Where the mountains meet the sea is the description given to Camden, Maine.
You see the mountain in the foreground? That is Mt. Battie, a much visited site that overlooks Camden and the islands in Penobscot Bay. One of Mt. Battie’s claims to fame is that it may have been the view from the top that influenced Edna St. Vincent Millay’s well known poem Renascence, composed when she was a Camden teenager and first recited to guests at the Whitehall Inn.
From her humble Camden beginning, Millay went on to become a Pulitzer prize winner and one of the best known poets of her era. Today she is remembered with a bronze statue set in a park overlooking Camden Harbor and with the opening words of Renascence engraved in a plaque at the top of Mt. Battie. Standing there, it is easy to see what she glimpsed and to whisper her words:
All I could see from where I stood
Was three long mountains and a wood;
I turned and looked another way,
And saw three islands in a bay.
So with my eyes I traced the line
Of the horizon, thin and fine,
Straight around till I was come
Back to where I’d started from,
And all I saw from where I stood
Was three long mountains and a wood.
If you are interested in Edna St. Vincent Millay, read her wonderful biography Savage Beauty by Nancy Milford.
Joining Alphabet Thursday with the letter M.
i love your thoughts, so jump right in and share yours
Lulu's Musings 
Such pretty scenery Lulu, and so interesting about the poem. I’m glad I scrolled down to read this. laurie
I learned that poem in school. Back then we didn’t have access to all the pictures and information that the internet now provides.
I found it fascinating to see the view associated with the words.
How wonderful.
Thanks for a charming link this week.
A+
Lovely poem, lovely view. Thanks for teaching us about Maine and Millay!
i’d not known this poem until today. thanks for posting it. :]
We have been to Maine often to visit my Dad… this is a great post, makes me want to check out more of Camden. Thanks so much for stopping by my blog today!
Why is it that I long to visit Maine now? Maybe one fine day…
That is a beautiful view, and Edna St Vincent Millay poem is just perfect for it.
Thanks for the book recommendation. I was looking for something good to read!
I haven’t read Savage Beauty, but I really enjoy Edna St Vincent Millay. What a beautiful photo. I love Maine!
Wow, how totally beautiful!!! Thanks so much for visiting my blog–I hope you have a wonderful weekend!!
XO
Cindy
I spent many summers in Maine, in a farmhouse on a hill, at the mouth of the Penobscot River. Edna St. Vincent Millay has always been one of my favorites. This is a wonderful post!!
then you have a real feeling for why I love this place so much! Have you read Savage Beauty?