THE WINTER NIGHT 431 



bound by the marvellous hues which evening wears. 

 The ice -hills steeped in bluish-violet shadows, against 

 the orange - tinted sky, illumined by the glow of the 

 setting sun, form as it were a strange color -poem, 

 imprinting an ineffaceable picture on the soul. And 

 these bright, dream -like nights, how many associations 

 they have for us Northmen ! One pictures to one's self 

 those mornings in spring when one went out into the 

 forest after blackcock, under the dim stars, and with the 

 pale crescent moon peering over the tree-tops. Dawn, 

 with its glowing hues up here in the north, is the breaking 

 of a spring day over the forest wilds at home ; the hazy 

 blue vapor beneath the morning glow turns to the fresh 

 early mist over the marshes; the dark low clouds on a 

 background of dim red seem like distant ranges of hills. 



"Daylight here, with its rigid, lifeless whiteness, has no 

 attractions ; but the evening and night thaw the heart of 

 this world of ice ; it dreams mournful dreams, and you 

 seem to hear in the hues of the evenins^ sounds of its 

 smothered wail. Soon these will cease, and the sun will 

 circle round the everlasting light-blue expanse of heaven, 

 imparting one uniform color to day and night alike. 



" Friday, April 6th. A remarkable event was to take 

 place to-day which, naturally, we all looked forward to 

 with lively interest. It was an eclipse of the sun. During 

 the night Hansen had made a calculation that the eclipse 

 w^ould begin at 12.56 o'clock. It was important for us to 

 be able to get a good observation, as we should thus be 



