As for me, Poetry takes the place of love, because it is enamored of itself, and because this self-lust has a delightful dying fall in my soul.
Stephane MallarmeRead
It is the job of poetry to clean up our word-clogged reality by creating silences around things.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Poetry helps to clarify and enhance our understanding by emphasizing silence and contemplation.
This quote by Stephane Mallarme reflects the role of poetry as a medium that purifies our often chaotic and cluttered reality. By crafting episodes of silence around certain ideas and emotions, poetry allows us to pause, reflect, and gain deeper insights into our experiences, ultimately revealing the beauty and complexity of the world around us.
Themes
PoetrySilenceRealityReflectionArt
In practice
Example use cases
In a poetry reading, it would be fitting to quote Mallarme when discussing the transformative power of poetry.
More from Stephane Mallarme
All quotes →The pure work implies the disappearance of the poet as speaker, who hands over to the words.
Stephane MallarmeRead
The poetic act consists of suddenly seeing that an idea splits up into a number of equal motifs and of grouping them; they rhyme.
Stephane MallarmeRead
A soul trembling to sit by a hearth so bright, To exist again, it’s enough if I borrow from Your lips the breath of my name you murmur all night.
Stephane MallarmeRead
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