Clear Sky, Pure Light
Clear Sky, Pure Light
Clear Sky, Pure Light is a collection of Henry David Thoreau's writings compiled by Christoper Childs. It's a beautiful little book physically, with a striking wood engraving of Thoreau on the cover, rich paper, and printed letterpress in an edition of 2000 copies. When I found it in mint condition for $4 at Pegasus Books, I couldn't resist. So for the last couple of weeks, Thoreau has entertained me whle sitting on the porceline throne in the scullery adjoining my office.I learned this, at least, by my experiement: that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavoers to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours. He will put some things behind, will pass an invisible boundary; new, universal, and more liberal laws will begin to establish themselves around and within him,, or the old laws be expanded, and interpreted in his favor in a more liberal sense, and he will live with the license of a higher order of beings. In proportion as he simplifies his life, the laws of the uniververse will appear less complex, and solitude will not be solitude, nor poverty poverty, nor weakness weakness. If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them.
Asked upon his deathbed if he had made his peace with God, Thoreau replied "I did not know we had ever quarrelled."
Posted by Jay Cross at October 14, 2002 02:04 PM | TrackBack
