ARTICLE
geography of individual mountain landscapes. Simultaneously though, the Japa- nese writer(s) of the Manyoshu was ultimately right to concede that mountains will often “baffle the tongue”.
Each of these paradoxes causes us to return to the mountains and to try and make sense of our feelings. With time, many mountain travellers find themselves becoming anthologists – drawing from an increasingly rich array of words, from many traditions, to help them deal with the mountains in their way. Whether or not they consciously think of those experiences as being ‘sacred’, they remain undeniably overwhelming, extraordinary, fascinating and irresistible. For many, their mountain travels are their ultimate pleasure and cause of continued and life- changing reflection and reward.
Often, it is single moments of experience which travellers take from mountains as lasting memories. In The Prelude, Wordsworth’s autobiographical masterpiece, he recalled a night ascent on Snowdon:
The Moon hung naked in a firmament Of azure without cloud, and at my feet Rested a silent sea of hoary mist.
A hundred hills, their dusky backs upheaved All over this still ocean; and beyond,
Far, far beyond, the solid vapours stretched, In headlands, tongues, and promontory shapes, Into the main Atlantic, that appeared To dwindle, and give up his majesty, Usurped upon far as the sight could reach.
In more concise fashion, the Japanese poet Kobo Daishi offers us a memory of one of his treasured mountain memory moments from Mount Koya:
Spring flowers and autumn chrysanthemums smile upon me, The moon at dawn and the breezes at morn cleanse my heart.
Mountains are intensely private landscapes, as well as being inevitably public. They are landscapes which challenge our most personal beliefs and assumptions – about ourselves and the world in which we live, and yet we can only make sense of those challenges by appealing to literature which often has its roots in the very deep and sacred past.
Ultimately, mountains are full of energy which is revealed in many beguiling ways. Bible black nights near a summit, bathed in moon light, might reveal loom- ing silhouettes. Equally, overwhelming dramatic volcanic explosions remind us of our puny vulnerability against such forces. Each in their way are treasured memories and inspirational in our lives. In all these ways, mountains remain sacred.
Dr Adrian Cooper London & South East Connection - April/July 2017 17
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