Spirit of the Mountains
HERE remains something which I find very difficult to say. Apart from the mere scenic value of the alps which is the main theme of the painter, and the main attraction to the tourist, who may see all he wants without getting out of his car, there is that vague thing which
may be called the spirit of the mountains, the spirit which inspired Wordsworth and so many other great poets. I shall not attempt to describe or amalyse it here. It is something which makes a powerful appeal to
the’ depths of our nature, something which is not communicable in words, which can only be felt; something, in short, which is sacred and most profoundly inspiring. Here and there in my own published verses I have tried to express something of it, with what success it is not for me to say; but I do feel strongly that the language of prose could never do justice t the thing I speak of, and that, if anything of it can be conveyed in language at all, it must be in that of poetry. From this point of view the Alps are seen to be a great and priceless possession. If we could plane them away with some gigantic tool we should gain economically, but we should lose, in my judgment, far more than we should gain.-(" The Alps from End to End." Professor Arnold Wall, 1YA, April 9.)
Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi
https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/periodicals/NZLIST19420501.2.6.1
Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka
New Zealand Listener, Volume 6, Issue 149, 1 May 1942, Page 3
Word count
Tapeke kupu
242Spirit of the Mountains New Zealand Listener, Volume 6, Issue 149, 1 May 1942, Page 3
Using this item
Te whakamahi i tēnei tūemi
Material in this publication is protected by copyright.
Are Media Limited has granted permission to the National Library of New Zealand Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa to develop and maintain this content online. You can search, browse, print and download for research and personal study only. Permission must be obtained from Are Media Limited for any other use.
Copyright in the work University Entrance by Janet Frame (credited as J.F., 22 March 1946, page 18), is owned by the Janet Frame Literary Trust. The National Library has been granted permission to digitise this article and make it available online as part of this digitised version of the New Zealand Listener. You can search, browse, and print this article for research and personal study only. Permission must be obtained from the Janet Frame Literary Trust for any other use.
Copyright in the Denis Glover serial Hot Water Sailor published in 1959 is owned by Pia Glover. The National Library has been granted permission to digitise this serial and make it available online as part of this digitised version of the Listener. You can search, browse, and print this serial for research and personal study only. Permission must be obtained from Pia Glover for any other use.
Log in