The labor into which a heart has poured its whole love--where will it have its say, to excite and inspire, and when?
Yasunari KawabataRead
The winter moon becomes a companion, the heart of the priest, sunk in meditation upon religion and philosophy, there in the mountain hall, is engaged in a delicate interplay and exchange with the moon; and it is this of which the poet sings.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects on the deep connection between contemplation and nature, highlighting the interplay of the human spirit with the universe.
In this quote, Yasunari Kawabata illustrates a serene moment where the winter moon serves as a companion to a priest in deep meditation. It emphasizes the spiritual and philosophical discussions that arise when one engages with the natural world, suggesting that the beauty of the moon inspires profound reflections in the human soul, particularly in relation to religion and philosophy.
Themes
WinterMoonMeditationPhilosophyCompanionship
In practice
Example use cases
During a poetry reading on a winter's night, one could use this quote to reflect on the themes of solitude and connection with nature.
More from Yasunari Kawabata
All quotes →The woman was silent, her eyes on the floor. Shimamura had come to a point where he knew he was only parading his masculine shamelessness, and yet it seemed likely enough that the woman was familiar with the failing and need not be shocked by it. He looked at her. Perhaps it was the rich lashes of the downcast eyes that made her face seem warm and sensuous. She shook her head very slightly, and again a faint blush spread over her face.
Yasunari KawabataRead
The road was frozen. The village lay quiet under the cold sky. Komako hitched up the skirt of her kimono and tucked it into her obi. The moon shone like a blade frozen in blue ice.
Yasunari KawabataRead
Put your soul in the palm of my hand for me to look at, like a crystal jewel. I'll sketch it in words.
Yasunari KawabataRead
Lunatics have no age. If we were crazy, you and I, we might be a great deal younger.
Yasunari KawabataRead
But, drawn to her at that moment, he felt a quiet like the voice of the rain flow over him. He knew well enough that for her it was in fact no waste of effort, but somehow the final determination that it was had the effect of distilling and purifying the woman's existence.
Yasunari KawabataRead
Similar quotes
A beautiful vacuum filled with wealthy monogamists, all powerful and members of the best families all drinking themselves to death.
Ernest HemingwayRead
Some people, with a certain nostalgia, the worshippers and admirers of the colonial system, cherish and nurse its structures instead of smashing them. This is typical of a mentality in bondage to decadent values, negative values - counter-revolutionary values.
Samora MachelRead
Human life--that appeared to him the one thing worth investigating. Compared to it there was nothing else of any value. It was true that as one watched life in its curious crucible of pain and pleasure, one could not wear over one's face a mask of glass, nor keep the sulphurous fumes from troubling the brain and making the imagination turbid with monstrous fancies and misshapen dreams.
Oscar WildeRead
Hinduism insists on the brotherhood of not only all mankind but of all that lives.
Mahatma GandhiRead
Life without liberty is like a body without spirit.
Khalil GibranRead
What you hope, you will eventually believe. _x000D_ What you believe you will eventually know. What you know, you will eventually create. What you create, _x000D_ you will eventually experience. What you experience, _x000D_ you will eventually express. What you express, _x000D_ you will eventually become. _x000D_ This is the formula for all of life.
Neale Donald WalschRead