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| August 10, 2013 |
August, royal and rich. Green corn now, and melons have begun. That month, surely, is distinguished when melons ripen. July could not do it. What a moist, fertile heat now!
I see naked viburnum berries beginning to turn. Their whiteness faintly blushing.
The heat is furnace-like while I am climbing the steep hills covered with shrubs on the north of Walden, sweet-fern as high as one's head. The goldfinch sings er, twe, trotter trotter.
Toadstools, which are now very abundant in the woods since the rain, are of various colors, — some red and shining, some polished white, some regularly brown- spotted, some pink, some light-blue, — buttons.
Find the Arabis Canadensis, or sickle-pod, on Heywood Peak, nearly out of bloom. Never saw it before. New plants spring up where old woods are cut off, having formerly grown here, perchance. Many such rarer plants flourish for a few years in such places before they are smothered.
I have also found here, for example, round-leaved and naked-flowered desmodium and Desmodium loe- vigatum (??) and Gnaphalium decurrens and queria.
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| Ranunculus repens |
A small red maple there, seven or eight feet high, all turned scarlet.
It is glorious to see those great shining high blackberries, now partly ripe there, bending the bushes in moist, rocky sprout-lands, down amid the strong, bracing scented, tender ferns, which you crush with your feet.
The whorled polygala in the Saw Mill Brook Path, beyond the Desmodium paniculatum, may have been out as long as the caducous.
Is not that small narrow fern I find on Conantum about rocks ebony spleenwort? Now in fruit.
The trillium fruit (varnished and stained cherry wood) now ripe.
Boehmeria in prime, for long time. Cohush berries ripe.
By Everett's wall beyond Cheney's, small rough sunflowers, six feet high, with many branches and flowers.
Saw an alder locust this morning. Hear a quail now. Of late, and for long time, only the link, link of bobolink.
H. D. Thoreau, Journal, August 10, 1853
August, royal and rich. See August 4, 1851 ("It is now the royal month of August. "); August 18, 1852 ("There is indeed something royal about the month of August”)
August, royal and rich. See August 4, 1851 ("It is now the royal month of August. "); August 18, 1852 ("There is indeed something royal about the month of August”)
I see naked viburnum berries beginning to turn. Their whiteness faintly blushing.See August 11, 1852 ("Some naked viburnum berries are red."); August 12, 1854 ("Viburnum nudum berries generally green, but some, higher and more exposed, of a deep, fiery pink on one cheek and light green on the other, and a very few dark purple or without bloom, black already."); August 15, 1852 ("Some naked viburnum berries are quite dark purple amid the red, while other bunches are wholly green yet.")
Of late, and for long time, only the link, link of bobolink. See August 10, 1854 ("The tinkling notes of goldfinches and bobolinks which we hear nowadays are of one character and peculiar to the season."); August 22, 1853 ("Surprised to hear a very faint bobolink in the air; the link, link, once or twice later."); August 25, 1852 ("I hear no birds sing these days, only . . . the mew of a catbird, the link link of a bobolink, or the twitter of a goldfinch, all faint and rare.")
August 10. See A Book of the Seasons, by Henry Thoreau , August 10
A Book of the Seasons, by Henry Thoreau"A book, each page written in its own season,out-of-doors, in its own locality.”~edited, assembled and rewritten by zphx © 2009-2021
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| August 10, 2013 |
Editing
a Life
Awakened by an unpleasant dream.
I hear the ring of crickets in the dark.
An owl calls outside the skylight.
Another,
closer at the window, returns the call.
Hoo. Arrr. Hoo Arrrrrr.
I am thankful to have been awakened
and to live here in the woods
I find I am on top of a book.
I turn
on the light --
it is
the restored edition
of A Moveable Feast.
The Introduction says it is about
damaged
memory and lost heart.
I read, "How good a book is
should be judged by the man who writes it
by the
excellence of the material
that he eliminates."
Zphx, 20130810
What kind of gift is life unless we have spirits to enjoy it
and taste its true flavor? Have the gods
sent us into this world to do chores? HDT 18570810
August 10. I hear a warbling vireo, golden
robin, red eye and peawais.
August, royal and rich. Green corn now. and melons have begun. That month, surely, is distinguished when
melons ripen. July could not do it. What a moist,
fertile heat now! I see naked viburnum berries beginning to turn. Their whiteness faintly blushing.
Alcott spent the day with me yesterday . Ile spent the
day before with Emerson. IIe observed that he had
got his wine and now he had come after his venison .
Such was the compliment he paid me. The question of
a livelihood was troubling him . IIe knew of nothing
which be could do for which men would pay him . Ile
could not compete with the Irish in cradling grain.
His early education had not fitted him for a clerkship .
He had offered his services to the Abolition Society,
to go about the country and speak for freedom as their
agent, but they declined him. This is very much to
their discredit ; they should have been forward to secure him. Such a connection ,vith him would confer
unexpected dignity on their enterprise. But they cannot tolerate a man who stands by a head above them .
They are as bad -Garrison and Phillips, etc. -as the
overseers and faculty of Harvard College . They require
a man who will train well under than. Consequently
they have not in their employ any but small men, -
trainers.
P. M. -To Walden and Saw 'Mill Brook.
These days are very warm, though not so warm as
it was in June. The heat is furnace-like while I am
climbing the steep bills covered with shrubs on the
north of Walden, through sweet-fern as high as one's
head. The goldfinch sings er, twe, trotter trotter.
I
see again the Aster patens (amiplexicaulis of Bigelow), though this has no branches nor minute leaves atop. Yet it differs from the A . undalatus, not yet out plainly,
in that. tbc latter's lower leaves are petioled and hearted,
with petioles winged at base.
Find the Arabis Canadensis, or sickle-pod, on Heywood Pcak, nearly out of
bloom. Never saw it before. New plants spring up
where old woods are cut off, having formerly grown
here, perchance. Many such rarer plants flourish for
a few years in such places before they are smothered.
I have also found here, for example, round-]caved
and naked-flowered desmodium and Desmodium Loevigatum (?) and Guaphalium decurrens and queria.
Toadstools, which tire now very abundant in the woods
since the rain, are of various colors, -- some red and
shining, some polished white, some regularly brown-spotted, some pink, some light-blue, -- buttons.
The
]ian-ancwhis rep ens nuincrously out about Britton's
Spring. A small red maple there, seven or eight feet
high, all turned .scarlet. It is glorious to sec those great
shining high blackberries, now partly ripe there, bending the hushes in moist, rocky ,sprout-lands, down amid
the Strong, bracing Scented, tender ferns, which you
crush with your feet . '1 'he whorled polvgala in the Saw
Mill Brook Path, be vond tlic 1)csm.odi2ern panicnlatnrn,
rnav have been out as low, is tl)c caducous. Is not that
sni,,11 na.rroxv fern I fill(] oil Conanturn about rocks
ebony splecn wort - Nmv in fruit . The trillium fruit
(~arr;i,I,tcl a :ld .stained ellcrrr NEood) now ripe. I3oehmcri.e 'ill lrr131W, for lor1rr~ tune. Coliush berries ripe. By
I?verett's w;dl heyond Chency's, small rough sunflowers,
six feet ldglj, with many bra.nelies and flowers .
Saw an alder locust this morning. Hear a quail now. Of late,
and for long time, only the link, link of bobolink .
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