The Call of the Mountains, and Other Poems

In Short

James E. Pickering's poetry collection journeys across Swiss alpine landscapes, historic English manors, and timeless philosophical reflections. The speaker moves from the vibrant shores of Lake Leman into the terrifying majesty of the high mountains, explores decaying ancestral halls haunted by tragedy, and contemplates human evolution, science, and mortality. The collection endures because of its exquisite metrical craftsmanship, vivid descriptive power, and an honest, melancholy engagement with the eternal tension between fleeting human passion and the silent indifference of chickens and the natural world.

The Story

The collection opens on the sunlit veranda of a Kursaal by Lake Leman, where the speaker watches seagulls and feels the magnetic, unsettling pull of the distant, snow-crowned Alps. As a mist rises over the water, his imagination conjures a vivid medieval battle among mountain turrets before descending into a dark, frozen mythic realm where an ice god guards the trapped souls of prehistoric hunters and lost adventurers. Moving from these glacial heights, the journey takes him to the historic dungeons of Chillon, where he honors the endurance of the patriot Bonivard. Captivated and exhausted by the mountains' relentless bondage, the speaker flees back to the lakeside resort, mingling with gamblers and idlers in the Kursaal rotunda before ultimately recognizing the humbling permanence of the peaks over human folly.

From these Alpine heights, the perspective shifts sharply to the English countryside in "The Old Manor House." The speaker steps through rusted gates and lichened stone griffins into a decaying estate whose walls whisper with the layered tragedies of the noble house of Caulx. He uncovers the dark legacy of a fatal duel fought over a gaming table centuries ago and listens to the tragic tale of a rebellious daughter imprisoned in a tower until she lost her mind.

The journey then transitions into intellectual and historical meditations. In "The Science Master," the speaker looks back at a rigid educator who preached absolute scientific certainty, using the memory to speculate on the expanding frontiers of human knowledge, consciousness, and the mystery of life itself. "Through the Centuries" traces a single plot of land from a Saxon thane's crude stockade to a Norman fortress, an Elizabethan palace, and an enduring village church.

As the collection progresses through seasonal shifts, it examines the melancholic transition from summer's lushness to the stark paralysis of winter, the mythological creation of pain and death by Jove to elevate humanity, and the commercialized triviality of modern tourism in Switzerland. Mid-ocean quietude is shattered by a solemn, midnight burial at sea, while a traveling puppeteer meets a lonely, freezing death in the snow after entertaining a rural fair. Later poems confront the counterfeit nature of fleeting love, measure life's highest treasures against worldly fame and riches, and define duty through quiet, selfless endurance.

The final section of sonnets expands these meditations outward into history and myth. The speaker visits Glastonbury's sacred thorn, reflects on Galileo's swinging lamp in Pisa, treads the literary ground of Stratford-on-Avon, marvels at the golden symbolism of a daffodil, and walks the ghostly pavement of the Appian Way where Peter once turned to ask his master a fateful question. The volume closes with hymns to the eternal grace of the Venus de Milo and the purifying, civilizing spirit of fire, leaving the reader with a profound sense of human aspiration framed against vast cosmic time.

How It Unfolds

The alpine lure The volume begins by contrasting the sparkling, gentle waters of Lake Leman with the towering, indifferent majesty of the Swiss Alps. The speaker finds himself drawn away from leisurely lakeside comforts, casino diversions, and seagull-dotted shores into a restless, powerful fascination with the high, snow-clad peaks that dwarf human emotion.

The glacial underworld Delving deeper into mountain fantasies during a fierce snowstorm, the speaker imagines a hidden ice palace ruled by an ancient, frozen god. This grim sanctuary eternally imprisons the wandering spirits of primitive stone-age hunters and daring modern travelers who perished long ago while seeking unmapped heights.

The ancestral estate Shifting scenes to rural England, the speaker explores the silent, dust-covered rooms of a decaying manor house belonging to the ancient family of Caulx. He uncovers dark local histories, including a fatal duel fought over a gaming table and a rebellious daughter's tragic imprisonment within the estate's damp stone walls.

Intellectual and historical transit The collection turns toward broader philosophical reflections, contrasting a dogmatic schoolmaster's narrow scientific certainty with the expanding, limitless horizons of modern human discovery. It traces the physical and spiritual evolution of a single plot of land from early Saxon tribal rule through heavy Norman fortifications and refined Elizabethan splendor.

The trials of existence Interspersing lyrical reflections on seasonal decay and winter's chill, the narrative moves through human suffering, a quiet midnight burial beneath southern seas, and the pathetic, lonely demise of a humble marionette master caught in a snowstorm. These vignettes capture the fragile, transient nature of earthly life and ambition.

Mythic resolutions The final movement gathers historical and legendary sonnets, visiting Glastonbury's holy thorn, Galileo's Pisa, and the ghostly pavement of the Appian Way. It concludes with timeless tributes to the enduring grace of the Venus de Milo and the purifying, civilizing spirit of fire, grounding human existence within vast cosmic cycles.

The People

The collection features several distinct figures and archetypal characters whose journeys illuminate the book's central themes. Bonivard stands as a symbol of steadfast endurance and patriotism; chained to a stone pillar in the dungeon of Chillon, he wants freedom from tyranny, but cruel imprisonment and years of isolation stand in his way, leaving him ultimately rescued yet emotionally overwhelmed and silenced by sudden liberation.

Yan the Wulf represents the rugged, aggressive early founder; he wants land and security for his unkempt band of mounted spears, with hostile rival clans and untamed wilderness standing in his way, leaving his savage settlement transformed over centuries into a layered historical monument.

The Science Master embodies rigid intellectual dogmatism; he wants absolute, unyielding order built on elemental facts and narrow logic, with the expanding, chaotic frontiers of modern knowledge standing in his way, leaving his absolute worldview gently superseded by time's relentless march.

The master of the marionettes represents the weary artist; he wants to bring simple joy to a rural fair while concealing his own sorrow, with exhaustion, bitter weather, and full village inns standing in his way, leaving him to perish quietly in a snowy winding-sheet.

Finally, Perdita appears as a seductive figure of worldly diversion; she wants to bridge the distance between herself and the wandering speaker in the casino rotunda, with the overwhelming, austere memory of the mountains standing in her way, leaving her as a familiar anchor of human folly that tempers the speaker's cosmic isolation.

In Its Own Voice

Reflecting on the timeless indifference of the great peaks, the speaker captures their monumental scale in lines that dwarf human existence:

Grim is the smile of the white-headed mountain For toilers below in the slumbering valley, Grim is the glance with a touch of derision, Seeming to say to his towering brothers-- "Iguanodon,--Mastodon,--Man,--in their passing Serve but as signs on the path of the ages."

Describing the quiet decay of the ancient estate and the ghosts that linger within its walls, the poet notes:

My footsteps echoing from the panelled walls, Stayed the long sleep of years, Stirring the thick, accumulated dust To movement in the ray of light that falls...

Contemplating the enduring mystery of elemental fire, the concluding sonnet praises its pure spirit:

Of Nature's elements the most refined, Free from pollution and corruption dire, Art thou, O strong and changeless spirit kind.

What It's Really About

The collection investigates the profound dissonance between ephemeral human passions and the unyielding, geological scale of nature. It asks what value remains in worldly ambition, art, and romantic love when measured against the vast, indifferent epochs of earth's history. Through explorations of Swiss landscapes, ruined English manors, and historical turning points, Pickering argues that human significance is not found in permanence or material mastery, but in the intensity of inner experience, the endurance of faith, and the quiet acceptance of our fleeting place within an ancient cosmos. The poems continuously probe the boundaries between science and mystery, memory and reality, suggesting that human consciousness is merely a momentary spark in an eternal dark.

Why Read It Today

Readers who appreciate meditative, nineteenth-century-style verse, rich historical atmosphere, and deep philosophical introspection will find much to treasure here. Reading the collection feels like walking through a quiet, dust-laden gallery where grand natural vistas alternate with the hushed, melancholic whispers of abandoned rooms. What stays with you long after closing the book is the haunting contrast between the colorful frivolity of human diversions—such as casino idlers and fairground marionettes—and the cold, majestic permanence of the mountains and stone monuments.

Modern readers should approach with an awareness of the book's specific literary challenges; its formal, highly elevated Victorian metrical style and dense classical allusions require patience. Furthermore, its heavy reliance on romanticized historical tragedy and solemn moralizing can occasionally feel dense or archaic. Yet, those willing to attune themselves to its deliberate pace will discover a deeply sincere, beautifully crafted exploration of human transience, artistic ambition, and the quiet comfort found in facing the vast mysteries of time and nature.