"He thought his happiness was complete when, as he meandered aimlessly along, suddenly he stood by the edge of a full-fed river. Never in his life had he seen a river before - this sleek, sinuous, full-bodied animal, chasing and chuckling, gripping things with a gurgle and leaving them with a laugh, to fling itself on fresh playmates that shook themselves free, and were caught and held again. All was a-shake and a-shiver - glints and gleams and sparkles, rustle and swirl, chatter and bubble."
The Mole encounters a river for the first time in Kenneth Grahame's The Wind in the Willows
I spent the Bank Holiday weekend (aka this year's summer) sharing the delights of the River Thames with a Russian friend who's visiting London. Kenneth Grahame's cheerful description of a river captures exactly how the Thames appeared, especially - and aptly - the section of river flowing past the River & Rowing Museum in Henley, which has exhibtions dedicated to both the river and The Wind and the Willows.
No comments:
Post a Comment