" ... details and trifles came to mind ... "

9, Feb., 2018

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Yosemite Trails

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Chase sketches for us here, he and companion, artist Carl Eytel's 

last night together in the Yosemite. I imagine as I read this Chase,
upon hearing Eytel's ' lard-pail, ' comment, staring at Eytel through
the haze of the campfire and thinking, " What on earth do you mean
by that? " Altogether a wonderful sketch of an evening in the Sierra.

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" Eytel was to return to the valley from this point, and I was to make the remainder

of my circuit of the Yosemite rim alone. We sat long that night by a noble fire. The

moon shone down on us between black shafts of fir and pine, like - as Eytel, the artist

lost for the moment in the ' camper, ' remarked - " like a lard-pail. " The river rushed

and murmured, now loud, now quiet, and gleamed white where the moonlight fell

on the hurrying water. The soliloquy of the fire drew us inevitably into reminiscence.

Vague recollections were warmed up into full remembrance; details and trifles came

to mind in manner and number that astonished ourselves. From reminiscences we 

came to plans; old enthusiasms awakened. By George, what things we would do!

New York, London and Paris should marvel at our pictures and eagerly discuss our

books. Buy them, too. And if they wouldn't who cared? All the world could not

prevent our painting and writing them, and how fine that was! Careless heroes, we

defied fate. Art was long, we knew, but " the thoughts of youth " - we still say we

are young - " are long thoughts. " In our enthusiasm we forgot that we had an 

audience and commentator. The solemn, unchanging forest stood quietly around;

the sparks flew up like dancing stars and came down in feathers of ash that 

powdered us over like grey snow; and moth after moth came flitting from the outer

gloom into the firelight, circled twice or thrice around the fire, and plunged madly

into it like Empedocles on Etna or gilded youths at Monte Carlo. "

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*** Here below is the Mathew Arnold poem 'EMPEDOCLES on Etna. '
While lengthy it is worth reading even if you just read the voice of
EMPEDOCLES. It deals with self worth, the elements, nature, mortality,
and the hereafter. Apparently Arnold melded his somewhat different
views with that of the protagonist, ancient Greek philosopher EMPEDOCLES. *** 

http://www.telelib.com/authors/A/ArnoldMatthew/verse/EmpedoclesonEtna/empedoclesetna.html