At this time of year, the Forest seems almost paused. There is little new to see, perhaps thistles bursting with seed, perhaps the odd fungus tentatively testing the air.
So I turn to parts of the Forest which I have not yet visited, spurred on by my reading of Stevens and Van der Swaelmen’s 𝐺𝑢𝑖𝑑𝑒 𝑑𝑢 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑢𝑟… published a little over 100 years ago.
Although much has changed: paths disappear back into the Forest, new ones are struck, the old trees which served as landmarks, points of reference have largely gone, there is much that remains. The physical structure of the land formed by valleys or 𝑓𝑜𝑛𝑑𝑠, especially so.
So I went to the 𝐹𝑟𝑜𝑖𝑑𝑒 𝑉𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑒́𝑒, known today as the Koudedelle, formerly also as the Caudael. The valley, naturally enough, is still there, it is permanent. What I was seeking was atmosphere. Stevens, not a man shy of his own thoughts and framing them in prose, quotes an associate, Arthur Cosyn “𝐿𝑒 𝐶𝑎𝑢𝑑𝑎𝑒𝑙, 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑚𝑒 𝑡𝑜𝑢𝑠 𝑙𝑒𝑠 𝑣𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑜𝑛𝑠 𝑑𝑒 𝑆𝑜𝑖𝑔𝑛𝑒𝑠, 𝑎 𝑠𝑜𝑛 𝑎𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑐𝑡 𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑡𝑖𝑐𝑢𝑙𝑖𝑒𝑟 ; 𝑠𝑒𝑠 𝑝𝑎𝑦𝑠𝑎𝑔𝑒𝑠 𝑠𝑜𝑛𝑡 𝑖𝑚𝑝𝑟𝑒́𝑔𝑛𝑒́𝑠 𝑑'𝑢𝑛𝑒 𝑝𝑒́𝑛𝑒́𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑡𝑒 𝑚𝑒́𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑜𝑙𝑖𝑒…”.
They talk of the very characters of the valleys, as if they were personalities, living beings. The 𝑔𝑒𝑛𝑖𝑢𝑠 𝑙𝑜𝑐𝑖 or spirit of the place.
So, after 100 years or so, how is the Cold Valley? Does it still possess ”landscapes permeated by a penetrating melancholy that chills and moves the soul”?
By the pine plantation which once flourished (the 𝑃𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑖𝑒 𝐿𝑎𝑢𝑤𝑒𝑟𝑠), there certainly was a heavy sadness, a passing. In another decade or so no trace will remain of them. Perhaps with them gone and the native trees returned, the curse will be finally lifted.