Someday I shall go West,
Having won all time to love it in, at last,
Too still to boast.
But when I smell the sage,
When the long, marching landscape line
Melts into wreathing mountains,
And the dust cones dance,
Something in me that is of them will stir.
Happy if I come home
When the musk scented, moon-white gilia blows,
When all the hills are blue, remembering
The sea from which they rose.
Happy again,
When blunt faced bees carouse
In the red flagons of the incense shrub,
Or apricots have lacquered boughs,
And trails are dim with rain!
Lay me where some contented oak can prove
How much of me is nurture for a tree;
Sage thoughts of mine
Be acorn clusters for the deer to browse.
My loving whimsies — Will you chide again
When they come up as lantern flowers?
I shall be small and happy as the grass,
Proud if my tip
Stays the white, webby moons the spider weaves,
Where once you trod
Or down my bleaching stalks shall slip
The light, imprisoning dew.
I shall be bluets in the April sod!
Or if the wheel should turn too fast,
Run up and rest
As a sequoia for a thousand years!
Analysis (ai): This poem expresses the speaker’s longing for the Western landscape and their desire to be reunited with it upon their death. The speaker’s deep appreciation for the beauty and tranquility of the West is evident throughout the poem, as they describe the “long, marching landscape line” and the “wreathing mountains.” The speaker’s wish to “lay” where “some contented oak can prove / How much of me is nurture for a tree” reflects their desire to return to the natural world and to become a part of the ecosystem. The poem’s imagery of flowers, such as “gilia” and “bluets,” further emphasizes the speaker’s connection to the natural world and their desire to be reunited with it. The speaker’s tone is one of longing and anticipation, as they look forward to the day when they can finally go West and experience the beauty and peace that it offers. The poem’s simple yet evocative language captures the speaker’s deep love for the Western landscape and their desire to be reunited with it. The poem’s themes of nature, mortality, and rebirth are common in Mary Austin’s work, and reflect her deep appreciation for the natural world and her belief in the interconnectedness of all living things.
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