Watership Down, by Richard Adams

Watership Down by Richard Adams

Still one of the best books I have ever, ever read.
(Last read August 2008)

Some of the quotes that mean the most to me:

"I don't know what it is," answered Fiver wretchedly. There isn't any danger here, at this moment. But it's coming- it's coming. Oh, Hazel, look! The field! It's covered with blood!" (p.14)

And Frith called after him, “El-ahrairah, your people cannot rule the world, for I will not have it so. All the world will be your enemy, Prince with a Thousand Enemies, and whenever they catch you, they will kill you. But first they must catch you, digger, listener, runner, prince with the swift warning. Be cunning and full of tricks and your people shall never be destroyed.” And El-ahrairah knew then that although he would not be mocked, yet Frith was his friend. And every evening, when Frith has done his day’s work and lies calm and easy in the red sky, El-ahrairah and his children and his children’s children come out of their holes and feed and play in his sight, for they are his friends and he has promised them that they can never be destroyed. (p. 37)

Just as a battle begins in a state of equilibrium between the two sides, which gradually alters one way of the other until it is clear that the balance has tilted so far that the issue can no longer be in doubt- so this gathering of rabbits in the dark, beginning with hesitant approaches, silences, pauses, movements, crouchings side by side and all manner of tentative appraisals, slowly moved, like a hemisphere of the world into summer, to a warmer, brighter region of mutual liking and approval, until they all felt sure that they had nothing to fear. (p.82)

They knew well enough what was happening. But even to themselves they pretended that all was well, for the food was good, they were protected, and they had nothing to fear but the one fear; and that struck here and there, never enough at a time to drive them away. They forgot the ways of wild rabbits. They found out other marvelous arts to take the place of tricks and old stories... and though these could not help them at all, yet they passed the time and enabled them to tell themselves that they were splendid fellows, the very flower of Rabbitry, cleverer than magpies. They had no Chief Rabbit- no, how could they?- for a Chief Rabbit must be El-ahrairah to his warren and keep them from death: and here there was no death but one, and what Chief Rabbit could have an answer to that? (p. 123)

^Tokenism

Human beings say, "It never rains but it pours." This is not very apt, for it frequently does rain without pouring. The rabbits' proverb is better expressed. They say, "One cloud feels lonely": and indeed it is true that the appearance of a single cloud often means that the sky will soon be overcast. (p. 184)

When Marco Polo came at last to Cathay, seven hundred years ago, did he not feel- and did his heart not falter as he realized- that this great and splendid capital of an empire had had its being all the years of his life and far longer, and that he had been ignorant of it? That it was in need of nothing from him, from Venice, from Europe? That it was full of wonders beyond his understanding? That his arrival was a matter of no importance whatever? We know that he felt these things, and so has many a traveler in foreign parts who did not know what he was going to find. There is nothing that cuts you down to size like coming to some strange and marvelous place where no one even stops to notice that you stare about you. (p. 297)

Many human beings say that they enjoy the winter, but what they really enjoy is feeling proof against it. For them there is no winter food problem. They have fires and warm clothes. The winter cannot hurt them and therefore increases their sense of cleverness and security. For birds and animals, as for poor men, winter is another matter.
....
For rabbits, winter remains what it was for men in the middle ages- hard, but bearable by the resourceful and not altogether without compensations. (p. 465-6)

Since the night of the siege, Fiver had spent much time alone and even in the Honeycomb, or at morning and evening silflay, was often silent and preoccupied. No one resented this- "He looks right through you in such a nice, friendly way," as Bluebell put it- (p. 466)

Finished Dec 24th