From inside the tavern came the sounds of a fiddle being tuned, various plucks and tentative bowings, then a slow and groping attempt at Aura Lee, interrupted every few notes by unplanned squeaks and howls. Nevertheless the beautiful and familiar tune was impervious to poor performance, and Inman thought how painfully young it sounded, as if the pattern of its notes allowed no room to imagine a future clouded and tangled and diminished. Charles Frazier
About This Quote

The sounds that come from a tavern is a stark reminder of what Inman is missing out on. In the tavern, people are drinking and dancing and having a good time. Inman’s heart breaks because he wants so badly to be a part of this world but is unable to. When he looks in the mirror, he sees all of the frailty and age that has crept in over the years, but in his mind is a little girl who wants nothing more than to dance in the tavern where she is loved and accepted for who she is.

Source: Cold Mountain

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