It is difficult to write a paradiso when all the superficial indications are that you ought to write an apocalypse.
Ezra PoundRead
The ant's a centaur in his dragon world. Pull down thy vanity, it is not man Made courage, or made order, or made grace, Pull down thy vanity, I say pull down. Learn of the green world what can be thy place In scaled invention or true artistry, Pull down thy vanity, Paquin pull down! The green casque has outdone your elegance.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote critiques human arrogance and encourages humility by appreciating nature's beauty and wisdom.
In this quote, Ezra Pound emphasizes the importance of humility and the recognition of one's place in the natural world. He suggests that human constructs of valor and beauty pale in comparison to the innate artistry of nature, urging us to set aside our vanity and learn from the environment around us. By challenging our self-importance, we can appreciate true creativity and invention that exists in the green world.
Themes
VanityNatureHumilityArtistryInvention
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a speech about the importance of humility in creative processes.
More from Ezra Pound
All quotes →I desired my dust to be mingled with yours Forever and forever and forever.
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Literature does not exist in a vacuum. Writers as such have a definite social function exactly proportional to their ability as writers. This is their main use.
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In our time, the curse is monetary illiteracy, just as inability to read plain print was the curse of earlier centuries.
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The modern artist must live by craft and violence. His gods are violent gods. Those artists, so called, whose work does not show this strife, are uninteresting.
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Fundamental accuracy of statement is the ONE sole morality of writing.
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