The Ponds

ectlyoveritwithanicechiselwhichIhad,andcuttingdownthelongestbirchwhichIcouldfindintheneighborhoodwithmyknife,Imadeaslip-noose,whichIattachedtoitsend,and,lettingitdowncarefully,passeditovertheknobofthehandle,anddrewitbyalinealongthebirch,andsopulledtheaxeoutagain. Theshoreiscomposedofabeltofsmoothroundedwhitestoneslikepavingstones,exceptingoneortwoshortsandbeaches,andissosteepthatinmanyplacesasingleleapwillcarryyouintowateroveryourheadandwereitnotforitsremarkabletransparency,thatwouldbethelasttobeseenofitsbottomtillitroseontheoppositeside.Somethinkitisbottomless.Itisnowheremuddy,andacasualobserverwouldsaythattherewerenoweedsatallinitandofnoticeableplants,exceptinthelittlemeadowsrecentlyoverflowed,whichdonotproperlybelongtoit,acloserscrutinydoesnotdetectaflagnorabulrush,norevenalily,yelloworwhite,butonlyafewsmallheart-leavesandpotamogetons,andperhapsawater-targetortwoallwhichhoweverabathermightnotperceiveandtheseplantsarecleanandbrightliketheelementtheygrowin.Thestonesextendarodortwointothewater,andthenthebottomispuresand,exceptinthedeepestparts,wherethereisusuallyalittlesediment,probablyfromthedecayoftheleaveswhichhavebeenwaftedontoitsomanysuccessivefalls,andabrightgreenweedisbroughtuponanchorseveninmidwinter. Wehaveoneotherpondjustlikethis,WhitePond,inNineAcreCorner,abouttwoandahalfmileswesterlybut,thoughIamacquaintedwithmostofthepondswithinadozenmilesofthiscentreIdonotknowathirdofthispureandwell-likecharacter.Successivenationsperchancehavedrankat,admired,andfathomedit,andpassedaway,andstillitswaterisgreenandpellucidasever.Notanintermittingspring!PerhapsonthatspringmorningwhenAdamandEveweredrivenoutofEdenWaldenPondwasalreadyinexistence,andeventhenbreakingupinagentlespringrainaccompaniedwithmistandasoutherlywind,andcoveredwithmyriadsofducksandgeese,whichhadnotheardofthefall,whenstillsuchpurelakessufficedthem.Eventhenithadcommencedtoriseandfall,andhadclarifieditswatersandcoloredthemofthehuetheynowwear,andobtainedapatentofheaventobetheonlyWaldenPondintheworldanddistillerofcelestialdews.Whoknowsinhowmanyunrememberednations’literaturesthishasbeentheCastalianFountain?orwhatnymphspresidedoveritintheGoldenAge?ItisagemofthefirstwaterwhichConcordwearsinhercoronet. Yetperchancethefirstwhocametothiswellhaveleftsometraceoftheirfootsteps.Ihavebeensurprisedtodetectencirclingthepond,evenwhereathickwoodhasjustbeencutdownontheshore,anarrowshelf-likepathinthesteephill-side,alternatelyrisingandfalling,approachingandrecedingfromthewater’sedge,asoldprobablyastheraceofmanhere,wornbythefeetofaboriginalhunters,andstillfromtimetotimeunwittinglytroddenbythepresentoccupantsoftheland.Thisisparticularlydistincttoonestandingonthemiddleofthepondinwinter,justafteralightsnowhasfallen,appearingasaclearundulatingwhiteline,unobscuredbyweedsandtwigs,andveryobviousaquarterofamileoffinmanyplaceswhereinsummeritishardlydistinguishablecloseathand.Thesnowreprintsit,asitwere,inclearwhitetypealto-relievo.Theornamentedgroundsofvillaswhichwillonedaybebuiltheremaystillpreservesometraceofthis. Thepondrisesandfalls,butwhetherregularlyornot,andwithinwhatperiod,nobodyknows,though,asusual,manypretendtoknow.Itiscommonlyhigherinthewinterandlowerinthesummer,thoughnotcorrespondingtothegeneralwetanddryness.Icanrememberwhenitwasafootortwolower,andalsowhenitwasatleastfivefeethigher,thanwhenIlivedbyit.Thereisanarrowsand-barrunningintoit,withverydeepwaterononeside,onwhichIhelpedboilakettleofchowder,somesixrodsfromthemainshore,abouttheyear1824,whichithasnotbeenpossibletodofortwenty-fiveyearsandontheotherhand,myfriendsusedtolistenwithincredulitywhenItoldthem,thatafewyearslaterIwasaccustomedtofishfromaboatinasecludedcoveinthewoods,fifteenrodsfromtheonlyshoretheyknew,whichplacewaslongsinceconvertedintoameadow.Butthepondhasrisensteadilyfortwoyears,andnow,inthesummerof’52,isjustfivefeethigherthanwhenIlivedthere,orashighasitwasthirtyyearsago,andfishinggoesonagaininthemeadow.Thismakesadifferenceoflevel,attheoutside,ofsixorsevenfeetandyetthewatershedbythesurroundinghillsisinsignificantinamount,andthisoverflowmustbereferredtocauseswhichaffectthedeepsprings.Thissamesummerthepondhasbeguntofallagain.Itisremarkablethatthisfluctuation,whetherperiodicalornot,appearsthustorequiremanyyearsforitsaccomplishment.Ihaveobservedoneriseandapartoftwofalls,andIexpectthatadozenorfifteenyearshencethewaterwillagainbeaslowasIhaveeverknownit.Flint’sPond,amileeastward,allowingforthedisturbanceoccasionedbyitsinletsandoutlets,andthesmallerintermediatepondsalso,sympathizewithWalden,andrecentlyattainedtheirgreatestheightatthesametimewiththelatter.Thesameistrue,asfarasmyobservationgoes,ofWhitePond. ThisriseandfallofWaldenatlongintervalsservesthisuseatleastthewaterstandingatthisgreatheightforayearormore,thoughitmakesitdifficulttowalkroundit,killstheshrubsandtreeswhichhavesprungupaboutitsedgesincethelastrise,pitch-pines,birches,alders,aspens,andothers,and,fallingagain,leavesanunobstructedshorefor,unlikemanypondsandallwaterswhicharesubjecttoadailytide,itsshoreiscleanestwhenthewaterislowest.Onthesideofthepondnextmyhouse,arowofpitchpinesfifteenfeethighhasbeenkilledandtippedoverasifbyalever,andthusastopputtotheirencroachmentsandtheirsizeindicateshowmanyyearshaveelapsedsincethelastrisetothisheight.Bythisfluctuationthepondassertsitstitletoashore,andthustheshoreisshorn,andthetreescannotholditbyrightofpossession.Thesearethelipsofthelakeonwhichnobeardgrows.Itlicksitschapsfromtimetotime.Whenthewaterisatitsheight,thealders,willows,andmaplessendforthamassoffibrousredrootsseveralfeetlongfromallsidesoftheirstemsinthewater,andtotheheightofthreeorfourfeetfromtheground,intheefforttomaintainthemselvesandIhaveknownthehigh-blueberrybushesabouttheshore,whichcommonlyproducenofruit,bearanabundantcropunderthesecircumstances. Somehavebeenpuzzledtotellhowtheshorebecamesoregularlypaved.Mytownsmenhaveallheardthetradition,theoldestpeopletellmethattheyhearditintheiryouth,thatancientlytheIndianswereholdingapow-wowuponahillhere,whichroseashighintotheheavensasthepondnowsinksdeepintotheearth,andtheyusedmuchprofanity,asthestorygoes,thoughthisviceisoneofwhichtheIndianswereneverguilty,andwhiletheywerethusengagedthehillshookandsuddenlysank,andonlyoneoldsquaw,namedWalden,escaped,andfromherthepondwasnamed.Ithasbeenconjecturedthatwhenthehillshookthesestonesrolleddownitssideandbecamethepresentshore.Itisverycertain,atanyrate,thatoncetherewasnopondhere,andnowthereisoneandthisIndianfabledoesnotinanyrespectconflictwiththeaccountofthatancientsettlerwhomIhavementioned,whorememberssowellwhenhefirstcameherewithhisdiviningrod,sawathinvaporrisingfromthesward,andthehazelpointedsteadilydownward,andheconcludedtodigawellhere.Asforthestones,manystillthinkthattheyarehardlytobeaccountedforbytheactionofthewavesonthesehillsbutIobservethatthesurroundinghillsareremarkablyfullofthesamekindofstones,sothattheyhavebeenobligedtopilethemupinwallsonbothsidesoftherailroadcutnearestthepondand,moreover,therearemoststoneswheretheshoreismostabruptsothat,unfortunately,itisnolongeramysterytome.Idetectthepaver.IfthenamewasnotderivedfromthatofsomeEnglishlocality,—SaffronWalden,forinstance,—onemightsupposethatitwascalledoriginallyWalled-inPond. Thepondwasmywellreadydug.ForfourmonthsintheyearitswaterisascoldasitispureatalltimesandIthinkthatitisthenasgoodasany,ifnotthebest,inthetown.Inthewinter,allwaterwhichisexposedtotheairiscolderthanspringsandwellswhichareprotectedfromit.ThetemperatureofthepondwaterwhichhadstoodintheroomwhereIsatfromfiveo’clockintheafternoontillnoonthenextday,thesixthofMarch,1846,thethermometerhavingbeenupto65°or70°someofthetime,owingpartlytothesunontheroof,was42°,oronedegreecolderthanthewaterofoneofthecoldestwellsinthevillagejustdrawn.ThetemperatureoftheBoilingSpringthesamedaywas45°,orthewarmestofanywatertried,thoughitisthecoldestthatIknowofinsummer,when,beside,shallowandstagnantsurfacewaterisnotmingledwithit.Moreover,insummer,Waldenneverbecomessowarmasmostwaterwhichisexposedtothesun,onaccountofitsdepth.InthewarmestweatherIusuallyplacedapailfulinmycellar,whereitbecamecoolinthenight,andremainedsoduringthedaythoughIalsoresortedtoaspringintheneighborhood.Itwasasgood