And the Raven, never flitting, still is sitting, still is sitting...
Interpretation
The quote reflects a sense of permanence and the haunting presence of sorrow.
This line from Edgar Allan Poe's poem conveys a profound sense of stillness and the inevitability of certain emotions, particularly grief and loss. The imagery of the raven, a symbol often associated with mourning, emphasizes the idea that some feelings linger indefinitely, creating an atmosphere of reflection and introspection.
In practice
In a discussion about coping with loss, this quote can illustrate the enduring nature of grief.
But evil things, in robes of sorrow, Assailed the monarch's high estate; (Ah, let us mourn, for never morrow Shall dawn upon him desolate!) And round about his home the glory That blushed and bloomed, Is but a dim-remembered story Of the old time entombed.
Most writers - poets in especial - prefer having it understood that they compose by a species of fine frenzy - an ecstatic intuition - and would positively shudder at letting the public take a peep behind the scenes.
...the agony of my soul found vent in one loud, long and final scream of despair.
Where the good and the bad and the worst and the best have gone to their eternal rest.
I could have clasped the red walls to my bosom as a garment of eternal peace. "Death," I said, "any death but that of the pit!" Fool! might I have not known that into the pit it was the object of the burning iron to urge me?
In our endeavors to recall to memory something long forgotten, we often find ourselves upon the very verge of remembrance, without being able, in the end, to remember.
I don't think I handle the notes much differently from other pianists. But the pauses between the notes - ah, there is where the artistry lies!!
In fact, most artists want to make things a bit more difficult for themselves as they go along, to challenge themselves.
In my career as a director, there's always been some point where you get halfway through it, or three-quarters, and you go: 'What is this thing all about, and why am I telling the story? Does anybody really care about seeing this?' At that time you have to say: 'OK, forget that and just go ahead.'
All you have to do is play one note. But it needs to be the right note.
You can play a shoestring if you're sincere.
Music should be something that makes you gotta move, inside or outside.
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