it is the  
morning now turned evening and seen in  
the west1--the same sun1 but a new light

 and atmosphere4 ,its beauty is like the
 sunset2 not a fresco painting on a     
wall1 flat and bounded1 but atmospheric 
and roving1 or free4 ,but1 in reality1  
history fluctuates as the face of the   
landscape from morning to evening4 ,what
 is of moment in it is its hue and      
color4 ,time hides no treasures2 we want
 not its then1 but its now4 ,we do not  
complain that the mountains in the      
horizon are blue and indistinct2 they   
are the more like the heavens4  ,of what
 moment are facts that can be           
lost1--which need to be commemorated8   
,the monument of death will outlast the 
memory of the dead4 ,the ,pyramids do   
not tell the tale confided to them4 ,the
 living fact commemorates itself4 ,why  
look in the dark for light8 ,look in the
 light rather4 ,strictly speaking1 the  
,societies have not recovered one fact  
from oblivion1 but they themselves are  
instead of the fact that is lost4 ,the  
researcher is more memorable than the   
researched4 ,the crowd stood admiring   

the mist and the dim outline of the     
trees seen through it1 and when one of  
their number advanced to explore the    
phenomenon1 with fresh admiration all   
eyes were turned on his dimly retreating
 figure4 ,critical acumen is exerted in 
vain to uncover the past2 the past      
cannot be presented2 we cannot know what
 we are not4 ,but one veil hangs over   
past1 present1 and future1 and it is the
 province of the historian to find out1 
not what was1 but what is4 ,where a     
battle has been fought1 you will find   
nothing but the bones of men and beasts2
 where a battle is being fought1 there  
are hearts beating4 ,we will sit on a   
mound and muse1 and not try to make     
these skeletons stand on their legs     
again4 ,does ,nature remember1 think    
you1 that they were men1 or not rather  
that they are bones8  ,ancient history  
has an air of antiquity4 ,it should be  
more modern4 ,it is written as if the   
spectator should be thinking of the back
 side of the picture on the wall1 as if 

the author expected the dead would be   
his readers1 and wished to detail to    
them their own experience4 ,men seem    
anxious to accomplish an orderly retreat
 through the centuries1 earnestly       
rebuilding the works behind1 as they are
 battered down by the incroachments of  
time2 but while they loiter1 they and   
their works both fall a prey to the     
enemy4  ,biography is liable to the same
 objection2 it should be autobiography4 
,let us not leave ourselves empty that1 
so vexing our bowels1 we may go abroad  
and be somebody else to explain him4 ,if
 ,i am not ,i1 who will be8 ,as if it   
were to dispense justice to all4 ,but   
the time has not come for that4#beh     
,aug4 #ab4 ,we take pleasure in         
beholding the form of a mountain in the 
horizon1 as if by retiring to this      
distance we had then first conquered it 
by our vision1 and were made privy to   
the design of the architect2 so when we 
behold the shadow of our earth on the   
moon's disk4 ,when we climb a mountain  

and observe the lesser irregularities1  
we do not give credit to the            
comprehensive and general intelligence  
which shaped them2 but when we see the  
outline in the horizon1 we confess that 
the hand which moulded those opposite   
slopes1 making one balance the other1   
worked round a deep centre1 and was     
privy to the plan of the universe4 ,the 
smallest of nature's works fits the     
farthest and widest view1 as if it had  
been referred in its bearings to every  
point in space4#bei ,it harmonizes with 
the horizon line and the orbits of the  
planets4   ,aug4 #ac4 ,friday4 ,i have  
been in the swamp by ,charles ,miles's  
this afternoon1 and found it so bosky   
and sylvan that ,art would never have   
freedom or courage to imitate it4 ,it   
can never match the luxury and          
superfluity of ,nature4 ,in ,art all is 
seen2 she cannot afford concealed       
wealth1 and in consequence is niggardly2
 but ,nature1 even when she is scant and
 thin outwardly1 contents us still by   

the assurance of a certain generosity at
 the roots4 ,surely no stinted hand has 
been at work here for these centuries to
 produce these particular tints this    
summer4 ,the double spruce attracts me  
here1 which ,i had hardly noticed in the
 gardens1 and now ,i understand why men 
try to make them grow about their       
houses4#bfj  ,nature has her luxurious  
and florid style as well as ,art4       
,having a pilgrim's cup to make1 she    
gives to the whole--stem1 bowl1 handle1 
and nose--some fantastic shape1 as if it
 were to be the car of a fabulous marine
 deity1--a ,nereus or ,triton4 ,she is  
mythical and mystical always1 and spends
 her whole genius upon the least        
work4#bfa   ,aug4 #af4 ,there is a      
double virtue in the sound that can wake
 an echo1 as in the lowing of the cows  
this morning4 ,far out in the horizon   
that sound travels quite round the town1
 and invades each recess of the wood1   
advancing at a grand pace and with a    
sounding ,eastern pomp4   ,aug4 #ah4 ,i 

sailed on the ,north ,river last night  
with my flute1 and my music was a       
tinkling stream which meandered with the
 river1 and fell from note to note as a 
brook from rock to rock4 ,i did not hear
 the strains after they had issued from 
the flute1 but before they were breathed
 into it1 for the original strain       
precedes the sound by as much as the    
echo follows after1 and the rest is the 
perquisite of the rocks and trees and   
beasts4#bfb ,unpremeditated music is the
 true gauge which measures the current  
of our thoughts1 the very undertow of   
our life's stream4         99       99  
99       99       99  ,of all the duties
 of life it is hardest to be in earnest2
 it implies a good deal both before and 
behind4 ,i sit here in the barn this    
flowing afternoon weather1 while the    
school bell is ringing in the village1  
and find that all the things immediate  
to be done are very trivial4 ,i could   
postpone them to hear this locust sing4 
,the cockerels crow and the hens cluck  

in the yard as if time were dog-cheap4  
,it seems something worth detaining     
time1--the laying of an egg4 ,cannot man
 do something to comfort the gods1 and  
not let the world prove such a piddling 
concern8 ,no doubt they would be glad to
 sell their shares at a large discount  
by this time4 ,eastern ,railroad stock  
promises a better dividend4  ,the best  
poets1 after all1 exhibit only a tame   
and civil side of nature4 ,they have not
 seen the west side of any mountain4    
,day and night1 mountain and wood1 are  
visible from the wilderness as well as  
the village4 ,they have their primeval  
aspects1 sterner1 savager than any poet 
has sung4 ,it is only the white man's   
poetry4 ,we want the ,indian's report4  
,wordsworth is too tame for the         
,chippeway4#bfc         99       99     
99       99       99  ,the landscape    
contains a thousand dials which indicate
 the natural divisions of time2 the     
shadows of a thousand styles point to   
the hour4 ,the afternoon is now far     

advanced1 and a fresh and leisurely wind
 is blowing on the river1 causing long  
reaches of serene ripples4 ,it has done 
its stent1 and seems not to flow but lie
 at its length reflecting the light4    
,the haze over the woods seems like the 
breath of all nature1 rising from a     
myriad pores into the attenuated        
atmosphere4#bfd ,it is sun smoke1 the   
woof he has woven1 his day's toil       
displayed4#bfe  ,if ,i were awaked from 
a deep sleep1 ,i should know which side 
the meridian the sun might be by the    
chirping of the crickets4 ,night has    
already insidiously set her foot in the 
valley in many places1 where the shadows
 of the shrubs and fences begin to      
darken the landscape4 ,there is a deeper
 shading in the colors of the afternoon 
landscape4 ,perhaps the forenoon is     
brighter than the afternoon1 not only   
because of the greater transparency of  
the atmosphere then1 but because we     
naturally look most into the west1--as  
we look forward into the day1--and so in

 the forenoon see the sunny side of     
things1 but in the afternoon the shadow 
of every tree4  ,what a drama of light  
and shadow from morning to night6 ,soon 
as the sun is over the meridian1 in deep
 ravines under the east side of the     
cliffs night forwardly plants her foot1 
and1 as day retreats1 steps into his    
trenches1 till at length she sits in his
 citadel4 ,for long time she skulks     
behind the needles of the pine1 before  
she dares draw out her forces into the  
plain4 ,sun1 moon1 wind1 and stars are  
the allies of one side or the other4#bff
         99       99       99       99  
99  ,how much will some officious men   
give to preserve an old book1 of which  
perchance only a single copy exists1    
while a wise ,god is already giving1 and
 will still give1 infinitely more to get
 it destroyed6   ,aug4 #bj4 ,friday4 ,it
 seems as if no cock lived so far in the
 horizon but a faint vibration reached  
me here1 spread the wider over earth as 
the more distant4  ,in the morning the  

crickets snore1 in the afternoon they   
chirp1 at midnight they dream4   ,aug4  
#bd4 ,let us wander where we will1 the  
universe is built round about us1 and we
 are central still4 ,by reason of this1 
if we look into the heavens1 they are   
concave1 and if we were to look into a  
gulf as bottomless1 it would be concave 
also4 ,the sky is curved downward to the
 earth in the horizon1 because ,i stand 
in the plain4 ,i draw down its skirts4  
,the stars so low there seem loth to go 
away from me1 but by a circuitous path  
to be remembering and returning to      
me4#bfg   ,aug4 #bh4 ,saturday4 ,a great
 poet will write for his peers alone1   
and indite no line to an inferior4 ,he  
will remember only that he saw truth and
 beauty from his position1 and calmly   
expect the time when a vision as broad  
shall overlook the same field as        
freely4#bfh  ,johnson can no more       
criticise ,milton than the naked eye can
 criticise ,herschel's map of the sun4  
99       99       99       99       99  

,the art which only gilds the surface   
and demands merely a superficial polish1
 without reaching to the core1 is but   
varnish and filigree4 ,but the work of  
genius is rough-hewn from the first1    
because it anticipates the lapse of time
 and has an ingrained polish1 which     
still appears when fragments are broken 
off1 an essential quality of its        
substance4 ,its beauty is its strength4 
,it breaks with a lustre1 and splits in 
cubes and diamonds4 ,like the diamond1  
it has only to be cut to be polished1   
and its surface is a window to its      
interior splendors4         99       99 
99       99       99  ,true verses are  
not counted on the poet's fingers1 but  
on his heart-strings4       ,my life    
hath been the poem ,i would have writ1  
,but ,i could not both live and live to 
utter it4#bfi  ,in the ,hindoo scripture
 the idea of man is quite illimitable   
and sublime4 ,there is nowhere a loftier
 conception of his destiny4 ,he is at   
length lost in ,brahma himself1 the     

divine male4 ,indeed1 the distinction of
 races in this life is only the         
commencement of a series of degrees     
which ends in ,brahma4  ,the veneration 
in which the ,vedas are held is itself a
 remarkable fact4 ,their code embraced  
the whole moral life of the ,hindoo1 and
 in such a case there is no other truth 
than sincerity4 ,truth is such by       
reference to the heart of man within1   
not to any standard without4 ,there is  
no creed so false but faith can make it 
true4  ,in inquiring into the origin and
 genuineness of this scripture it is    
impossible to tell when the divine      
agency in its composition ceased1 and   
the human began4 ,from fire1 from air1  
and from the sun was it milked out4     
99       99       99       99       99  
,there is no grander conception of      
creation anywhere4 ,it is peaceful as a 
dream1#bgj and so is the annihilation of
 the world4 ,it is such a beginning and 
ending as the morning and evening1 for  
they had learned that ,god's methods are

 not violent4 ,it was such an awakening 
as might have been heralded by the faint
 dreaming chirp of the crickets before  
the dawn4  ,the very indistinctness of  
its theogony implies a sublime truth4   
,it does not allow the reader to rest in
 any supreme first cause1 but directly  
hints of a supremer still which created 
the last4 ,the creator is still behind1 
increate4#bga ,the divinity is so       
fleeting that its attributes are never  
expressed4   ,aug4 #cj4 ,what is a day1 
if the day's work be not done8 ,what are
 the divisions of time to them who have 
nothing to do8 ,what is the present or  
the future to him who has no occasion   
for them1 who does not create them by   
his industry8         99       99       
99       99       99  ,it is now easy to
 apply to this ancient scripture such a 
catholic criticism as it will become the
 part of some future age to apply to the
 ,christian1--wherein the design and    
idea which underlies it is considered1  
and not the narrow and partial          

fulfillment4  ,these verses are so      
eminently textual1 that it seems as if  
those old sages had concentrated all    
their wisdom in little fascicles1 of    
which future times were to be the       
commentary2 as the light of this lower  
world is only the dissipated rays of the
 sun and stars4#bgb ,they seem to have  
been uttered with a sober morning       
prescience1 in the dawn of time4#bgc    
,there is a sort of holding back1 or    
withdrawal of the full meaning1 that the
 ages may follow after and explore the  
whole4 ,the sentence opens unexpensively
 and almost unmeaningly1 as the petals  
of a flower4#bgd         99       99    
99       99       99  ,to our           
nearsightedness this mere outward life  
seems a constituent part of us1 and we  
do not realize that as our soul expands 
it will cast off the shell of routine   
and convention1 which afterward will    
only be an object for the cabinets of   
the curious4 ,but of this people the    
temples are now crumbled away1 and we   

are introduced to the very hearth of    
,hindoo life and to the primeval        
conventicle where how to eat and to     
drink and to sleep were the questions to
 be decided4#bge         99       99    
99       99       99  ,the simple life  
herein described confers on us a degree 
of freedom even in the perusal4 ,we     
throw down our packs and go on our way  
unencumbered4 ,wants so easily and      
gracefully satisfied that they seem like
 a more refined pleasure and            
repleteness4#bgf   ,sept4 #a4           
,wednesday4 ,when ,i observe the        
effeminate taste of some of my          
contemporaries in this matter of poetry1
 and how hardly they bear with certain  
incongruities1 ,i think if this age were
 consulted it would not choose granite  
to be the backbone of the world1 but    
,bristol spar or ,brazilian diamonds4   
,but the verses which have consulted the
 refinements even of a golden age will  
be found weak and nerveless for an iron 
one4 ,the poet is always such a         

,cincinnatus in literature as with      
republican simplicity to raise all to   
the chiefest honors of the state4  ,each
 generation thinks to inhabit only a    
west end of the world1 and have         
intercourse with a refined and civilized
 ,nature1 not conceiving of her broad   
equality and republicanism4 ,they think 
her aristocratic and exclusive because  
their own estates are narrow4 ,but the  
sun indifferently selects his rhymes1   
and with a liberal taste weaves into his
 verse the planet and the stubble4#bgg  
,let us know and conform only to the    
fashions of eternity4         99        
99       99       99       99  ,the very
 austerity of these ,hindoos is tempting
 to the devotional as a more refined and
 nobler luxury4#bgh ,they seem to have  
indulged themselves with a certain      
moderation and temperance in the        
severities which their code requires1 as
 divine exercises not to be excessively 
used as yet4 ,one may discover the root 
of a ,hindoo religion in his own private

 history1 when1 in the silent intervals 
of the day or the night1 he does        
sometimes inflict on himself like       
austerities with a stern satisfaction4  
,the ,laws of ,menu are a manual of     
private devotion1 so private and        
domestic and yet so public and universal
 a word as is not spoken in the parlor  
or pulpit in these days4#bgi ,it is so  
impersonal that it exercises our        
sincerity more than any other4 ,it goes 
with us into the yard and into the      
chamber1 and is yet later spoken than   
the advice of our mother and            
sisters4#bhj   ,sept4 #b4 ,thursday4    
,there is but one obligation1 and that  
is the obligation to obey the highest   
dictate4 ,none can lay me under another 
which will supersede this4 ,the gods    
have given me these years without any   
incumbrance2 society has no mortgage on 
them4 ,if any man assist me in the way  
of the world1 let him derive            
satisfaction from the deed itself1 for  
,i think ,i never shall have dissolved  

my prior obligations to ,god4 ,kindness 
repaid is thereby annulled4 ,i would let
 his deed lie as fair and generous as it
 was intended4 ,the truly beneficent    
never relapses into a creditor2 his     
great kindness is still extended to me  
and is never done4 ,of those noble deeds
 which have me for their object ,i am   
only the most fortunate spectator1 and  
would rather be the abettor of their    
nobleness than stay their tide with the 
obstructions of impatient gratitude4 ,as
 true as action and reaction are equal1 
that nobleness which was as wide as the 
universe will rebound not on him the    
individual1 but on the world4 ,if any   
have been kind to me1 what more do they 
want8 ,i cannot make them richer than   
they are4 ,if they have not been kind1  
they cannot take from me the privilege  
which they have not improved4 ,my       
obligations will be my lightest load1   
for that gratitude which is of kindred  
stuff in me1 expanding every pore1 will 
easily sustain the pressure4 ,we walk   

the freest through the air we breathe4  
99       99       99       99       99  
,the sublime sentences of ,menu carry us
 back to a time when purification and   
sacrifice and self-devotion had a place 
in the faith of men1 and were not as now
 a superstition4 ,they contain a subtle 
and refined philosophy also1 such as in 
these times is not accompanied with so  
lofty and pure a devotion4         99   
99       99       99       99  ,i saw a 
green meadow in the midst of the woods  
to-day which looked as if ,dame ,nature 
had set her foot there1 and it had      
bloomed in consequence4 ,it was the     
print of her moccasin4         99       
99       99       99       99           
,sometimes my thought rustles in        
midsummer as if ripe for the fall4#bha  
,i anticipate the russet hues and the   
dry scent of autumn1 as the feverish man
 dreams of balm and sage4         99    
99       99       99       99  ,i was   
informed to-day that no ,hindoo tyranny 
presided at the framing of the          

world1--that ,i am a freeman of the     
universe1 and not sentenced to any      
caste4#bhb         99       99       99 
99       99  ,when ,i write verses ,i   
serve my thoughts as ,i do tumblers2 ,i 
rap them to see if they will ring4      
,sept4 #c4 ,friday4 ,next to ,nature1 it
 seems as if man's actions were the most
 natural1 they so gently accord with    
her4 ,the small seines of flax or hemp  
stretched across the shallow and        
transparent parts of the river are no   
more intrusion than the cobweb in the   
sun4 ,it is very slight and refined     
outrage at most4 ,i stay my boat in     
mid-current and look down in the running
 water to see the civil meshes of his   
nets1 and wonder how the blustering     
people of the town could have done this 
elvish work4 ,the twine looks like a new
 river-weed and is to the river like a  
beautiful memento of man1 man's presence
 in nature discovered as silently and   
delicately as ,robinson discovered that 
there were savages on his island by a   

footprint in the sand4#bhc         99   
99       99       99       99           
,moonlight is the best restorer of      
antiquity4 ,the houses in the village   
have a classical elegance as of the best
 days of ,greece1 and this half-finished
 church reminds me of the ,parthenon1 or
 whatever is most famous and excellent  
in art4#bhd ,so serene it stands1       
reflecting the moon1 and intercepting   
the stars with its rafters1 as if it    
were refreshed by the dews of the night 
equally with me4 ,by day ,mr4 ,hosmer1  
but by night ,vitruvius rather4 ,if it  
were always to stand in this mild and   
sombre light it would be finished       
already4 ,it is in progress by day but  
completed by night1 and already its     
designer is an old master4 ,the         
projecting rafter so carelessly left on 
the tower1 holding its single way       
through the sky1 is quite architectural1
 and in the unnecessary length of the   
joists and flooring of the staging      
around the walls there is an artistic   

superfluity and grace4 ,in these        
fantastic lines described upon the sky  
there is no trifling or conceit4        
,indeed1 the staging for the most part  
is the only genuine native architecture 
and deserves to stand longer than the   
building it surrounds4 ,in this         
obscurity there are no fresh colors to  
offend1 and the light and shade of      
evening adorn the new equally with the  
old4   ,sept4 #d4 ,saturday4 ,i think ,i
 could write a poem to be called        
,concord4 ,for argument ,i should have  
the ,river1 the ,woods1 the ,ponds1 the 
,hills1 the ,fields1 the ,swamps and    
,meadows1 the ,streets and ,buildings1  
and the ,villagers4 ,then ,morning1     
,noon1 and ,evening1 ,spring1 ,summer1  
,autumn1 and ,winter1 ,night1 ,indian   
,summer1 and the ,mountains in the      
,horizon4         99       99       99  
99       99  ,a book should be so true  
as to be intimate and familiar to all   
men1 as the sun to their faces1--such a 
word as is occasionally uttered to a    

companion in the woods in summer1 and   
both are silent4         99       99    
99       99       99  ,as ,i pass along 
the streets of the village on the day of
 our annual fair1 when the leaves strew 
the ground1 ,i see how the trees keep   
just such a holiday all the year4 ,the  
lively spirits of their sap mount higher
 than any plowboy's let loose that day4 
,a walk in the autumn woods1 when1 with 
serene courage1 they are preparing for  
their winter campaign1 if you have an   
ear for the rustling of their camp or an
 eye for the glancing of their armor1 is
 more inspiring than the ,greek or      
,peninsular war4#bhe ,any grandeur may  
find society as great as itself in the  
forest4         99       99       99    
99       99  ,pond ,hill4--,i see yonder
 some men in a boat1 which floats       
buoyantly amid the reflections of the   
trees1 like a feather poised in mid-air1
 or a leaf wafted gently from its twig  
to the water without turning over4 ,they
 seem very delicately to have availed   

themselves of the natural laws1 and     
their floating there looks like a       
beautiful and successful experiment in  
philosophy4 ,it reminds me how much more
 refined and noble the life of man might
 be made1 how its whole economy might be
 as beautiful as a ,tuscan              
villa1#bhf--;a new and more catholic    
art1 the art of life1 which should have 
its impassioned devotees and make the   
schools of ,greece and ,rome to be      
deserted4   ,sept4 #e4 ,saturday4 ,barn4
       ,greater is the depth of sadness 
,than is any height of gladness4  ,i    
cannot read much of the best poetry in  
prose or verse without feeling that it  
is a partial and exaggerated plaint1    
rarely a carol as free as ,nature's4    
,that content which the sun shines for  
between morning and evening is unsung4  
,the ,muse solaces herself2 she is not  
delighted but consoled4#bhg ,but there  
are times when we feel a vigor in our   
limbs1 and our thoughts are like a      
flowing morning light1 and the stream of

 our life without reflection shows long 
reaches of serene ripples4 ,and if we   
were to sing at such an hour1 there     
would be no catastrophe contemplated in 
our verse1 no tragic element in it1#bhh 
nor yet a comic4 ,for the life of the   
gods is not in any sense dramatic1 nor  
can be the subject of the drama2 it is  
epic without beginning or end1 an       
eternal interlude without plot1--not    
subordinate one part to another1 but    
supreme as a whole1 at once leaf and    
flower and fruit4 ,at present the       
highest strain is ,hebraic4 ,the church 
bell is the tone of all religious       
thought1 the most musical that men      
consent to sing4 ,in the youth of       
poetry1 men love to praise the lark and 
the morning1 but they soon forsake the  
dews and skies for the nightingale and  
evening shades4 ,without instituting a  
wider comparison ,i might say that in   
,homer there is more of the innocence   
and serenity of youth than in the more  
modern and moral poets4 ,the ,iliad is  

not ,sabbath but morning reading1 and   
men cling to this old song1 because they
 have still moments of unbaptized and   
uncommitted life which give them an     
appetite for more4 ,there is no cant in 
him1 as there is no religion4 ,we read  
him with a rare sense of freedom and    
irresponsibleness1 as though we trod on 
native ground1 and were autochthones of 
the soil4#bhi         99       99       
99       99       99  ,through the fogs 
of this distant vale we look back and   
upward to the source of song1 whose     
crystal stream still ripples and gleams 
in the clear atmosphere of the          
mountain's side4         99       99    
99       99       99  ,some hours seem  
not to be occasion for anything1 unless 
for great resolves to draw breath and   
repose in1 so religiously do we postpone
 all action therein4 ,we do not straight
 go about to execute our thrilling      
purpose1 but shut our doors behind us1  
and saunter with prepared mind1 as if   
the half were already done4#bij         

,sometimes a day serves only to hold    
time together4#bia   ,sept4 #ab4        
,sunday4       ,where ,i have been      
,there was none seen4   ,sept4 #ad4 ,no 
bravery is to be named with that which  
can face its own deeds4         99      
99       99       99       99  ,in      
religion there is no society4         99
       99       99       99       99    
,do not dissect a man till he is dead4  
99       99       99       99       99  
,love does not analyze its object4      
99       99       99       99       99  
,we do not know the number of muscles in
 a caterpillar dead2 much less the      
faculties of a man living4         99   
99       99       99       99  ,you must
 believe that ,i know before you can    
tell me4         99       99       99   
99       99  ,to the highest            
communication ,i can make no reply2 ,i  
lend only a silent ear4   ,sept4 #ah4   
,saturday4 ,barn4--,it is a great event1
 the hearing of a bell ring in one of   
the neighboring towns1 particularly in  

the night4 ,it excites in me an unusual 
hilarity1 and ,i feel that ,i am in     
season wholly and enjoy a prime and     
leisure hour4   ,sept4 #bj4 ,monday4    
,visited ,sampson ,wilder of ,boston4   
,his method of setting out peach trees  
is as follows3--  ,dig a hole six feet  
square and two deep1 and remove the     
earth2 cover the bottom to the depth of 
six inches with lime and ashes in equal 
proportions1 and upon this spread       
another layer of equal thickness1 of    
horn parings1 tips of horns1 bones1 and 
the like1 then fill up with a compost of
 sod and strong animal manure1 say four 
bushels of hog manure to a cartload of  
sod4 ,cover the tree--which should be   
budded at two years old--but slightly1  
and at the end of two years dig a trench
 round it three feet from the tree and  
six inches deep1 and fill it with lime  
and ashes4  ,for grapes3--  ,let your   
trench be twelve feet wide and four     
deep1 cover the bottom with             
paving-stones six inches1 then old      

bricks with mortar attached or loose six
 inches more1 then beef-bones1 horns1   
etc41 six more 7,captain ,bobadil71 then
 a compost similar to the preceding4    
,set your roots one foot from the north 
side1 the trench running east and west1 
and bury eight feet of the vine         
crosswise the trench1 not more than     
eight inches below the surface4 ,cut it 
down for three or four years1 that root 
may accumulate1 and then train it from  
the sun up an inclined plane4   ,sept4  
#bh4 ,tuesday4 ,i anticipate the coming 
in of spring as a child does the        
approach of some pomp through a gate of 
the city4   ,sept4 #cj4       ,better   
wait      ,than be too late4#bib   ,nov4
 #bi4 ,cambridge4--,one must fight his  
way1 after a fashion1 even in the most  
civil and polite society4 ,the most     
truly kind and gracious have to be won  
by a sort of valor1 for the seeds of    
suspicion seem to lurk in every spadeful
 of earth1 as well as those of          
confidence4 ,the president and librarian

 turn the cold shoulder to your         
application1 though they are known for  
benevolent persons4 ,they wonder if you 
can be anything but a thief1            
contemplating frauds on the library4 ,it
 is the instinctive and salutary        
principle of self-defense2 that which   
makes the cat show her talons when you  
take her by the paw4#bic  ,certainly    
that valor which can open the hearts of 
men is superior to that which can only  
open the gates of cities4#bid  ,you must
 always let people see that they serve  
themselves more than you1--not by your  
ingratitude1 but by sympathy and        
congratulation4         99       99     
99       99       99  ,the twenty-first 
volume of ,chalmers's ,english ,poets   
contains ,hoole's and ,mickle's         
,translations4 ,in the shape of a note  
to the ,seventh ,book of the ,lusiad1   
,mickle has written a long ,inquiry into
 the ,religious ,tenets and ,philosophy 
of the ,bramins4   ,nov4 #cj4 ,tuesday4 
,cambridge4--,when looking over the dry 

and dusty volumes of the ,english poets1
 ,i cannot believe that those fresh and 
fair creations ,i had imagined are      
contained in them4 ,english poetry from 
,gower down1 collected into one alcove1 
and so from the library window compared 
with the commonest nature1 seems very   
mean4 ,poetry cannot breathe in the     
scholar's atmosphere4 ,the ,aubreys and 
,hickeses1 with all their learning1     
prophane it yet indirectly by their     
zeal4 ,you need not envy his feelings   
who for the first time has cornered up  
poetry in an alcove4 ,i can hardly be   
serious with myself when ,i remember    
that ,i have come to ,cambridge after   
poetry2 and while ,i am running over the
 catalogue and collating and selecting1 
,i think if it would not be a shorter   
way to a complete volume to step at once
 into the field or wood1 with a very low
 reverence to students and librarians4  
,milton did not foresee what company he 
was to fall into4#bie ,on running over  
the titles of these books1 looking from 

time to time at their first pages or    
farther1 ,i am oppressed by an          
inevitable sadness4 ,one must have come 
into a library by an oriel window1 as   
softly and undisturbed as the light     
which falls on the books through a      
stained window1 and not by the          
librarian's door1 else all his dreams   
will vanish4 ,can the ,valhalla be      
warmed by steam and go by clock and     
bell8  ,good poetry seems so simple and 
natural a thing that when we meet it we 
wonder that all men are not always      
poets4 ,poetry is nothing but healthy   
speech4 ,though the speech of the poet  
goes to the heart of things1 yet he is  
that one especially who speaks civilly  
to ,nature as a second person and in    
some sense is the patron of the world4  
,though more than any he stands in the  
midst of ,nature1 yet more than any he  
can stand aloof from her4 ,the best     
lines1 perhaps1 only suggest to me that 
that man simply saw or heard or felt    
what seems the commonest fact in my     

experience4  ,one will know how to      
appreciate ,chaucer best who has come   
down to him the natural way through the 
very meagre pastures of ,saxon and      
ante-,chaucerian poetry4 ,so human and  
wise he seems after such diet that we   
are as liable to misjudge him so as     
usually4#bif         99       99        
99       99       99  ,the ,saxon poetry
 extant seems of a more serious and     
philosophical cast than the very        
earliest that can be called ,english4   
,it has more thought1 but less music4   
,it translates ,bothius1 it paraphrases 
the ,hebrew ,bible1 it solemnly sings of
 war1 of life and death1 and chronicles 
events4 ,the earliest ,english poetry is
 tinctured with romance through the     
influence of the ,normans1 as the ,saxon
 was not4 ,the ballad and metrical      
romance belong to this period4 ,those   
old singers were for the most part      
imitators or translators4#big ,or will  
it not appear1 when viewed at a         
sufficient distance1 that our brave new 

poets are also secondary as they1 and   
refer the eye that reads them and their 
poetry1 too1 back and backward without  
end8         99       99       99       
99       99  ,nothing is so attractive  
and unceasingly curious as character4   
,there is no plant that needs such      
tender treatment1 there is none that    
will endure so rough4 ,it is the violet 
and the oak4 ,it is the thing we mean1  
let us say what we will4 ,we mean our   
own character1 or we mean yours4 ,it is 
divine and related to the heavens1 as   
the earth is by the flashes of the      
,aurora4 ,it has no acquaintance nor    
companion4 ,it goes silent and          
unobserved longer than any planet in    
space1 but when at length it does show  
itself1 it seems like the flowering of  
all the world1 and its before unseen    
orbit is lit up like the trail of a     
meteor4 ,i hear no good news ever but   
some trait of a noble character4 ,it    
reproaches me plaintively4 ,i am mean in
 contrast1 but again am thrilled and    

elevated that ,i can see my own         
meanness1 and again still1 that my own  
aspiration is realized in that other4   
,you reach me1 my friend1 not by your   
kind or wise words to me here or there2 
but as you retreat1 perhaps after years 
of vain familiarity1 some gesture or    
unconscious action in the distance      
speaks to me with more emphasis than all
 those years4 ,i am not concerned to    
know what eighth planet is wandering in 
space up there1 or when ,venus or ,orion
 rises1 but if1 in any cot to east or   
west and set behind the woods1 there is 
any planetary character illuminating the
 earth4       ,packed in my mind lie all
 the clothes      ,which outward nature 
wears1      ,for1 as its hourly fashions
 change1      ,it all things else       
repairs4       ,my eyes look inward1 not
 without1      ,and ,i but hear myself1 
,and this new wealth which ,i have got  
,is part of my own pelf4       ,for     
while ,i look for change abroad1      ,i
 can no difference find1      ,till some

 new ray of peace uncalled      ,lumines
 my inmost mind1       ,as1 when the sun
 streams through the wood1      ,upon a 
winter's morn1      ,where'er his silent
 beams may stray      ,the murky night  
is gone4       ,how could the patient   
pine have known      ,the morning breeze
 would come1      ,or simple flowers    
anticipate      ,the insect's noonday   
hum1       ,till that new light with    
morning cheer      ,from far streamed   
through the aisles1      ,and nimbly    
told the forest trees      ,for many    
stretching miles8#bih   ,dec4 #ab4      
,sunday4 ,all music is only a sweet     
striving to express character4 ,now that
 lately ,i have heard of some traits in 
the character of a fair and earnest     
maiden whom ,i had only known           
superficially1 but who has gone hence to
 make herself more known by distance1   
they sound like strains of a wild harp  
music4 ,they make all persons and places
 who had thus forgotten her to seem late
 and behindhand4 ,every maiden conceals 

a fairer flower and more luscious fruit 
than any calyx in the field1 and if she 
go with averted face1 confiding in her  
own purity and high resolves1 she will  
make the heavens retrospective1 and all 
nature will humbly confess its          
queen4#bii  ,there is apology enough for
 all the deficiency and shortcoming in  
the world in the patient waiting of any 
bud of character to unfold itself4      
,only character can command our reverent
 love4 ,it is all mysteries in itself4  
,what is it gilds the trees and clouds  
,and paints the heavens so gay1         
,but yonder fast-abiding light          
,with its unchanging ray8        ,i've  
felt within my inmost soul      ,such   
cheerful morning news1      ,in the     
horizon of my mind      ,i've seen such 
morning hues1       ,as in the twilight 
of the dawn1      ,when the first birds 
awake1      ,is heard within some silent
 wood      ,where they the small twigs  
break2       ,or in the eastern skies is
 seen      ,before the sun appears1     

,foretelling of the summer heats        
,which far away he bears4  ,p4 ,m4      
,walden4--,i seem to discern the very   
form of the wind when1 blowing over the 
hills1 it falls in broad flakes upon the
 surface of the pond1 this subtle       
element obeying the same law with the   
least subtle4 ,as it falls it spreads   
itself like a mass of lead dropped upon 
an anvil4 ,i cannot help being          
encouraged by this blithe activity in   
the elements in these degenerate days of
 men4 ,who hears the rippling of the    
rivers will not utterly despair of      
anything4 ,the wind in the wood yonder  
sounds like an incessant waterfall1 the 
water dashing and roaring among rocks4  
,dec4 #ac4 ,monday4 ,we constantly      
anticipate repose4 ,yet it surely can   
only be the repose that is in entire and
 healthy activity4 ,it must be a repose 
without rust4 ,what is leisure but      
opportunity for more complete and entire
 action8 ,our energies pine for         
exercise4 ,that time we spend in our    

duties is so much leisure1 so that there
 is no man but has sufficient of it4  ,i
 make my own time1 ,i make my own terms4
 ,i cannot see how ,god or ,nature can  
ever get the start of me4         99    
99       99       99       99  ,this    
ancient ,scotch poetry1 at which its    
contemporaries so marvelled1 sounds like
 the uncertain lisping of a child4 ,when
 man's speech flows freest it but       
stutters and stammers4 ,there is never a
 free and clear deliverance2 but1 read  
now when the illusion of smooth verse is
 destroyed by the antique spelling1 the 
sense is seen to stammer and stumble all
 the plainer4 ,to how few thoughts do   
all these sincere efforts give          
utterance6 ,an hour's conversation with 
these men would have done more4 ,i am   
astonished to find how meagre that diet 
is which has fed so many men4 ,the music
 of sound1 which is all-sufficient at   
first1 is speedily lost1 and then the   
fame of the poet must rest on the music 
of the sense4 ,a great philosophical and

 moral poet would give permanence to the
 language by making the best sound      
convey the best sense4   ,dec4 #ad4     
,tuesday4 ,to hear the sunset described 
by the old ,scotch poet ,douglas1 as ,i 
have seen it1 repays me for many weary  
pages of antiquated ,scotch4 ,nothing so
 restores and humanizes antiquity and   
makes it blithe as the discovery of some
 natural sympathy between it and the    
present4 ,why is it that there is       
something melancholy in antiquity8 ,we  
forget that it had any other future than
 our present4 ,as if it were not as near
 to the future as ourselves6 ,no1 thank 
heavens1 these ranks of men to right and
 left1 posterity and ancestry1 are not  
to be thridded by any earnest mortal4   
,the heavens stood over the heads of our
 ancestors as near as to us4 ,any living
 word in their books abolishes the      
difference of time4 ,it need only be    
considered from the present standpoint4 
,dec4 #ae4 ,wednesday4 ,a mild summer   
sun shines over forest and lake4 ,the   

earth looks as fair this morning as the 
,valhalla of the gods4 ,indeed our      
spirits never go beyond nature4 ,in the 
woods there is an inexpressible         
happiness4 ,their mirth is but just     
repressed4 ,in winter1 when there is but
 one green leaf for many rods1 what warm
 content is in them6 ,they are not rude1
 but tender1 even in the severest cold4 
,their nakedness is their defense4 ,all 
their sounds and sights are elixir to my
 spirit4 ,they possess a divine health4 
,god is not more well4 ,every sound is  
inspiriting and fraught with the same   
mysterious assurance1 from the creaking 
of the boughs in ,january to the soft   
sough of the wind in ,july4  ,how much  
of my well-being1 think you1 depends on 
the condition of my lungs and           
stomach1--such cheap pieces of ,nature  
as they1 which1 indeed1 she is every day
 reproducing with prodigality4 ,is the  
arrow indeed fatal which rankles in the 
breast of the bird on the bough1 in     
whose eye all this fair landscape is    

reflected1 and whose voice still echoes 
through the wood8  ,the trees have come 
down to the bank to see the river go by4
 ,this old1 familiar river is renewed   
each instant2 only the channel is the   
same4#cjj ,the water which so calmly    
reflects the fleeting clouds and the    
primeval trees ,i have never seen       
before4 ,it may have washed some distant
 shore1 or framed a glacier or iceberg  
at the north1 when ,i last stood here4  
,seen through a mild atmosphere1 the    
works of the husbandman1 his plowing and
 reaping1 have a beauty to the beholder 
which the laborer never sees4#cja  ,i   
seem to see somewhat more of my own kith
 and kin in the lichens on the rocks    
than in any books4 ,it does seem as if  
mine were a peculiarly wild nature1     
which so yearns toward all wildness4 ,i 
know of no redeeming qualities in me but
 a sincere love for some things1 and    
when ,i am reproved ,i have to fall back
 on to this ground4#cjb ,this is my     
argument in reserve for all cases4 ,my  

love is invulnerable4 ,meet me on that  
ground1 and you will find me strong4    
,when ,i am condemned1 and condemn      
myself utterly1 ,i think straightway1   
,but ,i rely on my love for some things4
 ,therein ,i am whole and entire4       
,therein ,i am ,god-propped4  ,when ,i  
see the smoke curling up through the    
woods from some farmhouse invisible1 it 
is more suggestive of the poetry of     
rural and domestic life than a nearer   
inspection can be4 ,up goes the smoke as
 quietly as the dew exhales in vapor    
from these pine leaves and oaks2 as     
busy1 disposing itself in circles and in
 wreaths1 as the housewife on the hearth
 below4 ,it is cotemporary with a piece 
of human biography1 and waves as a      
feather in some man's cap4 ,under that  
rod of sky there is some plot a-brewing1
 some ingenuity has planted itself1 and 
we shall see what it will do4 ,it       
tattles of more things than the boiling 
of the pot4 ,it is but one of man's     
breaths4 ,all that is interesting in    

history or fiction is transpiring       
beneath that cloud4 ,the subject of all 
life and death1 of happiness and grief1 
goes thereunder4    ,illustration3      
,winter ,landscape from ,fair ,haven    
,hill  ,when the traveller in the       
forest1 attaining to some eminence1     
descries a column of smoke in the       
distance1 it is a very gentle hint to   
him of the presence of man4 ,it seems as
 if it would establish friendly         
relations between them without more     
ado4#cjc   ,dec4 #ah4 ,saturday4 ,some  
men make their due impression upon their
 generation1 because a petty occasion is
 enough to call forth all their         
energies2 but are there not others who  
would rise to much higher levels1 whom  
the world has never provoked to make the
 effort8 ,i believe there are men now   
living who have never opened their      
mouths in a public assembly1 in whom    
nevertheless there is such a well of    
eloquence that the appetite of any age  
could never exhaust it2 who pine for an 

occasion worthy of them1 and will pine  
till they are dead2 who can admire1 as  
well as the rest1 at the flowing speech 
of the orator1 but do yet miss the      
thunder and lightning and visible       
sympathy of the elements which would    
garnish their own utterance4  ,if in any
 strait ,i see a man fluttered and his  
ballast gone1 then ,i lose all hope of  
him1 he is undone2 but if he reposes    
still1 though he do nothing else worthy 
of him1 if he is still a man in reserve1
 then is there everything to hope of    
him4 ,the age may well go pine itself   
that it cannot put to use this gift of  
the gods4 ,he lives on1 still           
unconcerned1 not needing to be used4    
,the greatest occasion will be the      
slowest to come4         99       99    
99       99       99  ,sometimes a      
particular body of men do unconsciously 
assert that their will is fate1 that the
 right is decided by their fiat without 
appeal1 and when this is the case they  
can never be mistaken2 as when one man  

is quite silenced by the thrilling      
eloquence of another1 and submits to be 
neglected as to his fate1 because such  
is not the willful vote of the assembly1
 but their instinctive decision4   ,dec4
 #bc4 ,thursday4 ,concord4--,the best   
man's spirit makes a fearful sprite to  
haunt his tomb4 ,the ghost of a priest  
is no better than that of a highwayman4 
,it is pleasant to hear of one who has  
blest whole regions after his death by  
having frequented them while alive1 who 
has prophaned or tabooed no place by    
being buried in it4#cjd ,it adds not a  
little to the fame of ,little ,john that
 his grave was long celebrous for the   
yielding of excellent whetstones4#cje   
,a forest is in all mythologies a sacred
 place1 as the oaks among the ,druids   
and the grove of ,egeria2 and even in   
more familiar and common life a         
celebrated wood is spoken of with       
respect1 as ,barnsdale ,wood and        
,sherwood4 ,had ,robin ,hood no         
,sherwood to resort to1 it would be     

difficult to invest his story with the  
charms it has got4 ,it is always the    
tale that is untold1 the deeds done and 
the life lived in the unexplored secrecy
 of the wood1 that charm us and make us 
children again1--to read his ballads1   
and hear of the greenwood tree4   ,dec4 
#bd4 ,friday4 ,i want to go soon and    
live away by the pond1 where ,i shall   
hear only the wind whispering among the 
reeds4 ,it will be success if ,i shall  
have left myself behind4 ,but my friends
 ask what ,i will do when ,i get there4 
,will it not be employment enough to    
watch the progress of the seasons8#cjf  
,dec4 #be4 ,saturday4 ,it does seem as  
if ,nature did for a long time gently   
overlook the prophanity of man4 ,the    
wood still kindly echoes the strokes of 
the axe1 and when the strokes are few   
and seldom1 they add a new charm to a   
walk4 ,all the elements strive to       
naturalize the sound4#cjg  ,such is our 
sympathy with the seasons that we       
experience the same degree of heat in   

the winter as in the summer4  ,it is not
 a true apology for any coarseness to   
say that it is natural4 ,the grim woods 
can afford to be very delicate and      
perfect in the details4  ,i don't want  
to feel as if my life were a sojourn any
 longer4 ,that philosophy cannot be true
 which so paints it4 ,it is time now    
that ,i begin to live4   ,dec4 #bf4     
,sunday4 ,he is the rich man and enjoys 
the fruits of riches1 who1 summer and   
winter forever1 can find delight in the 
contemplation of his soul4 ,i could look
 as unweariedly up to that cope as into 
the heavens of a summer day or a winter 
night4 ,when ,i hear this bell ring1 ,i 
am carried back to years and ,sabbaths  
when ,i was newer and more innocent1 ,i 
fear1 than now1 and it seems to me as if
 there were a world within a world4     
,sin1 ,i am sure1 is not in overt acts  
or1 indeed1 in acts of any kind1 but is 
in proportion to the time which has come
 behind us and displaced eternity1--that
 degree to which our elements are mixed 

with the elements of the world4 ,the    
whole duty of life is contained in the  
question how to respire and aspire both 
at once4   ,dec4 #bi4 ,wednesday4 ,one  
does not soon learn the trade of life4  
,that one may work out a true life      
requires more art and delicate skill    
than any other work4 ,there is need of  
the nice fingers of the girl as well as 
the tough hand of the farmer4 ,the daily
 work is too often toughening the       
pericarp of the heart as well as the    
hand4 ,great familiarity with the world 
must be nicely managed1 lest it win away
 and bereave us of some susceptibility4 
,experience bereaves us of our          
innocence2 wisdom bereaves us of our    
ignorance4 ,let us walk in the world    
without learning its ways4 ,whole weeks 
or months of my summer life slide away  
in thin volumes like mist or smoke1 till
 at length some warm morning1 perchance1
 ,i see a sheet of mist blown down the  
brook to the swamp1 its shadow flitting 
across the fields1 which have caught a  

new significance from that accident2 and
 as that vapor is raised above the      
earth1 so shall the next weeks be       
elevated above the plane of the         
actual2#cjh or when the setting sun     
slants across the pastures1 and the cows
 low to my inward ear and only enhance  
the stillness1 and the eve is as the    
dawn1 a beginning hour and not a final  
one1 as if it would never have done1    
with its clear western amber inciting   
men to lives of as limpid purity4 ,then 
do other parts of my day's work shine   
than ,i had thought at noon1 for ,i     
discover the real purport of my toil1   
as1 when the husbandman has reached the 
end of the furrow and looks back1 he can
 best tell where the pressed earth      
shines most4#cji         99       99    
99       99       99  ,all true         
greatness runs as level a course1 and is
 as unaspiring1 as the plow in the      
furrow4 ,it wears the homeliest dress   
and speaks the homeliest language4 ,its 
theme is gossamer and dew lines1        

johnswort and loosestrife1 for it has   
never stirred from its repose and is    
most ignorant of foreign parts4 ,heaven 
is the inmost place4 ,the good have not 
to travel far4 ,what cheer may we not   
derive from the thought that our courses
 do not diverge1 and we wend not        
asunder1 but as the web of destiny is   
woven it is fulled1 and we are cast more
 and more into the centre6 ,and our     
fates even are social4#caj ,there is no 
wisdom which can take the place of      
humanity1 and ,i find that in old       
,chaucer that love rings longest which  
rhymes best with some saw of ,milton's  
or ,edmunds's4 ,i wish ,i could be as   
still as ,god is4 ,i can recall to my   
mind the stillest summer hour1 in which 
the grasshopper sings over the mulleins1
 and there is a valor in that time the  
memory of which is armor that can laugh 
at any blow of fortune4 ,a man should go
 out of nature with the chirp of the    
cricket or the trill of the veery       
ringing in his ear4 ,these earthly      

sounds should only die away for a       
season1 as the strains of the harp rise 
and swell4 ,death is that expressive    
pause in the music of the blast4#caa ,i 
would be as clean as ye1 ,o woods4 ,i   
shall not rest till ,i be as innocent as
 you4 ,i know that ,i shall sooner or   
later attain to an unspotted innocence1 
for when ,i consider that state even now
 ,i am thrilled4  ,if we were wise      
enough1 we should see to what virtue we 
were indebted for any happier moment we 
might have1 nor doubt we had earned this
 at some time4  ,these motions          
everywhere in nature must surely be the 
circulations of ,god4 ,the flowing sail1
 the running stream1 the waving tree1   
the roving wind1--whence else their     
infinite health and freedom8#cab ,i can 
see nothing so proper and holy as       
unrelaxed play and frolic in this bower 
,god has built for us4 ,the suspicion of
 sin never comes to this thought4 ,oh1  
if men felt this they would never build 
temples even of marble or diamond1 but  

it would be sacrilege and prophane1 but 
disport them forever in this paradise4  
,in the coldest day it melts somewhere4 
,it seems as if only one trait1 one     
little incident in human biography1 need
 to be said or written in some era1 that
 all readers may go mad after it1 and   
the man who did the miracle is made a   
demigod henceforth4 ,what we all do1 not
 one can tell2 and when some lucky      
speaker utters a truth of our experience
 and not of our speculation1 we think he
 must have had the nine ,muses and the  
three ,graces to help him4 ,i can at    
length stretch me when ,i come to       
,chaucer's breadth2 and ,i think1 ,well1
 ,i could be that man's                 
acquaintance1#cac for he walked in that 
low and retired way that ,i do1 and was 
not too good to live4 ,i am grieved when
 they hint of any unmanly submissions he
 may have made1 for that subtracts from 
his breadth and humanity4   ,dec4 #cj4  
,thursday4 ,i admire ,chaucer for a     
sturdy ,english wit4 ,the easy height he

 speaks from in his ,prologue to the    
,canterbury ,tales is as good as        
anything in it1--as if he were indeed   
better than any of the company there    
assembled4#cad  ,the poet does not have 
to go out of himself and cease to tattle
 of his domestic affairs1 to win our    
confidence1 but is so broad that we see 
no limits to his sympathy4  ,great      
delicacy and gentleness of character is 
constantly displayed in ,chaucer's      
verse4 ,the simplest and humblest words 
come readily to his lips4 ,the natural  
innocence of the man appears in the     
simple and pure spirit in which ,the    
,prioresses ,tale is conceived1 in which
 the child sings ,o alma redemptoris    
mater1 and in the account of the        
departure of ,custance with her child   
upon the sea1 in ,the ,man of ,lawes    
,tale4#cae ,the whole story of          
,chanticleer and ,dame ,partlet in ,the 
,nonnes ,preestes ,tale is genuine      
humanity4 ,i know nothing better in its 
kind4 ,the poets seem to be only more   

frank and plain-spoken than other men4  
,their verse is but confessions4 ,they  
always confide in the reader1 and speak 
privily with him1 keeping nothing       
back4#caf  ,i know of no safe rule by   
which to judge of the purity of a former
 age but that ,i see that the impure of 
the present age are not apt to rise to  
noble sentiments when they speak or     
write1 and suspect1 therefore1 that     
there may be more truth than is allowed 
in the apology that such was the manner 
of the age4#cag       ,within the       
circuit of this plodding life1          
,there are moments of an azure hue      
,and as unspotted fair as is the violet 
,or anemone1 when the spring strews them
      ,by some south woodside2 which    
make untrue      ,the best philosophy   
which has so poor an aim      ,but to   
console man for his grievance here4     
,i have remembered when the winter came1
      ,high in my chamber in the frosty 
nights1      ,how in the summer past    
some      ,unrecorded beam slanted      

across      ,some upland pasture where  
the ,johnswort grew1      ,or heard1    
amidst the verdure of my mind1 the bee's
           long-smothered hum1      ,so 
by the cheap economy of ,god made rich  
to go upon           my wintry work     
again4      ,in the still1 cheerful cold
 of winter nights1      ,when1 in the   
cold light of the moon1      ,on every  
twig and rail and jutting spout         
,the icy spears are doubling their      
length      ,against the glancing arrows
 of the sun1      ,and the shrunk wheels
 creak along the way1      ,some summer 
accident long past      ,of lakelet     
gleaming in the ,july beams1      ,or   
hum of bee under the blue flag1         
,loitering in the meads1 or busy rill   
which now stands dumb and still1        
its own memorial1 purling at its play   
along the slopes1      and through the  
meadows next1 till that its sound was   
quenched in the staid current of its    
parent stream4  ,in memory is the more  
reality4 ,i have seen how the furrows   

shone but late upturned1 and where the  
fieldfare followed in the rear1 when all
 the fields stood bound and hoar beneath
 a thick integument of snow4#cah        
99       99       99       99       99  
,when the snow is falling thick and     
fast1 the flakes nearest you seem to be 
driving straight to the ground1 while   
the more distant seem to float in the   
air in a quivering bank1 like feathers1 
or like birds at play1 and not as if    
sent on any errand4 ,so1 at a little    
distance1 all the works of ,nature      
proceed with sport and frolic4 ,they are
 more in the eye and less in the deed4  
,dec4 #ca4 ,friday4 ,books of natural   
history make the most cheerful winter   
reading4 ,i read in ,audubon with a     
thrill of delight1 when the snow covers 
the ground1 of the magnolia1 and the    
,florida keys1 and their warm sea       
breezes2 of the fence-rail1 and the     
cotton-tree1 and the migrations of the  
rice-bird2 or of the breaking up of     
winter in ,labrador4 ,i seem to hear the

 melting of the snow on the forks of the
 ,missouri as ,i read4 ,i imbibe some   
portion of health from these            
reminiscences of luxuriant nature4      
,there is a singular health for me in   
those words ,labrador and ,east ,main   
which no desponding creed recognizes4   
,how much more than federal are these   
,states6 ,if there were no other        
vicissitudes but the seasons1 with their
 attendant and consequent changes1 our  
interest would never flag4 ,much more is
 a-doing than ,congress wots of in the  
winter season4 ,what journal do the     
persimmon and buckeye keep1 or the      
sharp-shinned hawk8 ,what is transpiring
 from summer to winter in the           
,carolinas1 and the ,great ,pine        
,forest1 and the ,valley of the ,mohawk8
 ,the merely political aspect of the    
land is never very cheering4 ,men are   
degraded when considered as the members 
of a political organization4 ,as a      
nation the people never utter one great 
and healthy word4 ,from this side all   

nations present only the symptoms of    
disease4 ,i see but ,bunker's ,hill and 
,sing ,sing1 the ,district of ,columbia 
and ,sullivan's ,island1 with a few     
avenues connecting them4 ,but paltry are
 all these beside one blast of the east 
or south wind which blows over them all4
  ,in society you will not find health1 
but in nature4 ,you must converse much  
with the field and woods1 if you would  
imbibe such health into your mind and   
spirit as you covet for your body4      
,society is always diseased1 and the    
best is the sickest4 ,there is no scent 
in it so wholesome as that of the pines1
 nor any fragrance so penetrating and   
restorative as that of everlasting in   
high pastures4 ,without that our feet at
 least stood in the midst of nature1 all
 our faces would be pale and livid4  ,i 
should like to keep some book of natural
 history always by me as a sort of      
elixir1 the reading of which would      
restore the tone of my system and secure
 me true and cheerful views of life4    

,for to the sick1 nature is sick1 but to
 the well1 a fountain of health4 ,to the
 soul that contemplates some trait of   
natural beauty no harm nor              
disappointment can come4 ,the doctrines 
of despair1 of spiritual or political   
servitude1 no priestcraft nor tyranny1  
was ever sic taught by such as drank in 
the harmony of nature4#cai     ,,vi     
#ahdb  7,t4 #bd-be7   ,jan4 #a4 ,virtue 
is the deed of the bravest4 ,it is that 
art which demands the greatest          
confidence and fearlessness4 ,only some 
hardy soul ventures upon it4 ,virtue is 
a bravery so hardy that it deals in what
 it has no experience in4 ,the virtuous 
soul possesses a fortitude and hardihood
 which not the grenadier nor pioneer can
 match4 ,it never shrunk4 ,it goes      
singing to its work4 ,effort is its     
relaxation4 ,the rude pioneer work of   
this world has been done by the most    
devoted worshippers of beauty4#cbj      
,their resolution has possessed a keener
 edge than the soldier's4 ,in winter is 

their campaign2 they never go into      
quarters4 ,they are elastic under the   
heaviest burden1 under the extremest    
physical suffering4  ,methinks good     
courage will not flag here on the       
,atlantic border as long as we are      
outflanked by the ,fur ,countries4      
,there is enough in that sound to cheer 
one under any circumstances4 ,the       
spruce1 the hemlock1 and the pine will  
not countenance despair4 ,methinks some 
creeds in vestries and churches do      
forget the hunter wrapped in furs by the
 ,great ,slave ,lake1 or how the        
,esquimaux sledges are drawn by dogs1   
and in the twilight of the northern     
night the hunter does not give over to  
follow the seal and walrus over the ice4
 ,these men are sick and of diseased    
imaginations who would toll the world's 
knell so soon4 ,cannot these sedentary  
sects do better than prepare the shrouds
 and write the epitaphs of those other  
busy living men8 ,the practical faith of
 men belies the preacher's consolation4 

,this is the creed of the               
hypochondriac4#cba  ,there is no        
infidelity so great as that which prays1
 and keeps the ,sabbath1 and founds     
churches4 ,the sealer of the ,south     
,pacific preaches a truer doctrine4 ,the
 church is the hospital for men's souls1
 but the reflection that he may one day 
occupy a ward in it should not          
discourage the cheerful labors of the   
able-bodied man4 ,let him remember the  
sick in their extremities1 but not look 
thither as to his goal4#cbb   ,jan4 #b4 
,sunday4 ,the ringing of the church bell
 is a much more melodious sound than any
 that is heard within the church4 ,all  
great values are thus public1 and       
undulate like sound through the         
atmosphere4 ,wealth cannot purchase any 
great private solace or convenience4    
,riches are only the means of sociality4
 ,i will depend on the extravagance of  
my neighbors for my luxuries1 for they  
will take care to pamper me if ,i will  
be overfed4 ,the poor man who sacrificed

 nothing for the gratification seems to 
derive a safer and more natural         
enjoyment from his neighbor's           
extravagance than he does himself4 ,it  
is a new natural product1 from the      
contemplation of which he derives new   
vigor and solace as from a natural      
phenomenon4  ,in moments of quiet and   
leisure my thoughts are more apt to     
revert to some natural than any human   
relation4  ,chaucer's sincere sorrow in 
his latter days for the grossness of his
 earlier works1 and that he cannot      
recall and annul what he had written of 
the base and filthy love of men towards 
women2 but alas they are now continued  
from man to man1 says he1 and ,i cannot 
do what ,i desire1 is all very          
creditable to his character4  ,chaucer  
is the make-weight of his century1--a   
worthy representative of ,england while 
,petrarch and ,boccaccio lived in       
,italy1 and ,tell and ,tamerlane in     
,switzerland and ,asia1 and ,bruce and  
,rienzi in ,europe1 and ,wickliffe and  

,gower in his own land4 ,edward ,,iii   
and ,john of ,gaunt and the ,black      
,prince complete the company4 ,the fame 
of ,roger ,bacon came down from the     
preceding century1 and ,dante1 though   
just departed1 still exerted the        
influence of a living presence4#cbc     
,with all his grossness he is not       
undistinguished for the tenderness and  
delicacy of his muse4 ,a simple pathos  
and feminine gentleness is peculiar to  
him which not even ,wordsworth can      
match4#cbd ,and then his best passages  
of length are marked by a happy and     
healthy wit which is rather rare in the 
poetry of any nation4 ,on the whole1 he 
impresses me as greater than his        
reputation1 and not a little like ,homer
 and ,shakespeare1 for he would have    
held up his head in their company4      
,among the earliest ,english poets he is
 their landlord and host1 and has the   
authority of such4 ,we read him with    
affection and without criticism1 for he 
pleads no cause1 but speaks for us1 his 

readers1 always4 ,he has that greatness 
of trust and reliance which compels     
popularity4 ,he is for a whole country  
and country sic to know and to be proud 
of4 ,the affectionate mention which     
succeeding early poets make of him1     
coupling him with ,homer and ,virgil1 is
 also to be taken into the account in   
estimating his character4 ,king ,james  
and ,dunbar of ,scotland speak with more
 love and reverence of him than any     
cotemporary poet of his predecessors of 
the last century4 ,that childlike       
relation1 indeed1 does not seem to exist
 now which was then4#cbe   ,jan4 #c4    
,monday4 ,it is pleasant when one can   
relieve the grossness of the kitchen and
 the table by the simple beauty of his  
repast1 so that there may be anything in
 it to attract the eye of the artist    
even4 ,i have been popping corn         
to-night1 which is only a more rapid    
blossoming of the seed under a greater  
than ,july heat4 ,the popped corn is a  
perfect winter flower1 hinting of       

anemones and houstonias4 ,for this      
little grace man has1 mixed in with the 
vulgarness of his repast1 he may well   
thank his stars4 ,the law by which      
flowers unfold their petals seems only  
to have operated more suddenly under the
 intense heat4 ,it looks like a sympathy
 in this seed of the corn with its      
sisters of the vegetable kingdom1 as if 
by preference it assumed the flower form
 rather than the crystalline4 ,here has 
bloomed for my repast such a delicate   
blossom as will soon spring by the      
wall-sides4 ,and this is as it should   
be4 ,why should not ,nature revel       
sometimes1 and genially relax and make  
herself familiar at my board8 ,i would  
have my house a bower fit to entertain  
her4 ,it is a feast of such innocence as
 might have snowed down4 ,by my warm    
hearth sprang these cerealious blossoms2
 here was the bank where they grew4     
,methinks some such visible token of    
approval would always accompany the     
simple and healthy repast4 ,there would 

be such a smiling and blessing upon it4 
,our appetite should always be so       
related to our taste1 and the board we  
spread for its gratification be an      
epitome of the universal table which    
,nature sets by hill and wood and stream
 for her dumb pensioners4#cbf   ,jan4   
#e4 ,wednesday4 ,i find that whatever   
hindrances may occur ,i write just about
 the same amount of truth in my         
,journal2 for the record is more        
concentrated1 and usually it is some    
very real and earnest life1 after all1  
that interrupts4 ,all flourishes are    
omitted4 ,if ,i saw wood from morning to
 night1 though ,i grieve that ,i could  
not observe the train of my thoughts    
during that time1 yet1 in the evening1  
the few scrannel lines which describe my
 day's occupations will make the        
creaking of the saw more musical than my
 freest fancies could have been4 ,i find
 incessant labor with the hands1 which  
engrosses the attention also1 the best  
method to remove palaver out of one's   

style4 ,one will not dance at his work  
who has wood to cut and cord before the 
night falls in the short days of winter2
 but every stroke will be husbanded1 and
 ring soberly through the wood2 and so  
will his lines ring and tell on the ear1
 when at evening he settles the accounts
 of the day4 ,i have often been         
astonished at the force and precision of
 style to which busy laboring men1      
unpracticed in writing1 easily attain   
when they are required to make the      
effort4 ,it seems as if their sincerity 
and plainness were the main thing to be 
taught in schools1--and yet not in the  
schools1 but in the fields1 in actual   
service1 ,i should say4 ,the scholar not
 unfrequently envies the propriety and  
emphasis with which the farmer calls to 
his team1 and confesses that if that    
lingo were written it would surpass his 
labored sentences4  ,who is not tired of
 the weak and flowing periods of the    
politician and scholar1 and resorts not 
even to the ,farmer's ,almanac1 to read 

the simple account of the month's labor1
 to restore his tone again8 ,i want to  
see a sentence run clear through to the 
end1 as deep and fertile as a well-drawn
 furrow which shows that the plow was   
pressed down to the beam4 ,if our       
scholars would lead more earnest lives1 
we should not witness those lame        
conclusions to their ill-sown           
discourses1 but their sentences would   
pass over the ground like loaded        
rollers1 and not mere hollow and wooden 
ones1 to press in the seed and make it  
germinate4  ,a well-built sentence1 in  
the rapidity and force with which it    
works1 may be compared to a modern      
corn-planter1 which furrows out1 drops  
the seed1 and covers it up at one       
movement4#cbg  ,the scholar requires    
hard labor as an impetus to his pen4 ,he
 will learn to grasp it as firmly and   
wield it as gracefully and effectually  
as an axe or a sword4 ,when ,i consider 
the labored periods of some gentleman   
scholar1 who perchance in feet and      

inches comes up to the standard of his  
race1 and is nowise deficient in girth1 
,i am amazed at the immense sacrifice of
 thews and sinews4 ,what6 these         
proportions and these bones1 and this   
their work6 ,how these hands hewed this 
fragile matter1 mere filagree or        
embroidery fit for ladies' fingers6 ,can
 this be a stalwart man's work1 who has 
marrow in his backbone and a tendon     
,achilles in his heel8 ,they who set up 
,stonehenge did somewhat1--much in      
comparison1--if it were only their      
strength was once fairly laid out1 and  
they stretched themselves4#cbh  ,i      
discover in ,raleigh's verses the vices 
of the courtier4 ,they are not equally  
sustained1 as if his noble genius were  
warped by the frivolous society of the  
court4 ,he was capable of rising to a   
remarkable elevation4 ,his poetry has   
for the most part a heroic tone and     
vigor as of a knight errant4 ,but again 
there seems to have been somewhat       
unkindly in his education1 and as if he 

had by no means grown up to be the man  
he promised4 ,he was apparently too     
genial and loyal a soul1 or rather he   
was incapable of resisting temptations  
from that quarter4 ,if to his genius and
 culture he could have added the        
temperament of ,fox or ,cromwell1 the   
world would have had cause longer to    
remember him4 ,he was the pattern of    
nobility4 ,one would have said it was by
 some lucky fate that he and            
,shakespeare flourished at the same time
 in ,england1 and yet what do we know of
 their acquaintanceship8   ,jan4 #g4    
,friday4 ,i am singularly refreshed in  
winter when ,i hear tell of             
service-berries1 pokeweed1 juniper4 ,is 
not heaven made up of these cheap summer
 glories8#cbi  ,the great ,god is very  
calm withal4 ,how superfluous is any    
excitement in his creatures6 ,he listens
 equally to the prayers of the believer 
and the unbeliever4 ,the moods of man   
should unfold and alternate as gradually
 and placidly as those of nature4 ,the  

sun shines for aye6 ,the sudden         
revolutions of these times and this     
generation have acquired a very         
exaggerated importance4 ,they do not    
interest me much1 for they are not in   
harmony with the longer periods of      
nature4 ,the present1 in any aspect in  
which it can be presented to the        
smallest audience1 is always mean4 ,god 
does not sympathize with the popular    
movements4   ,jan4 #h4 ,saturday4 ,when1
 as now1 in ,january a south wind melts 
the snow1 and the bare ground appears1  
covered with sere grass and occasionally
 wilted green leaves which seem in doubt
 whether to let go their greenness quite
 or absorb new juices against the coming
 year1--in such a season a perfume seems
 to exhale from the earth itself and the
 south wind melts my integuments also4  
,then is she my mother earth4 ,i derive 
a real vigor from the scent of the gale 
wafted over the naked ground1 as from   
strong meats1 and realize again how man 
is the pensioner of ,nature4 ,we are    

always conciliated and cheered when we  
are fed by such an influence1 and our   
needs are felt to be part of the        
domestic economy of ,nature4         99 
99       99       99       99  ,what    
offends me most in my compositions is   
the moral element in them4 ,the         
repentant say never a brave word4 ,their
 resolves should be mumbled in silence4 
,strictly speaking1 morality is not     
healthy4 ,those undeserved joys which   
come uncalled and make us more pleased  
than grateful are they that sing4       
99       99       99       99       99  
,one music seems to differ from another 
chiefly in its more perfect time1 to use
 this word in a true sense4 ,in the     
steadiness and equanimity of music lies 
its divinity4 ,it is the only assured   
tone4#ccj ,when men attain to speak with
 as settled a faith and as firm         
assurance1 their voices will sing and   
their feet march as do the feet of the  
soldier4 ,the very dogs howl if time is 
disregarded4 ,because of the perfect    

time of this music-box--its harmony with
 itself--is its greater dignity and     
stateliness4 ,this music is more nobly  
related for its more exact measure4 ,so 
simple a difference as this more even   
pace raises it to the higher dignity4   
,man's progress through nature should   
have an accompaniment of music4 ,it     
relieves the scenery1 which is seen     
through it as a subtler element1 like a 
very clear morning air in autumn4 ,music
 wafts me through the clear1 sultry     
valleys1 with only a slight gray vapor  
against the hills4  ,of what manner of  
stuff is the web of time wove1 when     
these consecutive sounds called a strain
 of music can be wafted down through the
 centuries from ,homer to me1 and ,homer
 have been conversant with that same    
unfathomable mystery and charm which so 
newly tingles my ears8#cca ,these single
 strains1 these melodious cadences which
 plainly proceed out of a very deep     
meaning and a sustained soul1 are the   
interjections of ,god4 ,they are perhaps

 the expression of the perfect knowledge
 which the righteous at length attain   
to4 ,am ,i so like thee1 my brother1    
that the cadence of two notes affects us
 alike8 ,shall ,i not some time have an 
opportunity to thank him who made music8
 ,i feel a sad cheer when ,i hear these 
lofty strains1#ccb because there must be
 something in me as lofty that hears4   
,but ah1 ,i hear them but rarely6 ,does 
it not rather hear me8 ,if my blood were
 clogged in my veins1 ,i am sure it     
would run more freely4 ,god must be very
 rich1 who1 for the turning of a pivot1 
can pour out such melody on me4 ,it is a
 little prophet2 it tells me the secrets
 of futurity4 ,where are its secrets    
wound up but in this box8#ccc ,so much  
hope had slumbered4 ,there are in music 
such strains as far surpass any faith in
 the loftiness of man's destiny4#ccd ,he
 must be very sad before he can         
comprehend them4 ,the clear1 liquid     
notes from the morning fields beyond    
seem to come through a vale of sadness  

to man1 which gives all music a         
plaintive air4 ,it hath caught a higher 
pace than any virtue ,i know4 ,it is the
 arch-reformer4 ,it hastens the sun to  
his setting4 ,it invites him to his     
rising4 ,it is the sweetest reproach1 a 
measured satire4 ,i know there is a     
people somewhere where this heroism has 
place4 ,or else things are to be learned
 which it will be sweet to learn4#cce   
,this cannot be all rumor4 ,when ,i hear
 this1 ,i think of that everlasting and 
stable something which is not sound1 but
 to be a thrilling reality1 and can     
consent to go about the meanest work for
 as many years of time as it pleases    
even the ,hindoo penance1 for a year of 
the gods were as nothing to that which  
shall come after4 ,what1 then1 can ,i do
 to hasten that other time1 or that     
space where there shall be no time1 and 
these things be a more living part of my
 life1--where there will be no discords 
in my life8   ,jan4 #i4 ,sunday4 ,one   
cannot too soon forget his errors and   

misdemeanors2 for to dwell long upon    
them is to add to the offense1 and      
repentance and sorrow can only be       
displaced by somewhat better1 and which 
is as free and original as if they had  
not been4 ,not to grieve long for any   
action1 but to go immediately and do    
freshly and otherwise1 subtracts so much
 from the wrong4 ,else we may make the  
delay of repentance the punishment of   
the sin4 ,but a great nature will not   
consider its sins as its own1 but be    
more absorbed in the prospect of that   
valor and virtue for the future which is
 more properly it1 than in those        
improper actions which1 by being sins1  
discover themselves to be not it4       
99       99       99       99       99  
,sir ,w4 ,raleigh's faults are those of 
a courtier and a soldier4 ,in his       
counsels and aphorisms we see not       
unfrequently the haste and rashness of a
 boy4 ,his philosophy was not wide nor  
deep1 but continually giving way to the 
generosity of his nature4 ,what he      

touches he adorns by his greater        
humanity and native nobleness1 but he   
touches not the true nor original4 ,he  
thus embellishes the old1 but does not  
unfold the new4 ,he seems to have been  
fitted by his genius for short flights  
of impulsive poetry1 but not for the    
sustained loftiness of ,shakespeare or  
,milton4 ,he was not wise nor a seer in 
any sense1 but rather one of nature's   
nobility2 the most generous nature which
 can be spared to linger in the purlieus
 of the court4  ,his was a singularly   
perverted genius1 with such an          
inclination to originality and freedom1 
and yet who never steered his own       
course4 ,of so fair and susceptible a   
nature1 rather than broad or deep1 that 
he delayed to slake his thirst at the   
nearest and even more turbid wells of   
truth and beauty4 ,whose homage to the  
least fair or noble left no space for   
homage to the all fair4 ,the misfortune 
of his circumstances1 or rather of the  
man1 appears in the fact that he was the

 author of ,maxims of ,state and ,the   
,cabinet ,council and ,the ,soul's      
,errand4   ,feb4 #ai4 ,saturday4 ,i     
never yet saw two men sufficiently great
 to meet as two4 ,in proportion as they 
are great the differences are fatal1    
because they are felt not to be partial 
but total4 ,frankness to him who is     
unlike me will lead to the utter denial 
of him4 ,i begin to see how that the    
preparation for all issues is to do     
virtuously4 ,when two approach to meet1 
they incur no petty dangers1 but they   
run terrible risks4 ,between the sincere
 there will be no civilities4 ,no       
greatness seems prepared for the little 
decorum1 even savage unmannerliness1 it 
meets from equal greatness4   ,feb4 #bj4
 ,sunday4 ,examine animal forms         
geometrically1 from man1 who represents 
the perpendicular1 to the reptile which 
forms the horizontal line1 and then     
applying to those forms the rules of the
 exact sciences1 which ,god himself     
cannot change1 we shall see that visible

 nature contains them all2 that the     
combinations of the seven primitive     
forms are entirely exhausted1 and that1 
therefore1 they can represent all       
possible varieties of morality4--,from  
,the ,true ,messiah2 or the ,old and    
,new ,testaments1 examined according to 
the ,principles of the ,language of     
,nature4 ,by ,g4 ,segger1 translated    
from ,french by ,grater4         99     
99       99       99       99  ,i am    
amused to see from my window here how   
busily man has divided and staked off   
his domain4 ,god must smile at his puny 
fences running hither and thither       
everywhere over the land4         99    
99       99       99       99  ,my path 
hitherto has been like a road through a 
diversified country1 now climbing high  
mountains1 then descending into the     
lowest vales4 ,from the summits ,i saw  
the heavens2 from the vales ,i looked up
 to the heights again4 ,in prosperity ,i
 remember ,god1 or memory is one with   
consciousness2 in adversity ,i remember 

my own elevations1 and only hope to see 
,god again4  ,it is vain to talk4 ,what 
do you want8 ,to bandy words1 or deliver
 some grains of truth which stir within 
you8 ,will you make a pleasant rumbling 
sound after feasting1 for digestion's   
sake1 or such music as the birds in     
springtime8         99       99       99
       99       99  ,the death of       
friends should inspire us as much as    
their lives4 ,if they are great and rich
 enough1 they will leave consolation to 
the mourners before the expenses of     
their funerals4#ccf ,it will not be hard
 to part with any worth1 because it is  
worthy4 ,how can any good depart8 ,it   
does not go and come1 but we4 ,shall we 
wait for it8 ,is it slower than we8     
,feb4 #ba4 ,i must confess there is     
nothing so strange to me as my own body4
 ,i love any other piece of nature1     
almost1 better4  ,i was always conscious
 of sounds in nature which my ears could
 never hear1--that ,i caught but the    
prelude to a strain4 ,she always        

retreats as ,i advance4 ,away behind and
 behind is she and her meaning4 ,will   
not this faith and expectation make to  
itself ears at length8 ,i never saw to  
the end1 nor heard to the end2 but the  
best part was unseen and unheard4  ,i am
 like a feather floating in the         
atmosphere2 on every side is depth      
unfathomable4  ,i feel as if years had  
been crowded into the last month1#ccg   
and yet the regularity of what we call  
time has been so far preserved as that  
,i#cch 444 will be welcome in the       
present4 ,i have lived ill for the most 
part because too near myself4 ,i have   
tripped myself up1 so that there was no 
progress for my own narrowness4 ,i      
cannot walk conveniently and pleasantly 
but when ,i hold myself far off in the  
horizon4 ,and the soul dilutes the body 
and makes it passable4 ,my soul and body
 have tottered along together of late1  
tripping and hindering one another like 
unpracticed ,siamese twins4 ,they two   
should walk as one1 that no obstacle may

 be nearer than the firmament4          
99       99       99       99       99  
,there must be some narrowness in the   
soul that compels one to have secrets4  
,feb4 #bc4 ,wednesday4 ,every poet's    
muse is circumscribed in her wanderings1
 and may be well said to haunt some     
favorite spring or mountain4 ,chaucer   
seems to have been the poet of gardens4 
,he has hardly left a poem in which some
 retired and luxurious retreat of the   
kind is not described1 to which he gains
 access by some secret port1 and there1 
by some fount or grove1 is found his    
hero and the scene of his tale4 ,it     
seems as if1 by letting his imagination 
riot in the matchless beauty of an ideal
 garden1 he thus fed sic his fancy on to
 the invention of a tale which would fit
 the scene4 ,the muse of the most       
universal poet retires into some        
familiar nook1 whence it spies out the  
land as the eagle from his eyrie1 for he
 who sees so far over plain and forest  
is perched in a narrow cleft of the     

crag4 ,such pure childlike love of      
,nature is nowhere to be matched4#cci   
,and it is not strange that the poetry  
of so rude an age should contain such   
polished praise of ,nature2 for the     
charms of ,nature are not enhanced by   
civilization1 as society is1 but she    
possesses a permanent refinement1 which 
at last subdues and educates men4  ,the 
reader has great confidence in ,chaucer4
 ,he tells no lies4 ,you read his story 
with a smile1 as if it were the         
circumlocution of a child1 and yet you  
find that he has spoke with more        
directness and economy of words than a  
sage4 ,he is never heartless4 ,so new   
was all his theme in those days1 that he
 had not to invent1 but only to         
tell4#cdj  ,the language of poetry is   
infantile4 ,it cannot talk4         99  
99       99       99       99  ,it is   
the charm and greatness of all society1 
from friendship to the drawing-room1    
that it takes place on a level slightly 
higher than the actual characters of the

 parties would warrant2#cda it is an    
expression of faith4 ,true politeness is
 only hope and trust in men4 ,it never  
addresses a fallen or falling man1 but  
salutes a rising generation4 ,it does   
not flatter1 but only congratulates4    
,the rays of light come to us in such a 
curve that every fellow in the street   
appears higher than he really is4 ,it is
 the innate civility of nature4#cdb     
99       99       99       99       99  
,i am glad that it was so because it    
could be4   ,march #a4 ,whatever ,i     
learn from any circumstances1 that      
especially ,i needed to know4 ,events   
come out of ,god1 and our characters    
determine them and constrain fate1 as   
much as they determine the words and    
tone of a friend to us4 ,hence are they 
always acceptable as experience1 and we 
do not see how we could have done       
without them4   ,march #b4 ,the greatest
 impression of character is made by that
 person who consents to have no         
character4 ,he who sympathizes with and 

runs through the whole circle of        
attributes cannot afford to be an       
individual4 ,most men stand pledged to  
themselves1 so that their narrow and    
confined virtue has no suppleness4 ,they
 are like children who cannot walk in   
bad company and learn the lesson which  
even it teaches1 without their          
guardians1 for fear of contamination4   
,he is a fortunate man who gets through 
the world without being burthened by a  
name and reputation1 for they are at any
 rate but his past history and no       
prophecy1 and as such concern him no    
more than another4 ,character is ,genius
 settled4 ,it can maintain itself       
against the world1 and if it relapses it
 repents4 ,it is as a dog set to watch  
the property of ,genius4 ,genius1       
strictly speaking1 is not responsible1  
for it is not moral4   ,march #h4 ,i    
live in the perpetual verdure of the    
globe4 ,i die in the annual decay of    
nature4  ,we can understand the         
phenomenon of death in the animal better

 if we first consider it in the order   
next below us1 the vegetable4  ,the     
death of the flea and the elephant are  
but phenomena of the life of nature4    
99       99       99       99       99  
,most lecturers preface their discourses
 on music with a history of music1 but  
as well introduce an essay on virtue    
with a history of virtue4#cdc ,as if the
 possible combinations of sound1 the    
last wind that sighed1 or melody that   
waked the wood1 had any history other   
than a perceptive ear might hear in the 
least and latest sound of nature6 ,a    
history of music would be like the      
history of the future2 for so little    
past is it1 and capable of record1 that 
it is but the hint of a prophecy4 ,it is
 the history of gravitation4 ,it has no 
history more than ,god4 ,it circulates  
and resounds forever1 and only flows    
like the sea or air4 ,there might be a  
history of men or of hearing1 but not of
 the unheard4 ,why1 if ,i should sit    
down to write its story1 the west wind  

would rise to refute me4 ,properly      
speaking1 there can be no history but   
natural history1 for there is no past in
 the soul but in nature4 ,so that the   
history of anything is only the true    
account of it1 which will be always the 
same4 ,i might as well write the history
 of my aspirations4 ,does not the last  
and highest contain them all8 ,do the   
lives of the great composers contain the
 facts which interested them8 ,what is  
this music8 ,why1 thinner and more      
evanescent than ether2 subtler than     
sound1 for it is only a disposition of  
sound4 ,it is to sound what color is to 
matter4 ,it is the color of a flame1 or 
of the rainbow1 or of water4 ,only one  
sense has known it4 ,the least          
profitable1 the least tangible fact1    
which cannot be bought or cultivated but
 by virtuous methods1 and yet our ears  
ring with it like shells left on the    
shore4   ,march #aa4 ,friday4 ,chaucer's
 familiar1 but innocent1 way of speaking
 of ,god is of a piece with his         

character4 ,he comes readily to his     
thoughts without any false reverence4   
,if ,nature is our mother1 is not ,god  
much more8 ,god should come into our    
thoughts with no more parade than the   
zephyr into our ears4 ,only strangers   
approach him with ceremony4 ,how rarely 
in our ,english tongue do we find       
expressed any affection for ,god6 ,no   
sentiment is so rare as love of         
,god1--universal love4 ,herbert is      
almost the only exception4 ,ah1 my dear 
,god1 etc4 ,chaucer's was a remarkably  
affectionate genius4 ,there is less love
 and simple trust in ,shakespeare4 ,when
 he sees a beautiful person or object1  
he almost takes a pride in the maistry  
of his ,god4#cdd ,the ,protestant       
,church seems to have nothing to supply 
the place of the ,saints of the         
,catholic calendar1 who were at least   
channels for the affections4 ,its ,god  
has perhaps too many of the attributes  
of a ,scandinavian deity4         99    
99       99       99       99  ,we can  

only live healthily the life the gods   
assign us4 ,i must receive my life as   
passively as the willow leaf that       
flutters over the brook4 ,i must not be 
for myself1 but ,god's work1 and that is
 always good4 ,i will wait the breezes  
patiently1 and grow as ,nature shall    
determine4 ,my fate cannot but be grand 
so4 ,we may live the life of a plant or 
an animal1 without living an animal     
life4 ,this constant and universal      
content of the animal comes of resting  
quietly in ,god's palm4 ,i feel as if ,i
 could at any time resign my life and   
the responsibility of living into ,god's
 hands1 and become as innocent1 free    
from care1 as a plant or stone4  ,my    
life1 my life6 why will you linger8 ,are
 the years short and the months of no   
account8 ,how often has long delay      
quenched my aspirations6 ,can ,god      
afford that ,i should forget him8 ,is he
 so indifferent to my career8 ,can      
heaven be postponed with no more ado8   
,why were my ears given to hear those   

everlasting strains which haunt my life1
 and yet to be prophaned much more by   
these perpetual dull sounds8         99 
99       99       99       99  ,our     
doubts are so musical that they persuade
 themselves4  ,why1 ,god1 did you       
include me in your great scheme8 ,will  
you not make me a partner at last8 ,did 
it need there should be a conscious     
material8         99       99       99  
99       99  ,my friend1 my friend1 ,i'd
 speak so frank to thee that thou       
wouldst pray me to keep back some part1 
for fear ,i robbed myself4 ,to address  
thee delights me1 there is such         
cleanness in the delivery4 ,i am        
delivered of my tale1 which1 told to    
strangers1 still would linger on my lips
 as if untold1 or doubtful how it ran4  
,march #ab4 ,consider what a difference 
there is between living and dying4 ,to  
die is not to begin to die1 and         
continue2 it is not a state of          
continuance1 but of transientness2 but  
to live is a condition of continuance1  

and does not mean to be born merely4    
,there is no continuance of death4 ,it  
is a transient phenomenon4 ,nature      
presents nothing in a state of death4   
,march #ac4 ,sunday4 ,the sad memory of 
departed friends is soon incrusted over 
with sublime and pleasing thoughts1 as  
their monuments are overgrown with      
moss4#cde ,nature doth thus kindly heal 
every wound4 ,by the mediation of a     
thousand little mosses and fungi1 the   
most unsightly objects become radiant of
 beauty4 ,there seem to be two sides to 
this world1 presented us at different   
times1 as we see things in growth or    
dissolution1 in life or death4 ,for seen
 with the eye of a poet1 as ,god sees   
them1 all are alive and beautiful2 but  
seen with the historical eye1 or the eye
 of the memory1 they are dead and       
offensive4 ,if we see ,nature as        
pausing1 immediately all mortifies and  
decays2 but seen as progressing1 she is 
beautiful4         99       99       99 
99       99  ,i am startled that ,god   

can make me so rich even with my own    
cheap stores4 ,it needs but a few wisps 
of straw in the sun1 or some small word 
dropped1 or that has long lain silent in
 some book4 ,when heaven begins and the 
dead arise1 no trumpet is blown2 perhaps
 the south wind will blow4 ,what if you 
or ,i be dead6 ,god is alive still4     
,march #ad4 ,chaucer's genius does not  
soar like ,milton's1 but is genial and  
familiar4 ,it is only a greater portion 
of humanity1 with all its weakness4 ,it 
is not heroic1 as ,raleigh1 or pious1 as
 ,herbert1 or philosophical1 as         
,shakespeare1 but the child of the      
,english nation1 but that child that is 
father of the man4 ,his genius is only  
for the most part an exceeding          
naturalness4 ,it is perfect sincerity1  
though with the behavior of a child     
rather than of a man4#cdf ,he can       
complain1 as in the ,testament of ,love1
 but yet so truly and unfeignedly that  
his complaint does not fail to interest4
 ,all ,england has his case at heart4   

,he shows great tenderness and delicacy1
 but not the heroic sentiment4 ,his     
genius was feminine1 not masculine1--not
 but such is rarest to find in woman    
7though the appreciation of it is       
not71--but less manly than the          
manliest4#cdg         99       99       
99       99       99  ,it is not easy to
 find one brave enough to play the game 
of love quite alone with you1 but they  
must get some third person1 or world1 to
 countenance them4 ,they thrust others  
between4 ,love is so delicate and       
fastidious that ,i see not how it can   
ever begin4 ,do you expect me to love   
with you1 unless you make my love       
secondary to nothing else8 ,your words  
come tainted1 if the thought of the     
world darted between thee and the       
thought of me4 ,you are not venturous   
enough for love4 ,it goes alone unscared
 through wildernesses4  ,as soon as ,i  
see people loving what they see merely1 
and not their own high hopes that they  
form of others1 ,i pity1 and do not want

 their love4 ,such love delays me4 ,did 
,i ask thee to love me who hate myself8 
,no6 ,love that ,i love1 and ,i will    
love thee that lovest it4  ,the love is 
faint-hearted and short-lived that is   
contented with the past history of its  
object4 ,it does not prepare the soil to
 bear new crops lustier than the old4   
,i would ,i had leisure for these       
things1 sighs the world4 ,when ,i have  
done my quilting and baking1 then ,i    
will not be backward4  ,love never      
stands still1 nor does its object4 ,it  
is the revolving sun and the swelling   
bud4 ,if ,i know what ,i love1 it is    
because ,i remember it4  ,life is grand1
 and so are its environments of ,past   
and ,future4 ,would the face of nature  
be so serene and beautiful if man's     
destiny were not equally so8 ,what am ,i
 good for now1 who am still marching    
after high things1 but to hear and tell 
the news1 to bring wood and water1 and  
count how many eggs the hens lay8 ,in   
the meanwhile1 ,i expect my life will   

begin4 ,i will not aspire longer4 ,i    
will see what it is ,i would be after4  
,i will be unanimous4   ,march #ae4     
,tuesday4 ,it is a new day2 the sun     
shines4 ,the poor have come out to      
employ themselves in the sunshine1 the  
old and feeble to scent the air once    
more4 ,i hear the bluebird and the song 
sparrow and the robin1 and the note of  
the lark leaks up through the meadows1  
as if its bill had been thawed by the   
warm sun4  ,as ,i am going to the woods 
,i think to take some small book in my  
pocket whose author has been there      
already1 whose pages will be as good as 
my thoughts1 and will eke them out or   
show me human life still gleaming in the
 horizon when the woods have shut out   
the town4 ,but ,i can find none4 ,none  
will sail as far forward into the bay of
 nature as my thought4 ,they stay at    
home4 ,i would go home4 ,when ,i get to 
the wood their thin leaves rustle in my 
fingers4 ,they are bare and obvious1 and
 there is no halo or haze about them4   

,nature lies far and fair behind them   
all4#cdh ,i should like to meet the     
great and serene sentence1 which does   
not reveal itself1--only that it is     
great1--which ,i may never with my      
utmost intelligence pierce through and  
beyond 7more than the earth itself71    
which no intelligence can understand4   
,there should be a kind of life and     
palpitation to it2 under its rind a kind
 of blood should circulate forever1     
communicating freshness to its          
countenance4#cdi         99       99    
99       99       99  ,cold ,spring4--,i
 hear nothing but a phbe1 and the wind1 
and the rattling of a chaise in the     
wood4 ,for a few years ,i stay here1 not
 knowing1 taking my own life by degrees1
 and then ,i go4 ,i hear a spring       
bubbling near1 where ,i drank out of a  
can in my earliest youth4 ,the birds1   
the squirrels1 the alders1 the pines1   
they seem serene and in their places4 ,i
 wonder if my life looks as serene to   
them too4 ,does no creature1 then1 see  

with the eyes of its own narrow destiny1
 but with ,god's8 ,when ,god made man1  
he reserved some parts and some rights  
to himself4 ,the eye has many qualities 
which belong to ,god more than man4 ,it 
is his lightning which flashes in it4   
,when ,i look into my companion's eye1  
,i think it is ,god's private mine4 ,it 
is a noble feature2 it cannot be        
degraded2 for ,god can look on all      
things undefiled4         99       99   
99       99       99  ,pond4--,nature is
 constantly original and inventing new  
patterns1 like a mechanic in his shop4  
,when the overhanging pine drops into   
the water1 by the action of the sun1 and
 the wind rubbing it on the shore1 its  
boughs are worn white and smooth and    
assume fantastic forms1 as if turned by 
a lathe4#cej ,all things1 indeed1 are   
subjected to a rotary motion1 either    
gradual and partial or rapid and        
complete1 from the planet and system to 
the simplest shellfish and pebbles on   
the beach2 as if all beauty resulted    

from an object turning on its own axis1 
or others turning about it4 ,it         
establishes a new centre in the         
universe4 ,as all curves have reference 
to their centres or foci1 so all beauty 
of character has reference to the soul1 
and is a graceful gesture of recognition
 or waving of the body toward it4       
99       99       99       99       99  
,the great and solitary heart will love 
alone1 without the knowledge of its     
object4 ,it cannot have society in its  
love4 ,it will expend its love as the   
cloud drops rain upon the fields over   
which it floats4  ,the only way to speak
 the truth is to speak lovingly2 only   
the lover's words are heard4 ,the       
intellect should never speak2 it is not 
a natural sound4 ,how trivial the best  
actions are6 ,i am led about from       
sunrise to sunset by an ignoble routine1
 and yet can find no better road4 ,i    
must make a part of the planet4 ,i must 
obey the law of nature4   ,march #af4   
,wednesday4 ,raleigh's ,maxims are not  

true and impartial1 but yet are         
expressed with a certain magnanimity1   
which was natural to the man1 as if this
 selfish policy could easily afford to  
give place in him to a more human and   
generous4 ,he gives such advice that we 
have more faith in his conduct than his 
principles4  ,he seems to have carried  
the courtier's life to the highest pitch
 of magnanimity and grace it was capable
 of4 ,he is liberal and generous as a   
prince1--that is1 within bounds2 brave1 
chivalrous1 heroic1 as the knight in    
armor and not as a defenseless man4 ,his
 was not the heroism of ,luther1 but of 
,bayard4 ,there was more of grace than  
of truth in it4 ,he had more taste than 
character4 ,there may be something petty
 in a refined taste2 it easily          
degenerates into effeminacy2 it does not
 consider the broadest use4 ,it is not  
content with simple good and bad1 and so
 is fastidious and curious1 or nice     
only4         99       99       99      
99       99  ,the most attractive       

sentences are not perhaps the wisest1   
but the surest and soundest4 ,he who    
uttered them had a right to speak4 ,he  
did not stand on a rolling stone1 but   
was well assured of his footing1 and    
naturally breathed them without effort4 
,they were spoken in the nick of time4  
,with rare fullness were they spoken1 as
 a flower expands in the field2 and if  
you dispute their doctrine1 you will    
say1 ,but there is truth in their       
assurance4 ,raleigh's are of this       
nature1 spoken with entire satisfaction 
and heartiness4 ,they are not           
philosophy1 but poetry4  ,with him it   
was always well done and nobly said4    
,that is very true which ,raleigh says  
about the equal necessity of war and    
law1--that the necessity of war1 which  
among human actions is most lawless1    
hath some kind of affinity and near     
resemblance with the necessity of law2  
for both equally rest on force as their 
basis1 and war is only the resource of  
law1 either on a smaller or larger      

scale1--its authority asserted4 ,in war1
 in some sense1 lies the very genius of 
law4 ,it is law creative and active2 it 
is the first principle of the law4 ,what
 is human warfare but just this1--an    
effort to make the laws of ,god and     
nature take sides with one party4 ,men  
make an arbitrary code1 and1 because it 
is not right1 they try to make it       
prevail by might4 ,the moral law does   
not want any champion4 ,its asserters do
 not go to war4 ,it was never infringed 
with impunity4 ,it is inconsistent to   
decry war and maintain law1 for if there
 were no need of war there would be no  
need of law4         99       99        
99       99       99  ,i must confess ,i
 see no resource but to conclude that   
conscience was not given us to no       
purpose1 or for a hindrance1 but that1  
however flattering order and expediency 
may look1 it is but the repose of a     
lethargy2 and we will choose rather to  
be awake1 though it be stormy1 and      
maintain ourselves on this earth and in 

this life as we may1 without signing our
 death-warrant in the outset4 ,what does
 the law protect8 ,my rights8 or any    
rights8 ,my right1 or the right8 ,if ,i 
avail myself of it1 it may help my sin2 
it cannot help my virtue4 ,let us see if
 we cannot stay here1 where ,god has put
 us1 on his own conditions4 ,does not   
his law reach to the earth8 ,while the  
law holds fast the thief and murderer   
for my protection 7,i should say its    
own71 it lets itself go loose4          
,expediencies differ4 ,they may clash4  
,english law may go to war with         
,american law1 that is ,english interest
 with ,american interest1 but what is   
expedient for the whole world will be   
absolute right1 and synonymous with the 
law of ,god4 ,so the law is only partial
 right4 ,it is selfish1 and consults for
 the interest of the few4#cea  ,somehow1
 strangely1 the vice of men gets well   
represented and protected1 but their    
virtue has none to plead its cause1 nor 
any charter of immunities and rights4   

,the ,magna ,charta is not chartered    
rights1 but chartered wrongs4   ,march  
#ag4 ,thursday4 ,i have been making     
pencils all day1 and then at evening    
walked to see an old schoolmate who is  
going to help make the ,welland ,canal  
navigable for ships round ,niagara4 ,he 
cannot see any such motives and modes of
 living as ,i2 professes not to look    
beyond the securing of certain creature 
comforts4 ,and so we go silently        
different ways1 with all serenity1 ,i in
 the still moonlight through the village
 this fair evening to write these       
thoughts in my journal1 and he1         
forsooth1 to mature his schemes to ends 
as good1 maybe1 but different4 ,so are  
we two made1 while the same stars shine 
quietly over us4 ,if ,i or he be wrong1 
,nature yet consents placidly4 ,she     
bites her lip and smiles to see how her 
children will agree4 ,so does the       
,welland ,canal get built1 and other    
conveniences1 while ,i live4 ,well and  
good1 ,i must confess4 ,fast sailing    

ships are hence not detained4  ,what    
means this changing sky1 that now ,i    
freeze and contract and go within myself
 to warm me1 and now ,i say it is a     
south wind1 and go all soft and warm    
along the way8 ,i sometimes wonder if ,i
 do not breathe the south wind4   ,march
 #ah4 ,friday4 ,whatever book or        
sentence will bear to be read twice1 we 
may be sure was thought twice4 ,i say   
this thinking of ,carlyle1 who writes   
pictures or first impressions merely1   
which consequently will only bear a     
first reading4 ,as if any transient1 any
 new1 mood of the best man deserved to  
detain the world long4 ,i should call   
,carlyle's writing essentially dramatic1
 excellent acting1 entertaining         
especially to those who see rather than 
those who hear1 not to be repeated more 
than a joke4 ,if he did not think who   
made the joke1 how shall we think who   
hear it8 ,he never consults the oracle1 
but thinks to utter oracles himself4    
,there is nothing in his books for which

 he is not1 and does not feel1          
responsible4 ,he does not retire behind 
the truth he utters1 but stands in the  
foreground4 ,i wish he would just think1
 and tell me what he thinks1 appear to  
me in the attitude of a man with his ear
 inclined1 who comes as silently and    
meekly as the morning star1 which is    
unconscious of the dawn it heralds1     
leading the way up the steep as though  
alone and unobserved in its observing1  
without looking behind4 ,he is          
essentially a humorist4 ,but humors will
 not feed a man2 they are the least     
satisfactory morsel to the healthy      
appetite4 ,they circulate2 ,i want      
rather to meet that about which they    
circulate4 ,the heart is not a humor1   
nor do they go to the heart1 as the     
blood does4#ceb   ,march #ai4 ,saturday4
 ,when ,i walk in the fields of ,concord
 and meditate on the destiny of this    
prosperous slip of the ,saxon family1   
the unexhausted energies of this new    
country1 ,i forget that this which is   

now ,concord was once ,musketaquid1 and 
that the ,american race has had its     
destiny also4 ,everywhere in the fields1
 in the corn and grain land1 the earth  
is strewn with the relics of a race     
which has vanished as completely as if  
trodden in with the earth4 ,i find it   
good to remember the eternity behind me 
as well as the eternity before4         
,wherever ,i go1 ,i tread in the tracks 
of the ,indian4 ,i pick up the bolt     
which he has but just dropped at my     
feet4 ,and if ,i consider destiny ,i am 
on his trail4 ,i scatter his            
hearthstones with my feet1 and pick out 
of the embers of his fire the simple but
 enduring implements of the wigwam and  
the chase4 ,in planting my corn in the  
same furrow which yielded its increase  
to his support so long1 ,i displace some
 memorial of him4  ,i have been walking 
this afternoon over a pleasant field    
planted with winter rye1 near the house1
 where this strange people once had     
their dwelling-place4 ,another species  

of mortal men1 but little less wild to  
me than the musquash they hunted4       
,strange spirits1 dmons1 whose eyes     
could never meet mine2 with another     
nature and another fate than mine4 ,the 
crows flew over the edge of the woods1  
and1 wheeling over my head1 seemed to   
rebuke1 as dark-winged spirits more akin
 to the ,indian than ,i4 ,perhaps only  
the present disguise of the ,indian4 ,if
 the new has a meaning1 so has the      
old4#cec  ,nature has her russet hues as
 well as green4 ,indeed1 our eye splits 
on every object1 and we can as well take
 one path as the other4 ,if ,i consider 
its history1 it is old2 if its destiny1 
it is new4 ,i may see a part of an      
object1 or the whole4 ,i will not be    
imposed on and think ,nature is old     
because the season is advanced4 ,i will 
study the botany of the mosses and fungi
 on the decayed wood1 and remember that 
decayed wood is not old1 but has just   
begun to be what it is4 ,i need not     
think of the pine almond#ced or the     

acorn and sapling when ,i meet the      
fallen pine or oak1 more than of the    
generations of pines and oaks which have
 fed the young tree4 ,the new blade of  
the corn1 the third leaf of the melon1  
these are not green but gray with time1 
but sere in respect of time4  ,the pines
 and the crows are not changed1 but     
instead that ,philip and ,paugus stand  
on the plain1 here are ,webster and     
,crockett4 ,instead of the council-house
 is the legislature4 ,what a new aspect 
have new eyes given to the land6 ,where 
is this country but in the hearts of its
 inhabitants8 ,why1 there is only so    
much of ,indian ,america left as there  
is of the ,american ,indian in the      
character of this generation4         99
       99       99       99       99  ,a
 blithe west wind is blowing over all4  
,in the fine flowing haze1 men at a     
distance seem shadowy and gigantic1 as  
ill-defined and great as men should     
always be4 ,i do not know if yonder be a
 man or a ghost4         99       99    

99       99       99  ,what a           
consolation are the stars to man6--so   
high and out of his reach1 as is his own
 destiny4 ,i do not know but my life is 
fated to be thus low and grovelling     
always4 ,i cannot discover its use even 
to myself4 ,but it is permitted to see  
those stars in the sky equally useless1 
yet highest of all and deserving of a   
fair destiny4 ,my fate is in some sense 
linked with that of the stars1 and if   
they are to persevere to a great end1   
shall ,i die who could conjecture it8   
,it surely is some encouragement to know
 that the stars are my fellow-creatures1
 for ,i do not suspect but they are     
reserved for a high destiny4 ,has not he
 who discovers and names a planet in the
 heavens as long a year as it8 ,i do not
 fear that any misadventure will befall 
them4 ,shall ,i not be content to       
disappear with the missing stars8 ,do ,i
 mourn their fate8  ,man's moral nature 
is a riddle which only eternity can     
solve4         99       99       99     

99       99  ,i see laws which never    
fail1 of whose failure ,i never         
conceived4 ,indeed ,i cannot detect     
failure anywhere but in my fear4 ,i do  
not fear that right is not right1 that  
good is not good1 but only the          
annihilation of the present existence4  
,but only that can make me incapable of 
fear4 ,my fears are as good prophets as 
my hopes4   ,march #bj4 ,sunday4 ,my    
friend is cold and reserved because his 
love for me is waxing and not waning4   
,these are the early processes2 the     
particles are just beginning to shoot in
 crystals4 ,if the mountains came to me1
 ,i should no longer go to the          
mountains4 ,so soon as that consummation
 takes place which ,i wish1 it will be  
past4 ,shall ,i not have a friend in    
reserve8 ,heaven is to come4 ,i hope    
this is not it4  ,words should pass     
between friends as the lightning passes 
from cloud to cloud4 ,i don't know how  
much ,i assist in the economy of nature 
when ,i declare a fact4 ,is it not an   

important part in the history of the    
flower that ,i tell my friend where ,i  
found it8 ,we do not wish friends to    
feed and clothe our bodies1--neighbors  
are kind enough for that1--but to do the
 like offices to ourselves4#cee ,we wish
 to spread and publish ourselves1 as the
 sun spreads its rays2 and we toss the  
new thought to the friend1 and thus it  
is dispersed4 ,friends are those twain  
who feel their interests to be one4     
,each knows that the other might as well
 have said what he said4 ,all beauty1   
all music1 all delight springs from     
apparent dualism but real unity4 ,my    
friend is my real brother4 ,i see his   
nature groping yonder like my own4 ,does
 there go one whom ,i know8 then ,i go  
there4  ,the field where friends have   
met is consecrated forever4 ,man seeks  
friendship out of the desire to realize 
a home here4 ,as the ,indian thinks he  
receives into himself the courage and   
strength of his conquered enemy1 so we  
add to ourselves all the character and  

heart of our friends4 ,he is my         
creation4 ,i can do what ,i will with   
him4 ,there is no possibility of being  
thwarted2 the friend is like wax in the 
rays that fall from our own hearts4     
,the friend does not take my word for   
anything1 but he takes me4 ,he trusts me
 as ,i trust myself4 ,we only need be as
 true to others as we are to ourselves1 
that there may be ground enough for     
friendship4 ,in the beginnings of       
friendship1--for it does not grow1--we  
realize such love and justice as are    
attributed to ,god4  ,very few are they 
from whom we derive any information4    
,the most only announce and tell tales1 
but the friend in-forms4  ,what is all  
nature and human life at this moment1   
what the scenery and vicinity of a human
 soul1 but the song of an early sparrow 
from yonder fences1 and the cackling    
hens in the barn8 ,so for one while my  
destiny loiters within ear-shot of these
 sounds4 ,the great busy ,dame ,nature  
is concerned to know how many eggs her  

hens lay4 ,the ,soul1 the proprietor of 
the world1 has an interest in the       
stacking of hay1 the foddering of       
cattle1 and the draining of peat        
meadows4 ,away in ,scythia1 away in     
,india1 they make butter and cheese for 
its larder4#cef ,i wish that in some    
page of the ,testament there were       
something like ,charlemagne's egg       
account4 ,was not ,christ interested in 
the setting hens of ,palestine8  ,nature
 is very ample and roomy4 ,she has left 
us plenty of space to move in4 ,as far  
as ,i can see from this window1 how     
little life in the landscape6 ,the few  
birds that flit past do not crowd2 they 
do not fill the valley4 ,the traveller  
on the highway has no fellow-traveller  
for miles before or behind him4 ,nature 
was generous and not niggardly1         
certainly4         99       99       99 
99       99  ,how simple is the natural 
connection of events4 ,we complain      
greatly of the want of flow and sequence
 in books1 but if the journalist only   

move himself from ,boston to ,new ,york1
 and speak as before1 there is link     
enough4 ,and so there would be1 if he   
were as careless of connection and order
 when he stayed at home1 and let the    
incessant progress which his life makes 
be the apology for abruptness4 ,do ,i   
not travel as far away from my old      
resorts1 though ,i stay here at home1 as
 though ,i were on board the steamboat8 
,is not my life riveted together8 ,has  
not it sequence8 ,do not my breathings  
follow each other naturally8   ,march   
#ba4ceg ,who is old enough to have      
learned from experience8   ,march #bb4  
,tuesday4 ,nothing can be more useful to
 a man than a determination not to be   
hurried4  ,i have not succeeded if ,i   
have an antagonist who fails4 ,it must  
be humanity's success4  ,i cannot think 
nor utter my thought unless ,i have     
infinite room4 ,the cope of heaven is   
not too high1 the sea is not too deep1  
for him who would unfold a great        
thought4 ,it must feed me and warm and  

clothe me4 ,it must be an entertainment 
to which my whole nature is invited4 ,i 
must know that the gods are to be my    
fellow-guests4         99       99      
99       99       99  ,we cannot well do
 without our sins2 they are the highway 
of our virtue4   ,march #bc4 ,wednesday4
 ,plain speech is always a desideratum4 
,men write in a florid style only       
because they would match the simple     
beauties of the plainest speech4 ,they  
prefer to be misunderstood1 rather than 
come short of its exuberance4 ,hussein  
,effendi praises the epistolary style of
 ,ibrahim ,pasha to the ,french         
traveller ,botta1 because of the        
difficulty of understanding it3 there   
was1 he said1 but one person at ,jidda  
who was capable of understanding and    
explaining the ,pasha's correspondence4 
,a plain sentence1 where every word is  
rooted in the soil1 is indeed flowery   
and verdurous4 ,it has the beauty and   
variety of mosaic with the strength and 
compactness of masonry4 ,all fullness   

looks like exuberance4 ,we are not rich 
without superfluous wealth2 but the     
imitator only copies the superfluity4   
,if the words were sufficiently simple  
and answering to the thing to be        
expressed1 our sentences would be as    
blooming as wreaths of evergreen and    
flowers4#ceh ,you cannot fill a         
wine-glass quite to the brim without    
heaping it4 ,simplicity is exuberant4   
,when ,i look back eastward over the    
world1 it seems to be all in repose4    
,arabia1 ,persia1 ,hindostan are the    
land of contemplation4 ,those ,eastern  
nations have perfected the luxury of    
idleness4 ,mount ,sabr1 according to the
 ,french traveller and naturalist       
,botta1 is celebrated for producing the 
,kt tree4 ,the soft tops of the twigs   
and tender leaves are eaten1 says his   
reviewer1 and produce an agreeable      
soothing excitement1 restoring from     
fatigue1 banishing sleep1 and disposing 
to the enjoyment of conversation4 ,what 
could be more dignified than to browse  

the tree-tops with the camelopard8 ,who 
would not be a rabbit or partridge      
sometimes1 to chew mallows and pick the 
apple tree buds8 ,it is not hard to     
discover an instinct for the opium and  
betel and tobacco chewers4#cei          
99       99       99       99       99  
,after all1 ,i believe it is the style  
of thought entirely1 and not the style  
of expression1 which makes the          
difference in books4 ,for if ,i find any
 thought worth extracting1 ,i do not    
wish to alter the language4 ,then the   
author seems to have had all the graces 
of eloquence and poetry given him4  ,i  
am pleased to discover myself as much a 
pensioner in ,nature as moles and       
titmice4 ,in some very direct and simple
 uses to which man puts ,nature he      
stands in this relation to her4         
,oriental life does not want this       
grandeur4 ,it is in ,sadi and the       
,arabian ,nights and the ,fables of     
,pilpay4 ,in the ,new ,england noontide 
,i have discovered more materials of    

,oriental history than the ,sanskrit    
contains or ,sir ,w4 ,jones has         
unlocked4 ,i see why it is necessary    
there should be such history at all4    
,was not ,asia mapped in my brain before
 it was in any geography8 ,in my brain  
is the ,sanskrit which contains the     
history of the primitive times4 ,the    
,vedas and their ,angas are not so      
ancient as my serenest                  
contemplations4#cfj ,my mind            
contemplates them1 as ,brahma his       
scribe4         99       99       99    
99       99  ,i occasionally find myself
 to be nothing at all1 because the gods 
give me nothing to do4 ,i cannot brag2  
,i can only congratulate my masters4    
,in idleness ,i am of no thickness1 ,i  
am thinnest wafer4 ,i never compass my  
own ends4 ,god schemes for me4  ,we have
 our times of action and our times of   
reflection4 ,the one mood caters for the
 other4 ,now ,i am ,alexander1 and then 
,i am ,homer4 ,one while my hand is     
impatient to handle an axe or hoe1 and  

at another to sic pen4 ,i am sure ,i    
write the tougher truth for these       
calluses on my palms4 ,they give        
firmness to the sentence4 ,the sentences
 of a laboring man are like hardened    
thongs1 or the sinews of the deer1 or   
the roots of the pine4#cfa   ,march #bd4
 ,thursday4 ,those authors are          
successful who do not write down to     
others1 but make their own taste and    
judgment their audience4 ,by some       
strange infatuation we forget that we do
 not approve what yet we recommend to   
others4 ,it is enough if ,i please      
myself with writing2 ,i am then sure of 
an audience4         99       99        
99       99       99  ,if hoarded       
treasures can make me rich1 have ,i not 
the wealth of the planet in my mines and
 at the bottom of the sea8         99   
99       99       99       99  ,it is   
always singular to meet common sense in 
very old books1 as the ,veeshnoo        
,sarma1--as if they could have dispensed
 with the experience of later times4#cfb

 ,we had not given space enough to their
 antiquity for the accumulation of      
wisdom4 ,we meet even a trivial wisdom  
in them1 as if truth were already       
hackneyed4 ,the present is always       
younger than antiquity4 ,a playful      
wisdom1 which has eyes behind as well as
 before and oversees itself4 ,this      
pledge of sanity cannot be spared in a  
book1 that it sometimes reflect upon    
itself1 that it pleasantly behold       
itself1 that it hold the scales over    
itself4#cfc ,the wise can afford to     
doubt in his wisest moment4 ,the        
easiness of doubt is the ground of his  
assurance4 ,faith keeps many doubts in  
her pay4 ,if ,i could not doubt1 ,i     
should not believe4  ,it is seen in this
 old scripture how wisdom is older than 
the talent of composition4 ,it is a     
simple and not a compound rock4 ,the    
story is as slender as the thread on    
which pearls are strung2 it is a spiral 
line1 growing more and more perplexed   
till it winds itself up and dies like   

the silkworm in its cocoon4 ,it is an   
interminable labyrinth4 ,it seems as if 
the old philosopher could not talk      
without moving1 and each motion were    
made the apology or occasion for a      
sentence1 but1 this being found         
inconvenient1 the fictitious progress of
 the tale was invented4 ,the story which
 winds between and around these         
sentences1 these barrows in the desert1 
these oases1 is as indistinct as a camel
 track between ,mourzuk and ,darfur1    
between the ,pyramids and the ,nile1    
from ,gaza to ,jaffa4#cfd  ,the great   
thoughts of a wise man seem to the      
vulgar who do not generalize to stand   
far apart like isolated mounts2 but     
science knows that the mountains which  
rise so solitary in our midst are parts 
of a great mountain-chain1 dividing the 
earth1 and the eye that looks into the  
horizon toward the blue ,sierra melting 
away in the distance may detect their   
flow of thought4 ,these sentences which 
take up your common life so easily are  

not seen to run into ridges1 because    
they are the table-land on which the    
spectator stands4#cfe ,i do not require 
that the mountain-peaks be chained      
together1 but by the common basis on    
which they stand1 nor that the path of  
the muleteer be kept open at so much    
pains1 when they may be bridged by the  
,milky ,way4 ,that they stand frowning  
upon one another1 or mutually reflecting
 the sun's rays1 is proof enough of     
their common basis4         99       99 
99       99       99  ,the book should  
be found where the sentence is1 and its 
connection be as inartificial4 ,it is   
the inspiration of a day and not of a   
moment4 ,the links should be gold also4 
,better that the good be not united than
 that a bad man be admitted into their  
society4 ,when men can select they will4
 ,if there be any stone in the quarry   
better than the rest1 they will forsake 
the rest because of it4 ,only the good  
will be quarried4  ,in these fables the 
story goes unregarded1 while the reader 

leaps from sentence to sentence1 as the 
traveller leaps from stone to stone     
while the water rushes unheeded between 
them4#cff   ,march #be4 ,friday4 ,great 
persons are not soon learned1 not even  
their outlines1 but they change like the
 mountains in the horizon as we ride    
along4         99       99       99     
99       99  ,a man's life should be as 
fresh as a river4 ,it should be the same
 channel1 but a new water every         
instant4#cfg ,some men have no          
inclination2 they have no rapids nor    
cascades1 but marshes1 and alligators1  
and miasma instead4#cfh  ,how           
insufficient is all wisdom without love6
 ,there may be courtesy1 there may be   
good will1 there may be even temper1    
there may be wit1 and talent1 and       
sparkling conversation1--and yet the    
soul pine for life4 ,just so sacred and 
rich as my life is to myself will it be 
to another4 ,ignorance and bungling with
 love are better than wisdom and skill  
without4 ,our life without love is like 

coke and ashes1--like the cocoanut in   
which the milk is dried up4 ,i want to  
see the sweet sap of living wood in it4 
,men may be pure as alabaster and       
,parian marble1 elegant as a ,tuscan    
villa1 sublime as ,terni1 but if they   
are not in society as retiring and      
inexperienced as children1 we shall go  
join ,alaric and the ,goths and         
,vandals4 ,there is no milk mixed with  
the wine at the entertainment4#cfi      
,enthusiasm which is the formless       
material of thought4 ,comparatively     
speaking1 ,i care not for the man or his
 designs who would make the highest use 
of me short of an all-adventuring       
friendship4 ,i wish by the behavior of  
my friend toward me to be led to have   
such regard for myself as for a box of  
precious ointment4 ,i shall not be so   
cheap to myself if ,i see that another  
values me4  ,we talk much about         
education1 and yet none will assume the 
office of an educator4 ,i never gave any
 one the whole advantage of myself4 ,i  

never afforded him the culture of my    
love4 ,how can ,i talk of charity1 who  
at last withhold the kindness which     
alone makes charity desirable8 ,the poor
 want nothing less than me myself1 and  
,i shirk charity by giving rags and     
meat4  ,very dangerous is the talent of 
composition1 the striking out the heart 
of life at a blow1 as the ,indian takes 
off a scalp4 ,i feel as if my life had  
grown more outward since ,i could       
express it4#cgj  ,what can ,i give or   
what deny to another but myself8  ,the  
stars are ,god's dreams1 thoughts       
remembered in the silence of his night4 
,in company1 that person who alone can  
understand you you cannot get out of    
your mind4  ,the artist must work with  
indifferency4 ,too great interest       
vitiates his work4   ,march #bf4        
,saturday4 ,the wise will not be imposed
 on by wisdom4 ,you can tell1 but what  
do you know8  ,i thank ,god that the    
cheapness which appears in time and the 
world1 the trivialness of the whole     

scheme of things1 is in my own cheap and
 trivial moment4 ,i am time and the     
world4 ,i assert no independence4 ,in me
 are summer and winter1 village life and
 commercial routine1 pestilence and     
famine and refreshing breezes1 joy and  
sadness1 life and death4 ,how near is   
yesterday6 ,how far to-morrow6 ,i have  
seen nails which were driven before ,i  
was born4 ,why do they look old and     
rusty8 ,why does not ,god make some     
mistake to show to us that time is a    
delusion8 ,why did ,i invent time but to
 destroy it8  ,did you ever remember the
 moment when you were not mean8  ,is it 
not a satire to say that life is        
organic8  ,where is my heart gone8 ,they
 say men cannot part with it and live4  
99       99       99       99       99  
,are setting hens troubled with ennui8  
,nature is very kind2 does she let them 
reflect8 ,these long ,march days1       
setting on and on in the crevice of a   
hayloft1 with no active employment6#cga 
,do setting hens sleep8         99      

99       99       99       99  ,a book  
should be a vein of gold ore1 as the    
sentence is a diamond found in the sand1
 or a pearl fished out of the sea4  ,he 
who does not borrow trouble does not    
lend it4  ,i must confess ,i have felt  
mean enough when asked how ,i was to act
 on society1 what errand ,i had to      
mankind4 ,undoubtedly ,i did not feel   
mean without a reason1 and yet my       
loitering is not without defense4 ,i    
would fain communicate the wealth of my 
life to men1 would really give them what
 is most precious in my gift4 ,i would  
secrete pearls with the shellfish and   
lay up honey with the bees for them4 ,i 
will sift the sunbeams for the public   
good4 ,i know no riches ,i would keep   
back4 ,i have no private good1 unless it
 be my peculiar ability to serve the    
public4 ,this is the only individual    
property4 ,each one may thus be         
innocently rich4 ,i inclose and foster  
the pearl till it is grown4 ,i wish to  
communicate those parts of my life which

 ,i would gladly live again myself4  ,it
 is hard to be a good citizen of the    
world in any great sense2 but if we do  
render no interest or increase to       
mankind out of that talent ,god gave us1
 we can at least preserve the principle 
unimpaired4 ,one would like to be making
 large dividends to society out of that 
deposited capital in us1 but he does    
well for the most part if he proves a   
secure investment only1 without adding  
to the stock4  ,in such a letter as ,i  
like there will be the most naked and   
direct speech1 the least circumlocution4
   ,march #bg4 ,sunday4 ,the eye must be
 firmly anchored to this earth which    
beholds birches and pines waving in the 
breeze in a certain fight1 a serene     
rippling light4         99       99     
99       99       99  ,cliffs4--,two    
little hawks have just come out to play1
 like butterflies rising one above the  
other in endless alternation far below  
me4 ,they swoop from side to side in the
 broad basin of the tree-tops1 with     

wider and wider surges1 as if swung by  
an invisible pendulum4 ,they stoop down 
on this side and scale up on that4      
,suddenly ,i look up and see a new bird1
 probably an eagle1 quite above me1     
laboring with the wind not more than    
forty rods off4 ,it was the largest bird
 of the falcon kind ,i ever saw4 ,i was 
never so impressed by any flight4 ,she  
sailed the air1 and fell back from time 
to time like a ship on her beam ends1   
holding her talons up as if ready for   
the arrows4 ,i never allowed before for 
the grotesque attitudes of our national 
bird4#cgb  ,the eagle must have an      
educated eye4  ,see what a life the gods
 have given us1 set round with pain and 
pleasure4 ,it is too strange for sorrow2
 it is too strange for joy4 ,one while  
it looks as shallow1 though as          
intricate1 as a ,cretan labyrinth1 and  
again it is a pathless depth4 ,i ask for
 bread incessantly1--that my life       
sustain me1 as much as meat my body4 ,no
 man knoweth in what hour his life may  

come4 ,say not that ,nature is trivial1 
for to-morrow she will be radiant with  
beauty4 ,i am as old--as old as the     
,alleghanies4 ,i was going to say       
,wachusett1 but it excites a youthful   
feeling1 as ,i were but too happy to be 
so young4   ,march #bh4 ,monday4 ,how   
often must one feel1 as he looks back on
 his past life1 that he has gained a    
talent but lost a character6 ,my life   
has got down into my fingers4 ,my       
inspiration at length is only so much   
breath as ,i can breathe4  ,society     
affects to estimate men by their        
talents1 but really feels and knows them
 by their characters4 ,what a man does1 
compared with what he is1 is but a small
 part4 ,to require that our friend      
possess a certain skill is not to be    
satisfied till he is something less than
 our friend4  ,friendship should be a   
great promise1 a perennial springtime4  
,i can conceive how the life of the gods
 may be dull and tame1 if it is not     
disappointed and insatiate4         99  

99       99       99       99  ,one may 
well feel chagrined when he finds he can
 do nearly all he can conceive4  ,some  
books ripple on like a stream1 and we   
feel that the author is in the full tide
 of discourse4 ,plato and ,jamblichus   
and ,pythagoras and ,bacon halt beside  
them4 ,long1 stringy1 slimy thoughts    
which flow or run together4 ,they read  
as if written for military men or men of
 business1 there is such a dispatch in  
them1 and a double-quick time1 a        
,saratoga march with beat of drum4 ,but 
the grave thinkers and philosophers seem
 not to have got their swaddling-clothes
 off2 they are slower than a ,roman army
 on its march1 the rear encampment      
to-night where the van camped last      
night4 ,the wise ,jamblichus eddies and 
gleams like a watery slough4  ,but the  
reviewer seizes the pen and shouts1     
,forward6 ,alamo and ,fanning6 and after
 rolls the tide of war4 ,immediately the
 author discovers himself launched1 and 
if the slope was easy and the grease    

good1 does not go to the bottom4  ,they 
flow as glibly as mill-streams sucking  
under a race-way4 ,the flow is ofttimes 
in the poor reader who makes such haste 
over their pages1 as to the traveller   
the walls and fences seem to travel4    
,but the most rapid trot is no flow     
after all4#cgc  ,if ,i cannot chop wood 
in the yard1 can ,i not chop wood in my 
journal8 ,can ,i not give vent to that  
appetite so8 ,i wish to relieve myself  
of superfluous energy4 ,how poor is the 
life of the best and wisest6 ,the petty 
side will appear at last4 ,understand   
once how the best in society live1--with
 what routine1 with what tedium and     
insipidity1 with what grimness and      
defiance1 with what chuckling over an   
exaggeration of the sunshine4           
,altogether1 are not the actions of your
 great man poor1 even pitiful and       
ludicrous8  ,i am astonished1 ,i must   
confess1 that man looks so respectable  
in nature1 considering the littlenesses 
,socrates must descend to in the        

twenty-four hours1 that he yet wears a  
serene countenance and even adorns      
nature4   ,march #bi4 ,tuesday4   ,march
 #cj4 ,wednesday4 ,though ,nature's laws
 are more immutable than any despot's1  
yet to our daily life they rarely seem  
rigid1 but we relax with license in     
summer weather4 ,we are not often nor   
harshly reminded of the things we may   
not do4 ,i am often astonished to see   
how long1 and with what manifold        
infringements of the natural laws1 some 
men ,i meet in the highway maintain     
life4 ,she does not deny them quarter2  
they do not die without priest4 ,all the
 while she rejoices1 for if they are not
 one part of her they are another4 ,i am
 convinced that consistency is the      
secret of health4 ,how many a poor man1 
striving to live a pure life1 pines and 
dies after a life of sickness1 and his  
successors doubt if ,nature is not      
pitiless2 while the confirmed and       
consistent sot1 who is content with his 
rank life like mushrooms1 a mass of     

corruption1 still dozes comfortably     
under a hedge4 ,he has made his peace   
with himself2 there is no strife4       
,nature is really very kind and liberal 
to all persons of vicious habits4 ,they 
take great licenses with her4 ,she does 
not exhaust them with many excesses4#cgd
         99       99       99       99  
99  ,how hard it is to be greatly       
related to mankind6 ,they are only my   
uncles and aunts and cousins4 ,i hear of
 some persons greatly related1 but only 
he is so who has all mankind for his    
friend4 ,our intercourse with the best  
grows soon shallow and trivial4 ,they no
 longer inspire us4 ,after enthusiasm   
comes insipidity and blankness4 ,the sap
 of all noble schemes drieth up1 and the
 schemers return again and again in     
despair to common sense and labor4 ,if  
,i could help infuse some life and heart
 into society1 should ,i not do a       
service8 ,why will not the gods mix a   
little of the wine of nobleness with the
 air we drink8 ,let virtue have some    

firm foothold in the earth4 ,where does 
she dwell8 ,who are the salt of the     
earth8 ,may not ,love have some         
resting-place on the earth as sure as   
the sunshine on the rock8 ,the crystals 
imbedded in the cliff sparkle and gleam 
from afar1 as if they did certainly     
enrich our planet2 but where does any   
virtue permanently sparkle and gleam8   
,she was sent forth over the waste too  
soon1 before the earth was prepared for 
her4  ,rightfully we are to each other  
the gate of heaven and redeemers from   
sin1 but now we overlook these lowly and
 narrow ways4 ,we will go over the bald 
mountain-tops without going through the 
valleys4         99       99       99   
99       99  ,men do not after all meet 
on the ground of their real acquaintance
 and actual understanding of one        
another1 but degrade themselves         
immediately into the puppets of         
convention4 ,they do as if1 in given    
circumstances1 they had agreed to know  
each other only so well4 ,they rarely   

get to that point that they inform one  
another gratuitously1 and use each other
 like the sea and woods for what is new 
and inspiring there4  ,the best         
intercourse and communion they have is  
in silence above and behind their       
speech4 ,we should be very simple to    
rely on words4 ,as it is1 what we knew  
before always interprets a man's words4 
,i cannot easily remember what any man  
has said1 but how can ,i forget what he 
is to me8 ,we know each other better    
than we are aware2 we are admitted to   
startling privacies with every person we
 meet1 and in some emergency we shall   
find how well we knew him4 ,to my       
solitary and distant thought my neighbor
 is shorn of his halo1 and is seen as   
privately and barely as a star through a
 glass4   ,march #ca4 ,thursday4 ,i     
cannot forget the majesty of that bird  
at the ,cliff4 ,it was no sloop or      
smaller craft hove in sight1 but a ship 
of the line1 worthy to struggle with the
 elements4 ,it was a great presence1 as 

of the master of river and forest4 ,his 
eye would not have quailed before the   
owner of the soil2 none could challenge 
his rights4 ,and then his retreat1      
sailing so steadily away1 was a kind of 
advance4 ,how is it that man always     
feels like an interloper in nature1 as  
if he had intruded on the domains of    
bird and beast8#cge         99       99 
99       99       99  ,the really       
efficient laborer will be found not to  
crowd his day with work1 but will       
saunter to his task surrounded by a wide
 halo of ease and leisure4 ,there will  
be a wide margin for relaxation to his  
day4 ,he is only earnest to secure the  
kernels of time1 and does not exaggerate
 the value of the husk4 ,why should the 
hen set all day8 ,she can lay but one   
egg1 and besides she will not have      
picked up materials for a new one4      
,those who work much do not work        
hard4#cgf         99       99       99  
99       99  ,nothing is so rare as     
sense4 ,very uncommon sense is poetry1  

and has a heroic or sweet music4 ,but in
 verse1 for the most part1 the music now
 runs before and then behind the sense1 
but is never coincident with it4 ,given 
the metre1 and one will make music while
 another makes sense4 ,but good verse1  
like a good soldier1 will make its own  
music1 and it will march to the same    
with one consent4 ,in most verse there  
is no inherent music4 ,the man should   
not march1 but walk like a citizen4 ,it 
is not time of war but peace4 ,boys     
study the metres to write ,latin verses1
 but it does not help them to write     
,english4         99       99       99  
99       99  ,lydgate's ,story of       
,thebes1 intended for a ,canterbury     
,tale1 is a specimen of most            
unprogressive1 unmusical verse4 ,each   
line rings the knell of its brother1 as 
if it were introduced but to dispose of 
him4 ,no mortal man could have breathed 
to that cadence without long intervals  
of relaxation2 the repetition would have
 been fatal to the lungs4 ,no doubt     

there was much healthy exercise taken in
 the meanwhile4 ,he should forget his   
rhyme and tell his story1 or forget his 
story and breathe himself4  ,in         
,shakespeare and elsewhere the climax   
may be somewhere along the line1 which  
runs as varied and meandering as a      
country road1 but in ,lydgate it is     
nowhere but in the rhyme4 ,the couplets 
slope headlong to their confluence4     
,april #b4 ,saturday4#cgg ,the ,prologue
 to the ,canterbury ,tales is full of   
good sense and humanity1 but is not     
transcendent poetry4 ,it is so good that
 it seems like faultfinding to esteem it
 second to any other4 ,for picturesque  
description of persons it is without a  
parallel4 ,it did not need inspiration1 
but a cheerful and easy wit4 ,it is     
essentially humorous1 as no inspired    
poetry is4 ,genius is so serious as to  
be grave and sublime rather4 ,humor     
takes a narrower vision--however broad  
and genial it may be--than enthusiasm4  
,humor delays and looks back4#cgh       

,april #c4 ,sunday4 ,i can remember when
 ,i was more enriched by a few cheap    
rays of light falling on the pond-side  
than by this broad sunny day4 ,riches   
have wings1 indeed4 ,the weight of      
present woe will express the sweetness  
of past experience4 ,when sorrow comes1 
how easy it is to remember pleasure6    
,when1 in winter1 the bees cannot make  
new honey1 they consume the old4        
,experience is in the fingers and head4 
,the heart is inexperienced4  ,sorrow   
singeth the sweetest strain3 ,the       
,daughters of ,zion1 ,the ,last ,sigh of
 the ,moor4  ,joy is the nectar of      
flowers1 sorrow the honey of bees4  ,i  
thank ,god for sorrow4 ,it is hard to be
 abused4 ,is not ,he kind still1 who    
lets this south wind blow1 this warm sun
 shine on me8  ,i have just heard the   
flicker among the oaks on the hillside  
ushering in a new dynasty4 ,it is the   
age and youth of time4 ,why did ,nature 
set this lure for sickly mortals8       
,eternity could not begin with more     

security and momentousness than the     
spring4 ,the summer's eternity is       
restablished by this note4#cgi ,all     
sights and sounds are seen and heard    
both in time and eternity4 ,and when the
 eternity of any sight or sound strikes 
the eye or ear1 they are intoxicated    
with delight4  ,sometimes1 as through a 
dim haze1 we see objects in their       
eternal relations2 and they stand like  
,stonehenge and the ,pyramids1 and we   
wonder who set them up and what for4    
,the destiny of the soul can never be   
studied by the reason1 for its modes are
 not ecstatic4 ,in the wisest           
calculation or demonstration ,i but play
 a game with myself4 ,i am not to be    
taken captive by myself4  ,i cannot     
convince myself4 ,god must convince4 ,i 
can calculate a problem in arithmetic1  
but not any morality4  ,virtue is       
incalculable1 as it is inestimable4     
,well1 man's destiny is but virtue1 or  
manhood4 ,it is wholly moral1 to be     
learned only by the life of the soul4   

,god cannot calculate it4 ,he has no    
moral philosophy1 no ethics4 ,the       
reason1 before it can be applied to such
 a subject1 will have to fetter and     
restrict it4 ,how can he1 step by step1 
perform that long journey who has not   
conceived whither he is bound8 ,how can 
he expect to perform an arduous journey 
without interruption who has no passport
 to the end8  ,on one side of man is the
 actual1 and on the other the ideal4    
,the former is the province of the      
reason2 it is even a divine light when  
directed upon it1 but it cannot reach   
forward into the ideal without          
blindness4 ,the moon was made to rule by
 night1 but the sun to rule by day4     
,reason will be but a pale cloud1 like  
the moon1 when one ray of divine light  
comes to illumine the soul4  ,how rich  
and lavish must be the system which can 
afford to let so many moons burn all the
 day as well as the night1 though no man
 stands in need of their light6 ,there  
is none of that kind of economy in      

,nature that husbands its stock1 but she
 supplies inexhaustible means to the    
most frugal methods4 ,the poor may learn
 of her frugality1 and the rich         
generosity4 ,having carefully determined
 the extent of her charity1 she         
establishes it forever2 her almsgiving  
is an annuity4 ,she supplies to the bee 
only so much wax as is necessary for its
 cell1 so that no poverty could stint it
 more2 but the little economist which   
fed the ,evangelist in the desert still 
keeps in advance of the immigrant1 and  
fills the cavities of the forest for his
 repast4     ,,vii  #ahde-ahdf  7,t4    
#bg-bi7   ,july #e4 ,saturday4          
,walden4--,yesterday ,i came here to    
live4 ,my house makes me think of some  
mountain houses ,i have seen1 which     
seemed to have a fresher auroral        
atmosphere about them1 as ,i fancy of   
the halls of ,olympus4 ,i lodged at the 
house of a saw-miller last summer1 on   
the ,caatskill ,mountains1 high up as   
,pine ,orchard1 in the blueberry and    

raspberry region1 where the quiet and   
cleanliness and coolness seemed to be   
all one1--which had their ambrosial     
character4 ,he was the miller of the    
,kaaterskill ,falls4 ,they were a clean 
and wholesome family1 inside and out1   
like their house4 ,the latter was not   
plastered1 only lathed1 and the inner   
doors were not hung4 ,the house seemed  
high-placed1 airy1 and perfumed1 fit to 
entertain a travelling god4 ,it was so  
high1 indeed1 that all the music1 the   
broken strains1 the waifs and           
accompaniments of tunes1 that swept over
 the ridge of the ,caatskills1 passed   
through its aisles4 ,could not man be   
man in such an abode8 ,and would he ever
 find out this grovelling life8#chj ,it 
was the very light and atmosphere in    
which the works of ,grecian art were    
composed1 and in which they rest4 ,they 
have appropriated to themselves a       
loftier hall than mortals ever occupy1  
at least on a level with the            
mountain-brows of the world4 ,there was 

wanting a little of the glare of the    
lower vales1 and in its place a pure    
twilight as became the precincts of     
heaven4 ,yet so equable and calm was the
 season there that you could not tell   
whether it was morning or noon or       
evening4 ,always there was the sound of 
the morning cricket4   ,july #f4 ,i wish
 to meet the facts of life--the vital   
facts1 which are the phenomena or       
actuality the gods meant to show        
us--face to face1 and so ,i came down   
here4 ,life6 who knows what it is1 what 
it does8 ,if ,i am not quite right here1
 ,i am less wrong than before2 and now  
let us see what they will have4 ,the    
preacher1 instead of vexing the ears of 
drowsy farmers on their day of rest1 at 
the end of the week1--for ,sunday always
 seemed to me like a fit conclusion of  
an ill-spent week and not the fresh and 
brave beginning of a new one1--with this
 one other draggletail and postponed    
affair of a sermon1 from thirdly to     
fifteenthly1 should teach them with a   

thundering voice pause and simplicity4  
,stop6 ,avast6 ,why so fast8#cha ,in all
 studies we go not forward but rather   
backward with redoubled pauses4 ,we     
always study antiques with silence and  
reflection4 ,even time has a depth1 and 
below its surface the waves do not lapse
 and roar4 ,i wonder men can be so      
frivolous almost as to attend to the    
gross form of negro slavery1 there are  
so many keen and subtle masters who     
subject us both4 ,self-emancipation in  
the ,west ,indies of a man's thinking   
and imagining provinces1 which should be
 more than his island territory1--one   
emancipated heart and intellect6 ,it    
would knock off the fetters from a      
million slaves4   ,july #g4 ,i am glad  
to remember to-night1 as ,i sit by my   
door1 that ,i too am at least a remote  
descendant of that heroic race of men of
 whom there is tradition4 ,i too sit    
here on the shore of my ,ithaca1 a      
fellow-wanderer and survivor of         
,ulysses4 ,how symbolical1 significant  

of ,i know not what1 the pitch pine     
stands here before my door6 ,unlike any 
glyph ,i have seen sculptured or painted
 yet1 one of ,nature's later designs1   
yet perfect as her ,grecian art4 ,there 
it is1 a done tree4 ,who can mend it8   
,and now where is the generation of     
heroes whose lives are to pass amid     
these our northern pines1 whose exploits
 shall appear to posterity pictured amid
 these strong and shaggy forms8 ,shall  
there be only arrows and bows to go with
 these pines on some pipe-stone quarry  
at length8 ,there is something more     
respectable than railroads in these     
simple relics of the ,indian race4 ,what
 hieroglyphs shall we add to the        
pipe-stone quarry8         99       99  
99       99       99  ,if we can forget1
 we have done somewhat2 if we can       
remember1 we have done somewhat4 ,let us
 remember this4         99       99     
99       99       99  ,the ,great       
,spirit makes indifferent all times and 
places4 ,the place where he is seen is  

always the same1 and indescribably      
pleasant to all our senses4 ,we had     
allowed only neighboring and transient  
circumstances to make our occasions4    
,they were1 in fact1 the causes of our  
distractions4 ,but nearest to all things
 is that power which fashions their     
being4 ,next to us the grandest laws are
 being enacted and administered4 ,next  
to us is not the workman whom we have   
hired1 but ever the workman whose work  
we are4 ,he is at work1 not in my       
backyard1 but inconceivably nearer than 
that4 ,we are the subjects of an        
experiment how singular6 ,can we not    
dispense with the society of our gossips
 a little while under these             
circumstances8         99       99      
99       99       99  ,my auxiliaries   
are the dews and rains1--to water this  
dry soil1--and genial fatness in the    
soil itself1 which for the most part is 
lean and effete4 ,my enemies are worms1 
cool days1 and most of all woodchucks4  
,they have nibbled for me an eighth of  

an acre clean4 ,i plant in faith1 and   
they reap4 ,this is the tax ,i pay for  
ousting johnswort and the rest4 ,but    
soon the surviving beans will be too    
tough for woodchucks1 and then they will
 go forward to meet new foes4#chb       
,july #ad4 ,what sweet and tender1 the  
most innocent and divinely encouraging  
society there is in every natural       
object1 and so in universal nature1 even
 for the poor misanthrope and most      
melancholy man6 ,there can be no really 
black melan-choly to him who lives in   
the midst of nature and has still his   
senses4 ,there never was yet such a     
storm but it was olian music to the     
innocent ear4 ,nothing can compel to a  
vulgar sadness a simple and brave man4  
,while ,i enjoy the sweet friendship of 
the seasons ,i trust that nothing can   
make life a burden to me4 ,this rain    
which is now watering my beans and      
keeping me in the house waters me too4  
,i needed it as much4 ,and what if most 
are not hoed6 ,those who send the rain1 

whom ,i chiefly respect1 will pardon    
me4#chc  ,sometimes1 when ,i compare    
myself with other men1 methinks ,i am   
favored by the gods4 ,they seem to      
whisper joy to me beyond my deserts1 and
 that ,i do have a solid warrant and    
surety at their hands1 which my fellows 
do not4 ,i do not flatter myself1 but if
 it were possible they flatter me4 ,i am
 especially guided and guarded4#chd     
99       99       99       99       99  
,what was seen true once1 and sanctioned
 by the flash of ,jove1 will always be  
true1 and nothing can hinder it4 ,i have
 the warrant that no fair dream ,i have 
had need fail of its fulfillment4  ,here
 ,i know ,i am in good company2 here is 
the world1 its centre and metropolis1   
and all the palms of ,asia and the      
laurels of ,greece and the firs of the  
,arctic ,zone incline thither4 ,here ,i 
can read ,homer1 if ,i would have books1
 as well as in ,ionia1 and not wish     
myself in ,boston1 or ,new ,york1 or    
,london1 or ,rome1 or ,greece4 ,in such 

place as this he wrote or sang4 ,who    
should come to my lodge just now but a  
true ,homeric boor1 one of those        
,paphlagonian men8 ,alek ,therien1 he   
called himself2 a ,canadian now1 a      
woodchopper1 a post-maker2 makes fifty  
posts--holes them1 i4 e4--in a day2 and 
who made his last supper on a woodchuck 
which his dog caught4 ,and he too has   
heard of ,homer1 and if it were not for 
books1 would not know what to do rainy  
days4 ,some priest once1 who could read 
glibly from the ,greek itself1 taught   
him reading in a measure--his verse1 at 
least1 in his turn--away by the ,trois  
,rivires1 at ,nicolet4 ,and now ,i must 
read to him1 while he holds the book1   
,achilles' reproof of ,patroclus on his 
sad countenance4  ,why are you in tears1
 ,patroclus1 like a young child 7girl78 
etc41 etc4       ,or have you only heard
 some news from ,phthia8      ,they say 
that ,mentius lives yet1 son of ,actor1 
,and ,peleus lives1 son of acus1 among  
the ,myrmidons1      ,both of whom      

having died1 we should greatly grieve4  
,he has a neat#che bundle of white oak  
bark under his arm for a sick man1      
gathered this ,sunday morning4 ,i       
suppose there's no harm in going after  
such a thing to-day4#chf ,the simple    
man4 ,may the gods send him many        
woodchucks4  ,and earlier to-day came   
five ,lestrigones1 railroad men who take
 care of the road1 some of them at      
least4 ,they still represent the bodies 
of men1 transmitting arms and legs and  
bowels downward from those remote days  
to more remote4 ,they have some got a   
rude wisdom withal1 thanks to their dear
 experience4 ,and one with them1 a      
handsome younger man1 a sailor-like1    
,greek-like man1 says3 ,sir1 ,i like    
your notions4 ,i think ,i shall live so 
myself4 ,only ,i should like a wilder   
country1 where there is more game4 ,i   
have been among the ,indians near       
,appalachicola4 ,i have lived with them4
 ,i like your kind of life4 ,good day4  
,i wish you success and happiness4      

,therien said this morning 7,july #afth1
 ,wednesday71 ,if those beans were mine1
 ,i shouldn't like to hoe them till the 
dew was off4 ,he was going to his       
woodchopping4 ,ah6 said ,i1 that is one 
of the notions the farmers have got1 but
 ,i don't believe it4 ,how thick the    
pigeons are6 said he4 ,if working every 
day were not my trade1 ,i could get all 
the meat ,i should want by              
hunting1--pigeons1 woodchucks1 rabbits1 
partridges1--by ,george6 ,i could get   
all ,i should want for a week in one    
day4#chg         99       99       99   
99       99  ,i imagine it to be some   
advantage to live a primitive and       
frontier life1 though in the midst of an
 outward civilization4 ,of course all   
the improvements of the ages do not     
carry a man backward nor forward in     
relation to the great facts of his      
existence4#chh  ,our furniture should be
 as simple as the ,arab's or the        
,indian's4#chi ,at first the thoughtful1
 wondering man plucked in haste the     

fruits which the boughs extended to him1
 and found in the sticks and stones     
around him his implements ready to crack
 the nut1 to wound the beast1 and build 
his house with4 ,and he still remembered
 that he was a sojourner in nature4     
,when he was refreshed with food and    
sleep he contemplated his journey again4
 ,he dwelt in a tent in this world4 ,he 
was either threading the valleys1 or    
crossing the plains1 or climbing the    
mountain-tops4#cij         99       99  
99       99       99  ,now the best     
works of art serve comparatively but to 
dissipate the mind1 for they themselves 
represent transitionary and paroxysmal1 
not free and absolute1 thoughts4        
99       99       99       99       99  
,men have become the tools of their     
tools4 ,the man who independently       
plucked the fruits when he was hungry is
 become a farmer4#cia         99        
99       99       99       99  ,there   
are scores of pitch pines in my field1  
from one to three inches in diameter1   

girdled by the mice last winter4 ,a     
,norwegian winter it was for them1 for  
the snow lay long and deep1 and they had
 to mix much pine meal with their usual 
diet4 ,yet these trees have not many of 
them died1 even in midsummer1 and laid  
bare for a foot1 but have grown a foot4 
,they seem to do all their gnawing      
beneath the snow4 ,there is not much    
danger of the mouse tribe becoming      
extinct in hard winters1 for their      
granary is a cheap and extensive        
one4#cib  ,here is one has had her nest 
under my house1 and came when ,i took my
 luncheon to pick the crumbs at my feet4
 ,it had never seen the race of man     
before1 and so the sooner became        
familiar4 ,it ran over my shoes and up  
my pantaloons inside1 clinging to my    
flesh with its sharp claws4 ,it would   
run up the side of the room by short    
impulses like a squirrel1 which it      
resembles1 coming between the house     
mouse and the former4 ,its belly is a   
little reddish1 and its ears a little   

longer4 ,at length1 as ,i leaned my     
elbow on the bench1 it ran over my arm  
and round the paper which contained my  
dinner4 ,and when ,i held it a piece of 
cheese1 it came and nibbled between my  
fingers1 and then cleaned its face and  
paws like a fly4#cic         99       99
       99       99       99  ,there is a
 memorable interval between the written 
and the spoken language1 the language   
read and the language heard4 ,the one is
 transient1 a sound1 a tongue1 a        
dialect1 and all men learn it of their  
mothers4 ,it is loquacious1             
fragmentary1--raw material4 ,the other  
is a reserved1 select1 matured          
expression1 a deliberate word addressed 
to the ear of nations and generations4  
,the one is natural and convenient1 the 
other divine and instructive4 ,the      
clouds flit here below1 genial1         
refreshing with their showers and       
gratifying with their tints1--alternate 
sun and shade1 a grosser heaven adapted 
to our trivial wants2 but above them    

repose the blue firmament and the stars4
 ,the stars are written words and       
stereotyped on the blue parchment of the
 skies2 the fickle clouds that hide them
 from our view1 which we on this side   
need1 though heaven does not1 these are 
our daily colloquies1 our vaporous1     
garrulous breath4  ,books must be read  
as deliberately and reservedly as they  
were written4 ,the herd of men1 the     
generations who speak the ,greek and    
,latin1 are not entitled by the accident
 of birth to read the works of genius1  
whose mother tongue speaks everywhere1  
and is learned by every child who hears4
 ,the army of the ,greeks and ,latins   
are not coternary1 though contemporary1 
with ,homer and ,plato1 ,virgil and     
,cicero4 ,in the transition ages1       
nations who loudest spoke the ,greek and
 ,latin tongues1 whose mother's milk    
they were1 learned not their nobler     
dialects1 but a base and vulgar speech4 
,the men of the ,middle ,ages who spoke 
so glibly the language of the ,roman    

and1 in the ,eastern ,empire1 of the    
,athenian mob1 prized only a cheap      
contemporary learning4 ,the classics of 
both languages were virtually lost and  
forgotten4 ,when1 after the several     
nations of ,europe had acquired in some 
degree rude and original languages of   
their own1 sufficient for the arts of   
life and conversation1 then the few     
scholars beheld with advantage from this
 more distant standpoint the treasures  
of antiquity1 and a new ,latin age      
commenced1 the era of reading4 ,those   
works of genius were then first         
classical4 ,all those millions who had  
spoken ,latin and ,greek had not read   
,latin and ,greek4 ,the time had at     
length arrived for the written word1 the
 scripture1 to be heard4 ,what the      
multitude could not hear1 after the     
lapse of centuries a few scholars read4 
,this is the matured thought which was  
not spoken in the market-place1 unless  
it be in a market-place where the free  
genius of mankind resorts to-day4 ,there

 is something very choice and select in 
a written word4 ,no wonder ,alexander   
carried his ,homer in a precious casket 
on his expeditions4 ,a word which may be
 translated into every dialect1 and     
suggests a truth to every mind1 is the  
most perfect work of human art2 and as  
it may be breathed and taken on our     
lips1 and1 as it were1 become the       
product of our physical organs1 as its  
sense is of our intellectual1 it is the 
nearest to life itself4#cid ,it is the  
simplest and purest channel by which a  
revelation may be transmitted from age  
to age4 ,how it subsists itself whole   
and undiminished till the intelligent   
reader is born to decipher it6 ,there   
are the tracks of ,zoroaster1 of        
,confucius and ,moses1 indelible in the 
sands of the remotest times4         99 
99       99       99       99  ,there   
are no monuments of antiquity comparable
 to the classics for interest and       
importance4 ,it does not need that the  
scholar should be an antiquarian1 for   

these works of art have such an         
immortality as the works of nature1 and 
are modern at the same time that they   
are ancient1 like the sun and stars1 and
 occupy by right no small share of the  
present4 ,this palpable beauty is the   
treasured wealth of the world and the   
proper inheritance of each generation4  
,books1 the oldest and the best1 stand  
rightfully on the shelves of every      
cottage4 ,they have not to plead their  
cause1 but they enlighten their readers 
and it is gained4 ,when the illiterate  
and scornful rustic earns his imagined  
leisure and wealth1 he turns inevitably 
at last--he or his children--to these   
still higher and yet inaccessible       
circles2 and even when his descendant   
has attained to move in the highest rank
 of the wise men of his own age and     
country1 he will still be sensible only 
of the imperfection of his culture and  
the vanity and inefficiency of his      
intellectual wealth1 if his genius will 
not permit him to listen with somewhat  

of the equanimity of an equal to the    
fames of godlike men1 which yet1 as it  
were1 form an invisible upper class in  
every society4#cie         99       99  
99       99       99  ,i have carried an
 apple in my pocket to-night--a         
sopsivine1 they call it--till1 now that 
,i take my handkerchief out1 it has got 
so fine a fragrance that it really seems
 like a friendly trick of some pleasant 
dmon to entertain me with4#cif ,it is   
redolent of sweet-scented orchards1 of  
innocent1 teeming harvests4 ,i realize  
the existence of a goddess ,pomona1 and 
that the gods have really intended that 
men should feed divinely1 like          
themselves1 on their own nectar and     
ambrosia4 ,they have so painted this    
fruit1 and freighted it with such a     
fragrance1 that it satisfies much more  
than an animal appetite4 ,grapes1       
peaches1 berries1 nuts1 etc41 are       
likewise provided for those who will sit
 at their sideboard4 ,i have felt1 when 
partaking of this inspiring diet1 that  

my appetite was an indifferent          
consideration2 that eating became a     
sacrament1 a method of communion1 an    
ecstatic exercise1 a mingling of bloods1
 and a sitting at the communion table of
 the world2 and so have not only        
quenched my thirst at the spring but the
 health of the universe4  ,the indecent 
haste and grossness with which our food 
is swallowed have cast a disgrace on the
 very act of eating itself4 ,but ,i do  
believe that1 if this process were      
rightly conducted1 its aspect and       
effects would be wholly changed1 and we 
should receive our daily life and       
health1 ,antus-like1 with an ecstatic   
delight1 and1 with upright front1 an    
innocent and graceful behavior1 take our
 strength from day to day4 ,this        
fragrance of the apple in my pocket has1
 ,i confess1 deterred me from eating of 
it4 ,i am more effectually fed by it    
another way4  ,it is1 indeed1 the common
 notion that this fragrance is the only 
food of the gods1 and inasmuch as we are

 partially divine we are compelled to   
respect it4       ,tell me1 ye wise     
ones1 if ye can1      ,whither and      
whence the race of man4      ,for ,i    
have seen his slender clan              
,clinging to hoar hills with their feet1
      ,threading the forest for their   
meat4      ,moss and lichens1 bark and  
grain      ,they rake together with     
might and main1      ,and they digest   
them with anxiety and pain4      ,i meet
 them in their rags and unwashed hair1  
,instructed to eke out their scanty     
fare--      ,brave race--with a yet     
humbler prayer4      ,beggars they are1 
aye1 on the largest scale4      ,they   
beg their daily bread at heaven's door1 
,and if their this year's crop alone    
should fail1      ,they neither bread   
nor begging would know more4      ,they 
are the titmen of their race1      ,and 
hug the vales with mincing pace         
,like ,troglodytes1 and fight with      
cranes4      ,we walk 'mid great        
relations' feet4      ,what they let    

fall alone we eat4      ,we are only    
able      ,to catch the fragments from  
their table4      ,these elder brothers 
of our race1      ,by us unseen1 with   
larger pace      ,walk o'er our heads1  
and live our lives1      ,embody our    
desires and dreams1      ,anticipate our
 hoped-for gleams4      ,we grub the    
earth for our food4      ,we know not   
what is good4      ,where does the      
fragrance of our orchards go1      ,our 
vineyards1 while we toil below8      ,a 
finer race and finer fed      ,feast and
 revel above our head4      ,the tints  
and fragrance of the flowers and fruits 
,are but the crumbs from off their      
table1      ,while we consume the pulp  
and roots4      ,sometimes we do assert 
our kin1      ,and stand a moment where 
once they have been4      ,we hear their
 sounds and see their sights1      ,and 
we experience their delights4      ,but 
for the moment that we stand            
,astonished on the ,olympian land1      
,we do discern no traveller's face1     

,no elder brother of our race1      ,to 
lead us to the monarch's court      ,and
 represent our case2      ,but          
straightway we must journey back1       
,retracing slow the arduous track1      
,without the privilege to tell1         
,even1 the sight we know so well4#cig   
,in my father's house are many mansions4
  ,who ever explored the mansions of the
 air8 ,who knows who his neighbors are8 
,we seem to lead our human lives amid a 
concentric system of worlds1 of realm on
 realm1 close bordering on each other1  
where dwell the unknown and the imagined
 races1 as various in degree as our own 
thoughts are1--a system of invisible    
partitions more infinite in number and  
more inconceivable in intricacy than the
 starry one which science has           
penetrated4  ,when ,i play my flute     
to-night1 earnest as if to leap the     
bounds of the narrow fold where human   
life is penned1 and range the           
surrounding plain1 ,i hear echo from a  
neighboring wood1 a stolen pleasure1    

occasionally not rightfully heard1 much 
more for other ears than ours1 for 'tis 
the reverse of sound4 ,it is not our own
 melody that comes back to us1 but an   
amended strain4 ,and ,i would only hear 
myself as ,i would hear my echo1        
corrected and repronounced for me4 ,it  
is as when my friend reads my verse4    
,the borders of our plot are set with   
flowers1 whose seeds were blown from    
more ,elysian fields adjacent4 ,they are
 the pot-herbs of the gods1 which our   
laborious feet have never reached1 and  
fairer fruits and unaccustomed fragrance
 betray another realm's vicinity4       
,there1 too1 is ,echo found1 with which 
we play at evening4 ,there is the       
abutment of the rainbow's arch4#cih     
,aug4 #f4 ,walden4--,i have just been   
reading a book called ,the ,crescent and
 the ,cross1#cii till now ,i am somewhat
 ashamed of myself4 ,am ,i sick1 or     
idle1 that ,i can sacrifice my energy1  
,america1 and to-day to this man's      
ill-remembered and indolent story8      

,carnac and ,luxor are but names1 and   
still more desert sand and at length a  
wave of the great ocean itself are      
needed to wash away the filth that      
attaches to their grandeur4 ,carnac6    
,carnac6 this is ,carnac for me1 and ,i 
behold the columns of a larger and a    
purer temple4#djj ,may our childish and 
fickle aspirations be divine1 while we  
descend to this mean intercourse4 ,our  
reading should be heroic1 in an unknown 
tongue1 a dialect always but imperfectly
 learned1 through which we stammer line 
by line1 catching but a glimmering of   
the sense1 and still afterward admiring 
its unexhausted hieroglyphics1 its      
untranslated columns4 ,here grow around 
me nameless trees and shrubs1 each      
morning freshly sculptured1 rising new  
stories day by day1 instead of hideous  
ruins1--their myriad-handed worker      
uncompelled as uncompelling4 ,this is my
 ,carnac2 that its unmeasured dome4 ,the
 measuring art man has invented         
flourishes and dies upon this temple's  

floor1 nor ever dreams to reach that    
ceiling's height4 ,carnac and ,luxor    
crumble underneath4 ,their shadowy roofs
 let in the light once more reflected   
from the ceiling of the sky4  ,behold   
these flowers6 ,let us be up with ,time1
 not dreaming of three thousand years   
ago4 ,erect ourselves and let those     
columns lie1 not stoop to raise a foil  
against the sky4 ,where is the spirit of
 that time but in this present day1 this
 present line8 ,three thousand years ago
 are not agone2 they are still lingering
 here this summer morn4       ,and      
,memnon's mother sprightly greets us    
now2      ,wears still her youthful     
blushes on her brow4      ,and ,carnac's
 columns1 why stand they on the plain8  
,t' enjoy our opportunities they would  
fain remain4        ,this is my ,carnac1
 whose unmeasured dome      ,shelters   
the measuring art and measurer's home1  
,whose propylum is the system high 8    
,and sculptured faade the visible sky4  
,where there is memory which compelleth 

,time1 the ,muses' mother1 and the      
,muses nine1 there are all ages1 past   
and future time1--unwearied memory that 
does not forget the actions of the past1
 that does not forego to stamp them     
freshly1 that ,old ,mortality1          
industrious to retouch the monuments of 
time1 in the world's cemetery throughout
 every clime4#dja         99       99   
99       99       99  ,the student may  
read ,homer or schylus in the original  
,greek2 for to do so implies to emulate 
their heroes1--the consecration of      
morning hours to their pages4  ,the     
heroic books1 though printed in the     
character of our mother tongue1 are     
always written in a foreign language1   
dead to idle and degenerate times1 and  
we must laboriously seek the meaning of 
each word and line1 conjecturing a      
larger sense than the text renders us1  
at last1 out of our own valor and       
generosity4#djb         99       99     
99       99       99  ,a man must find  
his own occasion in himself4 ,the       

natural day is very calm1 and will      
hardly reprove our indolence4 ,if there 
is no elevation in our spirits1 the pond
 will not seem elevated like a mountain 
tarn1 but a low pool1 a silent muddy    
water1 a place for fishermen4  ,i sit   
here at my window like a priest of      
,isis1 and observe the phenomena of     
three thousand years ago1 yet           
unimpaired4 ,the tantivy of wild        
pigeons1 an ancient race of birds1 gives
 a voice to the air1 flying by twos and 
threes athwart my view or perching      
restless on the white pine boughs       
occasionally2 a fish hawk dimples the   
glassy surface of the pond and brings up
 a fish2 and for the last half-hour ,i  
have heard the rattle of railroad cars  
conveying travellers from ,boston to the
 country4#djc         99       99       
99       99       99  ,after the evening
 train has gone by and left the world to
 silence and to me1 the whip-poor-will  
chants her vespers for half an hour4    
,and when all is still at night1 the    

owls take up the strain1 like mourning  
women their ancient ululu4 ,their most  
dismal scream is truly ,ben-,jonsonian4 
,wise midnight hags6 ,it is no honest   
and blunt tu-whit tu-who of the poets1  
but1 without jesting1 a most solemn     
graveyard ditty1--but the mutual        
consolations of suicide lovers          
remembering the pangs and the delights  
of supernal love in the infernal groves4
 ,and yet ,i love to hear their wailing1
 their doleful responses1 trilled along 
the woodside1 reminding me sometimes of 
music and singing birds1 as if it were  
the dark and tearful side of music1 the 
regrets and sighs1 that would fain be   
sung4 ,the spirits1 the low spirits and 
melancholy forebodings1 of fallen       
spirits who once in human shape         
night-walked the earth and did the deeds
 of darkness1 now expiating with their  
wailing hymns1 threnodiai1 their sins in
 the very scenery of their              
transgressions4 ,they give me a new     
sense of the vastness and mystery of    

that nature which is the common dwelling
 of us both4 ,oh-o-o-o-o that ,i never  
had been bor-or-or-or-orn6 sighs one on 
this side of the pond1 and circles in   
the restlessness of despair to some new 
perch in the gray oaks4 ,then1 ,that ,i 
never had been bor-or-or-or-orn6 echoes 
one on the further side1 with a         
tremulous sincerity1 and                
,bor-or-or-or-orn comes faintly from far
 in the ,lincoln woods4#djd         99  
99       99       99       99  ,and then
 the frogs1 bullfrogs2 they are the more
 sturdy spirits of ancient wine-bibbers 
and wassailers1 still unrepentant1      
trying to sing a catch in their ,stygian
 lakes4 ,they would fain keep up the    
hilarious good fellowship and all the   
rules of their old round tables1 but    
they have waxed hoarse and solemnly     
grave and serious their voices1 mocking 
at mirth1 and their wine has lost its   
flavor and is only liquor to distend    
their paunches1 and never comes sweet   
intoxication to drown the memory of the 

past1 but mere saturation and           
water-logged dullness and distension4   
,still the most aldermanic1 with his    
chin upon a pad1 which answers for a    
napkin to his drooling chaps1 under the 
eastern shore quaffs a deep draught of  
the once scorned water1 and passes round
 the cup with the ejaculation           
tr-r-r-r-r-oonk1 tr-r-r-r-r-oonk1       
tr-r-r-r-oonk6 and straightway comes    
over the water from some distant cove   
the selfsame password1 where the next in
 seniority and girth has gulped down to 
his mark2 and when the strain has made  
the circuit of the shores1 then         
ejaculates the master of ceremonies with
 satisfaction tr-r-r-r-oonk6 and each in
 turn repeats the sound1 down to the    
least distended1 leakiest1 flabbiest    
paunched1 that there be no mistake2 and 
the bowl goes round again1 until the sun
 dispels the morning mist1 and only the 
patriarch is not under the pond1 but    
vainly bellowing troonk from time to    
time1 pausing for a reply4#dje          

99       99       99       99       99  
,all nature is classic and akin to art4 
,the sumach and pine and hickory which  
surround my house remind me of the most 
graceful sculpture4 ,sometimes their    
tops1 or a single limb or leaf1 seems to
 have grown to a distinct expression as 
if it were a symbol for me to interpret4
 ,poetry1 painting1 and sculpture claim 
at once and associate with themselves   
those perfect specimens of the art of   
nature1--leaves1 vines1 acorns1 pine    
cones1 etc4 ,the critic must at last    
stand as mute though contented before a 
true poem as before an acorn or a vine  
leaf4 ,the perfect work of art is       
received again into the bosom of nature 
whence its material proceeded1 and that 
criticism which can only detect its     
unnaturalness has no longer any office  
to fulfill4 ,the choicest maxims that   
have come down to us are more beautiful 
or integrally wise than they are wise to
 our understandings4 ,this wisdom which 
we are inclined to pluck from their     

stalk is the point only of a single     
association4 ,every natural form--palm  
leaves and acorns1 oak leaves and sumach
 and dodder--are sic untranslatable     
aphorisms4         99       99       99 
99       99  ,twenty-three years since1 
when ,i was five years old1 ,i was      
brought from ,boston to this pond1 away 
in the country1--which was then but     
another name for the extended world for 
me1--one of the most ancient scenes     
stamped on the tablets of my memory1 the
 oriental ,asiatic valley of my world1  
whence so many races and inventions have
 gone forth in recent times4 ,that      
woodland vision for a long time made the
 drapery of my dreams4 ,that sweet      
solitude my spirit seemed so early to   
require that ,i might have room to      
entertain my thronging guests1 and that 
speaking silence that my ears might     
distinguish the significant sounds4     
,somehow or other it at once gave the   
preference to this recess among the     
pines1 where almost sunshine and shadow 

were the only inhabitants that varied   
the scene1 over that tumultuous and     
varied city1 as if it had found its     
proper nursery4  ,well1 now1 to-night my
 flute awakes the echoes over this very 
water1 but one generation of pines has  
fallen1 and with their stumps ,i have   
cooked my supper1 and a lusty growth of 
oaks and pines is rising all around its 
brim and preparing its wilder aspect for
 new infant eyes4 ,almost the same      
johnswort springs from the same         
perennial root in this pasture4 ,even ,i
 have at length helped to clothe that   
fabulous landscape of my imagination1   
and one result of my presence and       
influence is seen in these bean leaves  
and corn blades and potato vines4#djf   
99       99       99       99       99  
,as difficult to preserve is the        
tenderness of your nature as the bloom  
upon a peach4  ,most men are so taken up
 with the cares and rude practice of    
life that its finer fruits cannot be    
plucked by them4 ,literally1 the        

laboring man has not leisure for a      
strict and lofty integrity day by day2  
he cannot afford to sustain the fairest 
and noblest relations4 ,his labor will  
depreciate in the market4  ,how can he  
remember well his ignorance who has so  
often to use his knowledge4   ,aug4 #ae4
 ,the sounds heard at this hour1 #h4cj1 
are the distant rumbling of wagons over 
bridges1--a sound farthest heard of any 
human at night1--the baying of dogs1 the
 lowing of cattle in distant yards4#djg 
,what if we were to obey these fine     
dictates1 these divine suggestions1     
which are addressed to the mind and not 
to the body1 which are certainly        
true1--not to eat meat1 not to buy1 or  
sell1 or barter1 etc41 etc41 etc48      
99       99       99       99       99  
,i will not plant beans another summer1 
but sincerity1 truth1 simplicity1 faith1
 trust1 innocence1 and see if they will 
not grow in this soil with such manure  
as ,i have1 and sustain me4#djh ,when a 
man meets a man1 it should not be some  

uncertain appearance and falsehood1 but 
the personification of great qualities4 
,here comes truth1 perchance1           
personified1 along the road4#dji ,let me
 see how ,truth behaves4 ,i have not    
seen enough of her4 ,he shall utter no  
foreign word1 no doubtful sentence1 and 
,i shall not make haste to part with    
him4  ,i would not forget that ,i deal  
with infinite and divine qualities in my
 fellow4 ,all men1 indeed1 are divine in
 their core of light1 but that is       
indistinct and distant to me1 like the  
stars of the least magnitude1 or the    
galaxy itself1 but my kindred planets   
show their round disks and even their   
attendant moons to my eye4  ,even the   
tired laborers ,i meet on the road1 ,i  
really meet as travelling gods1 but it  
is as yet1 and must be for a long       
season1 without speech4   ,aug4 #bc4    
,saturday4 ,i set out this afternoon to 
go a-fishing for pickerel to eke out my 
scanty fare of vegetables4 ,from ,walden
 ,i went through the woods to ,fair     

,haven1 but by the way the rain came on 
again1 and my fates compelled me to     
stand a half-hour under a pine1 piling  
boughs over my head1 and wearing my     
pocket handkerchief for an umbrella2 and
 when at length ,i had made one cast    
over the pickerel-weed1 the thunder gan 
romblen in the heven with that grisly   
steven that ,chaucer tells of4#daj 7,the
 gods must be proud1 with such forked   
flashes and such artillery to rout a    
poor unarmed fisherman47 ,i made haste  
to the nearest hut for a shelter4 ,this 
stood a half a mile off the road1 and so
 much the nearer to the pond4 ,there    
dwelt a shiftless ,irishman1 ,john      
,field1 and his wife1 and many children1
 from the broad-faced boy that ran by   
his father's side to escape the rain to 
the wrinkled and sibyl-like1 crone-like 
infant1 not knowing whether to take the 
part of age or infancy1 that sat upon   
its father's knee as in the palaces of  
nobles1 and looked out from its home in 
the midst of wet and hunger             

inquisitively upon the stranger1 with   
the privilege of infancy2 the young     
creature not knowing but it might be the
 last of a line of kings instead of     
,john ,field's poor starveling brat1 or1
 ,i should rather say1 still knowing    
that it was the last of a noble line and
 the hope and cynosure of the world4 ,an
 honest1 hard-working1 but shiftless man
 plainly was ,john ,field2 and his wife1
 she too was brave to cook so many      
succeeding dinners in the recesses of   
that lofty stove2 with round1 greasy    
face and bare breast1 still thinking to 
improve her condition one day2 with the 
never absent mop in hand1 and yet no    
effects of it visible anywhere4 ,the    
chickens1 like members of the family1   
stalked about the room1 too much        
humanized to roast well4 ,they stood and
 looked in my eye or pecked at my shoe4 
,he told me his story1 how hard he      
worked bogging for a neighbor1 at ten   
dollars an acre and the use of the land 
with manure for one year1 and the little

 broad-faced son worked cheerfully at   
his father's side the while1 not        
knowing1 alas6 how poor a bargain he had
 made4 ,living1 ,john ,field1 alas6     
without arithmetic2 failing to live4    
,do you ever fish8 said ,i4 ,oh yes1 ,i 
catch a mess when ,i am lying by2 good  
perch ,i catch4 ,what's your bait8 ,i   
catch shiners with fishworms1 and bait  
the perch with them4 ,you'd better go   
now1 ,john1 said his wife1 with         
glistening1 hopeful face4 ,but poor     
,john ,field disturbed but a couple of  
fins1 while ,i was catching a fair      
string1 and he said it was his luck2 and
 when he changed seats luck changed     
seats too4 ,thinking to live by some    
derivative old-country mode in this     
primitive new country1 e4 g4 to catch   
perch with shiners4#daa         99      
99       99       99       99  ,i find  
an instinct in me conducting to a mystic
 spiritual life1 and also another to a  
primitive savage life4         99       
99       99       99       99  ,toward  

evening1 as the world waxes darker1 ,i  
am permitted to see the woodchuck       
stealing across my path1 and tempted to 
seize and devour it4 ,the wildest1 most 
desolate scenes are strangely familiar  
to me4#dab         99       99       99 
99       99  ,why not live a hard and   
emphatic life1 not to be avoided1 full  
of adventures and work1 learn much in   
it1 travel much1 though it be only in   
these woods8 ,i sometimes walk across a 
field with unexpected expansion and     
long-missed content1 as if there were a 
field worthy of me4 ,the usual daily    
boundaries of life are dispersed1 and ,i
 see in what field ,i stand4  ,when on  
my way this afternoon1 ,shall ,i go down
 this long hill in the rain to fish in  
the pond8 ,i ask myself4 ,and ,i say to 
myself3 ,yes1 roam far1 grasp life and  
conquer it1 learn much and live4 ,your  
fetters are knocked off2 you are really 
free4 ,stay till late in the night2 be  
unwise and daring4 ,see many men far and
 near1 in their fields and cottages     

before the sun sets1 though as if many  
more were to be seen4 ,and yet each     
rencontre shall be so satisfactory and  
simple that no other shall seem         
possible4 ,do not repose every night as 
villagers do4 ,the noble life is        
continuous and unintermitting4 ,at      
least1 live with a longer radius4 ,men  
come home at night only from the next   
field or street1 where their household  
echoes haunt1 and their life pines and  
is sickly because it breathes its own   
breath4 ,their shadows morning and      
evening reach farther than their daily  
steps4 ,but come home from far1 from    
ventures and perils1 from enterprise and
 discovery and crusading1 with faith and
 experience and character4#dac ,do not  
rest much4 ,dismiss prudence1 fear1     
conformity4 ,remember only what is      
promised4 ,make the day light you1 and  
the night hold a candle1 though you be  
falling from heaven to earth from morn  
to dewy eve a summer's day4  ,for       
,vulcan's fall occupied a day1 but our  

highest aspirations and performances    
fill but the interstices of time4       
99       99       99       99       99  
,are we not reminded in our better      
moments that we have been needlessly    
husbanding somewhat1 perchance our      
little ,god-derived capital1 or title to
 capital1 guarding it by methods we     
know8 ,but the most diffuse prodigality 
a better wisdom teaches1--that we hold  
nothing4 ,we are not what we were4 ,by  
usurers' craft1 by ,jewish methods1 we  
strive to retain and increase the       
divinity in us1 when infinitely the     
greater part of divinity is out of us4  
99       99       99       99       99  
,most men have forgotten that it was    
ever morning2 but a few serene memories1
 healthy and wakeful natures1 there are 
who assure us that the sun rose clear1  
heralded by the singing of birds1--this 
very day's sun1 which rose before       
,memnon was ready to greet it4          
99       99       99       99       99  
,in all the dissertations on language1  

men forget the language that is1 that is
 really universal1 the inexpressible    
meaning that is in all things and       
everywhere1 with which the morning and  
evening teem4 ,as if language were      
especially of the tongue of course4     
,with a more copious learning or        
understanding of what is published1 the 
present languages1 and all that they    
express1 will be forgotten4         99  
99       99       99       99  ,the rays
 which streamed through the crevices    
will be no more remembered when the     
shadow is wholly removed4         99    
99       99       99       99  ,left    
house on account of plastering1         
,wednesday1 ,november #abth1 at night2  
returned ,saturday1 ,december #fth4#dad 
99       99       99       99       99  
,though the race is not so degenerated  
but a man might possibly live in a cave 
to-day and keep himself warm by furs1   
yet1 as caves and wild beasts are not   
plenty enough to accommodate all at the 
present day1 it were certainly better to

 accept the advantages which the        
invention and industry of mankind offer4
 ,in thickly settled civilized          
communities1 boards and shingles1 lime  
and brick1 are cheaper and more easily  
come by than suitable caves1 or the     
whole logs1 or bark in sufficient       
quantity1 or even well-tempered clay or 
flat stones4#dae ,a tolerable house for 
a rude and hardy race that lived much   
out of doors was once made here without 
any of these last materials4 ,according 
to the testimony of the first settlers  
of ,boston1 an ,indian wigwam was as    
comfortable in winter as an ,english    
house with all its wainscotting1 and    
they had advanced so far as to regulate 
the effect of the wind by a mat         
suspended over the hole in the roof1    
which was moved by a string4 ,such a    
lodge was1 in the first instance1       
constructed in a day or two and taken   
down and put up again in a few hours1   
and every family had one4#daf         99
       99       99       99       99    

,thus1 to try our civilization by a fair
 test1 in the ruder states of society   
every family owns a shelter as good as  
the best1 and sufficient for its ruder  
and simpler wants2 but in modern        
civilized society1 though the birds of  
the air have their nests1 and woodchucks
 and foxes their holes1 though each one 
is commonly the owner of his coat and   
hat though never so poor1 yet not more  
than one man in a thousand owns a       
shelter1 but the nine hundred and       
ninety-nine pay an annual tax for this  
outside garment of all1 indispensable   
summer and winter1 which would buy a    
village of ,indian wigwams and          
contributes to keep them poor as long as
 they live4 ,but1 answers one1 by simply
 paying this annual tax the poorest man 
secures an abode which is a palace      
compared to the ,indian's4 ,an annual   
rent of from twenty to sixty or seventy 
dollars entitles him to the benefit of  
all the improvements of                 
centuries1--,rumford fireplace1 back    

plastering1 ,venetian blinds1 copper    
pump1 spring lock1 etc41 etc4#dag ,but  
while civilization has been improving   
our houses1 she has not equally improved
 the men who should occupy them4 ,she   
has created palaces1 but it was not so  
easy to create noblemen and kings4 ,the 
mason who finishes the cornice of the   
palace returns at night1 perchance1 to a
 hut no better than a wigwam4#dah ,if   
she claims to have made a real advance  
in the welfare of man1 she must show how
 she has produced better dwellings      
without making them more costly4 ,and   
the cost of a thing1 it will be         
remembered1 is the amount of life it    
requires to be exchanged for it1        
immediately or in the long run4 ,an     
average house costs perhaps from one    
thousand to fifteen hundred dollars1 and
 to earn this sum will require from     
fifteen to twenty years of the day      
laborer's life1 even if he is not       
incumbered with a family2 so that he    
must spend more than half his life      

before a wigwam can be earned2 and if we
 suppose he pays a rent instead1 this is
 but a doubtful choice of evils4 ,would 
the savage have been wise to exchange   
his wigwam for a palace on these        
terms8#dai  ,when ,i consider my        
neighbors1 the farmers of ,concord1 for 
instance1 who are at least as well off  
as the other classes1 what are they     
about8 ,for the most part ,i find that  
they have been toiling ten1 twenty1 or  
thirty years to pay for their farms1 and
 we may set down one half of that toil  
to the cost of their houses2 and        
commonly they have not yet paid for     
them4#dbj ,this is the reason they are  
poor2 and for similar reasons we are all
 poor in respect to a thousand savage   
comforts1 though surrounded by          
luxuries4#dba         99       99       
99       99       99  ,but most men do  
not know what a house is1 and the mass  
are actually poor all their days because
 they think they must have such an one  
as their neighbor's4 ,as if one were to 

wear any sort of coat the tailor might  
cut out for him1 or1 gradually leaving  
off palm-leaf hat and cap of            
woodchuck-skin1 should complain of hard 
times because he could not buy him a    
crown6#dbb         99       99       99 
99       99  ,it reflects no little     
dignity on ,nature1 the fact that the   
,romans once inhabited her1--that from  
this same unaltered hill1 forsooth1 the 
,roman once looked out upon the sea1 as 
from a signal station4 ,the vestiges of 
military roads1 of houses and           
tessellated courts and baths1--,nature  
need not be ashamed of these relics of  
her children4 ,the hero's cairn1--one   
doubts at length whether his relations  
or ,nature herself raised the hill4 ,the
 whole earth is but a hero's cairn4 ,how
 often are the ,romans flattered by the 
historian and antiquary6 ,their vessels 
penetrated into this frith and up that  
river of some remote isle4 ,their       
military monuments still remain on the  
hills and under the sod of the valleys4 

,the oft-repeated ,roman story is       
written in still legible characters in  
every quarter of the old world1 and but 
to-day a new coin is dug up whose       
inscription repeats and confirms their  
fame4 ,some ,juda ,capta1 with a woman  
mourning under a palm tree1 with silent 
argument and demonstration puts at rest 
whole pages of history4#dbc   ,the      
,earth       ,which seems so barren once
 gave birth      ,to heroes1 who o'erran
 her plains1      ,who plowed her seas  
and reaped her grains4  ,some make the  
mythology of the ,greeks to have been   
borrowed from that of the ,hebrews1     
which however is not to be proved by    
analogies1--the story of ,jupiter       
dethroning his father ,saturn1 for      
instance1 from the conduct of ,cham     
towards his father ,noah1 and the       
division of the world among the three   
brothers4 ,but the ,hebrew fable will   
not bear to be compared with the        
,grecian4 ,the latter is infinitely more
 sublime and divine4 ,the one is a      

history of mortals1 the other a history 
of gods and heroes1 therefore not so    
ancient4 ,the one god of the ,hebrews is
 not so much of a gentleman1 not so     
gracious and divine1 not so flexible and
 catholic1 does not exert so intimate an
 influence on nature as many a one of   
the ,greeks4 ,he is not less human1     
though more absolute and unapproachable4
 ,the ,grecian were youthful and living 
gods1 but still of godlike or divine    
race1 and had the virtues of gods4 ,the 
,hebrew had not all of the divinity that
 is in man1 no real love for man1 but an
 inflexible justice4 ,the attribute of  
the one god has been infinite power1 not
 grace1 not humanity1 nor love          
even1--wholly masculine1 with no sister 
,juno1 no ,apollo1 no ,venus in him4 ,i 
might say that the one god was not yet  
apotheosized1 not yet become the current
 material of poetry4#dbd         99     
99       99       99       99  ,the     
wisdom of some of those ,greek fables is
 remarkable4 ,the god ,apollo 7,wisdom1 

,wit1 ,poetry7 condemned to serve1 keep 
the sheep of ,king ,admetus4 ,so is     
poetry allied to the state4         99  
99       99       99       99  ,to acus1
 ,minos1 ,rhadamanthus1 judges in hell1 
only naked men came to be judged4 ,as   
,alexander ,ross comments1 ,in this     
world we must not look for ,justice2    
when we are stript of all1 then shall we
 have it4 ,for here something will be   
found about us that shall corrupt the   
,judge4 ,when the island of gina was    
depopulated by sickness at the instance 
of acus1 ,jupiter turned the ants into  
men1 i4 e4 made men of the inhabitants  
who lived meanly like ants4#dbe         
99       99       99       99       99  
,the hidden significance of these fables
 which has been detected1 the ethics    
running parallel to the poetry and      
history1 is not so remarkable as the    
readiness with which they may be made to
 express any truth4 ,they are the       
skeletons of still older and more       
universal truths than any whose flesh   

and blood they are for the time made to 
wear4 ,it is like striving to make the  
sun and the wind and the sea signify4   
,what signifies it8#dbf         99      
99       99       99       99  ,piety1  
that carries its father on its          
shoulders4#dbg         99       99      
99       99       99  ,music was of     
three kinds1--mournful1 martial1 and    
effeminate1--,lydian1 ,doric1 and       
,phrygian4 ,its inventors ,amphion1     
,thamyris1 and ,marsyas4 ,amphion was   
bred by shepherds4 ,he caused the stones
 to follow him and built the walls of   
,thebes by his music4 ,all orderly and  
harmonious or beautiful structures may  
be said to be raised to a slow music4   
,harmony was begotten of ,mars and      
,venus4         99       99       99    
99       99  ,antus was the son of      
,neptune and the ,earth4 ,all physical  
bulk and strength is of the earth and   
mortal4 ,when it loses this point       
d'appui it is weakness2 it cannot soar4 
,and so1 vice versa1 you can interpret  

this fable to the credit of the earth4  
99       99       99       99       99  
,they all provoked or challenged the    
gods1--,amphion1 ,apollo and ,diana1 and
 was killed by them2 ,thamyris1 the     
,muses1 who conquered him in music1 took
 away his eyesight and melodious voice1 
and broke his lyre4 ,marsyas took up the
 flute which ,minerva threw away1       
challenged ,apollo1 was flayed alive by 
him1 and his death mourned by ,fauns1   
,satyrs1 and ,dryads1 whose tears       
produced the river which bears his name4
         99       99       99       99  
99  ,the fable which is truly and       
naturally composed1 so as to please the 
imagination of a child1 harmonious      
though strange like a wild-flower1 is to
 the wise man an apothegm and admits his
 wisest interpretation4  ,when we read  
that ,bacchus made the ,tyrrhenian      
mariners mad1 so that they leaped into  
the sea1 mistaking it for a meadow full 
of flowers1 and so became dolphins1 we  
are not concerned about the historical  

truth of this1 but rather a higher1     
poetical truth4 ,we seem to hear the    
music of a thought1 and care not if our 
intellect be not gratified4#dbh         
99       99       99       99       99  
,the mythologies1 those vestiges of     
ancient poems1 the world's inheritance1 
still reflecting some of their original 
hues1 like the fragments of clouds      
tinted by the departed sun1 the wreck of
 poems1 a retrospect as of the loftiest 
fames1--what survives of oldest         
fame1--some fragment will still float   
into the latest summer day and ally this
 hour to the morning of creation4 ,these
 are the materials and hints for a      
history of the rise and progress of the 
race4 ,how from the condition of ants it
 arrived at the condition of men1 how   
arts were invented gradually1--let a    
thousand surmises shed some light on    
this story4 ,we will not be confined by 
historical1 even geological1 periods1   
which would allow us to doubt of a      
progress in human events4 ,if we rise   

above this wisdom for the day1 we shall 
expect that this morning of the race1 in
 which they have been supplied with the 
simplest necessaries1--with corn and    
wine and honey and oil and fire and     
articulate speech and agricultural and  
other arts1--reared up by degrees from  
the condition of ants to men1 will be   
succeeded by a day of equally           
progressive splendor2 that1 in the lapse
 of the divine periods1 other divine    
agents and godlike men will assist to   
elevate the race as much above its      
present condition4         99       99  
99       99       99  ,aristus found out
 honey and oil4 ,he obtained of ,jupiter
 and ,neptune1 that the pestilential    
heat of the dog-days1 wherein was great 
mortality1 should be mitigated with     
wind4#dbi   ,dec4 #ab4 ,friday4 ,the    
pond skimmed over on the night of this  
day1 excepting a strip from the bar to  
the northwest shore4 ,flint's ,pond has 
been frozen for some time4#dcj   ,dec4  
#af1 #ag1 #ah1 #ai1 #bj4 ,pond quite    

free from ice1 not yet having been      
frozen quite over4   ,dec4 #bc4         
,tuesday4 ,the pond froze over last     
night entirely for the first time1 yet  
so as not to be safe to walk upon4#dca  
99       99       99       99       99  
,i wish to say something to-night not of
 and concerning the ,chinese and        
,sandwich-,islanders1 but to and        
concerning you who hear me1 who are said
 to live in ,new ,england2 something    
about your condition1 especially your   
outward condition or circumstances in   
this world1 in this town2 what it is1   
whether it is necessarily as bad as it  
is1 whether it can't be improved as well
 as not4#dcb  ,it is generally admitted 
that some of you are poor1 find it hard 
to get a living1 haven't always         
something in your pockets1 haven't paid 
for all the dinners you've actually     
eaten1 or all your coats and shoes1 some
 of which are already worn out4 ,all    
this is very well known to all by       
hearsay and by experience4 ,it is very  

evident what a mean and sneaking life   
you live1 always in the hampers1 always 
on the limits1 trying to get into       
business and trying to get out of debt1 
a very ancient slough1 called by the    
,latins aes alienum1 another's          
brass1--some of their coins being made  
of brass1--and still so many living and 
dying and buried to-day by another's    
brass2 always promising to pay1         
promising to pay1 with interest1        
to-morrow perhaps1 and die to-day1      
insolvent2 seeking to curry favor1 to   
get custom1 lying1 flattering1 voting1  
contracting yourselves into a nutshell  
of civility or dilating into a world of 
thin and vaporous generosity1 that you  
may persuade your neighbor to let you   
make his shoes1 or his hat1 or his coat1
 or his carriage1 etc44#dcc         99  
99       99       99       99  ,there is
 a civilization going on among brutes as
 well as men4 ,foxes are forest dogs4 ,i
 hear one barking raggedly1 wildly1     
demoniacally in the darkness to-night1  

seeking expression1 laboring with some  
anxiety1 striving to be a dog outright  
that he may carelessly run in the       
street1 struggling for light4 ,he is but
 a faint man1 before pygmies2 an        
imperfect1 burrowing man4 ,he has come  
up near to my window1 attracted by the  
light1 and barked a vulpine curse at me1
 then retreated4#dcd         99       99
       99       99       99  ,reading   
suggested by ,hallam's ,history of      
,literature4  #a4 ,abelard and ,heloise4
  #b4 ,look at ,luigi ,pulci4 ,his      
,morgante ,maggiore1 published in #adha1
 was to the poetical romances of        
chivalry what ,don ,quixote was to their
 brethren in prose4  #c4 ,leonardo da   
,vinci4 ,the most remarkable of his     
writings still in manuscript4 ,for his  
universality of genius1 the first name  
of the fifteenth century4  #d4 ,read    
,boiardo's ,orlando ,innamorato1        
published between #adia and #aejj1 for  
its influence on ,ariosto and its       
intrinsic merits4 ,its sounding names   

repeated by ,milton in ,paradise        
,regained4         99       99       99 
99       99  ,landor's works are3--  ,a 
small volume of poems1 #agic1 out of    
print4  ,poems of ,gebir1 ,chrysaor1 the
 ,phoceans1 etc4 ,the ,gebir eulogized  
by ,southey and ,coleridge4  ,wrote     
verses in ,italian and ,latin4  ,the    
dramas ,andrea of ,hungary1 ,giovanna of
 ,naples1 and ,fra ,rupert4  ,pericles  
and ,aspasia4  ,poems from the ,arabic  
and ,persian1 #ahjj1 pretending to be   
translations4  ,a ,satire upon          
,satirists1 and ,admonition to          
,detractors1 printed #ahcf1 not         
published4  ,letters called ,high and   
,low ,life in ,italy4  ,imaginary       
,conversations4  ,pentameron and        
,pentalogia4  ,examination of ,william  
,shakspeare before ,sir ,thomas ,lucy1  
,knt41 touching ,deer-stealing4         
99       99       99       99       99  
,vide again ,richard's sail in ,richard 
,first and the ,abbot4#dce  ,phocion's  
remarks in conclusion of ,eschines and  

,phocion4  ,demosthenes and ,eubulides4 
,in ,milton and ,marvel1 speaking of the
 ,greek poets1 he says1 ,there is a sort
 of refreshing odor flying off it       
perpetually2 not enough to oppress or to
 satiate2 nothing is beaten or bruised2 
nothing smells of the stalk2 the flower 
itself is half-concealed by the ,genius 
of it hovering round4  ,pericles and    
,sophocles4  ,marcus ,tullius ,cicero   
and his brother ,quintus4 ,in this a    
sentence on ,sleep and ,death4  ,johnson
 and ,tooke1 for a criticism on words4  
99       99       99       99       99  
,it is worth the while to have lived a  
primitive wilderness life at some time1 
to know what are1 after all1 the        
necessaries of life and what methods    
society has taken to supply them4 ,i    
have looked over the old day-books of   
the merchants with the same view1--to   
see what it was shopmen bought4 ,they   
are the grossest groceries4#dcf ,salt is
 perhaps the most important article in  
such a list1 and most commonly bought at

 the stores1 of articles commonly       
thought to be necessaries1--salt1 sugar1
 molasses1 cloth1 etc41--by the farmer4 
,you will see why stores or shops exist1
 not to furnish tea and coffee1 but     
salt1 etc4 ,here's the rub1 then4  ,i   
see how ,i could supply myself with     
every other article which ,i need1      
without using the shops1 and to obtain  
this might be the fit occasion for a    
visit to the seashore4 ,yet even salt   
cannot strictly speaking be called a    
necessary of human life1 since many     
tribes do not use it4         99        
99       99       99       99  ,have you
 seen my hound1 sir8 ,i want to         
know6--what6 a lawyer's office8 law     
books8--if you've seen anything of a    
hound about here4 ,why1 what do you do  
here8 ,i live here4 ,no1 ,i haven't4    
,haven't you heard one in the woods     
anywhere8 ,oh1 yes1 ,i heard one this   
evening4 ,what do you do here8 ,but he  
was some way off4 ,which side did he    
seem to be8 ,well1 ,i should think he   

was the other side of the pond4 ,this is
 a large dog2 makes a large track4 ,he's
 been out hunting from ,lexington for a 
week4 ,how long have you lived here8    
,oh1 about a year4 ,somebody said there 
was a man up here had a camp in the     
woods somewhere1 and he'd got him4      
,well1 ,i don't know of anybody4        
,there's ,britton's camp over on the    
other road4 ,it may be there4 ,isn't    
there anybody in these woods8 ,yes1 they
 are chopping right up here behind me4  
,how far is it8 ,only a few steps4 ,hark
 a moment4 ,there1 don't you hear the   
sound of their axes8#dcg         99     
99       99       99       99  ,therien1
 the woodchopper1 was here yesterday1   
and while ,i was cutting wood1 some     
chickadees hopped near pecking the bark 
and chips and the potato-skins ,i had   
thrown out4 ,what do you call them1 he  
asked4 ,i told him4  ,what do you call  
them1 asked ,i4 ,mezezence81 ,i think he
 said4 ,when ,i eat my dinner in the    
woods1 said he1 sitting very still1     

having kindled a fire to warm my coffee1
 they come and light on my arm and peck 
at the potato in my fingers4 ,i like to 
have the little fellers about me4#dch   
,just then one flew up from the snow and
 perched on the wood ,i was holding in  
my arms1 and pecked it1 and looked me   
familiarly in the face4                 
,chicadee-dee-dee-dee-dee1 while others 
were whistling phebe1--phe-bee1--in the 
woods behind the house4#dci   ,march    
#bf1 #ahdf4 ,the change from foul       
weather to fair1 from dark1 sluggish    
hours to serene1 elastic ones1 is a     
memorable crisis which all things       
proclaim4 ,the change from foulness to  
serenity is instantaneous4 ,suddenly an 
influx of light1 though it was late1    
filled my room4 ,i looked out and saw   
that the pond was already calm and full 
of hope as on a summer evening1 though  
the ice was dissolved but yesterday4    
,there seemed to be some intelligence in
 the pond which responded to the unseen 
serenity in a distant horizon4 ,i heard 

a robin in the distance1--the first ,i  
had heard this spring1--repeating the   
assurance4 ,the green pitch pine        
suddenly looked brighter and more erect1
 as if now entirely washed and cleansed 
by the rain4 ,i knew it would not rain  
any more4 ,a serene summer-evening sky  
seemed darkly reflected in the pond1    
though the clear sky was nowhere visible
 overhead4 ,it was no longer the end of 
a season1 but the beginning4 ,the pines 
and shrub oaks1 which had before drooped
 and cowered the winter through with    
myself1 now recovered their several     
characters and in the landscape revived 
the expression of an immortal beauty4   
,trees seemed all at once to be fitly   
grouped1 to sustain new relations to men
 and to one another4 ,there was somewhat
 cosmical in the arrangement of nature4 
,o the evening robin1 at the close of a 
,new ,england day6 ,if ,i could ever    
find the twig he sits upon6 ,where does 
the minstrel really roost8 ,we perceive 
it is not the bird of the ornithologist 

that is heard1--the ,turdus migratorius4
  ,the signs of fair weather are seen in
 the bosom of ponds before they are     
recognized in the heavens4 ,it is easy  
to tell by looking at any twig of the   
forest whether its winter is past or    
not4#ddj  ,we forget how the sun looks  
on our fields1 as on the forests and the
 prairies1 as they reflect or absorb his
 rays4 ,it matters not whether we stand 
in ,italy or on the prairies of the     
,west1 in the eye of the sun the earth  
is all equally cultivated like a garden1
 and yields to the wave of an           
irresistible civilization4  ,this broad 
field1 which ,i have looked on so long1 
looks not to me as the farmer1 looks    
away from me to the sun1 and attends to 
the harmony of nature4 ,these beans have
 results which are not harvested in the 
autumn of the year4 ,they do not mind1  
if ,i harvest them1 who waters and makes
 them grow8 ,our grain-fields make part 
of a beautiful picture which the sun    
beholds in his daily course1 and it     

matters little comparatively whether    
they fill the barns of the husbandman4  
,the true husbandman will cease from    
anxiety and labor with every day1 and   
relinquish all claim to the produce of  
his fields4#dda  ,the avaricious man    
would fain plant by himself4  ,a flock  
of geese has just got in late1 now in   
the dark flying low over the pond4 ,they
 came on1 indulging at last like weary  
travellers in complaint and consolation1
 or like some creaking evening mail late
 lumbering in with regular anserine     
clangor4 ,i stood at my door and could  
hear their wings when they suddenly     
spied my light and1 ceasing their noise1
 wheeled to the east and apparently     
settled in the pond4#ddb   ,march #bg4  
,this morning ,i saw the geese from the 
door through the mist sailing about in  
the middle of the pond1 but when ,i went
 to the shore they rose and circled     
round like ducks over my head1 so that  
,i counted them1--twenty-nine4 ,i after 
saw thirteen ducks4#ddc     ,,viii      

#ahde-ahdg  7,t4 #bg-cj7   ,the small   
and much mutilated journal which begins 
here appears to belong to the ,walden   
period 7#ahde-dg71 but the entries are  
undated4   ,,the ,,hero#ddd             
,what doth he ask8              ,some   
worthy task1              ,never to run 
,till that be done1              ,that  
never done              ,under the sun4 
,here to begin              ,all things 
to win              ,by his endeavor    
,forever and ever4              ,happy  
and well              ,on this ground to
 dwell1              ,this soil subdue1 
,plant1 and renew4              ,by     
might and main              ,health and 
strength gain1              ,so to give 
nerve                      ,to his      
slenderness2              ,yet some     
mighty pain              ,he would      
sustain1              ,so to preserve   
,his tenderness4              ,not be   
deceived1              ,of suff'ring    
bereaved1              ,not lose his    
life              ,by living too well1  

,nor escape strife              ,in his 
lonely cell1              ,and so find  
out heaven              ,by not knowing 
hell4              ,strength like the   
rock              ,to withstand any     
shock1              ,yet some ,aaron's  
rod1              ,some smiting by ,god1
              ,occasion to gain         
,to shed human tears              ,and  
to entertain              ,still demonic
 fears4      ,not once for all1 forever1
 blest1      ,still to be cheered out of
 the west2      ,not from his heart to  
banish all sighs2      ,still be        
encouraged by the sunrise2      ,forever
 to love and to love and to love1       
,within him1 around him1 beneath him1   
above4      ,to love is to know1 is to  
feel1 is to be2      ,at once 'tis his  
birth and his destiny4                  
,having sold all1                       
,something would get1                   
,furnish his stall              ,with   
better yet1--              ,for earthly 
pleasures              ,celestial pains1

              ,heavenly losses          
,for earthly gains4              ,still 
to begin--unheard-of sin              ,a
 fallen angel--a risen man              
,never returns to where he began4       
,some childlike labor              ,here
 to perform1              ,some         
baby-house              ,to keep out the
 storm1              ,and make the sun  
laugh              ,while he doth warm1 
,and the moon cry              ,to think
 of her youth1              ,the months 
gone by1              ,and wintering    
truth4               ,how long to       
morning8              ,can any tell8    
,how long since the warning             
,on our ears fell8              ,the    
bridegroom cometh              ,know we 
not well8              ,are we not      
ready1              ,our packet made1   
,our hearts steady1              ,last  
words said8              ,must we still 
eat                      ,the bread we  
have spurned8              ,must we     
rekindle              ,the faggots we've

 burned8              ,must we go out   
,by the poor man's gate8                
,die by degrees1              ,not by   
new fate8              ,is there no road
              ,this way1 my friend8     
,is there no road              ,without 
any end8              ,have you not seen
              ,in ancient times         
,pilgrims go by here                    
,toward other climes1              ,with
 shining faces              ,youthful   
and strong              ,mounting this  
hill              ,with speech and with 
song8              ,oh1 my good sir1    
,i know not the ways2                   
,little my knowledge1                   
,though many my days4              ,when
 ,i have slumbered1              ,i have
 heard sounds              ,as          
travellers passing              ,over my
 grounds4              ',twas a sweet   
music              ,wafted them by2     
,i could not tell              ,if far  
off or nigh4                            
,unless ,i dreamed it1                  

,this was of yore1              ,but ,i 
never told it              ,to mortal   
before2              ,never remembered  
,but in my dreams              ,what to 
me waking              ,a miracle seems4
      ,if you will give of your pulse or
 your grain1      ,we will rekindle     
those flames again4      ,here will we  
tarry1 still without doubt1      ,till a
 miracle putteth that fire out4         
99       99       99       99       99  
,at midnight's hour ,i raised my head4  
,the owls were seeking for their bread2 
,the foxes barked1 impatient still      
,at their wan 8 fate they bear so ill4  
,i thought me of eternities delayed     
,and of commands but half obeyed4       
,the night wind rustled through the     
glade1      ,as if a force of men there 
staid2      ,the word was whispered     
through the ranks1      ,and every hero 
seized his lance4      ,the word was    
whispered through the ranks1            
,advance6  ,to live to a good old age   
such as the ancients reached1 serene and

 contented1 dignifying the life of man1 
leading a simple1 epic country life in  
these days of confusion and             
turmoil1--that is what ,wordsworth has  
done4 ,retaining the tastes and the     
innocence of his youth4 ,there is more  
wonderful talent1 but nothing so        
cheering and world-famous as this4  ,the
 life of man would seem to be going all 
to wrack and pieces1 and no instance of 
permanence and the ancient natural      
health1 notwithstanding ,burns1 and     
,coleridge1 and ,carlyle4 ,it will not  
do for men to die young2 the greatest   
genius does not die young4 ,whom the    
gods love most do indeed die young1 but 
not till their life is matured1 and     
their years are like those of the oak1  
for they are the products half of nature
 and half of ,god4 ,what should nature  
do without old men1 not children but    
men8  ,the life of men1 not to become a 
mockery and a jest1 should last a       
respectable term of years4 ,we cannot   
spare the age of those old ,greek       

,philosophers4 ,they live long who do   
not live for a near end1 who still      
forever look to the immeasurable future 
for their manhood4         99       99  
99       99       99  ,all dramas have  
but one scene4 ,there is but one stage  
for the peasant and for the actor1 and  
both on the farm and in the theatre the 
curtain rises to reveal the same        
majestic scenery4 ,the globe of earth is
 poised in space for his stage under the
 foundations of the theatre1 and the    
cope of heaven1 out of reach of the     
scene-shifter1 overarches it4 ,it is    
always to be remembered by the critic   
that all actions are to be regarded at  
last as performed from a distance upon  
some rood of earth and amid the         
operations of nature4  ,rabelais1 too1  
inhabited the soil of ,france in        
sunshine and shade in those years2 and  
his life was no farce after all4        
,i seek the present time1      ,no other
 clime1      ,life in to-day1--         
,not to sail another way1--      ,to    

,paris or to ,rome1      ,or farther    
still from home4      ,that man1 whoe'er
 he is1      ,lives but a moral death   
,whose life is not coeval      ,with his
 breath4      ,my feet forever stand    
,on ,concord fields1      ,and ,i must  
live the life      ,which their soil    
yields4      ,what are deeds done       
,away from home8      ,what the best    
essay      ,on the ,ruins of ,rome8     
,the love of the new1      ,the         
unfathomed blue1      ,the wind in the  
wood1      ,all future good1      ,the  
sunlit tree1      ,the small chickadee1 
,the dusty highways1      ,what         
,scripture says1      ,this pleasant    
weather1      ,and all else together1   
,the river's meander1      ,all things1 
in short1      ,forbid me to wander     
,in deed or in thought4      ,in cold or
 in drouth1      ,not seek the sunny    
,south1      ,but make my whole tour    
,in the sunny present hour4       ,for  
here if thou fail1      ,where can'st   
thou prevail8      ,if you love not     

,your own land most1      ,you'll find  
nothing lovely      ,on a distant coast4
      ,if you love not      ,the latest 
sunset1      ,what is there in pictures 
,or old gems set8      ,if no man should
 travel      ,till he had the means1    
,there'd be little travelling      ,for 
kings or for queens4      ,the means1   
what are they8      ,they are the       
wherewithal      ,great expenses to pay1
      ,life got1 and some to spare1     
,great works on hand1      ,and freedom 
from care1      ,plenty of time well    
spent      ,to use1      ,clothes paid  
for and no rent      ,in your shoes1    
,something to eat        ,and something 
to burn1      ,and above all no need to 
return4      ,then they who come back1  
,say1 have they not failed1             
,wherever they've ridden1      ,or      
steamed it1 or sailed8       ,all your  
grass hay'd1      ,all your debts paid1 
,all your wills made2      ,then you    
might as well have stay'd1      ,for are
 you not dead1      ,only not buried8   

,the way unto to-day1      ,the railroad
 to here1      ,they never'll grade that
 way      ,nor shorten it1 ,i fear4     
,there are plenty of depots      ,all   
the world o'er1      ,but not a single  
station      ,at a man's door4      ,if 
he would get near      ,to the secret of
 things1      ,he'll not have to hear   
,when the engine bell rings4            
,exaggeration6 was ever any virtue      
attributed to a man without             
exaggeration8 was ever any vice1 without
 infinite exaggeration8 ,do we not      
exaggerate ourselves to ourselves1 or do
 we often recognize ourselves for the   
actual men we are8 ,the lightning is an 
exaggeration of light4 ,we live by      
exaggeration4 ,exaggerated history is   
poetry1 and is truth referred to a new  
standard4 ,to a small man every greater 
one is an exaggeration4 ,no truth was   
ever expressed but with this sort of    
emphasis1 so that for the time there was
 no other truth4 ,the value of what is  
really valuable can never be            

exaggerated4 ,you must speak loud to    
those who are hard of hearing2 so you   
acquire a habit of speaking loud to     
those who are not4 ,in order to         
appreciate any1 even the humblest1 man1 
you must not only understand1 but you   
must first love him2 and there never was
 such an exaggerator as love4 ,who are  
we8 ,are we not all of us great men8    
,and yet what are we actually8 ,nothing1
 certainly1 to speak of4 ,by an immense 
exaggeration we appreciate our ,greek   
poetry and philosophy1 ,egyptian ruins1 
our ,shakespeares and ,miltons1 our     
liberty and ,christianity4 ,we give     
importance to this hour over all other  
hours4 ,we do not live by justice1 but  
by grace4#dde         99       99       
99       99       99  ,love never       
perjures itself1 nor is it mistaken4    
99       99       99       99       99  
,he is not the great writer1 who is     
afraid to let the world know that he    
ever committed an impropriety4 ,does it 
not know that all men are mortal8       

99       99       99       99       99  
,carlyle told ,r4 ,w4 ,e4 that he first 
discovered that he was not a jackass on 
reading ,tristram ,shandy and           
,rousseau's ,confessions1 especially the
 last4 ,his first essay is an article in
 ,fraser's ,magazine on two boys        
quarrelling4         99       99        
99       99       99  ,youth wants      
something to look up to1 to look forward
 to2 as the little boy who inquired of  
me the other day1 ,how long do those    
old-agers live8 and expressed the       
intention of compassing two hundred     
summers at least4 ,the old man who      
cobbles shoes without glasses at a      
hundred1 and cuts a handsome swath at a 
hundred and five1 is indispensable to   
give dignity and respectability to our  
life4         99       99       99      
99       99  ,from all points of the    
compass1 from the earth beneath and the 
heavens above1 have come these          
inspirations and been entered duly in   
the order of their arrival in the       

journal4 ,thereafter1 when the time     
arrived1 they were winnowed into        
lectures1 and again1 in due time1 from  
lectures into essays4 ,and at last they 
stand1 like the cubes of ,pythagoras1   
firmly on either basis2 like statues on 
their pedestals1 but the statues rarely 
take hold of hands4 ,there is only such 
connection and series as is attainable  
in the galleries4 ,and this affects     
their immediate practical and popular   
influence4         99       99       99 
99       99  ,carlyle1 we should say1   
more conspicuously than any other1      
though with little enough expressed or  
even conscious sympathy1 represents the 
,reformer class4 ,in him the universal  
plaint is most settled and serious4     
,until the thousand named and nameless  
grievances are righted1 there will be no
 repose for him in the lap of ,nature or
 the seclusion of science and           
literature4 ,and all the more for not   
being the visible acknowledged leader of
 any class4#ddf         99       99     

99       99       99  ,all places1 all  
positions--all things in short--are a   
medium happy or unhappy4 ,every realm   
has its centre1 and the nearer to that  
the better while you are in it4 ,even   
health is only the happiest of all      
mediums4 ,there may be excess1 or there 
may be deficiency2 in either case there 
is disease4 ,a man must only be virtuous
 enough4         99       99       99   
99       99  ,i had one neighbor within 
half a mile for a short time when ,i    
first went to the woods1 ,hugh ,quoil1  
an ,irishman who had been a soldier at  
,waterloo1 ,colonel ,quoil1 as he was   
called1--,i believe that he had killed a
 colonel and ridden off his horse1--who 
lived from hand--sometimes to           
mouth1--though it was commonly a glass  
of rum that the hand carried4 ,he and   
his wife awaited their fate together in 
an old ruin in ,walden woods4 ,what life
 he got--or what means of death--he got 
by ditching4  ,i never was much         
acquainted with ,hugh ,quoil1 though    

sometimes ,i met him in the path1 and   
now do believe that a solid shank-bone1 
and skull which no longer aches1 lie    
somewhere1 and can still be produced1   
which once with garment of flesh and    
broadcloth were called and hired to do  
work as ,hugh ,quoil4 ,he was a man of  
manners and gentlemanlike1 as one who   
had seen the world1 and was capable of  
more civil speech than you could well   
attend to4 ,at a distance he had        
seemingly a ruddy face as of biting     
,january1 but nearer at hand it was     
bright carmine4 ,it would have burnt    
your finger to touch his cheek4 ,he wore
 a straight-bodied snuff-colored coat   
which had long been familiar with him1  
and carried a turf-knife in his         
hand--instead of a sword4 ,he had fought
 on the ,english side before1 but he    
fought on the ,napoleon side now4       
,napoleon went to ,st4 ,helena2 ,hugh   
,quoil came to ,walden ,pond4 ,i heard  
that he used to tell travellers who     
inquired about myself that ---- and     

,thoreau owned the farm together1 but   
,thoreau lived on the place and carried 
it on4#ddg  ,he was thirstier than ,i1  
and drank more1 probably1 but not out of
 the pond4 ,that was never the lower for
 him4 ,perhaps ,i ate more than he4 ,the
 last time ,i met him1 the only time ,i 
spoke with him1 was at the foot of the  
hill on the highway as ,i was crossing  
to the spring one summer afternoon1 the 
pond water being too warm for me4 ,i was
 crossing the road with a pail in my    
hand1 when ,quoil came down the hill1   
wearing his snuff-colored coat1 as if it
 were winter1 and shaking with          
delirium-tremens4 ,i hailed him and told
 him that my errand was to get water at 
a spring close by1 only at the foot of  
the hill over the fence4 ,he answered1  
with stuttering and parched lips1       
bloodshot eye1 and staggering gesture1  
he'd like to see it4 ,follow me there1  
then4 ,but ,i had got my pail full and  
back before he scaled the fence4 ,and   
he1 drawing his coat about him1 to warm 

him1 or to cool him1 answered in        
delirium-tremens1 hydrophobia dialect1  
which is not easy to be written here1   
he'd heard of it1 but had never seen it2
 and so shivered his way along to       
town1--to liquor and to oblivion4  ,on  
,sundays1 brother ,irishmen and others1 
who had gone far astray from steady     
habits and the village1 crossed my      
bean-field with empty jugs toward       
,quoil's4 ,but what for8 ,did they sell 
rum there8 ,i asked4 ,respectable people
 they1 ,know no harm of them1 ,never    
heard that they drank too much1 was the 
answer of all wayfarers4 ,they went by  
sober1 stealthy1 silent1 skulking 7no   
harm to get elm bark ,sundays72 returned
 loquacious1 sociable1 having long      
intended to call on you4  ,at length one
 afternoon ,hugh ,quoil1 feeling better1
 perchance1 with snuff-colored coat1 as 
usual1 paced solitary and soldier-like1 
thinking of ,waterloo1 along the        
woodland road to the foot of the hill by
 the spring2 and there the ,fates met   

him1 and threw him down in his          
snuff-colored coat on the gravel1 and   
got ready to cut his thread2 but not    
till travellers passed1 who would raise 
him up1 get him perpendicular1 then     
settle1 settle quick2 but legs1 what are
 they8 ,lay me down1 says ,hugh         
hoarsely4 ,house locked up--key--in     
pocket--wife in town4 ,and the ,fates   
cut1 and there he lay by the wayside1   
five feet ten1 and looking taller than  
in life4  ,he has gone away2 his house  
here all tore to pieces4 ,what kind of  
fighting or ditching work he finds to do
 now1 how it fares with him1 whether his
 thirst is quenched1 whether there is   
still some semblance of that carmine    
cheek1 struggles still with some liquid 
demon--perchance on more equal          
terms--till he swallow him completely1  
,i cannot by any means learn4 ,what his 
salutation is now1 what his             
,january-morning face1 what he thinks of
 ,waterloo1 what start he has gained or 
lost1 what work still for the ditcher   

and forester and soldier now1 there is  
no evidence4 ,he was here1 the likes of 
him1 for a season1 standing light in his
 shoes like a faded gentleman1 with     
gesture almost learned in drawing-rooms2
 wore clothes1 hat1 shoes1 cut ditches1 
felled wood1 did farm work for various  
people1 kindled fires1 worked enough1   
ate enough1 drank too much4 ,he was one 
of those unnamed1 countless sects of    
philosophers who founded no school4     
,now that he was gone1 and his wife was 
gone too1--for she could not support the
 solitude1--before it was too late and  
the house was torn down1 ,i went over to
 make a call4 ,now that ,irishmen with  
jugs avoided the old house1 ,i visited  
it1--an unlucky castle now1 said they4  
,there lay his old clothes curled up by 
habit1 as if it were himself1 upon his  
raised plank bed4 ,his pipe lay broken  
on the hearth2 and scattered about were 
soiled cards--king of diamonds1 hearts1 
spades--on the floor4 ,one black        
chicken1 which they could not catch1    

still went to roost in the next         
apartment1 stepping silent over the     
floor1 frightened by the sound of its   
own wings1 black as night and as silent1
 too1 not even croaking2 awaiting       
,reynard1 its god actually dead4 ,there 
was the dim outline of a garden which   
had been planted1 but had never received
 its first hoeing1 now overrun with     
weeds1 with burs and cockles1 which     
stick to your clothes2 as if in the     
spring he had contemplated a harvest of 
corn and beans before that strange      
trembling of the limbs overtook him4    
,skin of woodchuck fresh-stretched1     
never to be cured1 met once in          
bean-field by the ,waterloo man with    
uplifted hoe2 no cap1 no mittens wanted4
 ,pipe on hearth no more to be lighted1 
best buried with him4#ddh         99    
99       99       99       99  ,no      
thirst for glory1 only for strong drink4
         99       99       99       99  
99  ,only the convalescent are conscious
 of the health of nature4         99    

99       99       99       99  ,in case 
of an embargo there will be found to be 
old clothes enough in everybody's garret
 to last till the millennium4 ,we are   
fond of news1 novelties1 new things4    
,the bank-bill that is torn in two will 
pass if you save the pieces1 if you have
 only got the essential piece with the  
signatures4 ,lowell and ,manchester and 
,fall ,river think you will let go their
 broadcloth currency when it is torn2   
but hold on1 have an eye to the         
signature about the back of it1 and     
endorse the man's name from whom you    
received it1 and they will be the first 
to fail and find nothing at all in their
 garrets4 ,every day our garments become
 more assimilated to the man that wears 
them1 more near and dear to us1 and not 
finally to be laid aside but with such  
delay and medical appliance and         
solemnity as our other mortal coil4#ddi 
,we know1 after all1 but few men1 a     
great many coats and breeches4 ,dress a 
scarecrow with your last shift1 you     

standing shiftless by1 who would not    
soonest address the scarecrow and salute
 it8#dej  ,king ,james loved his old    
shoes best4 ,who does not8 ,indeed these
 new clothes are often won and worn only
 after a most painful birth4 ,at first  
movable prisons1 oyster-shells which the
 tide only raises1 opens1 and shuts1    
washing in what scanty nutriment may be 
afloat4 ,how many men walk over the     
limits1 carrying their limits with them8
 ,in the stocks they stand1 not without 
gaze of multitudes1 only without rotten 
eggs1 in torturing boots1 the last wedge
 but one driven4 ,why should we be      
startled at death8 ,life is constant    
putting off of the mortal coil1--coat1  
cuticle1 flesh and bones1 all old       
clothes4  ,not till the prisoner has got
 some rents in his prison walls1        
possibility of egress without lock and  
key some day1--result of steel          
watch-spring rubbing on iron grate1 or  
whatever friction and wear and          
tear1--will he rest contented in his    

prison4  ,clothes brought in sewing1 a  
kind of work you may call endless4#dea  
,a man who has at length found out      
something important to do will not have 
to get a new suit to do it in4 ,for him 
the old will do1 lying dusty in the     
garret for an indefinite period4 ,old   
shoes will serve a hero longer than they
 have served his valet4 ,bare feet are  
the oldest of shoes1 and he can make    
them do4 ,only they who go to           
legislature and soires1--they must have 
new coats1 coats to turn as often as the
 man turns in them4 ,who ever saw his   
old shoes1 his old coat1 actually worn  
out1 returned to their original         
elements1 so that it was not a deed of  
charity to bestow them on some poorer   
boy1 and by him to be bestowed on some  
poorer still1 or shall we say on some   
richer who can do with less8#deb        
99       99       99       99       99  
,over eastward of my bean-field lived   
,cato ,ingraham1 slave1 born slave1     
perhaps1 of ,duncan ,ingraham1 ,esquire1

 gentleman1 of ,concord village1 who    
built him a house and gave him          
permission to live in ,walden ,woods1   
for which no doubt he was thanked2 and  
then1 on the northeast corner1 ,zilpha1 
colored woman of fame2 and down the     
road1 on the right hand1 ,brister1      
colored man1 on ,brister's ,hill1 where 
grow still those little wild apples he  
tended1 now large trees1 but still wild 
and ciderish to my taste2 and farther   
still you come to ,breed's location1 and
 again on the left1 by well and         
roadside1 ,nutting lived4 ,farther up   
the road1 at the pond's end1 ,wyman1 the
 potter1 who furnished his townsmen with
 earthenware1--the squatter4#dec  ,now  
only a dent in the earth marks the site 
of most of these human dwellings2       
sometimes the well-dent where a spring  
oozed1 now dry and tearless grass1 or   
covered deep1--not to be discovered till
 late days by accident1--with a flat    
stone under the sod4 ,these dents1 like 
deserted fox-burrows1 old holes1 where  

once was the stir and bustle of human   
life overhead1 and man's destiny1 fate1 
free-will1 foreknowledge absolute1 were 
all by turns discussed4  ,still grows   
the vivacious lilac for a generation    
after the last vestige else is gone1    
unfolding still its early sweet-scented 
blossoms in the spring1 to be plucked   
only by the musing traveller2 planted1  
tended1 weeded 81 watered by children's 
hands in front-yard plot1--now by       
wall-side in retired pasture1 or giving 
place to a new rising forest4 ,the last 
of that stirp1 sole survivor of that    
family4 ,little did the dark children   
think that that weak slip with its two  
eyes which they watered would root      
itself so1 and outlive them1 and house  
in the rear that shaded it1 and grown   
man's garden and field1 and tell their  
story to the retired wanderer a         
half-century after they were no         
more1--blossoming as fair1 smelling as  
sweet1 as in that first spring4 ,its    
still cheerful1 tender1 civil lilac     

colors4#ded  ,the woodland road1 though 
once more dark and shut in by the       
forest1 resounded with the laugh and    
gossip of inhabitants1 and was notched  
and dotted here and there with their    
little dwellings4 ,though now but a     
humble rapid passage to neighboring     
villages or for the woodman's team1 it  
once delayed the traveller longer1 and  
was a lesser village in itself4#dee     
,you still hear from time to time the   
whinnering of the raccoon1 still living 
as of old in hollow trees1 washing its  
food before it eats it4 ,the red fox    
barks at night4 ,the loon comes in the  
fall to sail and bathe in the pond1     
making the woods ring with its wild     
laughter in the early morning1 at rumor 
of whose arrival all ,concord sportsmen 
are on the alert1 in gigs1 on foot1 two 
by two1 three by three1 with patent     
rifles1 patches1 conical balls1         
spy-glass or open hole over the barrel4 
,they seem already to hear the loon     
laugh2 come rustling through the woods  

like ,october leaves1 these on this     
side1 those on that1 for the poor loon  
cannot be omnipresent2 if he dive here1 
must come up somewhere4 ,the ,october   
wind rises1 rustling the leaves1        
ruffling the pond water1 so that no loon
 can be seen rippling the surface4 ,our 
sportsmen scour1 sweep the pond with    
spy-glass in vain1 making the woods ring
 with rude 8 charges of powder1 for the 
loon went off in that morning rain with 
one loud1 long1 hearty laugh1 and our   
sportsmen must beat a retreat to town   
and stable and daily routine1 shop work1
 unfinished jobs again4#def  ,or in the 
gray dawn the sleeper hears the long    
ducking gun explode over toward ,goose  
,pond1 and1 hastening to the door1 sees 
the remnant of a flock1 black duck or   
teal1 go whistling by with outstretched 
neck1 with broken ranks1 but in ranger  
order4 ,and the silent hunter emerges   
into the carriage road with ruffled     
feathers at his belt1 from the dark     
pond-side where he has lain in his bower

 since the stars went out4  ,and for a  
week you hear the circling clamor1      
clangor1 of some solitary goose through 
the fog1 seeking its mate1 peopling the 
woods with a larger life than they can  
hold4#deg  ,for hours in fall days you  
shall watch the ducks cunningly tack and
 veer and hold the middle of the pond1  
far from the sportsman on the           
shore1--tricks they have learned and    
practiced in far ,canada lakes or in    
,louisiana bayous4#deh  ,the waves rise 
and dash1 taking sides with all         
waterfowl4#dei         99       99      
99       99       99  ,then in dark     
winter mornings1 in short winter        
afternoons1 the pack of hounds1         
threading all woods with hounding cry   
and yelp1 unable to resist the instinct 
of the chase1 and note of hunting-horn  
at intervals1 showing that man too is in
 the rear4 ,and the woods ring again1   
and yet no fox bursts forth on to the   
open level of the pond1 and no following
 pack after their ,acton4#dfj         99

       99       99       99       99    
,but this small village1 germ of        
something more1 why did it fail while   
,concord grows apace8 ,no natural       
advantages1 no water privilege1 only the
 deep ,walden ,pond and cool ,brister's 
,spring1--privileges to drink long1     
healthy1 pure draughts1 alas1 all       
unimproved by those men but to dilute   
their glass4 ,might not the             
basket-making1 stable-broom1 mat-making1
 corn-parching1 potters' business have  
thrived here1 making the wilderness to  
blossom as the rose8 ,now1 all too late 
for commerce1 this waste1 depopulated   
district has its railroad too4 ,and     
transmitted the names of unborn         
,bristers1 ,catos1 ,hildas1#dfa ,zilphas
 to a remote and grateful posterity4    
,again ,nature will try1 with me for a  
first settler1 and my house raised last 
spring to be the oldest in the          
settlement4  ,the sterile soil would    
have been proof against any lowland     
degeneracy4#dfb  ,farmers far and near  

call it the paradise of beans4  ,and    
here1 too1 on winter days1 while yet is 
cold ,january1 and snow and ice lie     
thick1 comes the prudent1 foreseeing    
landlord or housekeeper 7anticipating   
thirst7 from the village1 to get ice to 
cool his summer drink1--a grateful      
beverage if he should live1 if time     
should endure so long4 ,how few so wise1
 so industrious1 to lay up treasures    
which neither rust nor melt1 to cool    
their summer drink one day6  ,and cut   
off the solid pond1 the element and air 
of fishes1 held fast with chain and     
stake like corded wood1 all through     
favoring1 willing1 kind1 permitting     
winter air to wintery cellar1 to        
underlie the summer there4 ,and cut and 
saw the cream of the pond1 unroof the   
house of fishes4#dfc  ,and in early     
mornings come men with fishing-reels and
 slender lunch1 men of real faith1 and  
let down their fine lines and live      
minnows through the snowy field to hook 
the pickerel and perch4#dfd         99  

99       99       99       99  ,with    
buried well-stones1 and strawberries1   
raspberries1 thimble-berries growing on 
the sunny sward there2 some pitchy pine 
or gnarled oak in the chimney-nook1 or  
the sweet-scented black birch where the 
doorstone was4#dfe  ,breed's1--history  
must not yet tell the tragedies enacted 
there4 ,let time intervene to assuage   
and lend an azure atmospheric tint to   
them4#dff         99       99       99  
99       99  ,there is something        
pathetic in the sedentary life of men   
who have travelled4 ,they must naturally
 die when they leave the road4  ,what   
seems so fair and poetic in             
antiquity--almost fabulous--is realized1
 too1 in ,concord life4 ,as poets and   
historians brought their work to the    
,grecian games1 and genius wrestled     
there as well as strength of body1 so   
have we seen works of kindred genius    
read at our ,concord games1 by their    
author1 in their own ,concord           
amphitheatre4 ,it is virtually repeated 

by all ages and nations4#dfg         99 
99       99       99       99  ,moles   
nesting in your cellar and nibbling     
every third potato4#dfh ,a whole        
rabbit-warren only separated from you by
 the flooring4 ,to be saluted when you  
stir in the dawn by the hasty departure 
of ,monsieur1--thump1 thump1 thump1     
striking his head against the           
floor-timbers4#dfi ,squirrels and field 
mice that hold to a community of        
property in your stock of chestnuts4    
,the blue jays suffered few chestnuts to
 reach the ground1 resorting to your    
single tree in flocks in the early      
morning1 and picking them out of the    
burs at a great advantage4  ,the crop of
 blackberries small2 berries not yet    
grown4 ,ground-nuts not dug4         99 
99       99       99       99  ,one     
wonders how so much1 after all1 was     
expressed in the old way1 so much here  
depends upon the emphasis1 tone1        
pronunciation1 style1 and spirit of the 
reading4 ,no writer uses so profusely   

all the aids to intelligibility which   
the printer's art affords4 ,you wonder  
how others had contrived to write so    
many pages without emphatic1 italicized 
words1 they are so expressive1 so       
natural and indispensable1 here4 ,as if 
none had ever used the demonstrative    
pronoun demonstratively4 ,in another's  
sentences the thought1 though immortal1 
is1 as it were1 embalmed and does not   
strike you1 but here it is so freshly   
living1 not purified by the ordeal of   
death1 that it stirs in the very        
extremities1 the smallest particles and 
pronouns are all alive with it4--,you   
must not say it1 but it4 ,it is not     
simple it1 your it or mine1 but it4 ,his
 books are solid1 workmanlike1 like all 
that ,england does4 ,they tell of       
endless labor done1 well done1 and all  
the rubbish swept away1 like this bright
 cutlery which glitters in the windows1 
while the coke and ashes1 turnings1     
filings1 borings1 dust lie far away at  
,birmingham1 unheard of4 ,the words did 

not come at the command of grammar but  
of a tyrannous1 inexorable meaning2 not 
like the standing soldiers1 by vote of  
,parliament1 but any able-bodied        
countryman pressed into the service4 ,it
 is no ,china war1 but a revolution4    
,this style is worth attending to as one
 of the most important features of the  
man that we at this distance know4#dgj  
99       99       99       99       99  
,what are the men of ,new ,england      
about8 ,i have travelled some in ,new   
,england1 especially in ,concord1 and ,i
 found that no enterprise was on foot   
which it would not disgrace a man to    
take part in4 ,they seemed to be        
employed everywhere in shops and offices
 and fields4 ,they seemed1 like the     
,brahmins of the ,east1 to be doing     
penance in a thousand curious1          
unheard-of ways1 their endurance        
surpassing anything ,i had ever seen or 
heard of1--,simeon ,stylites1 ,brahmins 
looking in the face of the sun1 standing
 on one leg1 dwelling at the roots of   

trees1 nothing to it2 any of the twelve 
labors of ,hercules to be matched1--the 
,nemean lion1 ,lernan hydra1 nan stag1  
,erymanthian boar1 ,augean stables1     
,stymphalian birds1 ,cretan bull1       
,diomedes' mares1 ,amazonian girdle1    
monster ,geryon1 ,hesperian apples1     
three-headed ,cerberus1 nothing at all  
in comparison1 being only twelve and    
having an end4 ,for ,i could never see  
that these men ever slew or captured any
 of their monsters1 or finished any of  
their labors4 ,they have no friend      
,iolaus to burn1 with a hot iron1 the   
root of the hydra's head2 for as soon as
 one head is crushed1 two spring up4#dga
  ,men labor under a mistake2 they are  
laying up treasures which moth and rust 
will corrupt and thieves break through  
and steal4 ,northern ,slavery1 or the   
slavery which includes the ,southern1   
,eastern1 ,western1 and all others4#dgb 
,it is hard to have a ,southern         
overseer2 it is worse to have a         
,northern one2 but worst of all when you

 are yourself the slave-driver4 ,look at
 the lonely teamster on the highway1    
wending to market by day or night2 is he
 a son of the morning1 with somewhat of 
divinity in him1 fearless because       
immortal1 going to receive his          
birthright1 greeting the sun as his     
fellow1 bounding with youthful1 gigantic
 strength over his mother earth8 ,see   
how he cowers and sneaks1 how vaguely1  
indefinitely all the day he fears1 not  
being immortal1 not divine1 the slave   
and prisoner of his own opinion of      
himself1 fame which he has earned by his
 own deeds4 ,public opinion is a weak   
tyrant compared with private opinion4   
,what ,i think of myself1 that          
determines my fate4#dgc  ,i see young   
men1 my equals1 who have inherited from 
their spiritual father a soul1--broad1  
fertile1 uncultivated1--from their      
earthly father a farm1--with cattle and 
barns and farming tools1 the implements 
of the picklock and the counterfeiter4  
,better if they had been born in the    

open pasture and suckled by a wolf1 or  
perhaps cradled in a manger1 that they  
might have seen with clear eye what was 
the field they were called to labor in4 
,the young man has got to live a man's  
life1 then1 in this world1 pushing all  
these things before him1 and get on as  
well as he can4 ,how many a poor        
immortal soul ,i have met1 well-nigh    
crushed and smothered1 creeping slowly  
down the road of life1 pushing before it
 a barn seventy-five by forty feet and  
one hundred acres of land1--tillage1    
pasture1 wood-lot6 ,this dull1 opaque   
garment of the flesh is load enough for 
the strongest spirit1 but with such an  
earthly garment superadded the spiritual
 life is soon plowed into the soil for  
compost4 ,it's a fool's life1 as they   
will all find when they get to the end  
of it4 ,the man that goes on            
accumulating property when the bare     
necessaries of life are cared for is a  
fool and knows better4#dgd  ,there is a 
stronger desire to be respectable to    

one's neighbors than to one's self4     
,however1 such distinctions as poet1    
philosopher1 literary man1 etc41 do not 
much assist our final estimate4 ,we do  
not lay much stress on them2 a man's a  
man for a' that4 ,any writer who        
interests us much is all and more than  
these4  ,it is not simple dictionary    
it4#dge  ,talent at making books solid1 
workmanlike1 graceful1 which may be     
read4#dgf  ,some idyllic chapter or     
chapters are needed4  ,in the ,french   
,revolution are ,mirabeau1 king of men2 
,danton1 ,titan of the ,revolution2     
,camille ,desmoulins1 poetic editor2    
,roland1 heroic woman2 ,dumouriez1 first
 efficient general3 on the other side1  
,marat1 friend of the people2           
,robespierre2 ,tinville1 infernal judge2
 ,st4 ,just2 etc41 etc4         99      
99       99       99       99  ,nutting 
and ,le ,gros by the wall-side4 ,the    
,stratten house and barn where the      
orchard covered all the slope of        
,brister's ,hill1--now killed out by the

 pines4  ,brister ,freeman1 a handy     
negro1 slave once of ,squire ,cummings  
7871 and ,fenda1 his hospitable1        
pleasant wife1 large1 round1 black1 who 
told fortunes1 blacker than all the     
children of night1 such a dusky orb as  
had never risen on ,concord before4     
,zilpha's little house where she was    
spinning linen1 making the ,walden woods
 ring with her shrill singing1--a loud1 
shrill1 remarkable voice1--when once she
 was away to town1 set on fire by       
,english soldiers on parole1 in the last
 war1 and cat and dog and hens all      
burned up4 ,boiling her witch's dinner1 
and heard muttering to herself over the 
gurgling pot by silent traveller1 ,ye   
are all bones1 bones4  ,and ,cato1 the  
,guinea negro1--his house and little    
patch among the walnuts1--who let the   
trees grow up till he should be old1 and
 ,richardson got them4  ,where ,breed's 
house stood tradition says a tavern once
 stood1 the well the same1 and all a    
swamp between the woods and town1 and   

road made on logs4#dgg         99       
99       99       99       99  ,bread ,i
 made pretty well for awhile1 while ,i  
remembered the rules2 for ,i studied    
this out methodically1 going clear back 
to the primitive days and first         
invention of the unleavened kind1 and   
coming gradually down through that lucky
 accidental souring of the dough which  
taught men the leavening process1 and   
all the various fermentations           
thereafter1 till you get to good1 sweet1
 wholesome bread1 the staff of life4 ,i 
went on very well1 mixing rye and flour 
and ,indian and potato with success1    
till one morning ,i had forgotten the   
rules1 and thereafter scalded the       
yeast1--killed it out1--and so1 after   
the lapse of a month1 was glad after all
 to learn that such palatable staff of  
life could be made out of the dead and  
scalt creature and risings that lay     
flat4  ,i have hardly met with the      
housewife who has gone so far with this 
mystery4 ,for all the farmers' wives    

pause at yeast4 ,given this and they can
 make bread4 ,it is the axiom of the    
argument4 ,what it is1 where it came    
from1 in what era bestowed on man1 is   
wrapped in mystery4 ,it is preserved    
religiously1 like the vestal fire1 and  
its virtue is not yet run out4 ,some    
precious bottleful1 first brought over  
in the ,mayflower1 did the business for 
,america1 and its influence is still    
rising1 swelling1 spreading like        
,atlantic billows over the land1--the   
soul of bread1 the spiritus1 occupying  
its cellular tissue4#dgh         99     
99       99       99       99  ,the way 
to compare men is to compare their      
respective ideals4 ,the actual man is   
too complex to deal with4  ,carlyle is  
an earnest1 honest1 heroic worker as    
literary man and sympathizing brother of
 his race4  ,idealize a man1 and your   
notion takes distinctness at once4      
,carlyle's talent is perhaps quite equal
 to his genius4#dgi  ,striving 8 to live
 in reality1--not a general critic1     

philosopher1 or poet4  ,wordsworth1 with
 very feeble talent1 has not so great   
and admirable as unquestionable and     
persevering genius4  ,heroism1 heroism  
is his word1--his thing4  ,he would     
realize a brave and adequate human life1
 and die hopefully at last4         99  
99       99       99       99  ,emerson 
again is a critic1 poet1 philosopher1   
with talent not so conspicuous1 not so  
adequate to his task2 but his field is  
still higher1 his task more arduous4    
,lives a far more intense life2 seeks to
 realize a divine life2 his affections  
and intellect equally developed4 ,has   
advanced farther1 and a new heaven opens
 to him4 ,love and ,friendship1         
,religion1 ,poetry1 the ,holy are       
familiar to him4 ,the life of an        
,artist2 more variegated1 more          
observing1 finer perception2 not so     
robust1 elastic2 practical enough in his
 own field2 faithful1 a judge of men4   
,there is no such general critic of men 
and things1 no such trustworthy and     

faithful man4 ,more of the divine       
realized in him than in any4 ,a poetic  
critic1 reserving the unqualified nouns 
for the gods4         99       99       
99       99       99  ,alcott is a      
geometer1 a visionary1 the ,laplace of  
ethics1 more intellect1 less of the     
affections1 sight beyond talents1 a     
substratum of practical skill and       
knowledge unquestionable1 but overlaid  
and concealed by a faith in the unseen  
and impracticable4 ,seeks to realize an 
entire life2 a catholic observer2       
habitually takes in the farthest star   
and nebula into his scheme4 ,will be the
 last man to be disappointed as the ages
 revolve4 ,his attitude is one of       
greater faith and expectation than that 
of any man ,i know2 with little to show2
 with undue share1 for a philosopher1 of
 the weaknesses of humanity4 ,the most  
hospitable intellect1 embracing high and
 low4 ,for children how much that means1
 for the insane and vagabond1 for the   
poet and scholar6#dhj         99        

99       99       99       99  ,emerson 
has special talents unequalled4 ,the    
divine in man has had no more easy1     
methodically distinct expression4 ,his  
personal influence upon young persons   
greater than any man's4 ,in his world   
every man would be a poet1 ,love would  
reign1 ,beauty would take place1 ,man   
and ,nature would harmonize4         99 
99       99       99       99  ,when    
,alcott's day comes1 laws unsuspected by
 most will take effect1#dha the system  
will crystallize according to them1 all 
seals and falsehood will slough off1    
everything will be in its place4   ,feb4
 #bb no year4 ,jean ,lapin sat at my    
door to-day1 three paces from me1 at    
first trembling with fear1 yet unwilling
 to move2 a poor1 wee thing1 lean and   
bony1 with ragged ears and sharp nose1  
scant tail and slender paws4 ,it looked 
as if nature no longer contained the    
breed of nobler bloods1 the earth stood 
on its last legs4 ,is nature1 too1      
unsound at last8 ,i took two steps1 and 

lo1 away he scud with elastic spring    
over the snowy crust into the bushes1 a 
free creature of the forest1 still wild 
and fleet2 and such then was his nature1
 and his motion asserted its vigor and  
dignity4 ,its large eye looked at first 
young and diseased1 almost dropsical1   
unhealthy4 ,but it bounded free1 the    
venison1 straightening its body and its 
limbs into graceful length1 and soon put
 the forest between me and itself4#dhb  
99       99       99       99       99  
,emerson does not consider things in    
respect to their essential utility1 but 
an important partial and relative one1  
as works of art perhaps4 ,his probes    
pass one side of their centre of        
gravity4 ,his exaggeration is of a part1
 not of the whole4         99       99  
99       99       99  ,how many an      
afternoon has been stolen from more     
profitable1 if not more attractive1     
industry1--afternoons when a good run of
 custom might have been expected on the 
main street1 such as tempt the ladies   

out a-shopping1--spent1 ,i say1 by me   
away in the meadows1 in the well-nigh   
hopeless attempt to set the river on    
fire or be set on fire by it1 with such 
tinder as ,i had1 with such flint as ,i 
was4 ,trying at least to make it flow   
with milk and honey1 as ,i had heard of1
 or liquid gold1 and drown myself       
without getting wet1--a laudable        
enterprise1 though ,i have not much to  
show for it4  ,so many autumn days spent
 outside the town1 trying to hear what  
was in the wind1 to hear it and carry it
 express4 ,i well-nigh sunk all my      
capital in it1 and lost my own breath   
into the bargain1 by running in the face
 of it4 ,depend upon it1 if it had      
concerned either of the parties1 it     
would have appeared in the yeoman's     
gazette1 the ,freeman1 with other       
earliest intelligence4  ,for many years 
,i was self-appointed inspector of      
snow-storms and rain-storms1 and did my 
duty faithfully1 though ,i never        
received one cent for it4  ,surveyor1 if

 not of higher ways1 then of forest     
paths and all across-lot routes1 keeping
 many open ravines bridged and passable 
at all seasons1 where the public heel   
had testified to the importance of the  
same1 all not only without charge1 but  
even at considerable risk and           
inconvenience4 ,many a mower would have 
forborne to complain had he been aware  
of the invisible public good that was in
 jeopardy4  ,so ,i went on1 ,i may say  
without boasting1 ,i trust1 faithfully  
minding my business without a partner1  
till it became more and more evident    
that my townsmen would not1 after all1  
admit me into the list of town officers1
 nor make the place a sinecure with     
moderate allowance4  ,i have looked     
after the wild stock of the town1 which 
pastures in common1 and every one knows 
that these cattle give you a good deal  
of trouble in the way of leaping fences4
 ,i have counted and registered all the 
eggs ,i could find at least1 and have   
had an eye to all nooks and corners of  

the farm1 though ,i didn't always know  
whether ,jonas or ,solomon worked in a  
particular field to-day2 that was none  
of my business4 ,i only knew him for one
 of the men1 and trusted that he was as 
well employed as ,i was4 ,i had to make 
my daily entries in the general farm    
book1 and my duties may sometimes have  
made me a little stubborn and           
unyielding4  ,many a day spent on the   
hilltops waiting for the sky to fall1   
that ,i might catch something1 though ,i
 never caught much1 only a little1      
manna-wise1 that would dissolve again in
 the sun4  ,my accounts1 indeed1 which  
,i can swear to have been faithfully    
kept1 ,i have never got audited1 still  
less accepted1 still less paid and      
settled4 ,however1 ,i haven't set my    
heart upon that4  ,i have watered the   
red huckleberry and the sand cherry and 
the hoopwood 8 tree1 and the cornel and 
spoonhunt and yellow violet1 which might
 have withered else in dry seasons4 ,the
 white grape4  ,to find the bottom of   

,walden ,pond1 and what inlet and outlet
 it might have4         99       99     
99       99       99  ,i found at length
 that1 as they were not likely to offer 
me any office in the court-house1 any   
curacy or living anywhere else1 ,i must 
shift for myself1 ,i must furnish myself
 with the necessaries of life4  ,now    
watching from the observatory of the    
,cliffs or ,annursnack to telegraph any 
new arrival1 to see if ,wachusett1      
,watatic1 or ,monadnock had got any     
nearer4 ,climbing trees for the same    
purpose4 ,i have been reporter for many 
years to one of the journals of no very 
wide circulation1 and1 as is too common1
 got only my pains for my labor4        
,literary contracts are little          
binding4#dhc  ,the unlimited anxiety1   
strain1 and care of some persons is one 
very incurable form of disease4 ,simple 
arithmetic might have corrected it2 for 
the life of every man has1 after all1 an
 epic integrity1 and ,nature adapts     
herself to our weaknesses and           

deficiencies as well as talents4  ,no   
doubt it is indispensable that we should
 do our work between sun and sun1 but   
only a wise man will know what that is4 
,and yet how much work will be left     
undone1 put off to the next day1 and yet
 the system goes on6  ,we presume       
commonly to take care of ourselves1 and 
trust as little as possible4 ,vigilant  
more or less all our days1 we say our   
prayers at night and commit ourselves to
 uncertainties1 as if in our very days  
and most vigilant moments the great part
 were not a necessary trust still4#dhd  
,how serenity1 anxiety1 confidence1 fear
 paint the heavens for us4  ,all the    
laws of nature will bend and adapt      
themselves to the least motion of man4  
,all change is a miracle to contemplate1
 but it is a miracle which is taking    
place unobserved every instant2 when all
 is ready it takes place1 and only a    
miracle could stay it4  ,we are         
compelled to live so thoroughly and     
sincerely1 reflecting on our steps1     

reverencing our life1 that we never make
 allowance for the possible changes4    
,we may waive just so much care of      
ourselves as we devote of care          
elsewhere4#dhe     ,,ix  #ahcg-ahdg     
7,t4 #bj-cj7  ,this chapter consists of 
paragraphs 7chiefly undated7 taken from 
a large commonplace-book containing     
transcripts from earlier journals4      
,thoreau drew largely from this book in 
writing the ,week1 and to a less extent 
in writing ,walden4 ,passages used in   
these volumes 7as far as noted71 and    
those duplicating earlier journal       
entries already printed in the preceding
 pages1 have been omitted4 ,all the     
matter in the book appears to have been 
written before #ahdg4        ,i was born
 upon thy bank1 river1      ,my blood   
flows in thy stream1      ,and thou     
meanderest forever      ,at the bottom  
of my dream4  ,this great but silent    
traveller which had been so long moving 
past my door at three miles an          
hour1--might ,i not trust myself under  

its escort8         99       99       99
       99       99  ,in friendship we   
worship moral beauty without the        
formality of religion4         99       
99       99       99       99  ,consider
 how much the sun and the summer1 the   
buds of spring and the sered leaves of  
autumn1 are related to the cabins of the
 settlers which we discover on the      
shore1--how all the rays which paint the
 landscape radiate from them4 ,the      
flight of the crow and the gyrations of 
the hawk have reference to their roofs4 
99       99       99       99       99  
,friends do not interchange their common
 wealth1 but each puts his finger into  
the private coffer of the other4 ,they  
will be most familiar1 they will be most
 unfamiliar1 for they will be so one and
 single that common themes will not have
 to be bandied between them1 but in     
silence they will digest them as one    
mind2 but they will at the same time be 
so two and double that each will be to  
the other as admirable and as           

inaccessible as a star4 ,he will view   
him as it were through optic glass1--at 
evening from the top of ,fesol4 ,and    
after the longest earthly period1 he    
will still be in apogee to him4         
99       99       99       99       99  
,it the boat had been loaded at the door
 the evening before1 half a mile from   
the river1 and provided with wheels     
against emergencies1 but1 with the bulky
 cargo which we stevedores had stowed in
 it1 it proved but an indifferent land  
carriage4 ,for water and water-casks    
there was a plentiful supply of         
muskmelons from our patch1 which had    
just begun to be ripe1 and chests and   
spare spars and sails and tent and guns 
and munitions for the galleon4 ,and as  
we pushed it through the meadows to the 
river's bank1 we stepped as lightly     
about it as if a portion of our own bulk
 and burden was stored in its hold4 ,we 
were amazed to find ourselves outside   
still1 with scarcely independent force  
enough to push or pull effectually4     

,the robin is seen flying directly and  
high in the air at this season1         
especially over rivers1 where in the    
morning they are constantly passing and 
repassing in company with the blackbird4
         99       99       99       99  
99  ,i have never insisted enough on the
 nakedness and simplicity of friendship1
 the result of all emotions1 their      
subsidence1 a fruit of the temperate    
zone4 ,the friend is an unrelated man1  
solitary and of distinct outline4       
99       99       99       99       99  
,must not our whole lives go            
unexplained1 without regard to us1      
notwithstanding a few flourishes of     
ours1 which themselves need explanation8
         99       99       99       99  
99  ,yet a friend does not afford us    
cheap contrasts or encounters4 ,he      
forbears to ask explanations1 but doubts
 and surmises with full faith1 as we    
silently ponder our fates4 ,he is vested
 with full powers1 plenipotentiary1 all 
in all4         99       99       99    

99       99  ,plato gives science       
sublime counsels1 directs her toward the
 regions of the ideal2 ,aristotle gives 
her positive and severe laws1 and       
directs her toward a practical          
end4--,,degerando4         99       99  
99       99       99  ,all day the dark 
blue outline of ,crotched mountain in   
,goffstown skirted the horizon4 ,we took
 pleasure in beholding its outline1     
because at this distance our vision     
could so easily grasp the design of the 
founder4 ,it was a pretty victory to    
conquer the distance and dimensions so  
easily with our eyes1 which it would    
take our feet so long to traverse4      
99       99       99       99       99  
,notwithstanding the unexplained mystery
 of nature1 man still pursues his       
studies with confidence1 ever ready to  
grasp the secret1 as if the truth were  
only contained1 not withheld2 as one of 
the three circles on the cocoanut is    
always so soft that it may be pierced   
with a thorn1 and the traveller is      

grateful for the thick shell which held 
the liquor so faithfully4         99    
99       99       99       99           
,gracefulness is undulatory like these  
waves1 and perhaps the sailor acquires a
 superior suppleness and grace through  
the planks of his ship from the element 
on which he lives4         99       99  
99       99       99  ,the song sparrow1
 whose voice is one of the first heard  
in the spring1 sings occasionally       
throughout the season1 from a greater   
depth in the summer1 as it were behind  
the notes of other birds4         99    
99       99       99       99  ,as the  
temperature and density of the          
atmosphere1 so the aspects of our life  
vary4  ,in this bright and chaste light 
the world seemed like a pavilion made   
for holidays and washed in light4 ,the  
ocean was a summer's lake1 and the land 
a smooth lawn for disport1 while in the 
horizon the sunshine seemed to fall on  
walled towns and villas1 and the course 
of our lives was seen winding on like a 

country road over the plain4#dhf        
99       99       99       99       99  
,when we looked out from under our tent1
 the trees were seen dimly through the  
mist1 and a cool dew hung upon the      
grass1 and in the damp air we seemed to 
inhale a solid fragrance4         99    
99       99       99       99           
,communicating with the villas and hills
 and forests on either hand1 by the     
glances we sent them1 or the echoes we  
awakened4 ,we glanced up many a pleasant
 ravine with its farmhouse in the       
distance1 where some contributory stream
 came in2 again the site of a sawmill   
and a few forsaken eel-pots were all    
that greeted us4#dhg         99       99
       99       99       99  ,while we  
sail here we can remember unreservedly  
those friends who dwell far away on the 
banks and by the sources of this very   
river1 and people this world for us1    
without any harsh and unfriendly        
interruptions4         99       99      
99       99       99  ,at noon his      

horn#dhh is heard echoing from shore to 
shore to give notice of his approach to 
the farmer's wife with whom he is to    
take his dinner1 frequently in such     
retired scenes that only muskrats and   
kingfishers seem to hear4         99    
99       99       99       99  ,if ever 
our idea of a friend is realized it will
 be in some broad and generous natural  
person1 as frank as the daylight1 in    
whose presence our behavior will be as  
simple and unconstrained as the wanderer
 amid the recesses of these hills4      
99       99       99       99       99  
,i who sail now in a boat1 have ,i not  
sailed in a thought8 ,vide ,chaucer4    
99       99       99       99       99  
,the hardest material obeys the same law
 with the most fluid4 ,trees are but    
rivers of sap and woody fibre flowing   
from the atmosphere and emptying into   
the earth by their trunks1 as their     
roots flow upward to the surface4 ,and  
in the heavens there are rivers of stars
 and milky ways4 ,there are rivers of   

rock on the surface and rivers of ore in
 the bowels of the earth4 ,and thoughts 
flow and circulate1 and seasons lapse as
 tributaries of the current year4       
99       99       99       99       99  
,consider the phenomena of morn1 or eve1
 and you will say that ,nature has      
perfected herself by an eternity of     
practice1--evening stealing over the    
fields1 the stars coming to bathe in    
retired waters1 the shadows of the trees
 creeping farther and farther into the  
meadows1 and a myriad phenomena beside4 
99       99       99       99       99  
,occasionally we had to muster all our  
energy to get round a point where the   
river broke rippling over rocks and the 
maples trailed their branches in the    
stream4         99       99       99    
99       99  ,the future reader of      
history will associate this generation  
with the red man in his thoughts1 and   
give it credit for some sympathy with   
that race4 ,our history will have some  
copper tints and reflections1 at least1 

and be read as through an ,indian-summer
 haze2 but such were not our            
associations4 ,but the ,indian is       
absolutely forgotten but by some        
persevering poets4  ,the white man has  
commenced a new era4 ,what do our       
anniversaries commemorate but white     
men's exploits8 ,for ,indian deeds there
 must be an ,indian memory2 the white   
man will remember his own only4 ,we have
 forgotten their hostility as well as   
friendship4 ,who can realize that1      
within the memory of this generation1   
the remnant of an ancient and dusky race
 of mortals called the ,stockbridge     
,indians1 within the limits of this very
 ,state1 furnished a company for the    
war1 on condition only that they should 
not be expected to fight white man's    
fashion1 or to train1 but ,indian       
fashion4 ,and occasionally their wigwams
 are seen on the banks of this very     
stream still1 solitary and inobvious1   
like the cabins of the muskrats in the  
meadows4  ,they seem like a race who    

have exhausted the secrets of nature1   
tanned with age1 while this young and   
still fair ,saxon slip1 on whom the sun 
has not long shone1 is but commencing   
its career4         99       99       99
       99       99  ,their memory is in 
harmony with the russet hue of the fall 
of the year4#dhi  ,for the ,indian there
 is no safety but in the plow4 ,if he   
would not be pushed into the ,pacific1  
he must seize hold of a plow-tail and   
let go his bow and arrow1 his fish-spear
 and rifle4 ,this the only ,christianity
 that will save him4#dij  ,his fate says
 sternly to him1 ,forsake the hunter's  
life and enter into the agricultural1   
the second1 state of man4 ,root         
yourselves a little deeper in the soil1 
if you would continue to be the         
occupants of the country4 ,but ,i       
confess ,i have no little sympathy with 
the ,indians and hunter men4 ,they seem 
to me a distinct and equally respectable
 people1 born to wander and to hunt1 and
 not to be inoculated with the twilight 

civilization of the white man4  ,father 
,le ,jeune1 a ,french missionary1       
affirmed that the ,indians were superior
 in intellect to the ,french peasantry  
of that time1 and advised that laborers 
should be sent from ,france in order to 
work for the ,indians4  ,the ,indian    
population within the present boundaries
 of ,new ,hampshire1 ,massachusetts1    
,rhode ,island1 and ,connecticut has    
been estimated not to have exceeded     
#dj1jjj before the epidemic disease     
which preceded the landing of the       
,pilgrims1 and it was far more dense    
here than elsewhere2 yet they had no    
more land than they wanted4 ,the present
 white population is more than          
#a1ejj1jjj and two thirds of the land is
 unimproved4  ,the ,indian1 perchance1  
has not made up his mind to some things 
which the white man has consented to2 he
 has not1 in all respects1 stooped so   
low2 and hence1 though he too loves food
 and warmth1 he draws his tattered      
blanket about him and follows his       

fathers1 rather than barter his         
birthright4 ,he dies1 and no doubt his  
,genius judges well for him4 ,but he is 
not worsted in the fight2 he is not     
destroyed4 ,he only migrates beyond the 
,pacific to more spacious and happier   
hunting-grounds4  ,a race of hunters can
 never withstand the inroads of a race  
of husbandmen4 ,the latter burrow in the
 night into their country and undermine 
them2 and even if the hunter is brave   
enough to resist1 his game is timid and 
has already fled4 ,the rifle alone would
 never exterminate it1 but the plow is a
 more fatal weapon2 it wins the country 
inch by inch and holds all it gets4     
,what detained the ,cherokees so long   
was the #bibc plows which that people   
possessed2 and if they had grasped their
 handles more firmly1 they would never  
have been driven beyond the             
,mississippi4 ,no sense of justice will 
ever restrain the farmer from plowing up
 the land which is only hunted over by  
his neighbors4 ,no hunting-field was    

ever well fenced and surveyed and its   
bounds accurately marked1 unless it were
 an ,english park4 ,it is a property not
 held by the hunter so much as by the   
game which roams it1 and was never well 
secured by warranty deeds4 ,the farmer  
in his treaties says only1 or means     
only1 ,so far will ,i plow this summer1 
for he has not seed corn enough to plant
 more2 but every summer the seed is     
grown which plants a new strip of the   
forest4  ,the ,african will survive1 for
 he is docile1 and is patiently learning
 his trade and dancing at his labor2 but
 the ,indian does not often dance1      
unless it be the war dance4         99  
99       99       99       99  ,in      
whatever moment we awake to life1 as now
 ,i this evening1 after walking along   
the bank and hearing the same evening   
sounds that were heard of yore1 it seems
 to have slumbered just below the       
surface1 as in the spring the new       
verdure which covers the fields has     
never retreated far from the winter4    

,all actions and objects and events lose
 their distinct importance in this hour1
 in the brightness of the vision1 as1   
when sometimes the pure light that      
attends the setting sun falls on the    
trees and houses1 the light itself is   
the phenomenon1 and no single object is 
so distinct to our admiration as the    
light itself4         99       99       
99       99       99  ,if criticism is  
liable to abuse1 it has yet a great and 
humane apology4 ,when my sentiments     
aspire to be universal1 then my neighbor
 has an equal interest to see that the  
expression be just1 with myself4        
,my friends1 why should we live8        
,life is an idle war1 a toilsome peace2 
,to-day ,i would not give        ,one   
small consent for its securest ease4    
,shall we outwear the year        ,in   
our pavilions on its dusty plain1       
,and yet no signal hear        ,to      
strike our tents and take the road      
again8       ,or else drag up the slope 
,the heavy ordnance of religion's train8

      ,useless1 but in the hope         
,some far remote and heavenward hill to 
gain4         99       99       99      
99       99  ,the tortoises rapidly     
dropped into the water1 as our boat     
ruffled the surface amid the willows4   
,we glided along through the transparent
 water1 breaking the reflections of the 
trees4         99       99       99     
99       99  ,not only are we late to   
find our friends1 but mankind are late1 
and there is no record of a great       
success in history4         99       99 
99       99       99  ,my friend is not 
chiefly wise or beautiful or noble4 ,at 
least it is not for me to know it4 ,he  
has no visible form nor appreciable     
character4 ,i can never praise him nor  
esteem him praiseworthy1 for ,i should  
sunder him from myself and put a bar    
between us4 ,let him not think he can   
please me by any behavior or even treat 
me well enough4 ,when he treats1 ,i     
retreat4#dia         99       99        
99       99       99  ,i know of no rule

 which holds so true as that we are     
always paid for our suspicion by finding
 what we suspect4 ,there can be no      
fairer recompense than this4 ,our       
suspicions exercise a demoniacal power  
over the subject of them4 ,by some      
obscure law of influence1 when we are   
perhaps unconsciously the subject of    
another's suspicion1 we feel a strong   
impulse1 even when it is contrary to our
 nature1 to do that which he expects but
 reprobates4         99       99        
99       99       99  ,no man seems to  
be aware that his influence is the      
result of his entire character1 both    
that which is subject and that which is 
superior to his understanding1 and what 
he really means or intends it is not in 
his power to explain or offer an apology
 for4         99       99       99      
99       99  ,no man was ever party to a
 secure and settled friendship4 ,it is  
no more a constant phenomenon than      
meteors and lightning4 ,it is a war of  
positions1 of silent tactics4         99

       99       99       99       99    
,i mark the summer's swift decline2     
,the springing sward its grave-clothes  
weaves4#dib       ,oh1 could ,i catch   
the sounds remote6      ,could ,i but   
tell to human ear      ,the strains     
which on the breezes float      ,and    
sing the requiem of the dying year6     
99       99       99       99       99  
,sept4 #bi1 #ahdb4 ,to-day the lark     
sings again down in the meadow1 and the 
robin peeps1 and the bluebirds1 old and 
young1 have revisited their box1 as if  
they would fain repeat the summer       
without the intervention of winter1 if  
,nature would let them4         99      
99       99       99       99  ,beauty  
is a finer utility whose end we do not  
see4         99       99       99       
99       99  ,oct4 #g1 #ahdb4 ,a little 
girl has just brought me a purple finch 
or ,american linnet4 ,these birds are   
now moving south4 ,it reminds me of the 
pine and spruce1 and the juniper and    
cedar on whose berries it feeds4 ,it has

 the crimson hues of the ,october       
evenings1 and its plumage still shines  
as if it had caught and preserved some  
of their tints 7beams874 ,we know it    
chiefly as a traveller4 ,it reminds me  
of many things ,i had forgotten4 ,many a
 serene evening lies snugly packed under
 its wing4  ,gower writes like a man of 
common sense and good parts who has     
undertaken with steady1 rather than     
high1 purpose to do narrative with      
rhyme4 ,with little or no invention1    
following in the track of the old       
fablers1 he employs his leisure and his 
pen-craft to entertain his readers and  
speak a good word for the right4 ,he has
 no fire1 or rather blaze1 though       
occasionally some brand's end peeps out 
from the ashes1 especially if you       
approach the heap in a dark day1 and if 
you extend your hands over it you       
experience a slight warmth there more   
than elsewhere4 ,in fair weather you may
 see a slight smoke go up here and      
there4 ,he narrates what ,chaucer       

sometimes sings4 ,he tells his story    
with a fair understanding of the        
original1 and sometimes it gains a      
little in blunt plainness and in point  
in his hands4 ,unlike the early ,saxon  
and later ,english1 his poetry is but a 
plainer and directer speech than other  
men's prose4 ,he might have been a      
teamster and written his rhymes on his  
wagon-seat as he went to mill with a    
load of plaster4         99       99    
99       99       99  ,the banks by     
retired roadsides are covered with      
asters1 hazels1 brakes1 and huckleberry 
bushes1 emitting a dry1 ripe scent4#dic 
99       99       99       99       99  
,facts must be learned directly and     
personally1 but principles may be       
deduced from information4 ,the collector
 of facts possesses a perfect physical  
organization1 the philosopher a perfect 
intellectual one4 ,one can walk1 the    
other sit2 one acts1 the other thinks4  
,but the poet in some degree does both1 
and uses and generalizes the results of 

both2 he generalizes the widest         
deductions of philosophy4#did         99
       99       99       99       99    
,oct4 #ba1 #ahdb4 ,the atmosphere is so 
dry and transparent and1 as it were1    
inflammable at this season that a candle
 in the grass shines white and dazzling1
 and purer and brighter the farther off 
it is4 ,its heat seems to have been     
extracted and only its harmless         
refulgent light left4 ,it is a star     
dropped down4 ,the ancients were more   
than poetically true when they called   
fire ,vulcan's flower4 ,light is        
somewhat almost moral4 ,the most        
intense--as the fixed stars and our own 
sun--has an unquestionable preminence   
among the elements4 ,at a certain stage 
in the generation of all life1 no doubt1
 light as well as heat is developed4 ,it
 guides to the first rudiments of life4 
,there is a vitality in heat and light4 
99       99       99       99       99  
,men who are felt rather than understood
 are being most rapidly developed4 ,they

 stand many deep4         99       99   
99       99       99  ,in many parts the
 ,merrimack is as wild and natural as   
ever1 and the shore and surrounding     
scenery exhibit only the revolutions of 
nature4 ,the pine stands up erect on its
 brink1 and the alders and willows      
fringe its edge2 only the beaver and the
 red man have departed4         99      
99       99       99       99  ,my      
friend knows me face to face1 but many  
only venture to meet me under the shield
 of another's authority1 backed by an   
invisible corps du rserve of wise       
friends and relations4 ,to such ,i say1 
,farewell1 we cannot dwell alone in the 
world4         99       99       99     
99       99  ,sometimes1 by a pleasing1 
sad wisdom1 we find ourselves carried   
beyond all counsel and sympathy4 ,our   
friends' words do not reach us4         
99       99       99       99       99  
,the truly noble and settled character  
of a man is not put forward1 as the king
 or conqueror does not march foremost in

 a procession4         99       99      
99       99       99  ,among others ,i  
have picked up a curious spherical      
stone1 probably an implement of war1    
like a small paving-stone about the size
 of a goose egg1 with a groove worn     
quite round it1 by which it was probably
 fastened to a thong or a withe and     
answered to strike a severe blow like a 
shotted colt4 ,i have since seen larger 
ones of the same description4  ,these   
arrowheads are of every color and of    
various forms and materials1 though     
commonly made of a stone which has a    
conchoidal fracture4 ,many small ones   
are found1 of white quartz1 which are   
mere equilateral triangles1 with one    
side slightly convex4 ,these were       
probably small shot for birds and       
squirrels4 ,the chips which were made in
 their manufacture are also found in    
large numbers wherever a lodge stood for
 any length of time4 ,and these slivers 
are the surest indication of ,indian    
ground1 since the geologists tell us    

that this stone is not to be found in   
this vicinity4  ,the spear-heads are of 
the same form and material only larger4 
,some are found as perfect and sharp as 
ever1 for time has not the effect of    
blunting them1 but when they break they 
have a ragged and cutting edge4 ,yet    
they are so brittle that they can hardly
 be carried in the pocket without being 
broken4  ,it is a matter of wonder how  
the ,indians made even those rude       
implements without iron or steel tools  
to work with4 ,it is doubtful whether   
one of our mechanics1 with all the aids 
of ,yankee ingenuity1 could soon learn  
to copy one of the thousands under our  
feet4 ,it is well known the art of      
making flints with a cold chisel1 as    
practiced in ,austria1 requires long    
practice and knack in the operator1 but 
the arrowhead is of much more irregular 
form1 and1 like the flint1 such is the  
nature of the stone1 must be struck out 
by a succession of skillful blows4  ,an 
,indian to whom ,i once exhibited some1 

but to whom they were objects of as much
 curiosity as to myself1 suggested that1
 as white men have but one blacksmith1  
so ,indians had one arrowhead-maker for 
many families4 ,but there are the marks 
of too many forges--unless they were    
like travelling cobblers--to allow of   
this4  ,i have seen some arrowheads from
 the ,south ,seas which were precisely  
similar to those from here1 so          
necessary1 so little whimsical is this  
little tool4  ,so has the steel hatchet 
its prototype in the stone one of the   
,indian1 as the stone hatchet in the    
necessities of man4  ,venerable are     
these ancient arts1 whose early history 
is lost in that of the race itself4     
,here1 too1 is the pestle and           
mortar1--ancient forms and symbols older
 than the plow or the spade4  ,the      
invention of that plow which now turns  
them up to the surface marks the era of 
their burial4 ,an era which can never   
have its history1 which is older than   
history itself4 ,these are relics of an 

era older than modern civilization1     
compared with which ,greece and ,rome   
and ,egypt are modern4 ,and still the   
savage retreats and the white man       
advances4  ,i have the following account
 of some relics in my possession which  
were brought from ,taunton 8 in ,bristol
 ,county4 ,a field which had been       
planted with corn for many years4 ,the  
sod being broken1 the wind began to blow
 away the soil and then the sand1 for   
several years1 until at length it was   
blown away to the depth of several feet1
 where it ceased1 and the ground        
appeared strewed with the remains of an 
,indian village1 with regular circles of
 stones which formed the foundation of  
their wigwams1 and numerous implements  
beside4         99       99       99    
99       99  ,commonly we use life      
sparingly1 we husband it as if it were  
scarce1 and admit the right of prudence2
 but occasionally we see how ample and  
inexhaustible is the stock from which we
 so scantily draw1 and learn that we    

need not be prudent1 that we may be     
prodigal1 and all expenses will be met4 
99       99       99       99       99  
,am ,i not as far from those scenes1    
though ,i have wandered a different     
route1 as my companion who has finished 
the voyage of life8 ,am ,i not most dead
 who have not life to die1 and cast off 
my sere leaves8         99       99     
99       99       99  ,it seemed the    
only right way to enter this country1   
borne on the bosom of the flood which   
receives the tribute of its innumerable 
vales4 ,the river was the only key      
adequate to unlock its maze4 ,we beheld 
the hills and valleys1 the lakes and    
streams1 in their natural order and     
position4         99       99       99  
99       99  ,a state should be a       
complete epitome of the earth1 a natural
 principality1 and by the gradations of 
its surface and soil conduct the        
traveller to its principal marts4       
,nature is stronger than law1 and the   
sure but slow influence of wind and     

water will balk the efforts of          
restricting legislatures4 ,man cannot   
set up bounds with safety but where the 
revolutions of nature will confirm and  
strengthen1 not obliterate1 them4       
99       99       99       99       99  
,every man's success is in proportion to
 his average ability4 ,the meadow       
flowers spring and bloom where the      
waters annually deposit their slime1 not
 where they reach in some freshet only4 
,we seem to do ourselves little credit  
in our own eyes for our performance1    
which all know must ever fall short of  
our aspiration and promise1 which only  
we can know entirely2 as a stick will   
avail to reach further than it will     
strike effectually1 since its greatest  
momentum is a little short of its       
extreme end4 ,but we do not disappoint  
our neighbors4 ,a man is not his hope   
nor his despair1 nor his past deed4#die 
99       99       99       99       99  
,but it is in the order of destiny that 
whatever is remote shall be near4       

,whatever the eyes see1 the hands shall 
touch4 ,the sentinels upon the turret   
and at the window and on the wall behold
 successively the approaching traveller 
whom the host will soon welcome in the  
hall4         99       99       99      
99       99  ,it is not to be forgotten 
that the poet is innocent2 but he is    
young1 he is not yet a parent or a      
brother to his race4 ,there are a       
thousand degrees of grace and beauty    
before absolute humanity and            
disinterestedness4  ,the meanest man can
 easily test the noblest4 ,is he        
embraced8 ,does he find him a brother8  
99       99       99       99       99  
,i am sometimes made aware of a kindness
 which may have long since been shown1  
which surely memory cannot retain1 which
 reflects its light long after its heat4
 ,i realize1 my friend1 that there have 
been times when thy thoughts of me have 
been of such lofty kindness that they   
passed over me like the winds of heaven 
unnoticed1 so pure that they presented  

no object to my eyes1 so generous and   
universal that ,i did not detect them4  
,thou hast loved me for what ,i was not1
 but for what ,i aspired to be4 ,we     
shudder to think of the kindness of our 
friend which has fallen on us cold1     
though in some true but tardy hour we   
have awakened4 ,there has just reached  
me the kindness of some acts1 not to be 
forgotten1 not to be remembered4 ,i wipe
 off these scores at midnight1 at rare  
intervals1 in moments of insight and    
gratitude4       ,far o'er the bow1     
,amid the drowsy noon1      ,souhegan1  
creeping slow1        ,appeareth        
soon4#dif       ,methinks that by a     
strict behavior      ,i could elicit    
back the brightest star      ,that hides
 behind a cloud4       ,i have rolled   
near some other spirit's path1      ,and
 with a pleased anxiety have felt       
,its purer influence on my opaque mass1 
,but always was ,i doomed to learn1     
alas6      ,i had scarce changd its     
sidereal time4  ,gray sedulously        

cultivated poetry1 but the plant would  
not thrive4 ,his life seems to have     
needed some more sincere and ruder      
experience4         99       99       99
       99       99  ,occasionally we    
rowed near enough to a cottage to see   
the sunflowers before the door1 and the 
seed-vessels of the poppy1 like small   
goblets filled with the waters of       
,lethe1 but without disturbing the      
sluggish household4  ,driving the small 
sandpiper before us4   ,,fog#dig        
,thou drifting meadow of the air1       
,where bloom the daisied banks and      
violets1      ,and in whose fenny       
labyrinths      ,the bittern booms and  
curlew peeps1      ,the heron wades and 
boding rain-crow clucks2                
,low-anchored cloud1      ,newfoundland 
air1      ,fountain-head and source of  
rivers1      ,ocean branch that flowest 
to the sun1      ,diluvian spirit1 or   
,deucalion shroud1      ,dew-cloth1     
dream drapery1      ,and napkin spread  
by fays1      ,spirit of lakes and seas 

and rivers1      ,sea-fowl that with the
 east wind      ,seek'st the shore1     
groping thy way inland1      ,by        
whichever name ,i please to call thee1  
,bear only perfumes and the scent       
,of healing herbs to just men's fields4 
,i am amused with the manner in which   
,quarles and his contemporary poets     
speak of ,nature1--with a sort of       
gallantry1 as a knight of his lady1--not
 as lovers1 but as having a thorough    
respect for her and some title to her   
acquaintance4 ,they speak manfully1 and 
their lips are not closed by affection4 
,the pale-faced lady of the black-eyed  
night4  ,nature seems to have held her  
court then1 and all authors were her    
gentlemen and esquires and had ready an 
abundance of courtly expressions4       
,quarles is never weak or shallow1      
though coarse and untasteful4 ,he       
presses able-bodied and strong-backed   
words into his service1 which have a    
certain rustic fragrance and force1 as  
if now first devoted to literature after

 having served sincere and stern uses4  
,he has the pronunciation of a poet     
though he stutters4 ,he certainly speaks
 the ,english tongue with a right manly 
accent4 ,to be sure his poems have      
the#dih musty odor of a confessional4   
,how little curious is man1      ,who   
hath not searched his mystery a span1   
,but dreams of mines of treasure        
,which he neglects to measure1      ,for
 threescore years and ten      ,walks to
 and fro amid his fellow men      ,o'er 
this small tract of continental land1   
,his fancy bearing no divining wand4    
,our uninquiring corpses lie more low   
,than our life's curiosity doth go2     
,our most ambitious steps climb not so  
high      ,as in their hourly sport the 
sparrows fly4      ,yonder cloud's blown
 farther in a day      ,than our most   
vagrant feet may ever stray4            
,surely1 ,o ,lord1 he hath not greatly  
erred      ,who hath so little from his 
birthplace stirred4      ,he wanders    
through this low and shallow world1     

,scarcely his bolder thoughts and hopes 
unfurled1      ,through this low walld  
world1 which his huge sin      ,hath    
hardly room to rest and harbor in4      
,bearing his head just o'er some fallow 
ground1      ,some cowslip'd meadows    
where the bitterns sound1      ,he      
wanders round until his end draws nigh1 
,and then lays down his aged head to    
die4      ,and this is life6 this is    
that famous strife6      ,his head doth 
court a fathom from the land1      ,six 
feet from where his grovelling feet do  
stand4  ,what is called talking is a    
remarkable though ,i believe universal  
phenomenon of human society4 ,the most  
constant phenomenon when men or women   
come together is talking4 ,a chemist    
might try this experiment in his        
laboratory with certainty1 and set down 
the fact in his journal4 ,this          
characteristic of the race may be       
considered as established4 ,no doubt    
every one can call to mind numerous     
conclusive instances4 ,some nations1 it 

is true1 are said to articulate more    
distinctly than others2 yet the rule    
holds with those who have the fewest    
letters in their alphabet4 ,men cannot  
stay long together without talking1     
according to the rules of polite        
society4 7,as all men have two ears and 
but one tongue1 they must spend the     
extra and unavoidable hours of silence  
in listening to the whisperings of      
genius1 and this fact it is that makes  
silence always respectable in my eyes47 
,not that they have anything to         
communicate1 or do anything quite       
natural or important to be done so1 but 
by common consent they fall to using the
 invention of speech1 and make a        
conversation1 good or bad4 ,they say    
things1 first this one and then that4   
,they express their opinions1 as they   
are called4  ,by a well-directed silence
 ,i have sometimes seen threatening and 
troublesome people routed4 ,you sit     
musing as if you were in broad nature   
again4 ,they cannot stand it4 ,their    

position becomes more and more          
uncomfortable every moment4 ,so much    
humanity over against one without any   
disguise1--not even the disguise of     
speech6 ,they cannot stand it nor sit   
against it4  ,not only must men talk1   
but for the most part must talk about   
talk1--even about books1 or dead and    
buried talk4 ,sometimes my friend       
expects a few periods from me4 ,is he   
exorbitant8 ,he thinks it is my turn    
now4 ,sometimes my companion thinks he  
has said a good thing1 but ,i don't see 
the difference4 ,he looks just as he did
 before4 ,well1 it is no loss4 ,i       
suppose he has plenty more4  ,then ,i   
have seen very near and intimate1 very  
old friends introduced by very old      
strangers1 with liberty given to talk4  
,the stranger1 who knows only the       
countersign1 says1 ,jonas--,eldred1     
giving those names which will make a    
title good in a court of law4 7,it may  
be presumed that ,god does not know the 
,christian names of men47 ,then ,jonas1 

like a ready soldier1 makes a remark1--a
 benediction on the weather it may      
be1--and ,eldred swiftly responds1 and  
unburdens his breast1 and so the action 
begins4 ,they bless ,god and nature many
 times gratuitously1 and part mutually  
well pleased1 leaving their cards4 ,they
 did not happen to be present at each   
other's christening4  ,sometimes ,i have
 listened so attentively and with so    
much interest to the whole expression of
 a man that ,i did not hear one word he 
was saying1 and saying too with the more
 vivacity observing my attention4  ,but 
a man may be an object of interest to me
 though his tongue is pulled out by the 
roots4         99       99       99     
99       99  ,men sometimes do as if    
they could eject themselves like bits of
 pack-thread from the end of the tongue4
         99       99       99       99  
99  ,scholars have for the most part a  
diseased way of looking at the world4   
,they mean by it a few cities and       
unfortunate assemblies of men and women1

 who might all be concealed in the grass
 of the prairies4 ,they describe this   
world as old or new1 healthy or         
diseased1 according to the state of     
their libraries1--a little dust more or 
less on their shelves4 ,when ,i go      
abroad from under this shingle or slate 
roof1 ,i find several things which they 
have not considered4 ,their conclusions 
seem imperfect4         99       99     
99       99       99  ,as with two eyes 
we see and with two ears we hear1 with  
the like advantage is man added to man4 
,making no complaint1 offering no       
encouragement1 one human being is made  
aware of the neighboring and            
contemporaneous existence of another4   
,such is the tenderness of friendship4  
,we never recognize each other as finite
 and imperfect beings1 but with a smile 
and as strangers4 ,my intercourse with  
men is governed by the same laws with my
 intercourse with nature4         99    
99       99       99       99           
,buonaparte said that the               

three-o'clock-in-the-morning courage was
 the rarest1 but ,i cannot agree with   
him4#dii ,fear does not awake so early4 
,few men are so degenerate as to balk   
nature by not beginning the day well4   
99       99       99       99       99  
,i hold in my hands a recent volume of  
essays and poems1 in its outward aspect 
like the thousands which the press sends
 forth1 and1 if the gods permitted their
 own inspiration to be breathed in vain1
 this might be forgotten in the mass1   
but the accents of truth are as sure to 
be heard on earth as in heaven4 ,the    
more ,i read it the more ,i am impressed
 by its sincerity1 its depth and        
grandeur4 ,it already seems ancient and 
has lost the traces of its modern birth4
 ,it is an evidence of many virtues in  
the writer4 ,more serenely and humbly   
confident1 this man has listened to the 
inspiration which all may hear1 and with
 greater fidelity reported it4 ,it is   
therefore a true prophecy1 and shall at 
length come to pass4 ,it has the        

grandeur of the ,greek tragedy1 or      
rather its ,hebrew original1 yet it is  
not necessarily referred to any form of 
faith4 ,the slumbering1 heavy depth of  
its sentences is perhaps without recent 
parallel4 ,it lies like the sward in its
 native pasture1 where its roots are    
never disturbed1 and not spread over a  
sandy embankment4       ,on fields o'er 
which the reaper's hand has passed1     
,lit by the harvest moon and autumn sun1
      ,my thoughts like stubble floating
 in the wind      ,and of such fineness 
as ,october airs1      ,there1 after    
harvest1 could ,i glean my life1      ,a
 richer harvest reaping without toil1   
,and weaving gorgeous fancies at my     
will1      ,in subtler webs than finest 
summer haze4  ,in ,october the air is   
really the fine element the poets       
describe4#ejj ,the fields emit a dry and
 temperate odor4 ,there is something in 
the refined and elastic air which       
reminds us of a work of art4 ,it is like
 a verse of ,anacreon or a tragedy of   

schylus4         99       99       99   
99       99  ,all parts of nature belong
 to one head1 as the curls of a maiden's
 hair4 ,how beautifully flow the seasons
 as one year1 and all streams as one    
ocean6         99       99       99     
99       99  ,i hate museums2 there is  
nothing so weighs upon my spirits4 ,they
 are the catacombs of nature4 ,one green
 bud of spring1 one willow catkin1 one  
faint trill from a migrating sparrow    
would set the world on its legs again4  
,the life that is in a single green weed
 is of more worth than all this death4  
,they are dead nature collected by dead 
men4 ,i know not whether ,i muse most at
 the bodies stuffed with cotton and     
sawdust or those stuffed with bowels and
 fleshy fibre outside the cases4  ,where
 is the proper herbarium1 the true      
cabinet of shells1 and museum of        
skeletons1 but in the meadow where the  
flower bloomed1 by the seaside where the
 tide cast up the fish1 and on the hills
 and in the valleys where the beast laid

 down its life and the skeleton of the  
traveller reposes on the grass8 ,what   
right have mortals to parade these      
things on their legs again1 with their  
wires1 and1 when heaven has decreed that
 they shall return to dust again1 to    
return them to sawdust8 ,would you have 
a dried specimen of a world1 or a       
pickled one8  ,embalming is a sin       
against heaven and earth1--against      
heaven1 who has recalled the soul and   
set free the servile elements1 and      
against the earth1 which is thus robbed 
of her dust4 ,i have had my             
right-perceiving senses so disturbed in 
these haunts as to mistake a veritable  
living man for a stuffed specimen1 and  
surveyed him with dumb wonder as the    
strangest of the whole collection4 ,for 
the strangest is that which1 being in   
many particulars most like1 is in some  
essential particular most unlike4       
99       99       99       99       99  
,it is one great and rare merit in the  
old ,english tragedy that it says       

something4 ,the words slide away very   
fast1 but toward some conclusion4 ,it   
has to do with things1 and the reader   
feels as if he were advancing4 ,it does 
not make much odds what message the     
author has to deliver at this distance  
of time1 since no message can startle   
us1 but how he delivers it1--that it be 
done in a downright and manly way4 ,they
 come to the point and do not waste the 
time4         99       99       99      
99       99  ,they say that ,carew was a
 laborious writer1 but his poems do not 
show it4 ,they are finished1 but do not 
show the marks of the chisel4 ,drummond 
was indeed a quiddler1 with little fire 
or fibre1 and rather a taste for poetry 
than a taste of it4         99       99 
99       99       99  ,after all1 we    
draw on very gradually in ,english      
literature to ,shakespeare1 through     
,peele and ,marlowe1 to say nothing of  
,raleigh and ,spenser and ,sidney4 ,we  
hear the same great tone already        
sounding to which ,shakespeare added a  

serener wisdom and clearer expression4  
,its chief characteristics of reality   
and unaffected manliness are there4 ,the
 more we read of the literature of those
 times1 the more does acquaintance      
divest the genius of ,shakespeare of the
 in some measure false mystery which has
 thickened around it1 and leave it      
shrouded in the grander mystery of      
daylight4 ,his critics have for the most
 part made their sic contemporaries less
 that they might make ,shakespeare more4
  ,the distinguished men of those times 
had a great flow of spirits1 a cheerful 
and elastic wit far removed from the    
solemn wisdom of later days4 ,what      
another thing was fame and a name then  
than now6 ,this is seen in the familiar 
manner in which they were spoken of by  
each other and the nation at            
large1--,kit ,marlowe1 and ,george      
7,peele71 and ,will ,shakespeare1 and   
,ben ,jonson1--great fellows1--chaps4   
99       99       99       99       99  
,we pass through all degrees of life    

from the least organic to the most      
complex4 ,sometimes we are mere         
pudding-stone and scori4         99     
99       99       99       99  ,the     
present is the instant work and near    
process of living1 and will be found in 
the last analysis to be nothing more nor
 less than digestion4 ,sometimes1 it is 
true1 it is indigestion4         99     
99       99       99       99  ,daniel  
deserves praise for his moderation1 and 
sometimes has risen into poetry before  
you know it4 ,strong sense appears in   
his epistles1 but you have to remember  
too often in what age he wrote1 and yet 
that ,shakespeare was his contemporary4 
,his style is without the tricks of the 
trade and really in advance of his age4 
,we can well believe that he was a      
retired scholar1 who would keep himself 
shut up in his house two whole months   
together4         99       99       99  
99       99  ,donne was not a poet1 but 
a man of strong sense1 a sturdy ,english
 thinker1 full of conceits and          

whimsicalities1 hammering away at his   
subject1 be it eulogy or epitaph1 sonnet
 or satire1 with the patience of a day  
laborer1 without taste but with an      
occasional fine distinction or poetic   
phrase4 ,he was rather ,doctor ,donne1  
than the poet ,donne4 ,his letters are  
perhaps best4         99       99       
99       99       99  ,lovelace is what 
his name expresses1--of slight material 
to make a poet's fame4 ,his goings and  
comings are of no great account4 ,his   
taste is not so much love of excellence 
as fear of failure1 though in one       
instance he has written fearlessly and  
memorably4         99       99       99 
99       99  ,how wholesome are the     
natural laws to contemplate1 as gravity1
 heat1 light1 moisture1 dryness4 ,only  
let us not interfere4 ,let the soul     
withdraw into the chambers of the heart1
 let the mind reside steadily in the    
labyrinth of the brain1 and not         
interfere with hands or feet more than  
with other parts of nature4         99  

99       99       99       99  ,thomson 
was a true lover of nature and seems to 
have needed only a deeper human         
experience to have taken a more vigorous
 and lofty flight4 ,he is deservedly    
popular1 and has found a place on many  
shelves and in many cottages4 ,there are
 great merits in ,the ,seasons--and the 
almanac4 ,in ,autumn3--                 
,attemper'd suns arise1         99      
99       99       99       99       444 
while broad and brown1 below1           
,extensive harvests hang the heavy head4
      ,rich1 silent1 deep1 they stand4  
,the moon in ,autumn3--                 
,her spotted disk1      ,where mountains
 rise1 umbrageous dales descend1        
99       99       99       99       99  
444 gives all his blaze again1          
,void of its flame1 and sheds a softer  
day4      ,now through the passing cloud
 she seems to stoop1      ,now up the   
pure cerulean rides sublime4         99 
99       99       99       99       ,the
 whole air whitens with a boundless tide

      ,of silver radiance1 trembling    
round the world4  ,my friend1 thou art  
not of some other race and family of    
men2--thou art flesh of my flesh1 bone  
of my bone4 ,has not nature associated  
us in many ways8#eja ,water from the    
same fountain1 lime from the same       
quarry1 grain from the same field       
compose our bodies4 ,and perchance our  
elements but reassert their ancient     
kindredship4 ,is it of no significance  
that ,i have so long partaken of the    
same loaf with thee1 have breathed the  
same air summer and winter1 have felt   
the same heat and cold1 the same fruits 
of summer have been pleased to refresh  
us both1 and thou hast never had a      
thought of different fibre from my      
own8#ejb  ,our kindred1 of one blood    
with us4 ,with the favor and not the    
displeasure of the gods1 we have        
partaken the same bread4         99     
99       99       99       99  ,it is   
hard to know rocks4 ,they are crude and 
inaccessible to our nature4 ,we have not

 enough of the stony element in us4     
99       99       99       99       99  
,it is hard to know men by rumor only4  
,but to stand near somewhat living and  
conscious4 ,who would not sail through  
mutiny and storm farther than ,columbus1
 to reach the fabulous retreating shores
 of some continent man8         99      
99       99       99       99  ,my      
friend can only be in any measure my    
foe1 because he is fundamentally my     
friend2 for everything is after all more
 nearly what it should rightfully be1   
than that which it is simply by failing 
to be the other4         99       99    
99       99       99  ,it friendship    
cannot be the subject of reconciliation 
or the theme of conversation ever       
between friends4 ,the true friend must  
in some sense disregard all professions 
of friendship and forget them4          
99       99       99       99       99  
,it is as far from pity as from         
contempt4 ,i should hesitate even to    
call it the highest sympathy1 since the 

word is of suspicious origin and        
suggests suffering rather than joy4 ,it 
was established before religion1 for men
 are not friends in religion1 but over  
and through it2 and it records no       
apostasy or repentance1 but there is a  
certain divine and innocent and         
perennial health about it4         99   
99       99       99       99  ,its     
charity is generosity1 its virtue       
nobleness1 its religion trust4 ,we come 
nearer to friendship with flowers and   
inanimate objects than with merely      
affectionate and loving men4 ,it is not 
for the friend to be just even1--at     
least he is not to be lost in this      
attribute1--but to be only a large and  
free existence1 representative of       
humanity1 its general court4 ,admirable 
to us as the heavenly bodies1 but like  
them affording rather a summer heat and 
daylight1--the light and fire of        
sunshine and stars1--rather than the    
intense heats and splendors which our   
weakness and appetite require4          

99       99       99       99       99  
,yesterday ,i skated after a fox over   
the ice4 ,occasionally he sat on his    
haunches and barked at me like a young  
wolf4 ,it made me think of the bear and 
her cubs mentioned by ,captain ,parry1  
,i think4 ,all brutes seem to have a    
genius for mystery1 an ,oriental        
aptitude for symbols and the language of
 signs2 and this is the origin of       
,pilpay and sop4 ,the fox manifested an 
almost human suspicion of mystery in my 
actions4 ,while ,i skated directly after
 him1 he cantered at the top of his     
speed2 but when ,i stood still1 though  
his fear was not abated1 some strange   
but inflexible law of his nature caused 
him to stop also1 and sit again on his  
haunches4 ,while ,i still stood         
motionless1 he would go slowly a rod to 
one side1 then sit and bark1 then a rod 
to the other side1 and sit and bark     
again1 but did not retreat1 as if       
spellbound4 ,when1 however1 ,i commenced
 the pursuit again1 he found himself    

released from his durance4  ,plainly the
 fox belongs to a different order of    
things from that which reigns in the    
village4 ,our courts1 though they offer 
a bounty for his hide1 and our pulpits1 
though they draw many a moral from his  
cunning1 are in few senses contemporary 
with his free forest life4         99   
99       99       99       99  ,to the  
poet considered as an artist1 his words 
must be as the relation of his oldest   
and finest memory1 and wisdom derived   
from the remotest experience4         99
       99       99       99       99  ,i
 have thought1 when walking in the woods
 through a certain retired dell1        
bordered with shrub oaks and pines1 far 
from the village and affording a glimpse
 only through an opening of the         
mountains in the horizon1 how my life   
might pass there1 simple and true and   
natural1 and how many things would be   
impossible to be done there4 ,how many  
books ,i might not read6         99     
99       99       99       99  ,why     

avoid my friends and live among         
strangers8 ,why not reside in my native 
country8         99       99       99   
99       99  ,many a book is written    
which does not necessarily suggest or   
imply the phenomenon or object to       
explain which it professes to have been 
written4         99       99       99   
99       99  ,every child should be     
encouraged to study not man's system of 
nature but nature's4         99       99
       99       99       99  ,giles     
,fletcher knew how to write1 and has    
left ,english verses behind4 ,he is the 
most valuable imitator of the           
,spenserian stanza1 and adds a moral    
tone of his own4   ,,to ,a ,,marsh      
,,hawk ,,in ,,spring       ,there is    
health in thy gray wing1      ,health of
 nature's furnishing4      ,say1 thou   
modern-winged antique1      ,was thy    
mistress ever sick8        ,in each     
heaving of thy wing      ,thou dost     
health and leisure bring1      ,thou    
dost waive disease and pain      ,and   

resume new life again4       ,man walks 
in nature still alone1        ,and knows
 no one1      ,discovers no lineament   
nor feature        ,of any creature4    
,though all the firmament        ,is    
o'er me bent1      ,yet still ,i miss   
the grace        ,of an intelligent and 
kindred face4       ,i still must seek  
the friend      ,who does with nature   
blend4      ,who is the person in her   
mask1      ,he is the friend ,i ask2    
,who is the expression of her meaning1  
,who is the uprightness of her leaning1 
,who is the grown child of her weaning4 
,we twain would walk together           
,through every weather1      ,and see   
this aged ,nature        ,go with a     
bending stature4       ,the centre of   
this world1      ,the face of ,nature1  
,the site of human life1      ,some sure
 foundation      ,and nucleus of a      
nation1      ,at least1 a private       
station4  ,it is the saddest thought of 
all1 that what we are to others1 that we
 are much more to                       

ourselves1--avaricious1 mean1 irascible1
 affected1--we are the victims of these 
faults4 ,if our pride offends our humble
 neighbor1 much more does it offend     
ourselves1 though our lives are never so
 private and solitary4         99       
99       99       99       99  ,if the  
,indian is somewhat of a stranger in    
nature1 the gardener is too much a      
familiar4 ,there is something vulgar and
 foul in the latter's closeness to his  
mistress1 something noble and cleanly in
 the former's distance4 ,yet the hunter 
seems to have a property in the moon    
which even the farmer has not4 ,ah6 the 
poet knows uses of plants which are not 
easily reported1 though he cultivates no
 parterre4 ,see how the sun smiles on   
him while he walks in the gardener's    
aisles1 rather than on the gardener4    
99       99       99       99       99  
,not only has the foreground of a       
picture its glass of transparent crystal
 spread over it1 but the picture itself 
is a glass or transparent medium to a   

remoter background4 ,we demand only of  
all pictures that they be perspicuous1  
that the laws of perspective have been  
truly observed4 ,it is not the fringed  
foreground of the desert nor the        
intermediate oases that detain the eye  
and the imagination1 but the infinite1  
level1 and roomy horizon1 where the sky 
meets the sand1 and heavens and earth1  
the ideal and actual1 are coincident1   
the background into which leads the path
 of the pilgrim4         99       99    
99       99       99  ,all things are in
 revolution2 it is the one law of nature
 by which order is preserved1 and time  
itself lapses and is measured4 ,yet some
 things men will do from age to age1 and
 some things they will not do4          
,fisherman's ,acct4 for #ahjeejc ,began 
,march #be                              
cts4            ,dd ,mr4 ,saml ,potter  
#b qts ,w ,i #c_/ #a lb sugar #aj;d     
#j4fd                ,one ,cod line #e_/
                                        
#hd      ,april #h   ,qt ,w ,i #a_/f  #a

 lb ,sugar #aj;d  ,brown ,mug           
#dh            #i   ,qt ,n ,e rum #a_/  
#ajth ,do4 of ,do #a_/                  
#cc           #ac   ,qt ,n ,e rum  #a lb
 ,sugar #aeth #b ,qts ,n ,e rum #b_/    
#fb           #ag   ,qt ,w ,i #a_/f ,do 
,n ,e #a_/ lb ,sugar #i;d  ,qt ,n ,e    
,rum         #ga           #bb   ,qt ,n 
,e rum #a_/ lb sugar #i;d  ,qt ,n ,e rum
 #a_/             #dd           #bc     
,qt ,n ,e rum #a_/ ,do of ,do  sugar    
#e;d                     #ci            
#bd   ,qt ,n ,e rum #a_/ lb sugar #i;d  
#bh           #bi   ,qt ,n ,e rum #a_/  
lb sugar #i;d--#cjth ,rum #a_/          
#dd      ,may first ,qt rum  lb ,sugar  
#a_/e;d                                 
#bb                ,qt ,n ,e rum #a_/   
lb ,loaf ,sugar #i;d                    
#bi            #d   ,qt rum #a_/ ,sugar 
#e;d                                    
#bb            #f   ,qt ,n ,e rum #a_/  
lb good sugar #aa;d                     
#ca            #g   ,qt ,n ,e rum       
#a_/hth ,qt ,n ,e rum #a_/   lb ,sugar  

#e;d        #dj           #aa   ,qt ,n  
,e rum #aa;d lb ,sugar #aj;d            
#bi           #ae   ,qt rum  lb ,sugar  
#a_/i  ,qt ,n ,e rum                    
#dd           #af   ,to a ,line for the 
,sceene #c_/                            
#j4ej           #bj   ,to ,qt ,n ,e rum 
#aa;d lb ,sugar #aj;d                   
#j4bi           #ba   ,to ,qt ,n ,e rum 
#aa;d  lb ,sugar #aj;d                  
#j4bi           #bg   ,to ,qt ,w ,i     
#a_/f  lb ,sugar #aj;d                  
#j4ci      ,june #eth  #ahje ,settled   
this acct by ,recev4g ,cash in ,full    
#h4hb  ,how many young finny            
contemporaries of various character and 
destiny1 form and habits1 we have even  
in this water6 ,and it will not be      
forgotten by some memory that we were   
contemporaries4 ,it is of some import4  
,we shall be some time friends1 ,i      
trust1 and know each other better4      
,distrust is too prevalent now4 ,we are 
so much alike6 have so many faculties in
 common6 ,i have not yet met with the   

philosopher who could1 in a quite       
conclusive1 undoubtful way1 show me the1
 and1 if not the1 then how any1         
difference between man and a fish4 ,we  
are so much alike6 ,how much could a    
really tolerant1 patient1 humane1 and   
truly great and natural man make of     
them1 if he should try8 ,for they are to
 be understood1 surely1 as all things   
else1 by no other method than that of   
sympathy4 ,it is easy to say what they  
are not to us1 i4 e41 what we are not to
 them2 but what we might and ought to be
 is another affair4         99       99 
99       99       99  ,in the           
tributaries the brook minnow and the    
trout4 ,even in the rills emptying into 
the river1 over which you stride at a   
step1 you may see small trout not so    
large as your finger glide past or hide 
under the bank4         99       99     
99       99       99  ,the character of 
this the horned pout1 as indeed of all  
fishes1 depends directly upon that of   
the water it inhabits1 those taken in   

clear and sandy water being of brighter 
hue and cleaner and of firmer and       
sweeter flesh4 ,it makes a peculiar     
squeaking noise when drawn out1 which   
has given it the name of the minister or
 preacher4         99       99       99 
99       99  ,the bream is the familiar 
and homely sparrow1 which makes her nest
 everywhere1 and is early and late4     
,the pickerel is the hawk1 a fish of    
prey1 hovering over the finny broods4   
,the pout is the owl1 which steals so   
noiselessly about at evening with its   
clumsy body4  ,the shiner is the summer 
yellowbird1 or goldfinch1 of the river4 
,the sucker is the sluggish bittern1 or 
stake-driver4  ,the minnow is the       
hummingbird4  ,the trout is the         
partridge woodpecker4  ,the perch is the
 robin4#ejd         99       99       99
       99       99  ,we read ,marlowe as
 so much poetical pabulum4 ,it is food  
for poets1 water from the ,castalian    
,spring1 some of the atmosphere of      
,parnassus1 raw and crude indeed1 and at

 times breezy1 but pure and bracing4    
,few have so rich a phrase6 ,he had     
drunk deep of the ,pierian ,spring1     
though not deep enough1 and had that    
fine madness1 as ,drayton says1         
,which justly should possess a poet's   
brain4  ,we read his ,dr4 ,faustus1     
,dido1 ,queen of ,carthage1 and ,hero   
and ,leander1 especially the last1      
without being wearied4 ,he had many of  
the qualities of a great poet1 and was  
in some degree worthy to precede        
,shakespeare4 ,but he seems to have run 
to waste for want of seclusion and      
solitude1 as if mere pause and          
deliberation would have added a new     
element of greatness to his poetry4 ,in 
his unquestionably fine1 heroic tone it 
would seem as if he had the rarest part 
of genius1 and education could have     
added the rest4 ,the ,hero and ,leander 
tells better for his character than the 
anecdotes which survive4       ,i fain  
would stretch me by the highway-side1   
,to thaw and trickle with the melting   

snow1      ,that mingled soul and body  
with the tide        ,i too might       
through the pores of ,nature flow1#eje  
,might help to forward the new spring   
along1        ,if it were mine to choose
 my toil or day1      ,scouring the     
roads with yonder sluice-way throng1    
,and so work out my tax on ,her highway4
         99       99       99       99  
99       ,yet let us thank the purblind 
race        ,who still have thought it  
good      ,with lasting stone to mark   
the place        ,where braver men have 
stood4       ,in ,concord1 town of quiet
 name        ,and quiet fame as well1   
444         99       99       99        
99       99       ,i've seen ye1        
sisters1 on the mountain-side1          
,when your green mantles fluttered in   
the wind2      ,i've seen your          
footprints on the lake's smooth shore1  
,lesser than man's1 a more ethereal     
trace2      ,i have heard of ye as some 
far-famed race1      ,daughters of gods1
 whom ,i should one day meet1      ,or  

mothers1 ,i might say1 of all our race4 
,i reverence your natures1 so like mine 
,yet strangely different1 like but still
 unlike4      ,thou only stranger that  
hast crossed my path1      ,accept my   
hospitality2 let me hear      ,the      
message which thou bring'st4            
,made different from me1                
,perchance thou'rt made to be           
,the creature of a different destiny4   
,i know not who ye are that meekly stand
      ,thus side by side with man in    
every land4      ,when did ye form      
alliance with our race1      ,ye        
children of the moon1 who in mild nights
      ,vaulted upon the hills and sought
 this earth8      ,reveal that which ,i 
fear ye cannot tell1      ,wherein ye   
are not ,i1 wherein ye dwell      ,where
 ,i can never come4      ,what boots it 
that ,i do regard ye so8      ,does it  
make suns to shine or crops to grow8    
,what boots it that ,i never should     
forget      ,that ,i have sisters       
sitting for me yet8      ,and what are  

sisters8      ,the robust man1 who can  
so stoutly strive1      ,in this bleak  
world is hardly kept alive4      ,and   
who is it protects ye1 smooths your way8
  ,we can afford to lend a willing ear  
occasionally to those earnest reformers 
of the age4 ,let us treat them          
hospitably4 ,shall we be charitable only
 to the poor8 ,what though they are     
fanatics8 ,their errors are likely to be
 generous errors1 and these may be they 
who will put to rest the ,american      
,church and the ,american government1   
and awaken better ones in their stead4  
,let us not meanly seek to maintain our 
delicate lives in chambers or in        
legislative halls by a timid            
watchfulness of the rude mobs that      
threaten to pull down our baby-houses4  
,let us not think to raise a revenue    
which shall maintain our domestic quiet 
by an impost on the liberty of speech4  
,let us not think to live by the        
principle of self-defense4 ,have we     
survived our accidents hitherto1 think  

you1 by virtue of our good swords1--that
 three-foot lath that dangles by your   
side1 or those brazen-mouthed pieces    
under the burying hill which the        
trainers keep to hurrah with in the     
,april and ,july mornings8 ,do our      
protectors burrow under the             
burying-ground hill1 on the edge of the 
bean-field which you all know1 gorging  
themselves once a year with powder and  
smoke1 and kept bright and in condition 
by a chafing of oiled rags and rotten   
stone8 ,have we resigned the protection 
of our hearts and civil liberties to    
that feathered race of wading birds and 
marching men who drill but once a       
month8--and ,i mean no reproach to our  
,concord train-bands1 who certainly make
 a handsome appearance--and dance well4 
,do we enjoy the sweets of domestic life
 undisturbed1 because the naughty boys  
are all shut up in that whitewashed     
stone-yard1 as it is called1 and see the
 ,concord meadows only through a        
grating4  ,no1 let us live amid the free

 play of the elements4 ,let the dogs    
bark1 let the cocks crow1 and the sun   
shine1 and the winds blow6       ,ye do 
commend me to all virtue ever1      ,and
 simple truth1 the law by which we live4
      ,methinks that ,i can trust your  
clearer sense      ,and your immediate  
knowledge of the truth4      ,i would   
obey your influence1 one with fate4     
,there is a true march to the sentence1 
as if a man or a body of men were       
actually making progress there step by  
step1 and these are not the mere        
disjecta membra1 the dispersed and      
mutilated members though it were of     
heroes1 which can no longer walk and    
join themselves to their comrades4 ,they
 are not perfect nor liberated pieces of
 art for the galleries1 yet they stand  
on the natural and broad pedestal of the
 living rock1 but have a principle of   
life and growth in them still1 as has   
that human nature from which they       
spring4#ejf         99       99       99
       99       99  ,it is a marvel how 

the birds contrive to survive in this   
world4 ,these tender sparrows that flit 
from bush to bush this evening1 though  
it is so late1 do not seem improvident1 
but appear to have found a roost for the
 night4 ,they must succeed by weakness  
and reliance1 for they are not bold and 
enterprising1 as their mode of life     
would seem to require1 but very weak and
 tender creatures4 ,i have seen a little
 chipping sparrow1 come too early in the
 spring1 shivering on an apple twig1    
drawing in its head and striving to warm
 it in its muffled feathers2 and it had 
no voice to intercede with nature1 but  
peeped as helpless as an infant1 and was
 ready to yield up its spirit and die   
without any effort4 ,and yet this was no
 new spring in the revolution of the    
seasons4         99       99       99   
99       99  ,our offense is rank1 it   
smells to heaven4 ,in the midst of our  
village1 as in most villages1 there is a
 slaughterhouse1 and throughout the     
summer months1 day and night1 to the    

distance of half a mile1 which embraces 
the greater part of the village1 the air
 is filled with such scents as we       
instinctively avoid in a woodland walk2 
and doubtless1 if our senses were once  
purified and educated by a simpler and  
truer life1 we should not consent to    
live in such a neighborhood4         99 
99       99       99       99  ,george  
,melvin1 our ,concord trapper1 told me  
that in going to the spring near his    
house1 where he kept his minnows for    
bait1 he found that they were all gone1 
and immediately suspected that a mink   
had got them2 so he removed the snow all
 around and laid open the trail of a    
mink underneath1 which he traced to his 
hole1 where were the fragments of his   
booty4 ,there he set his trap1 and      
baited it with fresh minnows4 ,going    
again soon to the spot1 he found one of 
the mink's fore legs in the trap gnawed 
off near the body1 and1 having set it   
again1 he caught the mink with his three
 legs1 the fourth having only a short   

bare bone sticking out4  ,when ,i       
expressed some surprise at this1 and    
said that ,i heard of such things but   
did not know whether to believe them1   
and was now glad to have the story      
confirmed1 said he3 ,oh1 the muskrats   
are the greatest fellows to gnaw their  
legs off4 ,why ,i caught one once that  
had just gnawed his third leg off1 this 
being the third time he had been        
trapped2 and he lay dead by the trap1   
for he couldn't run on one leg4 ,such   
tragedies are enacted even in this      
sphere and along our peaceful streams1  
and dignify at least the hunter's trade4
 ,only courage does anywhere prolong    
life1 whether of man or beast4  ,when   
they are caught by the leg and cannot   
get into the water to drown themselves1 
they very frequently gnaw the limb off4 
,they are commonly caught under water or
 close to the edge1 and dive immediately
 with the trap and go to gnawing and are
 quackled and drowned in a moment1      
though under other circumstances they   

will live several minutes under water4  
,they prefer to gnaw off a fore leg to a
 hind leg1 and do not gnaw off their    
tails4 ,he says the wharf rats are very 
common on the river and will swim and   
cross it like a muskrat1 and will gnaw  
their legs and even their tails off in  
the trap4  ,these would be times that   
tried men's souls1 if men had souls to  
be tried2 aye1 and the souls of brutes1 
for they must have souls as well as     
teeth4 ,even the water-rats lead        
sleepless nights and live ,achillean    
lives4 ,there are the strong will and   
the endeavor4 ,man1 even the hunter1    
naturally has sympathy with every brave 
effort1 even in his game1 to maintain   
that life it enjoys4 ,the hunter regards
 with awe his game1 and it becomes at   
last his medicine4#ejg         99       
99       99       99       99  ,of      
,cadew or ,case worms there are the     
,ruff-coats or ,cockspurs1 whose cases  
are rough and made of various materials1
 and the ,piper ,cadis or ,straw-worm1  

made of reed or rush1 and straight and  
smooth4         99       99       99    
99       99  ,carlyle's works are not to
 be studied1--hardly re-read4 ,their    
first impression is the truest and the  
deepest4 ,there is no reprint4 ,if you  
look again1 you will be disappointed and
 find nothing answering to the mood they
 have excited4 ,they are true natural   
products in this respect4 ,all things   
are but once1 and never repeated4 ,the  
first faint blushes of the morning      
gilding the mountain-tops1 with the pale
 phosphorus and saffron-colored         
clouds1--they verily transport us to the
 morning of creation2 but what avails it
 to travel eastward1 or look again there
 an hour hence4 ,we should be as far in 
the day ourselves1 mounting toward our  
meridian4 ,there is no double entendre  
for the alert reader2 in fact the work  
was designed for such complete success  
that it serves but for a single         
occasion4 ,it is the luxury of wealth   
and art when for every deed its own     

instrument is manufactured4 ,the knife  
which sliced the bread of ,jove ceased  
to be a knife when that service was     
rendered4         99       99       99  
99       99  ,for every inferior1       
earthly pleasure we forego1 a superior1 
celestial one is substituted4  ,to      
purify our lives requires simply to weed
 out what is foul and noxious and the   
sound and innocent is supplied1 as      
nature purifies the blood if we will but
 reject impurities4  ,nature and human  
life are as various to our several      
experiences as our constitutions are    
various4 ,who shall say what prospect   
life offers to another8 ,could a greater
 miracle take place than if we should   
look through each other's eyes for an   
instant8 ,we should live in all the ages
 of the world in an hour1--aye1 in all  
the worlds of the ages4 ,what ,i have   
read of rhapsodists1 of the primitive   
poets1 ,argonautic expeditions1 the life
 of demigods and heroes1 ,eleusinian    
mysteries1 etc41 suggests nothing so    

ineffably grand and informing as this   
would be4         99       99       99  
99       99  ,the phbe came into my     
house to find a place for its nest1     
flying through the windows4         99  
99       99       99       99  ,it was a
 bright thought1 that of man's to have  
bells2 no doubt the birds hear them with
 pleasure4         99       99       99 
99       99  ,to compete with the       
squirrels in the chestnut harvest1      
picking ofttimes the nuts that bear the 
mark of their teeth4         99       99
       99       99       99  ,i require 
of any lecturer that he will read me a  
more or less simple and sincere account 
of his own life1 of what he has done and
 thought1--not so much what he has read 
or heard of other men's lives and       
actions1 but some such account as he    
would send to his kindred from a distant
 land1--and if he has lived sincerely1  
it must have been in a distant land to  
me1--describing even his outward        
circumstances and what adventures he has

 had1 as well as his thoughts and       
feelings about them4 ,he who gives us   
only the results of other men's lives1  
though with brilliant temporary success1
 we may in some measure justly accuse of
 having defrauded us of our time4 ,we   
want him to give us that which was most 
precious to him1--not his life's blood  
but even that for which his life's blood
 circulated1 what he has got by living4 
,if anything ever yielded him pure      
pleasure or instruction1 let him        
communicate it4 ,let the money-getter   
tell us how much he loves wealth1 and   
what means he takes to accumulate it4   
,he must describe those facts which he  
knows and loves better than anybody     
else4 ,he must not write on foreign     
missions4 ,the mechanic will naturally  
lecture about his trade1 the farmer     
about his farm1 and every man about that
 which he1 compared with other men1     
knows best4 ,yet incredible mistakes are
 made4 ,i have heard an owl lecture with
 perverse show of learning upon the     

solar microscope1 and chanticleer upon  
nebulous stars1 when both ought to have 
been sound asleep1 the one in a hollow  
tree1 the other on his roost4  ,after ,i
 lectured here before1 this winter1 ,i  
heard that some of my townsmen had      
expected of me some account of my life  
at the pond4 ,this ,i will endeavor to  
give to-night4         99       99      
99       99       99  ,i know a robust  
and hearty mother who thinks that her   
son1 who died abroad1 came to his end by
 living too low1 as she had since       
learned that he drank only water4 ,men  
are not inclined to leave off hanging   
men to-day1 though they will be         
to-morrow4 ,i heard of a family in      
,concord this winter which would have   
starved1 if it had not been for         
potatoes--and tea and coffee4  ,it has  
not been my design to live cheaply1 but 
only to live as ,i could1 not devoting  
much time to getting a living4 ,i made  
the most of what means were already got4
         99       99       99       99  

99  ,to determine the character of our  
life and how adequate it is to its      
occasion1 just try it by any test1 as   
for instance that this same sun is seen 
in ,europe and in ,america at the same  
time1 that these same stars are visible 
in twenty-four hours to two thirds the  
inhabitants of the globe1 and who knows 
how many and various inhabitants of the 
universe4 ,what farmer in his field     
lives according even to this somewhat   
trivial material fact4  ,i just looked  
up at a fine twinkling star and thought 
that a voyager whom ,i know1 now many   
days' sail from this coast1 might       
possibly be looking up at that same star
 with me4 ,the stars are the apexes of  
what triangles6 ,there is always the    
possibility--the possibility1 ,i say--of
 being all1 or remaining a particle1 in 
the universe4         99       99       
99       99       99  ,in these days and
 in this country1 a few implements1 as  
the axe1 shovel1 etc41 and1 to the      
studious1 light and stationery and      

access to a few books1 will rank next to
 necessaries1 but can all be obtained at
 a very trifling cost4 ,under the head  
of clothing is to be ranked bedding1 or 
night-clothes4  ,we are very anxious to 
keep the animal heat in us4 ,what pains 
we take with our beds6 robbing the nests
 of birds and their breasts1 this       
shelter within a shelter1 as the mole   
has a bed of leaves and grass at the end
 of its burrow4         99       99     
99       99       99  ,in the summer ,i 
caught fish occasionally in the pond1   
but since ,september have not missed    
them4         99       99       99      
99       99  ,in a man or his work1 over
 all special excellence or failure1     
prevails the general authority or value4
         99       99       99       99  
99  ,almost any man knows how to earn   
money1 but not one in a million knows   
how to spend it4 ,if he had known so    
much as this1 he would never have earned
 it4         99       99       99       
99       99  ,all matter1 indeed1 is    

capable of entertaining thought4        
99       99       99       99       99  
,the complete subjugation of the body to
 the mind prophesies the sovereignty of 
the latter over the whole of nature4    
,the instincts are to a certain extent a
 sort of independent nobility1 of equal 
date with the mind1 or crown1--ancient  
dukes and princes of the regal blood4   
,they are perhaps the mind of our       
ancestors subsided in us1 the experience
 of the race4  ,a small sum would really
 do much good1 if the donor spent       
himself with it and did not merely      
relinquish it to some distant society   
whose managers do the good or the evil  
with it4 ,how much might be done for    
this town with a hundred dollars6 ,i    
could provide a select course of        
lectures for the summer or winter with  
that sum1 which would be an incalculable
 benefit to every inhabitant4 ,with a   
thousand dollars ,i could purchase for  
this town a more complete and select    
library than exists in the ,state out of

 ,cambridge and ,boston1 perhaps a more 
available one than any4 ,men sit palsied
 and helpless by the side of their      
buried treasures4#ejh  ,after all those 
who do most good with money1 do it with 
the least1 because they can do better   
than to acquire it4   ,march #ac1 #ahdf4
 ,the song sparrow and blackbird heard  
to-day4 ,the snow going off4 ,the ice in
 the pond one foot thick4         99    
99       99       99       99  ,men talk
 much of coperation nowadays1 of working
 together to some worthy end2 but what  
little coperation there is1 is as if it 
were not1 being a simple result of which
 the means are hidden1 a harmony        
inaudible to men4 ,if a man has faith1  
he will coperate with equal faith       
everywhere4 ,if he has not faith he will
 continue to live like the rest of the  
world1 whatever company he is joined to4
 ,to coperate thoroughly implies to get 
your living together4 ,i heard it       
proposed lately that two young men      
should travel together over the world1  

the one earning his means as he went1   
the other carrying a bill of exchange in
 his pocket4 ,it was easy to see that   
they could not long be companions1 or   
coperate1 since one would not operate at
 all4 ,they would part company at the   
first and most interesting crisis in    
their adventures4   ,,end ,,of ,,volume 
,i                                ,the  
,riverside ,press                       
,h4 ,o4 ,,houghton ,,and ,,company      
,,cambridge                             
,,massachusetts     ,,footnotes         
#a ,in many cases the punctuation seems 
to be absolutely      without           
significance2 as if the writer had      
simply fallen into      the habit of    
dropping dashes in an absent-minded way 
as he      passed along4 ,the following 
examples 7the longest an extreme        
case7 will show what is meant3--        
,i heard from time to time--a new note4 
,the ,equisetum sylvaticum--there is now
 of a reddish cast4       ,it is very   
difficult--to find a suitable place to  

camp near      the                      
road--affording--water--a good--prospect
 and retirement4       ,another alighted
 near--by--and a third a little further 
off4       #b ,under date of ,june #i1  
#ahed1 we find him writing3 ,i          
should like to know the birds of the    
woods better4 ,what birds      inhabit  
our woods8 ,i hear their various notes  
ringing through      them4 ,what        
musicians compose our woodland quire8   
,they must be      forever strange and  
interesting to me4 ,even the glass that 
he finally bought was not an            
opera-glass1 but a spy-glass            
7monocular7 so called1 and must have    
been of comparatively      little help  
in the identification of woodland       
species4       #c ,once he saw it       
7,august #c1 #aheh71 and then it proved 
to      be a ,maryland yellow-throat4   
,at other times it was almost           
certainly an oven-bird4       #d ,week1 
p4 #cge2 ,riv4 #dfd4       #e ,week1 p4 
#cad2 ,riv4 #cij4       #f ,week1 p4    

#ceb2 ,riv4 #dce1 #dcf4       #g ,week1 
p4 #cdh2 ,riv4 #dcj4       #h ,week1 p4 
#chc2 ,riv4 #dgc4       #i ,week1 p4    
#dag2 ,riv4 #eae4       #aj ,week1 p4   
#ic2 ,riv4 #aaf4 ,excursions1 p4 #ach2  
,riv4      #afi4       #aa ,week1 p4    
#cgc2 ,riv4 #dfa4       #ab ,excursions1
 pp4 #abf1 #abg2 ,riv4 #aee1 #aef4      
#ac ,week1 pp4 #cdg1 #cdh2 ,riv4 #dbi1  
#dcj4       #ad ,later4 ,we must        
consider war and slavery1 with many     
other institutions and even the best    
existing governments1                   
notwithstanding their apparent          
advantages1 as the abortive             
rudiments of nobler institutions such as
 distinguish man in      his savage and 
half-civilized state4       #ae         
,excursions1 pp4 #abg1 #abh2 ,riv4 #aeg4
       #af ,week1 p4 #ahf2 ,riv4 #bca4  
,the ,service1 ,boston1 #aijb1      p4  
#ba       #ag ,a fanciful derivation of 
the word ,saxons8       #ah ,excursions1
 p4 #abh2 ,riv4 #aeh4       #ai         
,excursions1 p4 #abh2 ,riv4 #aeg1 #aeh4 

#bj ,familiar ,letters1 ,sept4 #h1      
#ahda4       #ba ,week1 p4 #afc2 ,riv4  
#bjc4       #bb ,excursions1 p4 #ada2   
,riv4 #agc4       #bc ,excursions1 p4   
#abg2 ,riv4 #aef4       #bd ,excursions1
 p4 #aab2 ,riv4 #ach4       #be ,week1  
pp4 #cdg1 #cdh2 ,riv4 #dbi-dca4         
#bf ,week1 p4 #ff2 ,riv4 #hb1 #hc4      
#bg ,week1 p4 #ff2 ,riv4 #hc4       #bh 
,week1 p4 #if2 ,riv4 #aai1 #abj4        
#bi ,week1 p4 #fe2 ,riv4 #ha4       #cj 
,week1 p4 #if2 ,riv4 #abj4       #ca    
,carlyleish is written in the margin    
against this      passage4       #cb    
,the word seems to be a new one1 but its
 meaning is      clear4       #cc ,week1
 p4 #abi2 ,riv4 #afa4       #cd         
,excursions1 p4 #ajh2 ,riv4 #acc4       
#ce ,week1 p4 #gh2 ,riv4 #ig4       #cf 
,week1 pp4 #id1 #ie2 ,riv4 #aag1 #aai4  
#cg ,week1 p4 #gi2 ,riv4 #ih1 #ii4 ,the 
,service1 p4 #d4       #ch ,week1 pp4   
#i-aa2 ,riv4 #aa1 #ac4       #ci ,week1 
p4 #if2 ,riv4 #abj4       #dj ,week1 p4 
#cai2 ,riv4 #cie4       #da ,see ,week1 

p4 #ie 7,riv4 #aah71 where the passages 
referred to appear in translation4      
#db ,excursions1 pp4 #aha1 #ahb2 ,riv4  
#bba1 #bbb4       #dc ,all but the last 
stanza1 somewhat revised and without    
title1 appears in ,excursions1 pp4 #agf1
 #agg2 ,riv4 #bae1 #baf4       #dd ,cf4 
,week1 pp4 #dag-dbj2 ,riv4 #eae-eah4    
#de ,excursions1 p4 #ajh2 ,riv4 #acc4   
,drinking for ,sipping      in l4 #c is 
the only change4       #df ,excursions1 
pp4 #aji1 #aaj2 ,riv4 #ace4       #dg   
,week1 p4 #bdd2 ,riv4 #cjb4 ,lines #b   
and #c are altered4       #dh           
,excursions1 p4 #aab2 ,riv4 #ach4       
#di ,excursions1 and ,poems1 pp4 #abj   
and #dji2 ,excursions1      ,riv4 #adg4 
#ej ,week1 p4 #ahj2 ,riv4 #bbd4         
#ea ,week1 pp4 #cfd1 #cfe2 ,riv4 #dea1  
#deb4       #eb ,this poem will be found
 in ,excursions1 and ,poems1 p4         
#dag1 under the title ,ding ,dong1      
somewhat revised and without      the   
last stanza4       #ec ,excursions1 p4  
#aji2 ,riv4 #acd4       #ed ,walden1 p4 

#h2 ,riv4 #ad1 #ae4       #ee ,cape     
,cod1 and ,miscellanies1 p4 #bgh2       
,misc41 ,riv4 #cf1      #cg4 ,the       
,service1 pp4 #e1 #f4       #ef ,week1  
pp4 #bgf1 #bgg2 ,riv4 #cdc1 #cdd4       
#eg ,week1 p4 #ahh2 ,riv4 #bcd4         
#eh ,week1 p4 #ahh2 ,riv4 #bcd4         
#ei ,week1 p4 #bjj2 ,riv4 #bdh4         
#fj ,week1 pp4 #cjb1 #cjc2 ,riv4 #cge1  
#cgf4       #fa ,week1 p4 #ch2 ,riv4    
#dg4       #fb ,week1 p4 #ch2 ,riv4 #dg4
       #fc ,week1 p4 #ci2 ,riv4 #dh4    
#fd ,week1 p4 #ci2 ,riv4 #dh1 #di4      
#fe ,week1 p4 #ci2 ,riv4 #di4       #ff 
,week1 p4 #dc2 ,riv4 #ed4       #fg     
,week1 p4 #aah2 ,riv4 #adg4       #fh   
,week1 p4 #agi2 ,riv4 #bbb4       #fi   
,week1 p4 #bdh2 ,riv4 #cjg4       #gj   
,week1 p4 #cji2 ,riv4 #chc4       #ga   
,see ,week1 pp4 #cah-cbb2 ,riv4         
#cid-cii4       #gb ,the original name  
of ,woodstock1 ,n4 ,h4       #gc ,see   
,week1 pp4 #cce-cec2 ,riv4 #dad-dcg4    
#gd ,see ,week1 pp4 #cef-dbj2 ,riv4     
#ddb-eah4       #ge ,week1 pp4 #aaj1    

#aaa2 ,riv4 #acg4       #gf ,week1 p4   
#aaj2 ,riv4 #acg4       #gg ,excursions1
 p4 #ajg2 ,riv4 #acb4       #gh         
,excursions1 p4 #ajg2 ,riv4 #aca1 #acb4 
#gi ,this comes at the end of the first 
book of ,journal      transcripts       
7#ahcg-ci7 and follows immediately a bit
 of verse      dated ,oct4 #af1 #ahch1  
which has been included in its proper   
chronological place4       #hj ,cape    
,cod1 and ,miscellanies1 p4 #bgg3       
,misc41 ,riv4 #ce4      ,the ,service1  
p4 #a4       #ha ,excursions1 p4 #ajg2  
,riv4 #acb4       #hb ,cape ,cod1 and   
,miscellanies1 p4 #bgg2 ,misc41 ,riv4   
#ce4      ,the ,service1 p4 #a4         
#hc ,week1 p4 #cgf2 ,riv4 #dfe4 ,the    
,service1 pp4 #h1 #i4       #hd         
,plutarch's ,morals1 ,roman ,questions1 
lxviii4       #he ,the ,service1 p4 #i4 
#hf ,the ,service1 p4 #ab4       #hg ,a 
pencil interlineation in this paragraph 
is as      follows3 ,the soldier is the 
degenerate hero1 as the priest      is  
the degenerate saint2 and the soldier   

and the priest are      related as the  
hero and the saint4 ,the one's virtue is
      bravery1 the other's bravery      
virtue4 ,mankind still pay to the       
soldier the honors due only to the hero4
 ,they delight to do      him honor4 ,he
 is adorned with silver and gold and the
 colors      of the rainbow1 invested   
with outward splendor2 music is for     
him especially1 and his life is a       
holiday4       #hh ,the ,service1 p4    
#aa4       #hi ,week1 p4 #ahc2 ,riv4    
#bbh4       #ij ,the ,service1 p4 #aa4  
#ia ,the ,service1 p4 #ab4       #ib    
,week1 p4 #ahc2 ,riv4 #bbh4       #ic   
,week1 p4 #ahc2 ,riv4 #bbg4 ,the        
,service1 p4 #ac4       #id ,week1 p4   
#ahc2 ,riv4 #bbh4 ,the ,service1 p4 #ad4
       #ie ,the ,service1 p4 #ad4 ,see  
also p4 #aea of this volume4       #if  
,the ,service1 p4 #ae4 ,in pencil on a  
fly-leaf of the      ,journal3 ,the     
coward substitutes for this thrilling   
sphere      music a universal wail1 for 
this melodious chant a nasal cant1      

and but whistles to keep his courage up4
 ,he blows a feeble      blast of       
slender melody and can compel his       
neighborhood only      into a partial   
concord with himself1 because nature has
 but      little sympathy with such a   
soul4 ,hence he hears no accordant      
note in the universe1 and is a coward1  
or consciously outcast      and deserted
 man4 ,but the brave man1 without drum  
or trumpet1      compels concord        
everywhere by the universality and      
tunefulness      of his soul4       #ig 
,the ,service1 p4 #ac4       #ih ,week1 
pp4 #ahc1 #ahd2 ,riv4 #bbh4 ,the        
,service1 p4 #ac4      ,the quotation is
 from ,plutarch's ,morals1 ,of          
,superstition4       #ii ,the ,service1 
pp4 #g1 #h4 ,see p4 #aed of this volume4
       #ajj ,the ,service1 pp4 #bc1 #bd4
       #aja ,cf4 ,week1 pp4 #bgd-cjg2   
,riv4 #cda-cha4       #ajb ,excursions1 
p4 #ajh2 ,riv4 #acc4       #ajc ,stanzas
 #h1 #aj1 #aa1 #ab1 with revision1      
,week1 p4      #bee2 ,riv4 #cag4        

,stanzas #b-e1 #i1 #ac1 ,familiar       
,letters1      ,introduction4       #ajd
 ,week1 p4 #ic2 ,riv4 #aaf4       #aje  
,week1 p4 #ic2 ,riv4 #aaf4       #ajf   
,week1 p4 #acb2 ,riv4 #afd4       #ajg  
,week1 p4 #acb2 ,riv4 #afe4       #ajh  
,the criticism was not transcribed here4
 ,the title was      inserted doubtless 
as a memorandum and to record the date  
of      its composition4 ,see ,week1 p4 
#cbg2 ,riv4 #dje4       #aji ,cape ,cod1
 and ,miscellanies1 p4 #bgi2 ,misc41    
,riv4      #cg4       #aaj ,the         
,service1 p4 #bj4       #aaa ,week1 p4  
#cea2 ,riv4 #dcd4       #aab ,week1 p4  
#cea2 ,riv4 #dcd4 ,a sheet with         
specimens of      this familiar         
school-boy amusement is slipped into one
 of the      manuscript ,journal        
volumes4       #aac ,excursions1 p4     
#aah2 ,riv4 #adf4       #aad ,week1 p4  
#djf2 ,riv4 #eja4       #aae            
,excursions1 p4 #aad2 ,riv4 #ada4       
#aaf ,excursions1 pp4 #abj1 #aba2 ,riv4 
#adh1 #adi4       #aag ,see pp4 #agd and

 #bfc4       #aah ,week1 p4 #cjj2 ,riv4 
#cgc4       #aai ,excursions1 p4 #aad2  
,riv4 #adj4       #abj ,excursions1 pp4 
#aai1 #abj2 ,riv4 #adg1 #adh4       #aba
 ,stanzas #c1 #b1 and #e1 in this order1
 with slight      alterations1 are      
printed in ,week1 p4 #cff 7,riv4 #dec71 
under      the title of ,the ,poet's    
,delay4       #abb ,walden1 p4 #ceb2    
,riv4 #dic4       #abc ,week1 p4 #chc2  
,riv4 #dgd4       #abd ,the ,service1 p4
 #ae4       #abe ,week1 p4 #ab2 ,riv4   
#ae4       #abf ,week1 p4 #ag2 ,riv4    
#ba4       #abg ,t4 finally sold this   
boat to ,hawthorne1 who changed the     
name from ,musketaquid to ,pond-,lily2  
and later it passed into                
,channing's hands4 ,see ,hawthorne's    
,american ,note-,books1 ,riv4      pp4  
#cah-cba1 and ,channing1 p4 #ac4        
#abh ,week1 pp4 #ab1 #ac2 ,riv4 #ae-ag4 
#abi ,week1 p4 #ai2 ,riv4 #bd4          
#acj ,week1 p4 #cg2 ,riv4 #dg4          
#aca ,week1 p4 #ag2 ,riv4 #ba4          
#acb ,week1 p4 #bej2 ,riv4 #caj1 #caa4  

#acc ,this was ,thoreau's first journal1
 from which he made      the transcripts
 which are now the only representatives 
of his      early diarizing4 ,see p4    
#ahh1 where ,journal of #cif pages ends4
       #acd ,week1 p4 #chf2 ,riv4 #dgf4 
#ace ,wordsworth1 incorrectly quoted4   
,the line reads1--                      
,following his plough1 along the        
mountain-side4       #acf ,week1 pp4    
#dd1 #de2 ,riv4 #ef4       #acg ,week1  
pp4 #cg1 #ch2 ,riv4 #dg4       #ach     
,week1 p4 #ch2 ,riv4 #dg1 #dh4          
#aci ,week1 pp4 #cai1 #cbj2 ,riv4 #cie1 
#cif4       #adj ,week1 p4 #de2 ,riv4   
#ef1 #eg4       #ada ,the ,service1 p4  
#f4       #adb ,week1 p4 #bhj2 ,riv4    
#cdg4       #adc ,week1 p4 #afc2 ,riv4  
#bjc4       #add ,week1 p4 #de2 ,riv4   
#eg4       #ade ,the ,service1 p4 #ad4  
#adf ,week1 p4 #aha2 ,riv4 #bbd1 #bbe4  
#adg ,week1 pp4 #ci1 #dj2 ,riv4 #di1    
#ej4       #adh ,week1 p4 #cjd2 ,riv4   
#cgh4       #adi ,cape ,cod1 and        
,miscellanies1 p4 #bgg2 ,misc41 ,riv4   

#ce4       #aej ,the ,service1 p4 #b4   
#aea ,the ,service1 p4 #ac4       #aeb  
,the ,service1 p4 #bd4       #aec ,week1
 pp4 #ic1 #id2 ,riv4 #aaf1 #aag4        
#aed ,see p4 #ajd4       #aee ,see p4   
#ajf4       #aef ,see p4 #ajf4          
#aeg ,the ,service1 p4 #ab4       #aeh  
,week1 pp4 #chd1 #che2 ,riv4 #dge4      
#aei ,the ,service1 pp4 #ae1 #af4       
#afj ,the ,service1 p4 #bc4       #afa  
,the ,service1 p4 #bc4       #afb ,the  
,service1 p4 #bc4       #afc ,the       
,service1 p4 #bc4       #afd ,the       
,service1 p4 #bc4       #afe ,the       
,service1 pp4 #be1 #bf4       #aff ,the 
,service1 pp4 #ba1 #bb4       #afg ,the 
,service1 p4 #bb4       #afh ,the       
,service1 p4 #ad4       #afi ,the       
,service1 p4 #ab4       #agj ,i have    
heard a strain of music issuing from a  
soldiers'      camp in the dawn1 which  
sounded like the morning hymn      of   
creation4 ,the birches rustling in the  
breeze and the      slumberous breathing
 of the crickets seemed to hush their   

murmuring to attend to it4 ,written in  
pencil on a fly-leaf      of the        
,journal4       #aga ,the ,service1 p4  
#g4 ,mr4 ,sanborn1 in a note to this    
passage1 says1 ,the allusion here is to 
the extraordinary      sight of the     
gravest citizens of ,concord1 in that   
summer      #ahdj1 444 turning out to   
roll a huge ball1 emblematic of      the
 popular movement against ,president    
,van ,buren1 from the      battle-ground
 of ,concord to that of ,bunker ,hill1  
singing as      they rolled3--          
',it is the ,ball a-rolling on          
,for ,tippecanoe and ,tyler too4'       
#agb ,week1 p4 #abi2 ,riv4 #afa4        
#agc ,week1 p4 #abi2 ,riv4 #afj1 #afa4  
#agd ,week1 p4 #abi2 ,riv4 #afa4        
#age ,excursions1 p4 #aai2 ,riv4 #adf4  
#agf ,the ,service1 p4 #ac4       #agg  
,cape ,cod1 and ,miscellanies1 p4 #bgg2 
,misc41 ,riv4      #cf4       #agh ,the 
,service1 pp4 #c1 #d4       #agi ,week1 
p4 #bfe2 ,riv4 #cbi4       #ahj ,week1  
p4 #gi2 ,riv4 #ii4 ,the ,service1 p4 #e4

       #aha ,week1 p4 #cja2 ,riv4 #cgd4 
#ahb ,the ,service1 p4 #bd4       #ahc  
,the ,service1 p4 #bf4       #ahd ,the  
,service1 p4 #bc4       #ahe ,the       
,service1 p4 #aj4       #ahf ,cape ,cod1
 and ,miscellanies1 p4 #bgg2 ,misc41    
,riv4      #cf4 ,the ,service1 p4 #c4   
#ahg ,the ,service1 p4 #c4       #ahh   
,week1 p4 #djg2 ,riv4 #ejb4 ,the        
,service1 p4 #ag4       #ahi ,the       
,service1 p4 #ag4       #aij ,week1 p4  
#djg2 ,riv4 #ejb4 ,the ,service1 p4 #ag4
       #aia ,the ,service1 p4 #i4       
#aib ,the last two sentences appear also
 in pencil on a      fly-leaf1 preceded 
by1 ,it sleeps securely within its camp1
      not even dreaming of a foe4       
#aic ,week1 p4 #bcj2 ,riv4 #bhe4        
#aid ,week1 p4 #bbi2 ,riv4 #bhd1 #bhe4  
#aie ,week1 p4 #bbi2 ,riv4 #bhe4 ,see   
also p4 #abd of this      volume4       
#aif ,excursions1 p4 #ajf2 ,riv4 #aca4  
#aig ,see ,excursions1 p4 #aaj2 ,riv4   
#ace4       #aih ,week1 p4 #cae2 ,riv4  
#cij1 #cia4 ,see also below4       #aii 

,see above4       #bjj ,week1 p4 #cjd2  
,riv4 #cgg1 #cgh4 ,see also p4 #bje4    
#bja ,excursions1 p4 #aag2 ,riv4 #add4  
#bjb ,excursions1 p4 #aag2 ,riv4 #add4  
#bjc ,excursions1 pp4 #aag1 #aah2 ,riv4 
#add1 #ade4       #bjd ,week1 p4 #ahd2  
,riv4 #bbh4       #bje ,see ,emerson's  
,journal 7#ahda71 quoted in ,e4 ,w4     
,emerson's      ,emerson in ,concord1 p4
 #ii4       #bjf ,walden1 p4 #bh2 ,riv4 
#dc4       #bjg ,week1 p4 #dae2 ,riv4   
#eab4       #bjh ,see p4                
#bad1--;bronchitis6       #bji          
,excursions1 p4 #afg2 ,riv4 #bjc1 #bjd4 
#baj ,excursions1 p4 #agc2 ,riv4 #baa4  
#baa ,week1 p4 #bhi2 ,riv4 #cei4        
#bab ,see p4 #ahj4       #bac ,week1 p4 
#bcf2 ,riv4 #bic4       #bad ,week1 p4  
#ej2 ,riv4 #fc4       #bae ,week1 p4    
#cje2 ,riv4 #cgi4       #baf ,week1 p4  
#djf2 ,riv4 #eja4       #bag            
,excursions1 p4 #ahb2 ,riv4 #bbb4       
#bah ,week1 p4 #bhh2 ,riv4 #ceh4        
#bai ,see his sister's account of his   
last sickness in      ,sanborn's        

,thoreau1 pp4 #caj-cac4       #bbj      
,week1 p4 #ajf2 ,riv4 #acb4       #bba  
,week1 p4 #aeg2 ,riv4 #aie4       #bbb  
,excursions1 p4 #ahb2 ,riv4 #bbc4       
#bbc ,see ,week1 p4 #de2 ,riv4 #eg4     
#bbd ,week1 p4 #dj2 ,riv4 #ej4          
#bbe ,an interpretation of ,emerson's   
poem4 ,the numbers refer      to the    
stanzas4       #bbf ,the italics are    
,thoreau's4       #bbg ,week1 pp4 #aaa1 
#aab2 ,riv4 #ach-adj4       #bbh ,week1 
p4 #ajh2 ,riv4 #acd4       #bbi ,week1  
p4 #gi2 ,riv4 #ih4       #bcj ,week1 p4 
#bhc2 ,riv4 #cea4       #bca ,see p4    
#bii4       #bcb ,walden1 p4 #be2 ,riv4 
#ci4       #bcc ,week1 p4 #ed2 ,riv4    
#fg1 #fh4       #bcd ,see ,week1 p4     
#aca2 ,riv4 #afc4       #bce ,week1 p4  
#aca2 ,riv4 #afc4       #bcf ,week1 p4  
#abi2 ,riv4 #afa4       #bcg ,week1 pp4 
#cah1 #cai2 ,riv4 #cie4 ,tree sparrow   
chipping      sparrow8 ,the hair-bird of
 ,week1 p4 #cag 7,riv4 #cic71 is        
called tree sparrow in the              
commonplace-book referred to on p4      

#dch4       #bch ,field sparrow1        
,nuttall's ,fringilla juncorum4 ,nuttall
      gives both field sparrow and rush 
sparrow as its vernacular      names4   
#bci ,week1 p4 #ccf2 ,riv4 #daf4        
#bdj ,week1 p4 #ccf2 ,riv4 #daf4        
#bda ,week1 p4 #ed2 ,riv4 #fg4          
#bdb ,in ,excursions1 p4 #ace 7,riv4    
#afe71 these lines are      printed as  
part of a poem beginning1 ,with frontier
 strength      ye stand your ground4    
,the poem appears also1 in extended     
form1 in ,week1 pp4 #agj-agc2 ,riv4     
#bab-bae4       #bdc ,week1 p4 #acb2    
,riv4 #afd4       #bdd ,week1 p4 #acb2  
,riv4 #afd4       #bde ,excursions1 p4  
#acc2 ,riv4 #afc4       #bdf ,this poem 
appears in ,week1 p4 #ej 7,riv4 #fb71   
with some      variations and without   
title4       #bdg ,walden1 p4 #ced2     
,riv4 #dif4       #bdh ,see ,week1 p4   
#aed2 ,riv4 #aib4       #bdi ,week1 p4  
#adj2 ,riv4 #agd1 #age4       #bej ,see 
pp4 #abd and #agd4       #bea ,week1 p4 
#aee2 ,riv4 #aic4       #beb ,week1 p4  

#ab2 ,riv4 #ae4       #bec ,week1 p4    
#cid2 ,riv4 #dhf4       #bed ,week1 p4  
#aee2 ,riv4 #aic4       #bee ,week1 p4  
#aji2 ,riv4 #acf4       #bef ,week1 p4  
#aeg2 ,riv4 #aie1 #aif4       #beg      
,week1 p4 #aeg2 ,riv4 #aie4       #beh  
,week1 pp4 #afa-afc2 ,riv4 #bjj-bjd4    
#bei ,excursions1 p4 #adh2 ,riv4 #aha4  
#bfj ,week1 p4 #cci2 ,riv4 #dai4 ,the   
double spruce is now      generally     
known as the black spruce4 ,thoreau     
makes it single      spruce 7i4 e41     
white spruce7 in the book1 but the tree 
he      was familiar with was the black4
 ,he confused these two species      for
 a time1 but eventually discovered his  
error4       #bfa ,excursions1 pp4 #abe1
 #abf2 ,riv4 #aed1 #aee4       #bfb     
,week1 p4 #cfc2 ,riv4 #ddi4       #bfc  
,week1 p4 #ef2 ,riv4 #gj4       #bfd    
,week1 p4 #cda2 ,riv4 #dbb4       #bfe  
,week1 p4 #bbi2 ,riv4 #bhd4       #bff  
,week1 p4 #cda2 ,riv4 #dba1 #dbb4       
#bfg ,week1 p4 #cec2 ,riv4 #dcf1 #dcg4  
#bfh ,week1 p4 #cfc2 ,riv4 #dej4        

#bfi ,week1 p4 #cfe2 ,riv4 #dec4        
#bgj ,week1 p4 #aei2 ,riv4 #aih4        
#bga ,week1 p4 #aei2 ,riv4 #aii4        
#bgb ,week1 p4 #aee2 ,riv4 #aid4        
#bgc ,week1 p4 #aee2 ,riv4 #aic4        
#bgd ,week1 p4 #aee2 ,riv4 #aid4        
#bge ,week1 p4 #aef2 ,riv4 #aie4        
#bgf ,week1 p4 #aei2 ,riv4 #aih4        
#bgg ,week1 p4 #djb2 ,riv4 #dif4        
#bgh ,week1 p4 #aei2 ,riv4 #aih4        
#bgi ,week1 p4 #aef2 ,riv4 #aid4        
#bhj ,week1 p4 #aef2 ,riv4 #aie4        
#bha ,week1 p4 #ceh2 ,riv4 #ddc4        
#bhb ,week1 p4 #aee2 ,riv4 #aic4        
#bhc ,excursions1 p4 #aai2 ,riv4 #adf1  
#adg4       #bhd ,excursions1 pp4 #cca1 
#ccb2 ,riv4 #djh4       #bhe ,week1 p4  
#ceh2 ,riv4 #ddc4       #bhf ,week1 p4  
#dh2 ,riv4 #fj4       #bhg ,week1 p4    
#cic2 ,riv4 #dhf4       #bhh ,week1 pp4 
#cic1 #cid2 ,riv4 #dhf4       #bhi      
,week1 p4 #cid2 ,riv4 #dhf4       #bij  
,week1 p4 #aaa2 ,riv4 #ach4       #bia  
,see p4 #bac for the possible origin of 
this figure4       #bib ,on the back    

lining-page of the manuscript ,journal  
volume which ends with this date are the
 following sentences      in pencil3    
,there is another young day let loose to
 roam the earth4       ,happiness is    
very unprofitable stock4       ,the love
 which is preached nowadays is an ocean 
of new milk      for a man to swim in4  
,i hear no surf nor surge1 but the winds
      coo over it4       #bic ,see      
,week1 pp4 xx1 xxi2 ,misc41 ,riv4 #h1 #i
 7,emerson's      ,biographical ,sketch 
of ,thoreau74       #bid ,week1 p4 #bia2
 ,riv4 #cfa4       #bie ,week1 p4 #cfc2 
,riv4 #dej4       #bif ,week1 p4 #cie2  
,riv4 #dhh4       #big ,week1 p4 #cie2  
,riv4 #dhh4       #bih ,this poem1 with 
the four additional stanzas of the      
next date1 appears in the ,week1 pp4    
#cac1 #cad 7,riv4 #chh1 #chi7      under
 the title of ,the ,inward ,morning4    
,the second stanza is      there omitted
 and there are other alterations4       
#bii ,familiar ,letters1 ,sept41 #aheb4 
#cjj ,see p4 #cdg4       #cja ,week1 p4 

#cgc2 ,riv4 #dfa4       #cjb ,week1 p4  
#ed2 ,riv4 #fg4       #cjc ,excursions1 
p4 #agd2 ,riv4 #bab4       #cjd ,written
 in pencil on a fly-leaf of the         
,journal3 ,a man      might well pray   
that he may not taboo or curse any      
portion of      nature by being buried  
in it4       #cje ,channing1 p4 #bda4   
#cjf ,see p4 #bdd4       #cjg           
,excursions1 p4 #agc2 ,riv4 #bab4       
#cjh ,week1 p4 #cad2 ,riv4 #chi4        
#cji ,week1 p4 #acc2 ,riv4 #aff4        
#caj ,week1 p4 #bhj2 ,riv4 #cdg4        
#caa ,week1 p4 #cad2 ,riv4 #cij4        
#cab ,week1 p4 #chd2 ,riv4 #dgd4        
#cac ,week1 p4 #cif2 ,riv4 #dhi4        
#cad ,week1 p4 #cig2 ,riv4 #dij4        
#cae ,week1 p4 #cih2 ,riv4 #dia4        
#caf ,week1 p4 #cig2 ,riv4 #dij4        
#cag ,week1 p4 #cih2 ,riv4 #dia1 #dib4  
#cah ,excursions1 pp4 #ajc1 #ajd2 ,riv4 
#abg1 #abh4       #cai ,excursions1 pp4 
#ajc-aje2 ,riv4 #abg-abi4       #cbj    
,week1 p4 #cfb2 ,riv4 #ddi4       #cba  
,excursions1 p4 #aje2 ,riv4 #abi1 #acj4 

#cbb ,week1 pp4 #gg1 #gh2 ,riv4 #if1    
#ig4       #cbc ,week1 p4 #cif2 ,riv4   
#dhi4       #cbd ,week1 p4 #cih2 ,riv4  
#dib4       #cbe ,week1 p4 #cif2 ,riv4  
#dhi1 #dij4       #cbf ,week1 pp4 #bcg1 
#bch2 ,riv4 #bid1 #bie4       #cbg      
,week1 pp4 #ajh-aaj2 ,riv4 #acd-acf4    
#cbh ,week1 p4 #aaj2 ,riv4 #acf1 #acg4  
#cbi ,excursions1 p4 #ajd2 ,riv4 #abh4  
#ccj ,week1 p4 #ahd2 ,riv4 #bbh4        
#cca ,week1 p4 #ahb2 ,riv4 #bbf4        
#ccb ,week1 p4 #ahc2 ,riv4 #bbg4        
#ccc ,it was about a year after the date
 of this entry that      ,richard ,f4   
,fuller made ,thoreau a present of a    
music-box 7see      ,familiar ,letters1 
,march #b1 #ahdb1 and ,jan4 #af and #bd1
 #ahdc71      which a few months later1 
on departing for ,staten ,island1 he    
lent to ,hawthorne 7,american           
,note-,books1 ,riv4 pp4 #ccc1 #cch74    
#ccd ,week1 p4 #ahd2 ,riv4 #bbh4        
#cce ,week1 p4 #ahd2 ,riv4 #bbh4        
#ccf ,week1 p4 #cjc2 ,riv4 #cgg4        
#ccg ,thoreau's brother ,john died ,jan4

 #aa1 #ahdb4       #cch ,two lines      
missing from the manuscript here4       
#cci ,week1 p4 #cih2 ,riv4 #dib4        
#cdj ,week1 p4 #cig2 ,riv4 #dij4        
#cda ,week1 p4 #bhh2 ,riv4 #ceg4        
#cdb ,week1 p4 #bhh2 ,riv4 #ceh4        
#cdc ,at the head of this paragraph     
appears the following in      pencil3   
,what has music to do with the lives of 
the ,great ,composers8 ,it      is the  
great composer who is not yet dead whose
 life should      be written4 ,shall we 
presume to write such a history as the  
former while the winds blow8       #cdd 
,week1 pp4 #cih1 #cii2 ,riv4 #dib4      
#cde ,week1 p4 #cjc2 ,riv4 #cgg4        
#cdf ,week1 pp4 #cig1 #cih2 ,riv4 #dia4 
#cdg ,week1 pp4 #cig1 #cih2 ,riv4 #dia1 
#dib4       #cdh ,week1 p4 #aef2 ,riv4  
#aie4       #cdi ,week1 p4 #aeg2 ,riv4  
#aif4       #cej ,week1 pp4 #cci1 #cdj2 
,riv4 #dbj4       #cea ,week1 p4 #ach2  
,riv4 #agb1 #agc4       #ceb ,cape ,cod1
 and ,miscellanies1 p4 #ccf2 ,misc41    
,riv4      #ajf1 #ajg4       #cec ,see  

pp4 #ddc1 #ddd4       #ced ,see         
,journal1 vol4 ii1 p4 #abh4       #cee  
,week1 p4 #bhc2 ,riv4 #cea4       #cef  
,week1 pp4 #acj1 #aca2 ,riv4 #afc4      
#ceg ,set the red hen1 ,sunday1 ,march  
#bast #bjth4 ,this      memorandum is   
written in the margin4 ,it is pretty    
good proof      that by now we have come
 to the original ,journal4 ,just where  
the transcripts end1 however1 it seems  
to be impossible to      determine4     
#ceh ,week1 p4 #ajg2 ,riv4 #acc4        
#cei ,week1 p4 #acj2 ,riv4 #afb4        
#cfj ,week1 p4 #afj2 ,riv4 #aii4        
#cfa ,week1 p4 #aji2 ,riv4 #ace1 #acf4  
#cfb ,week1 p4 #aec2 ,riv4 #aia4        
#cfc ,week1 p4 #aec2 ,riv4 #aia4        
#cfd ,week1 p4 #aec2 ,riv4 #aia4        
#cfe ,week1 p4 #aje2 ,riv4 #acj4        
#cff ,week1 p4 #aec2 ,riv4 #aia4        
#cfg ,see pp4 #bie1 #bif4       #cfh    
,week1 p4 #acg2 ,riv4 #agj4       #cfi  
,week1 p4 #cja2 ,riv4 #cgd1 #cge4       
#cgj ,week1 p4 #cea2 ,riv4 #dcd4        
#cga ,week1 p4 #acj2 ,riv4 #afc4        

#cgb ,in ,excursions1 p4 #aaj 7,riv4    
#acf71 what appears to be      the same 
bird is described1 and is called the    
fish hawk4       #cgc ,week1 pp4 #aje1  
#ajf2 ,riv4 #aca1 #acb4       #cgd      
,week1 pp4 #cd1 #ce2 ,riv4 #db1 #dc4    
#cge ,excursions1 p4 #aaj2 ,riv4 #acf4  
#cgf ,week1 p4 #aaj2 ,riv4 #acg4        
#cgg ,on the margin of this page appears
 the memorandum3 ,set      the gray hen 
,april #ast4       #cgh ,week1 p4 #cig2 
,riv4 #dij1 #dia4       #cgi            
,excursions1 p4 #aaa2 ,riv4 #acg4       
#chj ,walden1 p4 #id2 ,riv4 #acd4       
#cha ,walden1 p4 #ajf2 ,riv4 #aej4      
#chb ,walden1 pp4 #aga1 #agb2 ,riv4     
#bdb4       #chc ,walden1 p4 #ade2 ,riv4
 #bje4       #chd ,walden1 pp4 #ade1    
#adf2 ,riv4 #bjf4       #che ,plainly   
neat in ,journal1 though ,walden has    
great4       #chf ,walden1 pp4 #aei1    
#afj2 ,riv4 #bbd1 #bbe4       #chg      
,walden1 p4 #afa2 ,riv4 #bbg4       #chh
 ,walden1 pp4 #ab1 #ac2 ,riv4 #ba4      
#chi ,walden1 p4 #ci2 ,riv4 #ei4        

#cij ,walden1 p4 #da2 ,riv4 #fa4        
#cia ,walden1 p4 #da2 ,riv4 #fa4        
#cib ,walden1 p4 #cji2 ,riv4 #dcc4      
#cic ,walden1 p4 #bej2 ,riv4 #cea4      
#cid ,walden1 pp4 #aab-aad2 ,riv4       
#aei-afa4       #cie ,walden1 p4 #aad2  
,riv4 #afb4       #cif ,see ,excursions1
 p4 #bie2 ,riv4 #cfb4       #cig ,eight 
lines1 somewhat altered1 ,week1 pp4     
#djg1 #djh2      ,riv4 #ejc4       #cih 
,week1 p4 #djg2 ,riv4 #ejc4       #cii  
,by ,eliot ,warburton1 ,london1 #ahdd1  
and ,new ,york1 #ahde4       #djj ,week1
 pp4 #bff1 #bfg2 ,riv4 #cca4       #dja 
,week1 pp4 #bff1 #bfg2 ,riv4 #ccj-ccb4  
#djb ,walden1 p4 #aaa2 ,riv4 #aeg1 #aeh4
       #djc ,walden1 p4 #abg2 ,riv4     
#agi1 #ahj4       #djd ,walden1 pp4     
#acg1 #ach2 ,riv4 #aid-aif4       #dje  
,walden1 pp4 #aci1 #adj2 ,riv4 #aig1    
#aih4       #djf ,walden1 p4 #bdb1 where
 he makes his age four instead      of  
five at the time of this early visit4   
#djg ,walden1 p4 #aci2 ,riv4 #aig4      
#djh ,walden1 p4 #aha2 ,riv4 #bee4      

#dji ,walden1 p4 #ahb2 ,riv4 #bef4      
#daj ,the ,legend of ,good ,women1 ll4  
#abah1 #abai4       #daa ,walden1 pp4   
#bbe-bbg1 #bbi1 #bca2 ,riv4 #cag-cbj1   
#cbb1      #cbe1 #cbf4       #dab       
,walden1 p4 #bcb2 ,riv4 #cbg4       #dac
 ,walden1 pp4 #bcj1 #bca2 ,riv4         
#cbc-cbe4       #dad ,see ,walden1 pp4  
#bga1 #bgb2 ,riv4 #chj1 #cha4       #dae
 ,walden1 p4 #dd2 ,riv4 #fe1 #ff4       
#daf ,walden1 pp4 #cb1 #cc2 ,riv4 #dh1  
#di4       #dag ,walden1 pp4 #cc1 #cd2  
,riv4 #ej1 #ea4       #dah ,walden1 pp4 
#cg1 #ch2 ,riv4 #ef4       #dai ,walden1
 p4 #cd2 ,riv4 #ea1 #eb4       #dbj     
,walden1 p4 #ce2 ,riv4 #ec4       #dba  
,walden1 p4 #cf2 ,riv4 #ee4       #dbb  
,walden1 p4 #ci2 ,riv4 #eh4       #dbc  
,week1 p4 #bfd2 ,riv4 #cbh4       #dbd  
,week1 p4 #fe2 ,riv4 #ha4       #dbe    
,week1 p4 #eh2 ,riv4 #gb4       #dbf    
,week1 p4 #fa2 ,riv4 #gf4       #dbg    
,week1 p4 #acf2 ,riv4 #afi4       #dbh  
,week1 p4 #eh2 ,riv4 #gb1 #gc4          
#dbi ,week1 p4 #eg2 ,riv4 #gb4          

#dcj ,walden1 p4 #bge2 ,riv4 #chf4      
#dca ,walden1 p4 #bge2 ,riv4 #chf4      
#dcb ,walden1 p4 #d2 ,riv4 #i4          
#dcc ,walden1 p4 #g2 ,riv4 #ab1 #ac4    
#dcd ,walden1 p4 #cja2 ,riv4 #dbb4      
#dce ,see ,journal1 vol4 vii1 ,feb4 #a1 
#ahee4       #dcf ,walden1 pp4 #ab1 #ac2
 ,riv4 #ba4       #dcg ,walden1 p4 #cjf2
 ,riv4 #dbi4       #dch ,walden1 p4     
#afb2 ,riv4 #bbh4       #dci ,walden1 p4
 #cjd2 ,riv4 #dbf4       #ddj ,walden1  
pp4 #cdd1 #cde2 ,riv4 #dha1 #dhb4       
#dda ,walden1 pp4 #ahc1 #ahd2 ,riv4     
#beh1 #bei4       #ddb ,walden1 p4 #cde2
 ,riv4 #dhb4       #ddc ,walden1 p4     
#cde2 ,riv4 #dhb1 #dhc4       #ddd      
,twenty-six lines of this1 somewhat     
revised1 appear      under the title of 
,pilgrims in ,excursions1 and ,poems1 p4
      #dac4       #dde ,cape ,cod1 and  
,miscellanies1 pp4 #ceb1 #cec2 ,misc41  
,riv4 #abg1 #abh4       #ddf ,cape ,cod1
 and ,miscellanies1 p4 #cdd2 ,misc41    
,riv4      #aaf1 #aag4       #ddg       
,walden1 pp4 #bhh1 #bhi2 ,riv4 #dje4    

#ddh ,walden1 p4 #bhi2 ,riv4 #dje1 #djf4
       #ddi ,walden1 pp4 #bd1 #bf2 ,riv4
 #cf1 #dj4       #dej ,walden1 p4 #bd2  
,riv4 #cg4       #dea ,walden1 p4 #be2  
,riv4 #ch4       #deb ,walden1 p4 #be2  
,riv4 #ch1 #ci4       #dec ,walden1 pp4 
#bhc1 #bhd1 #bhg1 #bhh2 ,riv4 #cig-djj1 
#djd4       #ded ,walden1 pp4 #bhi-bia2 
,riv4 #djf-djh4       #dee ,walden1 pp4 
#bhb1 #bhc2 ,riv4 #cif1 #cig4       #def
 ,walden1 pp4 #beh1 #bei2 ,riv4 #cfc1   
#cfd4       #deg ,walden1 p4 #cde2 ,riv4
 #dhc4       #deh ,walden1 p4 #bfb2     
,riv4 #cfh4       #dei ,walden1 p4 #bei2
 ,riv4 #cfd4       #dfj ,walden1 p4     
#cje2 ,riv4 #dbh4       #dfa ,hilda was 
originally written where ,nutting       
appears      on p4 #dbj4       #dfb     
,walden1 p4 #bib2 ,riv4 #djh1 #dji4     
#dfc ,walden1 pp4 #cbc1 #cbd2 ,riv4     
#deb1 #dec4       #dfd ,walden1 p4 #cac2
 ,riv4 #dch4       #dfe ,walden1 pp4    
#bhi1 #bij2 ,riv4 #djf1 #djg4       #dff
 ,walden1 p4 #bhe2 ,riv4 #djj4          
#dfg ,see ,week1 p4 #ajb2 ,riv4 #abg4   

#dfh ,walden1 p4 #bhj2 ,riv4 #cib1 #cic4
       #dfi ,walden1 p4 #cji2 ,riv4     
#dcd4       #dgj ,cape ,cod1 and        
,miscellanies1 pp4 #cbe-cbg2 ,misc41    
,riv4 #ic-ie 7,thomas ,carlyle and his  
,works74       #dga ,walden1 pp4 #d1 #e2
 ,riv4 #i1 #aj4       #dgb ,walden1 pp4 
#f1 #h2 ,riv4 #aa1 #ad4       #dgc      
,walden1 p4 #h2 ,riv4 #ad1 #ae4         
#dgd ,walden1 pp4 #e1 #f2 ,riv4 #aj1    
#aa4       #dge ,cape ,cod1 and         
,miscellanies1 p4 #cbg2 ,misc41 ,riv4   
#ie      7,thomas ,carlyle and his      
,works74       #dgf ,cape ,cod1 and     
,miscellanies1 p4 #cbe2 ,misc41 ,riv4   
#ic      7,thomas ,carlyle and his      
,works74       #dgg ,walden1 pp4        
#bhc-bhe1 #bhg1 #bhh2 ,riv4 #cig-djj1   
#djd4       #dgh ,walden1 pp4 #fh1 #fi2 
,riv4 #ii1 #ajj4       #dgi ,cape ,cod1 
and ,miscellanies1 p4 #cdh2 ,misc41     
,riv4      #aba 7,thomas ,carlyle and   
his ,works74       #dhj ,walden1 p4     
#bif2 ,riv4 #dae1 #daf4       #dha      
,walden1 p4 #bif2 ,riv4 #dae4       #dhb

 ,walden1 p4 #caj2 ,riv4 #dcd1 #dce4    
#dhc ,walden1 pp4 #ai-ba2 ,riv4 #cj-cc4 
#dhd ,walden1 p4 #ab2 ,riv4 #ai1 #bj4   
#dhe ,walden1 p4 #ab2 ,riv4 #bj4        
#dhf ,week1 p4 #de2 ,riv4 #eg4          
#dhg ,this follows matter used on p4 #ha
 of ,week 7,riv4      #aja74       #dhh 
,the boatman's4 ,see ,week1 p4 #bbb2    
,riv4 #bgf4       #dhi ,see p4 #ccg4    
#dij ,this and the succeeding paragraphs
 on the ,indian were      written in    
pencil on loose sheets of paper and     
slipped between      the pages of the   
,journal4       #dia ,see ,week1 pp4    
#bhf1 #bhg2 ,riv4 #cef4       #dib ,vide
 the ,fall of the ,leaf poem4 ,this note
 is written      in pencil between this 
line and the following stanza4 ,the poem
      referred to is reprinted 7without 
these lines7 in ,excursions1      and   
,poems1 p4 #djg4       #dic ,this refers
 to the middle of ,september and follows
      matter used in ,week1 on p4 #ceg  
7,riv4 #ddc74       #did ,week1 p4 #chg2
 ,riv4 #dgh4       #die ,week1 p4 #acc2 

,riv4 #aff4       #dif ,the first four  
lines of a poem the rest of which       
appears on pp4 #bcd1 #bce of ,week      
7,riv4 #bij1 #bia74       #dig ,this    
poem appears1 slightly abridged and     
altered1 in      ,week1 p4 #bja 7,riv4  
#bdi74       #dih ,there is a blank     
space here before musty1 as if          
,thoreau had sought another adjective to
 go with it4       #dii ,see            
,excursions1 p4 #bjh2 ,riv4 #bee4       
#ejj ,week1 p4 #cgg2 ,riv4 #dfe4        
#eja ,week1 p4 #cjb2 ,riv4 #cge4        
#ejb ,week1 p4 #cjb2 ,riv4 #cge4        
#ejc ,see ,week1 pp4 #cc1 #cd2 ,riv4    
#da1 #db4       #ejd ,this appears in   
pencil on a loose sheet of paper        
inclosed between the pages of the       
,journal4       #eje ,excursions1 and   
,poems1 p4 #dji4 ,see also p4 #ga4      
#ejf ,here follows matter printed on pp4
 #aje1 #ajf of ,week      7,riv4        
#acj-acb74       #ejg ,see ,journal1    
vol4 vi1 ,feb4 #e1 #ahed4       #ejh    
,see ,walden1 pp4 #abj1 #aba2 ,riv4     

#aga1 #agb4