There is no feeling, except the extremes of fear and grief, that does not find relief in music.
T. S. EliotRead
A woman drew her long black hair out tight, And fiddled whisper music on those strings, And bats with baby faces in the violet light Whistled, and beat their wings, And crawled head downward down a blackened wall.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote captures a surreal and artistic moment, merging beauty with the grotesque to convey a deeper emotional landscape.
This quote by T. S. Eliot evokes a vivid and unsettling image that blends elements of beauty and darkness. The woman drawing her hair tight and playing music suggests an intense focus on art and the creation process, while the imagery of bats with baby faces introduces a haunting juxtaposition of innocence and horror. The scene unfolds in a surreal, dreamlike atmosphere, inviting readers to explore the complexities and contradictions of life, art, and existence.
Themes
ArtSurrealismBeautyDarknessMusicImagery
In practice
Example use cases
During an art exhibition, one might use this quote to evoke the intense, surreal emotions that art can inspire.
More from T. S. Eliot
All quotes →Half of the harm that is done in this world is due to people who want to feel important. They don't mean to do harm. But the harm does not interest them.
T. S. EliotRead
I am an Anglo-Catholic in religion, a classicist in literature and a royalist in politics.
T. S. EliotRead
If you aren't in over your head, how do you know how tall you are?
T. S. EliotRead
For I have known them all already, known them all— Have known the evenings, mornings, afternoons, I have measured out my life with coffee spoons.
T. S. EliotRead
In the faint moonlight, the grass is singing
T. S. EliotRead
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And the wild things roared their terrible roars and gnashed their terrible teeth and rolled their terrible eyes and showed their terrible claws.
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