Thy soul shall find itself alone ’Mid dark thoughts of the gray tombstone— Not one, of all the crowd, to pry Into thine hour of secrecy. Be silent in that solitude, Which is not loneliness—for then The spirits of the dead who stood In life before thee are again In death around thee—and their will Shall overshadow thee: be still. [...]
Interpretation
The quote expresses the idea that in solitude, one can connect with the spirits of the past rather than feel loneliness.
Edgar Allan Poe's quote suggests that solitude can be a profound state of being, distinctly different from loneliness. Instead of feeling isolated, the solitary individual has the opportunity to reflect deeply and connect with the memories and influences of those who have passed away. It emphasizes the importance of silence and stillness, implying that in these moments of reflection, one can gain insight and understanding, finding peace in their own company.
In practice
Using this quote during a memorial service to reflect on the presence of lost loved ones.
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.
But knowledge does not protect one. Life is contemptuous of knowledge; it forces it to sit in the anterooms, to wait outside. Passion, energy, lies: these are what life admires. Still, anything can be endured if all humanity is watching. The martyrs prove it. We live in the attention of others. We turn to it as flowers to the sun.
Every visible thing in this world is put in the charge of an angel.
Act as if the maxim of your action were to become through your will a be general natural law.
I must also have a dark side if I am to be whole.
egregious. most people think that word means terrible or unheard of or unforgivable. it has a much more interesting story than that to tell. it means "outside the herd." imagine that - thousands of people, outside the herd.
You can't have a value structure without a hierarchy. They're the same thing because a value structure means one thing takes precedence over another.
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