The Green caldron - University Library

6 The Green Caldron
This inner path, much wider than the first, provides space to turn
around, study the scenery, and talk in groups with other men. It winds
through the heart of the jungle, up hill and down. The light is subdued,
not blinding. Objects and places are clearer and more understandable in this
new light. There are fewer footprints along this path than along the other.
What about the man whose fate places him within the jungle? He may
find his life with the dark, crowded growth rewarding and enjoyable. Yet
he, too, may become curious as to what else the earth has to offer; he, too,
may begin to investigate. In his search, he becomes aware of the increasing
light above him, radiating from the direction of the border path, and pursues
its origin. Blinded by the sudden and powerful light, he will return un-
satisfied to the darkness, aware that he is unsatisfied with this also. Still
seeking some satisfaction of his probing curiosity about the earth, he may
eventually come upon the inner pathway. Mindful of his past experience,
he will approach carefully and slowly, absorbing everything about him as
he makes his transition. Upon reaching the inner path, he is still free to
remain or to return. But he has finally discovered a clear, yet exciting, road
ahead of him.
Editor's Note: Miss Reid says that the basic idea for this bit of myth-making came
from Milton's Areopagitica.
What Is A Poem Good For?
Elaine Johnson
Rhetoric 101, Theme 8
THE WILD SWANS AT COOLE
The trees are in their autumn beauty,
The woodland paths are dry;
Under the October twilight the water
—William Butler Yeats
Mirrors a still sky.
Upon the brimming water among the stones
Are nine and fifty swans.
The nineteenth autumn has come upon me
Since I first made my count.
I saw, before I had well finished.
All suddenly mount
And scatter wheeling in great broken rings
Upon their clamorous wings.