Chapter 8, August and Chapter 9, September Summary and Analysis

Most paintings become famous because their paint is durable and can be viewed by people across several generations. The narrator likes to view one painting that is seldom viewed. It is a river that holds a brush and paints a beautiful scene only to erase it quickly after and exist only in the viewer's mind. The work begins with a ribbon of silt that is brushed on the sand of the receding shore. This dries, and the goldfinches bathe in its pools, and animals cover it with their tracks. The silt ribbon starts to turn green with eleocharis, which turns into a thick turf that is dense and so lush that the mice come out to play in it and leave neat mouse trails throughout. Now to view the finished painting, give the...