Time is a dream ... a destroying dream;_x000D_ _x000D_ It lays great cities in dust, it fills the seas;_x000D_ _x000D_ It covers the face of beauty, and tumbles walls.
Conrad AikenRead
One cricket said to another -_x000D_ _x000D_ come, let us be ridiculous, and say love!_x000D_ _x000D_ love love love love love_x000D_ _x000D_ let us be absurd, woman, and say hate!_x000D_ _x000D_ hate hate hate hate hate_x000D_ _x000D_ and then let us be angelic_x000D_ _x000D_ and say nothing.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote celebrates the extremes of human emotion, suggesting that both love and hate can lead to a higher state of being by embracing absurdity.
In this quote, Conrad Aiken uses the dialogue between two crickets to explore the nature of human emotions. By calling for the expression of love and hate in an exaggerated manner, he hints at the absurdity of these feelings and suggests that there's something divine in choosing silence over the chaotic extremes of emotion. Ultimately, it reflects on how the acknowledgment of love and hate can lead to a deeper understanding of human experience and a more profound connection with oneself.
Themes
LoveHateAbsurdityEmotionSilence
In practice
Example use cases
During a poetry reading, to illustrate the range of human emotions.
More from Conrad Aiken
All quotes →Music I heard with you was more than music, and bread I broke with you was more than bread. Now that I am without you, all is desolate; all that was once so beautiful is dead.
Conrad AikenRead
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