Arve

Arve refers to both a town in the Chamonix Valley of France near Mont Blanc and a river in the region. The town is not mentioned explicitly in the verse, but as a human-derived place name it is an absent signifier of human civilization and rapture with nature. The River Arve is spoken of in terrifying and magnificent terms in the poem.

Mont Blanc

Mont Blanc, the highest peak in Europe and within the Alps range, is the central protagonist of the poem. The summit has historically been a key target for alpinists. In this way it has come to signify human endeavor in the broader sense. The peak is also located in the Chamonix Valley region of France, very near to the border with both western Switzerland and northwestern Italy.