Death is the sound of distant thunder at a picnic.
W. H. AudenRead
The nightingales are sobbing in The orchards of our mothers, And hearts that we broke long ago Have long been breaking others; Tears are round, the sea is deep: Roll them overboard and sleep.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects on the pain of lost love and the ongoing cycle of heartbreak.
W. H. Auden's quote speaks to the sorrow of past relationships and the emotional repercussions they have on ourselves and others. The imagery of 'nightingales sobbing' evokes a sense of deep mourning, suggesting that the beauty of memories can be intertwined with sadness. It also highlights the idea that broken hearts continue to impact the world, as new love often carries the weight of past losses. Ultimately, it encourages a release of these emotions, suggesting one should let go and find solace in sleep.
Themes
LoveHeartbreakPainMemoriesRelease
In practice
Example use cases
During a breakup support group, one might quote Auden to capture the collective experience of lost love.
More from W. H. Auden
All quotes →That the speech of self-disclosure should be translatable seems to me very odd, but I am convinced that it is. The conclusion that I draw is that the only quality which all human being without exception possess is uniqueness: any characteristic, on the other hand, which one individual can be recognized as having in common with another, like red hair or the English language, implies the existence of other individual qualities which this classification excludes.
W. H. AudenRead
Nobody knows what the cause is, though some pretend they do; it like some hidden assassin waiting to strike at you. Childless women get it, and men when they retire; it as if there had to be some outlet for their foiled creative fire.
W. H. AudenRead
History is, strictly speaking, the study of questions; the study of answers belongs to anthropology and sociology.
W. H. AudenRead
Music is the best means we have of digesting time.
W. H. AudenRead
'Healing,' Papa would tell me, 'is not a science, but the intuitive art of wooing nature.'
W. H. AudenRead
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