[1] In many cases the punctuation seems to be absolutely without significance; as if the writer had simply fallen into the habit of dropping dashes in an absent-minded way as he passed along. The following examples (the longest an extreme case) will show what is meant:—
"I heard from time to time—a new note."
"The Equisetum sylvaticum—there is now of a reddish cast."
"It is very difficult—to find a suitable place to camp near the road—affording—water—a good—prospect and retirement."
"Another alighted near—by—and a third a little further off."
[2] Under date of June 9, 1854, we find him writing: "I should like to know the birds of the woods better. What birds inhabit our woods? I hear their various notes ringing through them. What musicians compose our woodland quire? They must be forever strange and interesting to me." Even the glass that he finally bought was not an opera-glass, but a "spy-glass" (monocular) so called, and must have been of comparatively little help in the identification of woodland species.
[3] Once he saw it (August 3, 1858), and then it proved to be a Maryland yellow-throat. At other times it was almost certainly an oven-bird.
[4] [Week, p. 375; Riv. 464.]
[5] [Week, p. 314; Riv. 390.]
[6] [Week, p. 352; Riv. 435, 436.]
[7] [Week, p. 348; Riv. 430.]
[8] [Week, p. 383; Riv. 473.]
[9] [Week, p. 417; Riv. 515.]
[10] [Week, p. 93; Riv. 116. Excursions, p. 138; Riv. 169.]
[11] [Week, p. 373; Riv. 461.]
[12] [Excursions, pp. 126, 127; Riv. 155, 156.]
[13] [Week, pp. 347, 348; Riv. 429, 430.]
[14] [Later.] We must consider war and slavery, with many other institutions and even the best existing governments, notwithstanding their apparent advantages, as the abortive rudiments of nobler institutions such as distinguish man in his savage and half-civilized state.
[15] [Excursions, pp. 127, 128; Riv. 157.]
[16] [Week, p. 186; Riv. 231. The Service, Boston, 1902, p. 21]
[17] [A fanciful derivation of the word "Saxons"?]
[18] [Excursions, p. 128; Riv. 158.]
[19] [Excursions, p. 128; Riv. 157, 158.]
[20] [Familiar Letters, Sept. 8, 1841.]
[21] [Week, p. 163; Riv. 203.]
[22] [Excursions, p. 141; Riv. 173.]
[23] [Excursions, p. 127; Riv. 156.]
[24] [Excursions, p. 112; Riv. 138.]
[25] [Week, pp. 347, 348; Riv. 429-431.]
[26] [Week, p. 66; Riv. 82, 83.]
[27] [Week, p. 66; Riv. 83.]
[28] [Week, p. 96; Riv. 119, 120.]
[29] [Week, p. 65; Riv. 81.]
[30] [Week, p. 96; Riv. 120.]
[31] ["Carlyleish" is written in the margin against this passage.]
[32] [The word seems to be a new one, but its meaning is clear.]
[33] [Week, p. 129; Riv. 161.]
[34] [Excursions, p. 108; Riv. 133.]
[35] [Week, p. 78; Riv. 97.]
[36] [Week, pp. 94, 95; Riv. 117, 119.]
[37] [Week, p. 79; Riv. 98, 99. The Service, p. 4.]
[38] [Week, pp. 9-11; Riv. 11, 13.]
[39] [Week, p. 96; Riv. 120.]
[40] [Week, p. 319; Riv. 395.]
[41] [See Week, p. 95 (Riv. 118), where the passages referred to appear in translation.]
[42] [Excursions, pp. 181, 182; Riv. 221, 222.]
[43] [All but the last stanza, somewhat revised and without title, appears in Excursions, pp. 176, 177; Riv. 215, 216.]
[44] [Cf. Week, pp. 417-420; Riv. 515-518.]
[45] [Excursions, p. 108; Riv. 133. "Drinking" for "Sipping" in l. 3 is the only change.]
[46] [Excursions, pp. 109, 110; Riv. 135.]
[47] [Week, p. 244; Riv. 302. Lines 2 and 3 are altered.]
[48] [Excursions, p. 112; Riv. 138.]
[49] [Excursions, and Poems, pp. 120 and 409; Excursions, Riv. 147.]
[50] [Week, p. 180; Riv. 224.]
[51] [Week, pp. 364, 365; Riv. 451, 452.]
[52] [This poem will be found in Excursions, and Poems, p. 417, under the title "Ding Dong," somewhat revised and without the last stanza.]
[53] [Excursions, p. 109; Riv. 134.]
[54] [Walden, p. 8; Riv. 14, 15.]
[55] [Cape Cod, and Miscellanies, p. 278; Misc., Riv. 36, 37. The Service, pp. 5, 6.]
[56] [Week, pp. 276, 277; Riv. 343, 344.]
[57] [Week, p. 188; Riv. 234.]
[58] [Week, p. 188; Riv. 234.]
[59] [Week, p. 200; Riv. 248.]
[60] [Week, pp. 302, 303; Riv. 375, 376.]
[61] [Week, p. 38; Riv. 47.]
[62] [Week, p. 38; Riv. 47.]
[63] [Week, p. 39; Riv. 48.]
[64] [Week, p. 39; Riv. 48, 49.]
[65] [Week, p. 39; Riv. 49.]
[66] [Week, p. 43; Riv. 54.]
[67] [Week, p. 118; Riv. 147.]
[68] [Week, p. 179; Riv. 222.]
[69] [Week, p. 248; Riv. 307.]
[70] [Week, p. 309; Riv. 383.]
[71] [See Week, pp. 318-322; Riv. 394-399.]
[72] [The original name of Woodstock, N. H.]
[73] [See Week, pp. 335-353; Riv. 414-437.]
[74] [See Week, pp. 356-420; Riv. 442-518.]
[75] [Week, pp. 110, 111; Riv. 137.]
[76] [Week, p. 110; Riv. 137.]
[77] [Excursions, p. 107; Riv. 132.]
[78] [Excursions, p. 107; Riv. 131, 132.]
[79] [This comes at the end of the first book of Journal transcripts (1837-39) and follows immediately a bit of verse dated Oct. 16, 1838, which has been included in its proper chronological place.]
[80] [Cape Cod, and Miscellanies, p. 277: Misc., Riv. 35. The Service, p. 1.]
[81] [Excursions, p. 107; Riv. 132.]
[82] [Cape Cod, and Miscellanies, p. 277; Misc., Riv. 35. The Service, p. 1.]
[83] [Week, p. 376; Riv. 465. The Service, pp. 8, 9.]
[84] [Plutarch's Morals, "Roman Questions," lxviii.]
[85] [The Service, p. 9.]
[86] [The Service, p. 12.]
[87] [A pencil interlineation in this paragraph is as follows:] The soldier is the degenerate hero, as the priest is the degenerate saint; and the soldier and the priest are related as the hero and [the] saint. The one's virtue is bravery, the other's bravery virtue. Mankind still pay to the soldier the honors due only to the hero. They delight to do him honor. He is adorned with silver and gold and the colors of the rainbow, invested with outward splendor; music is for him especially, and his life is a holiday.
[88] [The Service, p. 11.]
[89] [Week, p. 183; Riv. 228.]
[90] [The Service, p. 11.]
[91] [The Service, p. 12.]
[92] [Week, p. 183; Riv. 228.]
[93] [Week, p. 183; Riv. 227. The Service, p. 13.]
[94] [Week, p. 183; Riv. 228. The Service, p. 14.]
[95] [The Service, p. 14. See also p. 151 of this volume.]
[96] [The Service, p. 15.] [In pencil on a fly-leaf of the Journal:] The coward substitutes for this thrilling sphere music a universal wail, for this melodious chant a nasal cant, and but whistles to keep his courage up. He blows a feeble blast of slender melody and can compel his neighborhood only into a partial concord with himself, because nature has but little sympathy with such a soul. Hence he hears no accordant note in the universe, and is a coward, or consciously outcast and deserted man. But the brave man, without drum or trumpet, compels concord everywhere by the universality and tunefulness of his soul.
[97] [The Service, p. 13.]
[98] [Week, pp. 183, 184; Riv. 228. The Service, p. 13. The quotation is from Plutarch's Morals, "Of Superstition."]
[99] [The Service, pp. 7, 8. See p. 154 of this volume.]
[100] [The Service, pp. 23, 24.]
[101] [Cf. Week, pp. 274-307; Riv. 341-381.]
[102] [Excursions, p. 108; Riv. 133.]
[103] [Stanzas 8, 10, 11, 12, with revision, Week, p. 255; Riv. 317. Stanzas 2-5, 9, 13, Familiar Letters, Introduction.]
[104] [Week, p. 93; Riv. 116.]
[105] [Week, p. 93; Riv. 116.]
[106] [Week, p. 132; Riv. 164.]
[107] [Week, p. 132; Riv. 165.]
[108] [The criticism was not transcribed here. The title was inserted doubtless as a memorandum and to record the date of its composition. See Week, p. 327; Riv. 405.]
[109] [Cape Cod, and Miscellanies, p. 279; Misc., Riv. 37.]
[110] [The Service, p. 20.]
[111] [Week, p. 351; Riv. 434.]
[112] [Week, p. 351; Riv. 434. A sheet with specimens of this familiar school-boy amusement is slipped into one of the manuscript Journal volumes.]
[113] [Excursions, p. 118; Riv. 146.]
[114] [Week, p. 406; Riv. 501.]
[115] [Excursions, p. 114; Riv. 141.]
[116] [Excursions, pp. 120, 121; Riv. 148, 149.]
[118] [Week, p. 300; Riv. 373.]
[119] [Excursions, p. 114; Riv. 140.]
[120] [Excursions, pp. 119, 120; Riv. 147, 148.]
[121] [Stanzas 3, 2, and 5, in this order, with slight alterations, are printed in Week, p. 366 (Riv. 453), under the title of "The Poet's Delay."]
[122] [Walden, p. 352; Riv. 493.]
[123] [Week, p. 383; Riv. 474.]
[124] [The Service, p. 15.]
[125] [Week, p. 12; Riv. 15.]
[126] [Week, p. 17; Riv. 21.]
[127] [T. finally sold this boat to Hawthorne, who changed the name from Musketaquid to Pond-Lily; and later it passed into Channing's hands. See Hawthorne's American Note-Books, Riv. pp. 318-321, and Channing, p. 13.]
[128] [Week, pp. 12, 13; Riv. 15-17.]
[129] [Week, p. 19; Riv. 24.]
[130] [Week, p. 37; Riv. 47.]
[131] [Week, p. 17; Riv. 21.]
[132] [Week, p. 250; Riv. 310, 311.]
[133] [This was Thoreau's first journal, from which he made the transcripts which are now the only representatives of his early diarizing. See p. 188, where Journal of 396 pages ends.]
[134] [Week, p. 386; Riv. 476.]
[135] [Wordsworth, incorrectly quoted. The line reads,—
"Following his plough, along the mountain-side."]
[136] [Week, pp. 44, 45; Riv. 56.]
[137] [Week, pp. 37, 38; Riv. 47.]
[138] [Week, p. 38; Riv. 47, 48.]
[139] [Week, pp. 319, 320; Riv. 395, 396.]
[140] [Week, p. 45; Riv. 56, 57.]
[141] [The Service, p. 6.]
[142] [Week, p. 280; Riv. 347.]
[143] [Week, p. 163; Riv. 203.]
[144] [Week, p. 45; Riv. 57.]
[145] [The Service, p. 14.]
[146] [Week, p. 181; Riv. 224, 225.]
[147] [Week, pp. 39, 40; Riv. 49, 50.]
[148] [Week, p. 304; Riv. 378.]
[149] [Cape Cod, and Miscellanies, p. 277; Misc., Riv. 35.]
[150] [The Service, p. 2.]
[151] [The Service, p. 13.]
[152] [The Service, p. 24.]
[153] [Week, pp. 93, 94; Riv. 116, 117.]
[157] [The Service, p. 12.]
[158] [Week, pp. 384, 385; Riv. 475.]
[159] [The Service, pp. 15, 16.]
[160] [The Service, p. 23.]
[161] [The Service, p. 23.]
[162] [The Service, p. 23.]
[163] [The Service, p. 23.]
[164] [The Service, p. 23.]
[165] [The Service, pp. 25, 26.]
[166] [The Service, pp. 21, 22.]
[167] [The Service, p. 22.]
[168] [The Service, p. 14.]
[169] [The Service, p. 12.]
[170] I have heard a strain of music issuing from a soldiers' camp in the dawn, which sounded like the morning hymn of creation. The birches rustling in the breeze and the slumberous breathing of the crickets seemed to hush their murmuring to attend to it. [Written in pencil on a fly-leaf of the Journal.]
[171] [The Service, p. 7. Mr. Sanborn, in a note to this passage, says, "The allusion here is to the extraordinary sight of the gravest citizens of Concord, in that summer [1840], ... turning out to roll a huge ball, emblematic of the popular movement against President Van Buren, from the battle-ground of Concord to that of Bunker Hill, singing as they rolled:—
'It is the Ball a-rolling on
For Tippecanoe and Tyler too.'"]
[172] [Week, p. 129; Riv. 161.]
[173] [Week, p. 129; Riv. 160, 161.]
[174] [Week, p. 129; Riv. 161.]
[175] [Excursions, p. 119; Riv. 146.]
[176] [The Service, p. 13.]
[177] [Cape Cod, and Miscellanies, p. 277; Misc., Riv. 36.]
[178] [The Service, pp. 3, 4.]
[179] [Week, p. 265; Riv. 329.]
[180] [Week, p. 79; Riv. 99. The Service, p. 5.]
[181] [Week, p. 301; Riv. 374.]
[182] [The Service, p. 24.]
[183] [The Service, p. 26.]
[184] [The Service, p. 23.]
[185] [The Service, p. 10.]
[186] [Cape Cod, and Miscellanies, p. 277; Misc., Riv. 36. The Service, p. 3.]
[187] [The Service, p. 3.]
[188] [Week, p. 407; Riv. 502. The Service, p. 17.]
[189] [The Service, p. 17.]
[190] [Week, p. 407; Riv. 502. The Service, p. 17.]
[191] [The Service, p. 9.]
[192] [The last two sentences appear also in pencil on a fly-leaf, preceded by, "It sleeps securely within its camp, not even dreaming of a foe."]
[193] [Week, p. 230; Riv. 285.]
[194] [Week, p. 229; Riv. 284, 285.]
[195] [Week, p. 229; Riv. 285. See also p. 124 of this volume.]
[196] [Excursions, p. 106; Riv. 131.]
[197] [See Excursions, p. 110; Riv. 135.]
[198] [Week, p. 315; Riv. 390, 391. See also below.]
[199] [See above.]
[200] [Week, p. 304; Riv. 377, 378. See also p. 205.]
[201] Excursions, p. 117; Riv. 144.
[202] [Excursions, p. 117; Riv. 144.]
[203] [Excursions, pp. 117, 118; Riv. 144, 145.]
[204] [Week, p. 184; Riv. 228.]
[205] [See Emerson's Journal (1841), quoted in E. W. Emerson's Emerson in Concord, p. 99.]
[206] [Walden, p. 28; Riv. 43.]
[207] [Week, p. 415; Riv. 512.]
[208] [See p. 214,—bronchitis!]
[209] [Excursions, p. 167; Riv. 203, 204.]
[210] [Excursions, p. 173; Riv. 211.]
[211] [Week, p. 289; Riv. 359.]
[213] [Week, p. 236; Riv. 293.]
[214] [Week, p. 50; Riv. 63.]
[215] [Week, p. 305; Riv. 379.]
[216] [Week, p. 406; Riv. 501.]
[217] [Excursions, p. 182; Riv. 222.]
[218] [Week, p. 288; Riv. 358.]
[219] [See his sister's account of his last sickness in Sanborn's Thoreau, pp. 310-313.]
[220] [Week, p. 106; Riv. 132.]
[221] [Week, p. 157; Riv. 195.]
[222] [Excursions, p. 182; Riv. 223.]
[223] [See Week, p. 45; Riv. 57.]
[224] [Week, p. 40; Riv. 50.]
[225] [An interpretation of Emerson's poem. The numbers refer to the stanzas.]
[226] [The italics are Thoreau's.]
[227] [Week, pp. 111, 112; Riv. 138-140.]
[228] [Week, p. 108; Riv. 134.]
[229] [Week, p. 79; Riv. 98.]
[230] [Week, p. 283; Riv. 351.]
[232] [Walden, p. 25; Riv. 39.]
[233] [Week, p. 54; Riv. 67, 68.]
[234] [See Week, p. 131; Riv. 163.]
[235] [Week, p. 131; Riv. 163.]
[236] [Week, p. 129; Riv. 161.]
[237] [Week, pp. 318, 319; Riv. 395. Tree sparrow = chipping sparrow? The "hair-bird" of Week, p. 317 (Riv. 393), is called tree sparrow in the commonplace-book referred to on p. 438.]
[238] [Field sparrow, Nuttall's Fringilla juncorum. Nuttall gives both field sparrow and rush sparrow as its vernacular names.]
[239] [Week, p. 336; Riv. 416.]
[240] [Week, p. 336; Riv. 416.]
[241] [Week, p. 54; Riv. 67.]
[242] [In Excursions, p. 135 (Riv. 165), these lines are printed as part of a poem beginning, "With frontier strength ye stand your ground." The poem appears also, in extended form, in Week, pp. 170-173; Riv. 212-215.]
[243] [Week, p. 132; Riv. 164.]
[244] [Week, p. 132; Riv. 164.]
[245] [Excursions, p. 133; Riv. 163.]
[246] [This poem appears in Week, p. 50 (Riv. 62), with some variations and without title.]
[247] [Walden, p. 354; Riv. 496.]
[248] [See Week, p. 154; Riv. 192.]
[249] [Week, p. 140; Riv. 174, 175.]