Such a beautiful world....

[chaska]

I'm just sitting here looking out the window at the mountain, that that house sits at the foot of, and watching the rain come down. If only there was no mankind (present company excepted) this would be such a wonderful corner of the universe.

Suddenly, I'm in the mood for some Robinson Jeffers. He understood where I'm coming from.

[LWolf]

1. Here ya go:

While this America settles in the mould of its vulgarity, heavily thickening
to empire,
And protest, only a bubble in the molten mass, pops and sighs out, and the
mass hardens,
I sadly smiling remember that the flower fades to make fruit, the fruit rots
to make earth.
Out of the mother; and through the spring exultances, ripeness and decadence;
and home to the mother.

You making haste, haste on decay: not blameworthy; life is good, be it
stubbornly long or suddenly
A mortal splendor: meteors are not needed less than mountains:
shine, perishing republic.
But for my children, I would have them keep their distance from the
thickening center; corruption
Never has been compulsory, when the cities lie at the monster's feet there
are left the mountains.

And boys, be in nothing so moderate as in love of man, a clever servant,
insufferable master.
There is the trap that catches noblest spirits, that caught -- they say --
God, when he walked on earth.

[chaska]

2. Ah yes, 'Shine, Perishing Republic'. Great poem.

I posted that the day after election day when it was pretty much a done deal that Bush had thieved up another 'un.

The man (Jeffers) just gets it. I don't think I'd want to spend my time hating human kind the way he seemed to, but I can certainly observe and mourn for the damage we do..., and understand that the world would be better off without us.

On that cheery note, happy new year!

[LWolf]

3. I first encountered that poem in the 80s.

I could see the "perishing" then.

I've always wondered about "meteors are not needed less than mountains."

The American experiment, begun with great ideals and faulty practical application, has thickened into corruption so soon; only a few short hundreds of years. Why?

I choose to hold out more hope than Jeffers; I hope we can burn away the corruption and reform the ideals. Still, I prefer literally, the mountains to the cities. I prefer to keep my distance, and surround myself, as much as possible, with space clear of human mass.