And from that time on I bathed in the Poem Of the Sea, star-infused and churned into milk, Devouring the green azures; where, entranced in pallid flotsam, A dreaming drowned man sometimes goes down.
Arthur RimbaudRead
But the problem is to make the soul into a monster
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote suggests that transforming one's essence can lead to destructive consequences.
Arthur Rimbaud's quote reflects the complexity of human nature and the idea that in the pursuit of power or greatness, one may inadvertently corrupt their own spirit or moral values. This transformation, likened to making the soul a 'monster,' can result in a loss of humanity and empathy, highlighting the darker aspects of ambition and self-discovery.
Themes
SoulMonsterTransformationDarknessHuman Nature
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about the consequences of ambition in a seminar.
More from Arthur Rimbaud
All quotes βMy wisdom is as spurned as chaos. What is my nothingness, compared to the amazement that awaits you?
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In the great glasshouses streaming with condensation, the children in mourning-dress beheld marvels.
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I turned silences and nights into words. What was unutterable, I wrote down. I made the whirling world stand still.
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Idle youth, enslaved to everything; by being too sensitive I have wasted my life.
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What a life! True life is elsewhere. We are not in the world.
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