It is difficult to write a paradiso when all the superficial indications are that you ought to write an apocalypse.
Ezra PoundRead
Haie! Haie! These were the swift to harry; These the keen-scented; These were the souls of blood. Slow on the leash, pallid the leash-men!
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote contrasts the nimble, instinctual nature of certain souls with the slow, restrained nature of their keepers.
In this quote, Ezra Pound draws a vivid contrast between the free, spirited beings represented by 'Haie! Haie!' and the restrained, dull nature of those who hold them back. It suggests a tension between vitality and stagnation, highlighting how some individuals have the potential for greatness and swiftness, while others are bound by their cautiousness or inaction, leading to a sense of stagnation and dissatisfaction.
Themes
FreedomRestraintSpiritActionPotential
In practice
Example use cases
During a motivational speech about overcoming fear and embracing one's true potential.
More from Ezra Pound
All quotes βThe 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.
Ezra PoundRead
I desired my dust to be mingled with yours Forever and forever and forever.
Ezra PoundRead
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.
Ezra PoundRead
In our time, the curse is monetary illiteracy, just as inability to read plain print was the curse of earlier centuries.
Ezra PoundRead
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.
Ezra PoundRead
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So be my passing! My task accomplished and the long day done, My wages taken, and in my heart Some late lark singing, Let me be gathered in the quiet west, The sundown splendid and serene, Death.
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