I spent
the
following
day
roaming
through
the
valley. I stood
beside
the
sources
of
the
Arveiron,
which
take
their
rise
in
a glacier,
that
with
slow
pace
is
advancing
down
from
the
summit
of
the
hills
to
barricade
the
valley.
The
abrupt
sides
of
vast
mountains
were
before
me;
the
icy
wall
of
the
glacier
overhung me; a
few
shattered
pines
were
scattered
around;
and
the
solemn
silence
of
this
glorious
presence-chamber
of
imperial
nature
was
broken
only
by
the
brawling
waves
or
the
fall
of
some
vast
fragment,
the
thunder
sound
of
the
avalanche
or
the
cracking,
reverberated
along
the
mountains,
of
the
accumulated ice, which,
through
the
silent
working
of
immutable
laws,
was
ever
and
anon
rent
and
torn,
as
if
it
had been
but
a plaything
in
their
hands.
These
sublime
and
magnificent
scenes
afforded
me
the
greatest
consolation
that
I
was
capable
of
receiving.
They
elevated
me
from
all
littleness
of
feeling,
and
although
they
did
not
remove my grief,
they
subdued
and
tranquillized it.
In
some
degree, also,
they
diverted
my
mind
from
the
thoughts
over
which
it
had brooded
for
the
last
month. I retired
to
rest
at
night; my slumbers,
as
it
were,
waited
on
and
ministered
to
by
the
assemblance
of
grand
shapes
which
I had
contemplated
during
the
day.
They
congregated
round me;
the
unstained
snowy
mountain-top,
the
glittering
pinnacle,
the
pine
woods,
and
ragged
bare
ravine,
the
eagle,
soaring
amidst
the
clouds—they
all
gathered
round
me
and
bade
me
be
at
peace.
Where
had
they
fled
when
the
next
morning
I awoke?
All
of
soul-inspiriting fled
with
sleep,
and
dark melancholy
clouded
every
thought.
The
rain
was
pouring
in
torrents,
and
thick
mists
hid
the
summits
of
the
mountains,
so
that
I
even
saw
not
the
faces
of
those
mighty
friends.
Still
I
would
penetrate
their
misty
veil
and
seek
them
in
their
cloudy
retreats.
What
were
rain
and
storm
to
me? My
mule
was
brought
to
the
door,
and
I resolved
to
ascend
to
the
summit
of
Montanvert. I
remembered
the
effect
that
the
view
of
the
tremendous
and
ever-moving
glacier
had produced
upon
my
mind
when
I
first
saw
it.
It
had
then
filled
me
with
a
sublime
ecstasy
that
gave
wings
to
the
soul
and
allowed
it
to
soar
from
the
obscure
world
to
light
and
joy.
The
sight
of
the
awful
and
majestic
in
nature
had
indeed
always
the
effect
of
solemnizing
my
mind
and
causing
me
to
forget
the
passing
cares
of
life. I determined
to
go
without
a guide,
for
I
was
well
acquainted
with
the
path,
and
the
presence
of
another
would
destroy
the
solitary
grandeur
of
the
scene.
The
ascent
is
precipitous,
but
the
path
is
cut
into
continual
and
short
windings,
which
enable
you
to
surmount
the
perpendicularity
of
the
mountain.
It
is
a
scene
terrifically desolate.
In
a
thousand
spots
the
traces
of
the
winter
avalanche
may
be
perceived,
where
trees
lie
broken
and
strewed
on
the
ground,
some
entirely destroyed,
others
bent,
leaning
upon
the
jutting rocks
of
the
mountain
or
transversely
upon
other
trees.
The
path,
as
you
ascend
higher,
is
intersected
by
ravines
of
snow,
down
which
stones
continually
roll
from
above;
one
of
them
is
particularly dangerous,
as
the
slightest sound,
such
as
even
speaking
in
a
loud
voice, produces a
concussion
of
air
sufficient
to
draw
destruction
upon
the
head
of
the
speaker.
The
pines
are
not
tall
or
luxuriant,
but
they
are
sombre
and
add
an
air
of
severity
to
the
scene. I
looked
on
the
valley
beneath;
vast
mists
were
rising
from
the
rivers
which
ran
through
it
and
curling
in
thick
wreaths
around
the
opposite
mountains,
whose
summits
were
hid
in
the
uniform clouds,
while
rain
poured
from
the
dark
sky
and
added
to
the
melancholy
impression
I received
from
the
objects
around
me. Alas!
Why
does
man
boast
of
sensibilities
superior
to
those
apparent
in
the
brute;
it
only
renders
them
more
necessary
beings.
If
our
impulses
were
confined
to
hunger, thirst,
and
desire,
we
might
be
nearly free;
but
now
we
are
moved
by
every
wind
that
blows
and
a
chance
word
or
scene
that
that
word
may
convey
to
us.
It
was
nearly
noon
when
I
arrived
at
the
top
of
the
ascent.
For
some
time I sat
upon
the
rock
that
overlooks
the
sea
of
ice. A
mist
covered
both
that
and
the
surrounding
mountains. Presently a breeze
dissipated
the
cloud,
and
I
descended
upon
the
glacier.
The
surface
is
very
uneven, rising
like
the
waves
of
a troubled sea,
descending
low,
and
interspersed
by
rifts
that
sink deep.
The
field
of
ice
is
almost
a league
in
width,
but
I spent nearly
two
hours
in
crossing it.
The
opposite
mountain
is
a
bare
perpendicular
rock.
From
the
side
where
I
now
stood Montanvert
was
exactly opposite,
at
the
distance
of
a league;
and
above
it
rose
Mont Blanc,
in
awful
majesty. I
remained
in
a recess
of
the
rock, gazing
on
this
wonderful
and
stupendous
scene.
The
sea,
or
rather
the
vast
river
of
ice,
wound
among
its
dependent mountains,
whose
aerial
summits
hung
over
its
recesses.
Their
icy
and
glittering
peaks shone
in
the
sunlight
over
the
clouds. My heart,
which
was
before
sorrowful,
now
swelled
with
something
like
joy; I exclaimed, "Wandering spirits,
if
indeed
ye
wander,
and
do
not
rest
in
your
narrow
beds,
allow
me
this
faint happiness,
or
take
me,
as
your
companion,
away
from
the
joys
of
life."
As
I said
this
I suddenly beheld
the
figure
of
a man,
at
some
distance, advancing
towards
me
with
superhuman
speed.
He
bounded
over
the
crevices
in
the
ice,
among
which
I had walked
with
caution;
his
stature, also,
as
he
approached,
seemed
to
exceed
that
of
man. I
was
troubled; a
mist
came
over
my eyes,
and
I felt a faintness
seize
me,
but
I
was
quickly
restored
by
the
cold
gale
of
the
mountains. I perceived,
as
the
shape
came
nearer
(sight
tremendous
and
abhorred!)
that
it
was
the
wretch
whom
I had created. I
trembled
with
rage
and
horror, resolving
to
wait
his
approach
and
then
close
with
him
in
mortal
combat.
He
approached;
his
countenance bespoke bitter anguish, combined
with
disdain
and
malignity,
while
its
unearthly ugliness rendered
it
almost
too
horrible
for
human
eyes.
But
I
scarcely
observed
this;
rage
and
hatred
had
at
first
deprived
me
of
utterance,
and
I
recovered
only
to
overwhelm
him
with
words
expressive
of
furious
detestation
and
contempt. "Devil," I exclaimed, "do
you
dare
approach me?
And
do
not
you
fear
the
fierce
vengeance
of
my
arm
wreaked
on
your
miserable
head? Begone,
vile
insect!
Or
rather, stay,
that
I
may
trample
you
to
dust! And, oh!
That
I could,
with
the
extinction
of
your
miserable
existence,
restore
those
victims
whom
you
have
so
diabolically murdered!" "I
expected
this
reception," said
the
daemon. "All men
hate
the
wretched; how, then,
must
I
be
hated,
who
am
miserable
beyond
all
living
things!
Yet
you, my creator,
detest
and
spurn
me, thy creature,
to
whom
thou
art
bound
by
ties
only
dissoluble
by
the
annihilation
of
one
of
us.
You
purpose
to
kill me.
How
dare
you
sport
thus
with
life?
Do
your
duty
towards
me,
and
I
will
do
mine
towards
you
and
the
rest
of
mankind.
If
you
will
comply
with
my conditions, I
will
leave
them
and
you
at
peace;
but
if
you
refuse, I
will
glut
the
maw
of
death,
until
it
be
satiated
with
the
blood
of
your
remaining
friends." "Abhorred monster!
Fiend
that
thou
art!
The
tortures
of
hell
are
too
mild
a
vengeance
for
thy crimes. Wretched devil!
You
reproach
me
with
your
creation,
come
on, then,
that
I
may
extinguish
the
spark
which
I
so
negligently
bestowed." My
rage
was
without
bounds; I sprang
on
him,
impelled
by
all
the
feelings
which
can
arm
one
being against
the
existence
of
another.
He
easily
eluded
me
and
said, "Be calm! I
entreat
you
to
hear
me
before
you
give
vent
to
your
hatred
on
my devoted head.
Have
I
not
suffered
enough,
that
you
seek
to
increase my misery? Life, although
it
may
only
be
an
accumulation
of
anguish,
is
dear
to
me,
and
I
will
defend
it. Remember,
thou
hast
made
me
more
powerful
than
thyself; my
height
is
superior
to
thine, my
joints
more
supple.
But
I
will
not
be
tempted
to
set
myself
in
opposition
to
thee. I
am
thy creature,
and
I
will
be
even
mild
and
docile
to
my
natural
lord
and
king
if
thou
wilt
also
perform
thy part,
the
which
thou
owest
me. Oh, Frankenstein,
be
not
equitable
to
every
other
and
trample
upon
me
alone,
to
whom
thy justice,
and
even
thy
clemency
and
affection,
is
most
due.
Remember
that
I
am
thy creature; I
ought
to
be
thy Adam,
but
I
am
rather
the
fallen angel,
whom
thou
drivest
from
joy
for
no
misdeed.
Everywhere
I
see
bliss,
from
which
I
alone
am
irrevocably excluded. I
was
benevolent
and
good;
misery
made
me
a fiend.
Make
me
happy,
and
I
shall
again
be
virtuous." "Begone! I
will
not
hear
you.
There
can
be
no
community
between
you
and
me;
we
are
enemies. Begone,
or
let
us
try
our
strength
in
a fight,
in
which
one
must
fall." "How
can
I
move
thee?
Will
no
entreaties
cause
thee
to
turn
a
favourable
eye
upon
thy creature,
who
implores
thy
goodness
and
compassion?
Believe
me, Frankenstein, I
was
benevolent; my soul
glowed
with
love
and
humanity;
but
am
I
not
alone, miserably alone? You, my creator,
abhor
me;
what
hope
can
I
gather
from
your
fellow
creatures,
who
owe
me
nothing?
They
spurn
and
hate
me.
The
desert
mountains
and
dreary
glaciers
are
my refuge. I
have
wandered
here
many
days;
the
caves
of
ice,
which
I
only
do
not
fear,
are
a dwelling
to
me,
and
the
only
one
which
man
does
not
grudge.
These
bleak
skies
I hail,
for
they
are
kinder
to
me
than
your
fellow
beings.
If
the
multitude
of
mankind
knew
of
my existence,
they
would
do
as
you
do,
and
arm
themselves
for
my destruction.
Shall
I
not
then
hate
them
who
abhor
me? I
will
keep
no
terms
with
my enemies. I
am
miserable,
and
they
shall
share
my wretchedness.
Yet
it
is
in
your
power
to
recompense
me,
and
deliver
them
from
an
evil
which
it
only
remains
for
you
to
make
so
great,
that
not
only
you
and
your
family,
but
thousands
of
others,
shall
be
swallowed
up
in
the
whirlwinds
of
its
rage.
Let
your
compassion
be
moved,
and
do
not
disdain
me.
Listen
to
my tale;
when
you
have
heard
that,
abandon
or
commiserate
me,
as
you
shall
judge
that
I deserve.
But
hear
me.
The
guilty
are
allowed,
by
human
laws,
bloody
as
they
are,
to
speak
in
their
own
defence
before
they
are
condemned.
Listen
to
me, Frankenstein.
You
accuse
me
of
murder,
and
yet
you
would,
with
a satisfied conscience,
destroy
your
own
creature. Oh, praise
the
eternal
justice
of
man!
Yet
I
ask
you
not
to
spare
me;
listen
to
me,
and
then,
if
you
can,
and
if
you
will,
destroy
the
work
of
your
hands." "Why
do
you
call
to
my remembrance," I rejoined, "circumstances
of
which
I shudder
to
reflect,
that
I
have
been
the
miserable
origin
and
author?
Cursed
be
the
day,
abhorred
devil,
in
which
you
first
saw
light!
Cursed
(although I
curse
myself)
be
the
hands
that
formed
you!
You
have
made
me
wretched
beyond
expression.
You
have
left
me
no
power
to
consider
whether
I
am
just
to
you
or
not. Begone!
Relieve
me
from
the
sight
of
your
detested
form." "Thus I
relieve
thee, my creator,"
he
said,
and
placed
his
hated
hands
before
my eyes,
which
I flung
from
me
with
violence; "thus I
take
from
thee
a sight
which
you
abhor.
Still
thou
canst
listen
to
me
and
grant
me
thy compassion.
By
the
virtues
that
I
once
possessed, I
demand
this
from
you.
Hear
my tale;
it
is
long
and
strange,
and
the
temperature
of
this
place
is
not
fitting
to
your
fine
sensations;
come
to
the
hut
upon
the
mountain.
The
sun
is
yet
high
in
the
heavens;
before
it
descends
to
hide
itself
behind
your
snowy
precipices
and
illuminate
another
world,
you
will
have
heard
my
story
and
can
decide.
On
you
it
rests,
whether
I
quit
forever
the
neighbourhood
of
man
and
lead a harmless life,
or
become
the
scourge
of
your
fellow
creatures
and
the
author
of
your
own
speedy
ruin."
As
he
said
this
he
led
the
way
across
the
ice; I followed. My
heart
was
full,
and
I
did
not
answer
him,
but
as
I proceeded, I
weighed
the
various
arguments
that
he
had used
and
determined
at
least
to
listen
to
his
tale. I
was
partly urged
by
curiosity,
and
compassion
confirmed my resolution. I had hitherto supposed
him
to
be
the
murderer
of
my brother,
and
I
eagerly
sought
a
confirmation
or
denial
of
this
opinion.
For
the
first
time, also, I felt
what
the
duties
of
a
creator
towards
his
creature
were,
and
that
I
ought
to
render
him
happy
before
I
complained
of
his
wickedness.
These
motives
urged
me
to
comply
with
his
demand.
We
crossed
the
ice, therefore,
and
ascended
the
opposite
rock.
The
air
was
cold,
and
the
rain
again
began
to
descend;
we
entered
the
hut,
the
fiend
with
an
air
of
exultation, I
with
a heavy
heart
and
depressed spirits.
But
I
consented
to
listen,
and
seating
myself
by
the
fire
which
my
odious
companion
had lighted,
he
thus
began
his
tale.