The poet is one who is able to keep the fresh vision of the child alive.
Anais NinRead
Instead of answering her as soon as he saw her hair grow electric, her face more vivid, her eyes like lightning, her body restless and jerky like a racehorse’s, he retired behind this wall of objective understanding, this gentle testing and acceptance of her, just as one watches an animal in the zoo and smiles at his antics, but is not drawn into this mood. It was this which left Lilith in a state of isolation - indeed, like a wild animal in an absolute desert.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote highlights the disconnect between emotional experience and intellectual observation in relationships.
In this quote, Anais Nin reflects on the complexity of human emotions and isolation that can arise when one partner is emotionally distant while observing the other. The comparison to watching a wild animal illustrates how one can appreciate another's vivacity from a distance yet fail to connect deeply, leaving one feeling isolated and alone despite the vibrancy of their partner's emotions. This creates an emotional barrier that can prevent intimacy and understanding.
Themes
RelationshipsIsolationEmotionIntimacyConnection
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about emotional detachment in relationships, this quote could illustrate the need for deeper connection.
More from Anais Nin
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We celebrate peace. Yet we pay no attention to the ways of curing aggression in human beings. And when one sees in psychoanalysis hostility disappearing as people conquer their fears, one wonders if the cure is not there.
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The impetus to grow and live intensely is so powerful in me I cannot resist it. I will work, I will love my husband, but I will fulfill myself.
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We have been poisoned by fairy tales.
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But I lie. I embellish. My words are not deep enough. They disguise, they conceal. I will not rest until I have told of my descent into a sensuality which was as dark, as magnificent, as wild, as my moments of mystic creation have been dazzling, ecstatic, exalted.
Anais NinRead
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