Mountain
The mountain sat upon the plain
In his eternal chair,
His observation omnifold,
His inquest everywhere.
The seasons prayed around his knees,
Like children round a sire:
Grandfather of the days is he,
Of dawn the ancestor.
Emily Dickinson (1830–1886)
3 Responses to “Mountain”
Beautiful. Emily is one of my favorite from the days of my childhood.
But my truest love is the earth. Reading this and seeing your photo, I am reminded of the Cherokee folklore regarding the earth (and how the mountains came to be). Allow me to share with you here. Much love to you, James. ~ Ever, Bobbie
The Cherokee creation belief describes the earth as a great floating island surrounded by seawater. It hangs from the sky by cords attached at the four cardinal points. The story tells that the first earth came to be when the little Water beetle came from the sky realm, to see what was below the water. He scurried over the surface, but found no solid place to rest. He dived to the bottom of the water and brought up some soft mud. This mud expanded in every direction and became the earth. The understanding of how the earth came to be fastened to the sky has been forgotten, other than belief that cardinals rose to flight in four directions, attaching the canopy that is the clouds.
The other animals were eager to come down to the new earth, and first birds were sent to see if the mud was dry. Buzzard was sent ahead to make preparations for the others, but the earth was still too soft. When he grew tired, his wings dipped very low and brushed the soft mud, gouging mountains and valleys in the smooth surface, and the animals were forced to wait again for the wind to dry the soft. But finally, they were able to come down. It was dark, so they took the sun and set it in a track to run east to west, at first setting it too low and the red crawfish were scorched. They elevated the sun several times in order to reduce its heat.
Thank you Bobbie. I’m always so lifted by your encouragement!
James
What a very beautiful poem and a very beautiful picture! Christa