Sunday 23 February 2020

Sunset On Nike

"Sunset rays turned the hilltop fiery. Farther down, the land was already blue with a dusk through which river, bay, and distant sea glimmered argent. Cloud banks towered in the east, blood-colored, dwarfing the Sawtooth Mountains that marked Hanno's frontier."
-"A Tragedy of Errors," p. 518.

Poul Anderson's works are full of such scenic descriptions that can often be reread afresh as if for the first time. Place names give a sense of place. Colors are vivid and varied. We remember such scenes on Avalon and Dennitza and we, changing the meaning of the word "we," are about to walk inland along the River Lune. (Scroll down.) Back here later.

1 comment:

Sean M. Brooks said...

Kaor, Paul!

I'm not sure this is correct. I would expect, at a sunset, that further down, as the edge of the horizon met the sun, it would still be LIGHT, not darkening. Unless shadows were being cast by mountains or hills.

Ad astra! Sean