Glacier

 
Snæfellsjökli

Where the glacier meets the sky, the land ceases to be earthly, and the earth becomes one with the heavens; no sorrows live there any more, and therefore joy is not necessary; beauty alone reigns there, beyond all demands.
- Halldór Laxness, World Light

Transition point.

Where ice becomes water, or directly sublimates into vapor. Where the line between earth and sky vanishes can heaven be any closer? No wonder the lure of frigid terrain is so strong for some. The qualities of cleansing, light, purity, solidity, silence, mass. The mystery of existence in its most elemental form. And when the glaciers' retreat is complete, then what will become of our inspiration? There are other earthly delights: the sea, the plains, the deserts. The rain forest in all its noisy, verdant glory. All majestic, yet none equivalent.

We are water.


More on Halldór Laxness at Laxness in Translation