And from that time on I bathed in the Poem Of the Sea, star-infused and churned into milk, Devouring the green azures; where, entranced in pallid flotsam, A dreaming drowned man sometimes goes down.
Arthur RimbaudRead
I dreamed of Crusades, voyages of discovery that nobody had heard of, republics without histories, religious wars stamped out, revolutions in morals, movements of races and continents; I used to believe in every kind of magic. I began it as an investigation. I turned silences and nights into words. What was unutterable, I wrote down. I made the whirling world stand still.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects the power of imagination and the transformative ability of words to capture the unexpressed and make sense of chaos.
In this quote, Arthur Rimbaud speaks to the depth of his imaginative aspirations and the role of writing in understanding and confronting the complexities of life. He imagines a world filled with possibilities that transcend current realities, emphasizing the importance of articulating thoughts and feelings that may be beyond normal expression. Through his writing, he seeks to transform silences into meaningful narratives, suggesting that creativity can halt the whirlwind of life and provide clarity and insight.
Themes
ImaginationCreativityWritingExpressionTransformation
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be shared at a creative writing workshop to inspire participants to explore their imagination.
More from Arthur Rimbaud
All quotes →My wisdom is as spurned as chaos. What is my nothingness, compared to the amazement that awaits you?
Arthur RimbaudRead
In the great glasshouses streaming with condensation, the children in mourning-dress beheld marvels.
Arthur RimbaudRead
I turned silences and nights into words. What was unutterable, I wrote down. I made the whirling world stand still.
Arthur RimbaudRead
Idle youth, enslaved to everything; by being too sensitive I have wasted my life.
Arthur RimbaudRead
What a life! True life is elsewhere. We are not in the world.
Arthur RimbaudRead
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