We know there are poets who are chosen: by what or whom, we no more know than what lies beyond our final breath, or what caused a certain action which resulted in the fulfillment or the desecration and collapse of what we most cared for in life.
Interpretation
This quote reflects on the mysterious nature of inspiration and the unpredictability of life.
Franz Wright highlights the enigmatic relationship between poets and their muse, suggesting that while some are selected by forces beyond their understanding, life itself is full of unforeseen events that can both uplift and bring despair. This deep contemplation acknowledges the complexities of creation and existence, and the intertwining of joy and sorrow in the journey of life, especially for those who create art.
In practice
In a speech at a literary festival, you might quote this to emphasize the unpredictable journey of creativity.
EPITAPH Now I'm not the brightest knife in the drawer, but I know a couple things about this life: poverty silence, impermanence discipline and mystery The world is not illusory, we are From crimson thread to toe tag If you are not disturbed there is something seriously wrong with you, I'm sorry And I know who I am I'll be a voice coming from nowhere, inside-- be glad for me.
I am in no way different from anyone else, that my predicament, my sense of aloneness or isolation may be precisely what unites me with everyone.
When I'm in certain moods, a conversation will start up in my head, and suddenly I'll realize that the language has reached a very high and interesting level, and then lines and stanzas will just kind of appear, full-blown.
I've always envied people who compose music or paint, because they don't have to be bothered with the sort of crude mess that language normally is, in everyday life and in the way we use it.
The humiliation I go through/when I think of my past/can only be described as grace./We are created by being destroyed.
I used to tremble from nerves so badly that the only way I could hold my head steady was to lower my chin practically to my chest and look up at Bogie. That was the beginning of The Look.
What goes on in abstract art is the proclaiming of aesthetic principles... It is in our own time that we have become aware of pure aesthetic considerations. Art never can be imitation.
If you can see yourself as an artist, and you can see that your life is your own creation, then why not create the most beautiful story for yourself?
Music is a spiritual thing, you don't play with music. If you play with music you will die young. You see, because when the higher forces give you the gift of music...musicians hip, it must be well used for the gift of humanity.
When I am shooting a film I never think of how I want to shoot something; I simply shoot it.
Nothing is art if it does not come from nature.
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