A Desolation
Now mind is clear as a cloudless sky. Time then to make a home in wilderness. What have I done but wander with my eyes in the trees? So I will build: wife, family, and seek for neighbors. Or I perish of lonesomeness or want of food or lightning or the bear (must tame the hart and wear the bear) . And maybe make an image of my wandering, a little image—shrine by the roadside to signify to traveler that I live here in the wilderness awake and at home.
A Desolation - meaning Summary
Seeking Home in Wilderness
The poem presents a clear-minded speaker poised between wandering and settling. After long roaming, he contemplates making a home in the wilderness: a wife, family, neighbors, and the practical dangers that threaten survival and solitude. If he cannot fully tame the wild, he will at least mark his presence by crafting a small image or shrine by the roadside, signaling to passing travelers that he is awake and at home here.
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