He stood staring into the wood for a minute, then said: "What is it about the English countryside - why is the beauty so much more than visual? Why does it touch one so?"He sounded faintly sad. Perhaps he finds beauty saddening - I do myself sometimes. Once when I was quite little I asked father why this was and he explained that it was due to our knowledge of beauty's evanescence, which reminds us that we ourselves shall die. Then he said I was probably too young to understand him; but I understood perfectly.
The character reflects on the English countryside, pondering why its beauty resonates deeply beyond mere sight. He expresses a sense of melancholy, suggesting that beauty can evoke sadness. This theme of beauty's transient nature touches him, implying a connection to the inevitability of mortality.
The narrator recalls a childhood conversation with their father, who explained that the awareness of beauty’s fleeting quality allows us to confront our own impermanence. While the father believes the child is too young to grasp this concept, the narrator insists they understand, revealing a mature perspective on the relationship between beauty and the human condition.