Death is the sound of distant thunder at a picnic.
W. H. AudenRead
Clear, unscaleable ahead, Rise the mountains of instead From whose cold, cascading streams None may drink except in dreams
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects on the unattainable nature of certain aspirations, suggesting that some ideals can only be imagined rather than realized.
W. H. Auden's quote captures the essence of longing for vast and formidable goals represented by 'the mountains,' which signify dreams and aspirations that appear grand yet are out of reach. The imagery of cold, cascading streams suggests that while these dreams are alluring, they remain elusive and ungraspable in reality, reinforcing the idea that some desires live only in our imagination.
Themes
AspirationDreamsGoalsElusivenessImagination
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can inspire students debating the value of ambition when sharing dreams in a classroom setting.
More from W. H. Auden
All quotes βThat the speech of self-disclosure should be translatable seems to me very odd, but I am convinced that it is. The conclusion that I draw is that the only quality which all human being without exception possess is uniqueness: any characteristic, on the other hand, which one individual can be recognized as having in common with another, like red hair or the English language, implies the existence of other individual qualities which this classification excludes.
W. H. AudenRead
Nobody knows what the cause is, though some pretend they do; it like some hidden assassin waiting to strike at you. Childless women get it, and men when they retire; it as if there had to be some outlet for their foiled creative fire.
W. H. AudenRead
History is, strictly speaking, the study of questions; the study of answers belongs to anthropology and sociology.
W. H. AudenRead
Music is the best means we have of digesting time.
W. H. AudenRead
'Healing,' Papa would tell me, 'is not a science, but the intuitive art of wooing nature.'
W. H. AudenRead
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