"Oh, that I had never heard of Niagara till I beheld it! Blessed were the wanderers of old, who heard its deep roar, sounding through the woods, as the summons to an unknown wonder, and approached its awful brink in all the freshness of native feeling.Beautiful nature writing by Nathaniel Hawthorne from Tales and Sketches. We read the whole essay yesterday and I was struck by the beauty and truth in this piece. Can you imagine, as he does, being someone who saw Niagara Falls for the first time without knowing it was even there, without ever having heard of it, seen a picture, or read a description. Imagine!
"Gradually, and after much contemplation, I came to know, by my own feelings, that Niagara is indeed a wonder of the world, and not the less wonderful, because time and thought must be employed in comprehending it. Casting aside all preconceived notions, and preparation to be dire-struck or delighted, the beholder must stand beside it in the simplicity of his heart, suffering the mighty scene to work its own impression."
“There were intervals when I was conscious of nothing but the great river, rolling calmly into the abyss, rather descending than precipitating itself, and acquiring tenfold majesty from its unhurried motion. It came like the march of Destiny. It was not taken by surprise, but seemed to have anticipated in all its course through the broad lakes, that it must pour their collected waters down this height. The perfect foam of the river, after its descent, and the ever-varying shapes of mist, rising up, to become clouds in the sky, would be the very picture of confusion, were it merely transient, like the rage of a tempest. But when the beholder has stood awhile, and perceives no lull in the storm, and considers that the vapor and the foam are as everlasting as the rocks which produce them, all this turmoil assumes a sort of calmness. It soothes, while it awes the mind.”
"My steps were slow, and I paused long at every turn of the descent, as one lingers and pauses, who discerns a brighter and and brightening excellence in what he must soon behold no more. The solitude of the old wilderness now reigned over the whole vicinity of the falls. My enjoyment became the more rapturous, because no poet shared it - nor wretch, devoid of poetry, profaned it; but the spot, so famous through the world, was all my own."
And a few thoughts, with thanks to Mr. Hawthorne, about nature study. Cast aside preconceived notions and observe in the "simplicity of your heart" allowing the scene before you to work its own impression on you. Become a beholder, contemplate, employ time and thought in the comprehending of the scene. Pause and linger allowing the spot, famous or commonplace, to become your own.
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