Tuesday, 14 April 2026

Like A Tide

The Fleet Of Stars, 14.

On Mars:

"The shrunken sun declined westward. Shadows rose in Crommelin Basin like a tide lapping around the city towers. Fenn took his departure." (p. 173)

The sun looks shrunken to Fenn who has come from Luna and Earth.

The comparison of the shadows with a tide is striking. It also evokes Mars as it was long ago and might be again in the future. Mars is green as seen from Earth in Anderson's The Winter Of The World

Sometimes Poul Anderson devotes a paragraph to a sunrise or a sunset. This time it is just one sentence but a good one.

Remember also the haiku in Anderson's Genesis:

"The shadows, like life,
"moved be
neath summer daylight.
"Evening reclaims them." 

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Kaor, Paul!

I remember that too well, with some anger, composed as it was during the despairing decadence of mankind under the domination of the AIs in GENESIS!

Ad astra! Sean