"Thoughts like a freshet pour down unwonted channels"

Thoreau's reflections on the first day of spring, March 21, 1853:

"It is a genial and reassuring day; the mere warmth of the west wind amounts almost to balminess. The softness of the air mol­lifies our own dry and congealed substance. I sit down by a wall to see if I can muse again. . . . We are affected like the earth, and yield to the elemental tenderness; winter breaks up within us; the frost is coming out of me, . . . and thoughts like a freshet pour down unwonted channels. . . . Our experience does not wear upon us. It is seen to be fabulous or symbolical, and the future is worth expecting. Encouraged, I set out once more to climb the mountain of the earth, for my steps are symbolical steps, and in all my walk­ing I have not reached the top of the earth yet."