If a poet interprets a poem of his own he limits its suggestibility.
William Butler YeatsRead
Cast a cold eye on life, on death Horseman pass by
Interpretation
The quote suggests a detached perspective on life and death, implying one should observe without being emotionally involved.
William Butler Yeats's quote encourages individuals to adopt a cold, analytical view of both life and death. The imagery of a 'horseman' passing by implies a sense of inevitability and distance, urging us to recognize the transient nature of existence and to observe it without emotional interference. This perspective allows for a more profound understanding of lifeβs fleeting moments and the unavoidable reality of death.
In practice
In a philosophy class while discussing existentialism.
If a poet interprets a poem of his own he limits its suggestibility.
It was my first meeting with a philosophy that confirmed my vague speculations and seemed at once logical and boundless.
But I, being poor, have only my dreams; I have spread my dreams under your feet; Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.
How far away the stars seem, and how far is our first kiss, and ah, how old my heart.
For he would be thinking of love Till the stars had run away And the shadows eaten the moon.
Love is created and preserved by intellectual analysis, for we love only that which is unique, and it belongs to contemplation, not to action, for we would not change that which we love.
We are valued in this world at the rate we desire to be valued.
About sacrifice and the offering of sacrifices, sacrificial animals think quite differently from those who look on: but they have never been allowed to have their say.
We live on the brink of disaster because we do not know how to let life alone. We do not respect the living and fruitful contradictions and paradoxes of which true life is full.
Where there is no imagination there is no horror.
Often do the spirits stride on before the event; and in today already walks tomorrow.
Good technique includes quick changes, great variety and speed. It may be a system of reversals much like a concept of God and the Devil. In the speed of events, which one is really in charge? Do they change places with lightning speed? The Chinese believe so. To put the heart of the martial arts in your own heart and have it be a part of you means total comprehension.
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