The Ponds

Sometimes,havinghadasurfeitofhumansocietyandgossip,andwornoutallmyvillagefriends,IrambledstillfartherwestwardthanIhabituallydwell,intoyetmoreunfrequentedpartsofthetown,“tofreshwoodsandpasturesnew,”or,whilethesunwassetting,mademysupperofhuckleberriesandblueberriesonFairHavenHill,andlaidupastoreforseveraldays.Thefruitsdonotyieldtheirtrueflavortothepurchaserofthem,nortohimwhoraisesthemforthemarket.Thereisbutonewaytoobtainit,yetfewtakethatway.Ifyouwouldknowtheflavorofhuckleberries,askthecow-boyorthepartridge.Itisavulgarerrortosupposethatyouhavetastedhuckleberrieswhoneverpluckedthem.AhuckleberryneverreachesBostontheyhavenotbeenknowntheresincetheygrewonherthreehills.Theambrosialandessentialpartofthefruitislostwiththebloomwhichisrubbedoffinthemarketcart,andtheybecomemereprovender.AslongasEternalJusticereigns,notoneinnocenthuckleberrycanbetransportedthitherfromthecountry’shills. Occasionally,aftermyhoeingwasdonefortheday,Ijoinedsomeimpatientcompanionwhohadbeenfishingonthepondsincemorning,assilentandmotionlessasaduckorafloatingleaf,and,afterpractisingvariouskindsofphilosophy,hadconcludedcommonly,bythetimeIarrived,thathebelongedtotheancientsectofC?nobites.Therewasoneolderman,anexcellentfisherandskilledinallkindsofwoodcraft,whowaspleasedtolookuponmyhouseasabuildingerectedfortheconvenienceoffishermenandIwasequallypleasedwhenhesatinmydoorwaytoarrangehislines.Onceinawhilewesattogetheronthepond,heatoneendoftheboat,andIattheotherbutnotmanywordspassedbetweenus,forhehadgrowndeafinhislateryears,butheoccasionallyhummedapsalm,whichharmonizedwellenoughwithmyphilosophy.Ourintercoursewasthusaltogetheroneofunbrokenharmony,farmorepleasingtorememberthanifithadbeencarriedonbyspeech.When,aswascommonlythecase,Ihadnonetocommunewith,Iusedtoraisetheechoesbystrikingwithapaddleonthesideofmyboat,fillingthesurroundingwoodswithcirclinganddilatingsound,stirringthemupasthekeeperofamenageriehiswildbeasts,untilIelicitedagrowlfromeverywoodedvaleandhill-side. InwarmeveningsIfrequentlysatintheboatplayingtheflute,andsawtheperch,whichIseemedtohavecharmed,hoveringaroundme,andthemoontravellingovertheribbedbottom,whichwasstrewedwiththewrecksoftheforest.FormerlyIhadcometothispondadventurously,fromtimetotime,indarksummernights,withacompanion,andmakingafireclosetothewater’sedge,whichwethoughtattractedthefishes,wecaughtpoutswithabunchofwormsstrungonathreadandwhenwehaddone,farinthenight,threwtheburningbrandshighintotheairlikeskyrockets,which,comingdownintothepond,werequenchedwithaloudhissing,andweweresuddenlygropingintotaldarkness.Throughthis,whistlingatune,wetookourwaytothehauntsofmenagain.ButnowIhadmademyhomebytheshore. Sometimes,afterstayinginavillageparlortillthefamilyhadallretired,Ihavereturnedtothewoods,and,partlywithaviewtothenextday’sdinner,spentthehoursofmidnightfishingfromaboatbymoonlight,serenadedbyowlsandfoxes,andhearing,fromtimetotime,thecreakingnoteofsomeunknownbirdcloseathand.Theseexperienceswereverymemorableandvaluabletome,—anchoredinfortyfeetofwater,andtwentyorthirtyrodsfromtheshore,surroundedsometimesbythousandsofsmallperchandshiners,dimplingthesurfacewiththeirtailsinthemoonlight,andcommunicatingbyalongflaxenlinewithmysteriousnocturnalfisheswhichhadtheirdwellingfortyfeetbelow,orsometimesdraggingsixtyfeetoflineaboutthepondasIdriftedinthegentlenightbreeze,nowandthenfeelingaslightvibrationalongit,indicativeofsomelifeprowlingaboutitsextremity,ofdulluncertainblunderingpurposethere,andslowtomakeupitsmind.Atlengthyouslowlyraise,pullinghandoverhand,somehornedpoutsqueakingandsquirmingtotheupperair.Itwasveryqueer,especiallyindarknights,whenyourthoughtshadwanderedtovastandcosmogonalthemesinotherspheres,tofeelthisfaintjerk,whichcametointerruptyourdreamsandlinkyoutoNatureagain.ItseemedasifImightnextcastmylineupwardintotheair,aswellasdownwardintothiselement,whichwasscarcelymoredense.ThusIcaughttwofishesasitwerewithonehook. ThesceneryofWaldenisonahumblescale,and,thoughverybeautiful,doesnotapproachtograndeur,norcanitmuchconcernonewhohasnotlongfrequenteditorlivedbyitsshoreyetthispondissoremarkableforitsdepthandpurityastomeritaparticulardescription.Itisaclearanddeepgreenwell,halfamilelongandamileandthreequartersincircumference,andcontainsaboutsixty-oneandahalfacresaperennialspringinthemidstofpineandoakwoods,withoutanyvisibleinletoroutletexceptbythecloudsandevaporation.Thesurroundinghillsriseabruptlyfromthewatertotheheightoffortytoeightyfeet,thoughonthesouth-eastandeasttheyattaintoaboutonehundredandonehundredandfiftyfeetrespectively,withinaquarterandathirdofamile.Theyareexclusivelywoodland.AllourConcordwatershavetwocolorsatleastonewhenviewedatadistance,andanother,moreproper,closeathand.Thefirstdependsmoreonthelight,andfollowsthesky.Inclearweather,insummer,theyappearblueatalittledistance,especiallyifagitated,andatagreatdistanceallappearalike.Instormyweathertheyaresometimesofadarkslatecolor.Thesea,however,issaidtobeblueonedayandgreenanotherwithoutanyperceptiblechangeintheatmosphere.Ihaveseenourriver,when,thelandscapebeingcoveredwithsnow,bothwaterandicewerealmostasgreenasgrass.Someconsiderblue“tobethecolorofpurewater,whetherliquidorsolid.”But,lookingdirectlydownintoourwatersfromaboat,theyareseentobeofverydifferentcolors.Waldenisblueatonetimeandgreenatanother,evenfromthesamepointofview.Lyingbetweentheearthandtheheavens,itpartakesofthecolorofboth.Viewedfromahill-topitreflectsthecoloroftheskybutnearathanditisofayellowishtintnexttheshorewhereyoucanseethesand,thenalightgreen,whichgraduallydeepenstoauniformdarkgreeninthebodyofthepond.Insomelights,viewedevenfromahill-top,itisofavividgreennexttheshore.Somehavereferredthistothereflectionoftheverdurebutitisequallygreenthereagainsttherailroadsand-bank,andinthespring,beforetheleavesareexpanded,anditmaybesimplytheresultoftheprevailingbluemixedwiththeyellowofthesand.Suchisthecolorofitsiris.Thisisthatportion,also,whereinthespring,theicebeingwarmedbytheheatofthesunreflectedfromthebottom,andalsotransmittedthroughtheearth,meltsfirstandformsanarrowcanalaboutthestillfrozenmiddle.Liketherestofourwaters,whenmuchagitated,inclearweather,sothatthesurfaceofthewavesmayreflecttheskyattherightangle,orbecausethereismorelightmixedwithit,itappearsatalittledistanceofadarkerbluethantheskyitselfandatsuchatime,beingonitssurface,andlookingwithdividedvision,soastoseethereflection,Ihavediscernedamatchlessandindescribablelightblue,suchaswateredorchangeablesilksandswordbladessuggest,moreceruleanthantheskyitself,alternatingwiththeoriginaldarkgreenontheoppositesidesofthewaves,whichlastappearedbutmuddyincomparison.Itisavitreousgreenishblue,asIrememberit,likethosepatchesofthewinterskyseenthroughcloudvistasinthewestbeforesundown.Yetasingleglassofitswaterhelduptothelightisascolorlessasanequalquantityofair.Itiswellknownthatalargeplateofglasswillhaveagreentint,owing,asthemakerssay,toits“body,”butasmallpieceofthesamewillbecolorless.HowlargeabodyofWaldenwaterwouldberequiredtoreflectagreentintIhaveneverproved.Thewaterofourriverisblackoraverydarkbrowntoonelookingdirectlydownonit,and,likethatofmostponds,impartstothebodyofonebathinginitayellowishtingebutthiswaterisofsuchcrystallinepuritythatthebodyofthebatherappearsofanalabasterwhiteness,stillmoreunnatural,which,asthelimbsaremagnifiedanddistortedwithal,producesamonstrouseffect,makingfitstudiesforaMichaelAngelo. Thewaterissotransparentthatthebottomcaneasilybediscernedatthedepthoftwenty-fiveorthirtyfeet.Paddlingoverit,youmaysee,manyfeetbeneaththesurfacetheschoolsofperchandshiners,perhapsonlyaninchlong,yettheformereasilydistinguishedbytheirtransversebars,andyouthinkthattheymustbeasceticfishthatfindasubsistencethere.Once,inthewinter,manyyearsago,whenIhadbeencuttingholesthroughtheiceinordertocatchpickerel,asIsteppedashoreItossedmyaxebackontotheice,but,asifsomeevilgeniushaddirectedit,itslidfourorfiverodsdirectlyintooneoftheholes,wherethewaterwastwenty-fivefeetdeep.Outofcuriosity,Ilaydownontheiceandlookedthroughthehole,untilIsawtheaxealittleononeside,standingonitshead,withitshelveerectandgentlyswayingtoandfrowiththepulseofthepondandthereitmighthavestooderectandswayingtillinthecourseoftimethehandlerottedoff,ifIhadnotdisturbedit.Makinganotherholedir