It is the job of poetry to clean up our word-clogged reality by creating silences around things.
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.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The poetic act is about recognizing and organizing ideas into harmonious motifs that resonate with each other.
In this quote, Stephane Mallarme emphasizes the essence of poetry as the ability to discern how a single idea can be expressed through various motifs that echo and complement each other. This process involves not just the identification of these motifs but also the creative grouping of them in a way that creates a musicality or rhyme, allowing the underlying concept to emerge more profoundly and beautifully.
Themes
PoetryMotifsIdeasCreativityExpression
In practice
Example use cases
An analysis of a poem in a literature class.
More from Stephane Mallarme
All quotes βAs 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.
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The pure work implies the disappearance of the poet as speaker, who hands over to the words.
Stephane MallarmeRead
A soul trembling to sit by a hearth so bright, To exist again, itβs enough if I borrow from Your lips the breath of my name you murmur all night.
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