The Roots of the Mountains · Chapter
Epigraph explained
The epigraph reflects on the fleeting beauty of everyday scenes glimpsed during travel, expressing a longing to pause and become part of that peaceful life.
What happens
The epigraph reflects on the fleeting beauty of everyday scenes glimpsed during travel, expressing a longing to pause and become part of that peaceful life. The poet suggests that the following pages are an attempt to capture such rest and belonging.
Key passages
“Whiles carried o’er the iron road, We hurry by some fair abode; The garden bright amidst the hay, The yellow wain upon the way, The dining men, the wind that sweeps Light locks from off the sun-sweet heaps— The gable grey, the hoary roof, Here now—and now so far aloof.”
As we travel by train, we pass a lovely home with a bright garden, a hay wagon, people eating, and a breeze blowing hair from sunlit haystacks. The old grey gable and roof are close for a moment, then quickly far behind.
Describes the transient view of a peaceful homestead from a moving train.
“How sorely then we long to stay And midst its sweetness wear the day, And ’neath its changing shadows sit, And feel ourselves a part of it.”
We deeply wish we could stop and spend the day in that sweet place, sitting under its shifting shadows, and feel like we belong there.
Expresses the desire to be part of the tranquil scene rather than just passing by.
“Such rest, such stay, I strove to win With these same leaves that lie herein.”
That kind of rest and permanence is what I have tried to achieve with the pages of this book.
The poet states that the book is an attempt to create a lasting sense of peace and belonging.