Everything is complicated; if that were not so, life and poetry and everything else would be a bore.
Wallace StevensRead
Why should she give her bounty to the dead? What is divinity if it can come Only in silent shadows and in dreams?
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote questions the purpose of offering beauty or love to those who are no longer alive, exploring the nature of divinity in relation to existence and dreams.
In this quote, Wallace Stevens presents a poignant reflection on the nature of giving and the concept of divinity. He suggests that offering one’s gifts or affection to the deceased raises questions about the purpose of such gestures, particularly if true divinity resides only in the realms of silence, shadows, and dreams. This invites contemplation on what is truly meaningful in life and how we connect with the intangible aspects of existence, particularly in moments of loss and remembrance.
Themes
DivinityDeathDreamsExistenceGiving
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about life after death in a philosophy class.
More from Wallace Stevens
All quotes →Most modern reproducers of life, even including the camera, really repudiate it. We gulp down evil, choke at good.
Wallace StevensRead
After one has abandoned a belief in God, poetry is that essence which takes its place as life's redemption.
Wallace StevensRead
LIGHT FROM WITHIN my friend, cancer got you damn it: you had it beat for seven years at least. how did it come back? Why all that pain. again. and you, such a fighter you fought me over and over with tears and words and promises. you fought for me with honesty and a light so bright it hurts my heart. sweet lorna. at peace now finally no more battles, just light from within a flickering candle in the dark burns with you.
Wallace StevensRead
Unfortunately there is nothing more inane than an Easter carol. It is a religious perversion of the activity of Spring in our blood.
Wallace StevensRead
Compare the silent rose of the sun And rain, the blood-rose living in its smell, With this paper, this dust. That states the point.
Wallace StevensRead
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