First thing’s first:
Thank you Kat for wandering the woods with me.
Next, I’m deeply fatigued by web copy,
Especially SEO-friendly stuff and ChatGPT-generated crap.
As I look through this photo collection,
I’m reminded of Wordsworth—
His keen eye, his lyrical grace.
Unlike almost everything on the internet,
He’s always worth reading.
Intermezzo
The Tables Turned
Up! up! my Friend, and quit your books;
William Wordsworth
Or surely you’ll grow double:
Up! up! my Friend, and clear your looks;
Why all this toil and trouble?
Come forth into the light of things,
Let Nature be your teacher.
She has a world of ready wealth,
Our minds and hearts to bless—
Spontaneous wisdom breathed by health,
Truth breathed by cheerfulness
One impulse from a vernal wood
May teach you more of man,
Of moral evil and of good,
Than all the sages can.
Sweet is the lore which Nature brings;
Our meddling intellect
Mis-shapes the beauteous forms of things:—
We murder to dissect.
Enough of Science and of Art;
Close up those barren leaves;
Come forth, and bring with you a heart
That watches and receives.
In the space of a single poem, Wordsworth has gifted us:
“One impulse from a vernal wood
May teach you more of man,
Of moral evil and of good,
Than all the sages can…”
And, “We murder to dissect.”
What an incredible accomplishment!