Zenas Witt is already dead, speaking from a gravesite on the hill by the river. As a teenager, he was consumed by anxiety: terrible dreams, spots in his vision, a weak back, stammering, and the humiliation of forgetting his lessons. He compares himself to Frank Drummer, who could memorize everything, which only deepens his shame. When he finds Dr. Weese’s advertisement, it seems to describe his symptoms perfectly, so he decides he is destined to die young. That thought makes him worry even more, until he develops a cough—and eventually dies. The mood is quiet, sad, and faintly ironic. Zenas tells his story without self-pity, almost flatly, but readers can see how fear may have become its own illness. It feels less like a tragedy than a strange, lonely self-fulfilling prophecy.
Zenas Witt — Summary
I was sixteen, and I had the most terrible dreams, And specks before my eyes, and nervous weakness. And I couldn’t remember the books I read, Like Frank Drummer who memorized page after page. And my back was weak, and I worried and worried, And I was embarrassed and stammered my lessons, And when I stood up to recite I’d forget Everything that I had studied. Well, I saw Dr. Weese’s advertisement, And there I read everything in print, Just as if he had known me; And about the dreams which I couldn’t help. So I knew I was marked for an early grave. And I worried until I had a cough And then the dreams stopped. And then I slept the sleep without dreams Here on the hill by the river.