# Epigraph explained — The Roots of the Mountains

> Chapter companion for The Roots of the Mountains by William Morris.

## 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 lines

> 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._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_roots_of_the_mountains_se/chapters/epigraph
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_roots_of_the_mountains_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_roots_of_the_mountains_se/chapters