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She says, "But in contentment I still feel The need for imperishable bliss." Death is the mother of beauty; hence from her, Alone, shall come fulfillment to our dreams And our desires. Is there no change of death in paradise? Does ripe fruit never fall? or do the boughs Hang always heavy in that perfect sky, Unchanging, yet so like our perishing earth, With rivers like our own that seek for seas They never find, the same receding shores That never touch with inarticulate pang?
Wallace Stevens
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Interpretation

What this quote means

The quote explores the idea that the fleeting nature of life enhances its beauty and fulfillment.

In this quote, Wallace Stevens reflects on the relationship between life's transience and the concept of beauty. He suggests that the essence of beauty and contentment is rooted in the impermanence of existence, implying that without change and the inevitability of death, life's allure would diminish. The longing for a paradise devoid of change raises questions about the nature of fulfillment and whether true satisfaction can exist in a static, unchanging state.

Themes

BeautyContentmentImpermanenceChangeDeathLife

In practice

Example use cases

This quote could be used in a philosophical debate about the nature of beauty and existence.

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Unfortunately there is nothing more inane than an Easter carol. It is a religious perversion of the activity of Spring in our blood.
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