He knew the mountains, who said, " I will lift 

 up mine eyes unto the hills from whence cometh 

 my help" ; knew them in some intimate, spiritual 

 way, for his words imply a noble association and 

 companionship, Wordsworth understood them in 

 this way, but not as the mountaineer knows them. 

 They are ethereal dream-mountains the poet sees, 

 rather than actual rock and soil. 



On the horizon the mountains wrap themselves 

 in mysterious light and color and seem invested 

 with certain qualities which they lose near at 

 hand, — as a cloud, so beautiful an objeft floating 

 in the heavens, is but a fog bank once we are 

 enveloped in it. Distance does ad:ually lend en- 

 chantment. The range beyond has always some 

 attrad:ion this one lacks. In truth, mountains are 

 illusory obje6ts, and, to the most matter-of-fadt 

 point of view, are something more than rock. 

 That marvelous purple of the distant hills, assumed 

 as an imperial robe, slips away as we approach, 



173 



