Love it! Love Thoreau! His book Walden is one I return to every so often for so many reasons, but definitely to remind myself to pay attention and appreciate the little things all around me.
I had to look it up too, and I'm still not sure exactly what he means... ;) The rest of it is so dreamy, though, I didn't want to cut him off mid-thought. 😂
I had an idea, but I asked Claude and here’s what they said:
"They had no idle thoughts, and no one without could see their work, for their industry was not as in knots and excrescences embayed."
This is a rather dense and figurative sentence, but I can try to unpack the meaning:
The key points seem to be:
"They had no idle thoughts" - The people Thoreau is describing were focused and industrious, not wasting time on idle or unproductive thoughts.
"No one without could see their work" - Their work or activities were not visible or obvious to outsiders. There was an element of privacy or separation from the outside world.
"their industry was not as in knots and excrescences embayed" - This is the most complex part. Thoreau seems to be saying their industry/work was not like "knots and excrescences embayed."
The terms "knots," "excrescences," and "embayed" suggest something tangled, knotted, or trapped/enclosed. So Thoreau is contrasting the focused, invisible work of these people to something more chaotic, visible, or constricted.
Overall, Thoreau seems to be praising the single-minded focus and privacy of the people he is describing, in contrast to more outward-facing, cluttered, or unfocused forms of industry or work. The sentence is highlighting their dedication and the invisible nature of their productive activities.
Teaching Thoreau this week… 💙💙
Oh great!! I was never actually taught Thoreau in school, have only read him on my own.
Thoreau would probably like that!
Love Walden, was deeply impressed by HDT and RWE. Never mind the "woods burner" and "mom's sandwich and laundry service," no one's perfect. ;)
hehe Yes, pay no attention to that woman making it all possible... ;) Thanks A~!
Rich, rich prose. Thanks for sharing, Troy. I don't know any Theoreau but enjoyed this. So vivid.
"Its golden rays straggled into aisles of the wood as into some noble hall." -- delicious.
It's stuck with me for many years since the first time I read it. Thanks Nathan!
Beautiful and calming. Thank you for sharing, dear.
Thank you. Calming is needed more than ever. ;)
Love it! Love Thoreau! His book Walden is one I return to every so often for so many reasons, but definitely to remind myself to pay attention and appreciate the little things all around me.
Thanks Troy :)
On that note, time to re-read Walden. 😂 Thanks Michael!
HDT certainly knew how to paint an idyllic landscape. Beautiful.
He did, he did. Thanks DC!
What a wonderful way to walk through the world. I appreciate this perspective re-set.
I love Thoreau, I'm always delighted by his ideas. xo
Wow, I had to look up “excrescences embayed” - never heard either of those terms! Thank you for this calm respite.
I had to look it up too, and I'm still not sure exactly what he means... ;) The rest of it is so dreamy, though, I didn't want to cut him off mid-thought. 😂
Oh I’m glad I wasn’t the only one. And I’ll admit, I felt dense, not completely understanding why he chose that, or that I was missing something!
I had an idea, but I asked Claude and here’s what they said:
"They had no idle thoughts, and no one without could see their work, for their industry was not as in knots and excrescences embayed."
This is a rather dense and figurative sentence, but I can try to unpack the meaning:
The key points seem to be:
"They had no idle thoughts" - The people Thoreau is describing were focused and industrious, not wasting time on idle or unproductive thoughts.
"No one without could see their work" - Their work or activities were not visible or obvious to outsiders. There was an element of privacy or separation from the outside world.
"their industry was not as in knots and excrescences embayed" - This is the most complex part. Thoreau seems to be saying their industry/work was not like "knots and excrescences embayed."
The terms "knots," "excrescences," and "embayed" suggest something tangled, knotted, or trapped/enclosed. So Thoreau is contrasting the focused, invisible work of these people to something more chaotic, visible, or constricted.
Overall, Thoreau seems to be praising the single-minded focus and privacy of the people he is describing, in contrast to more outward-facing, cluttered, or unfocused forms of industry or work. The sentence is highlighting their dedication and the invisible nature of their productive activities.
I wonder if he is describing bees rather than people?
Oh wow, of course - what a great insight - he could indeed have been inspired by a wild hive he found. Thanks for pointing that out, Lynn :)
I needed this dose of Zen today... Thank you!
PS: I just got my spot for the wrap party!
Yay! Glad you can make it Martine!!!
i felt calmer just reading this.
That was the hope. :)
😊
thanks for sharing this, t. ‘twas a lovely reprieve amongst so much tumult.
I thought we could all use something carefree and gay. ;)
Beautiful, Troy.
Isn't it? I wouldn't be a bit surprised if John Crowley read that and invented the Drinkwater clan. 💜
“They seemed to recline on the sunbeams.” 💚
My favorite line too!
I love this scene so much, it's wonderful. Thanks Julie!