I lock my door upon myself, And bar them out; but who shall wall Self from myself, most loathed of all?
Interpretation
This quote explores the struggle of self-exile and internal conflict, suggesting that one can be their own worst enemy.
In this quote, Christina Rossetti reflects on the profound sense of isolation and self-alienation. Although one can physically shut out the world, the inner turmoil and loathing one feels towards oneself can create a prison that is inescapable. It speaks to the complexity of human nature and the challenges of self-acceptance, emphasizing how isolating oneself may lead to confronting an even greater adversary: oneself.
In practice
During a mental health seminar, one might use this quote to illustrate the importance of addressing internal struggles rather than just external circumstances.
When I am dead, my dearest, Sing no sad songs for me; Plant thou no roses at my head, Nor shady cypress tree: Be the green grass above me With showers and dewdrops wet: And if thou wilt, remember, And if thou wilt, forget. I shall not see the shadows, I shall not feel the rain; I shall not hear the nightingale Sing on as if in pain: And dreaming through the twilight That doth not rise nor set, Haply I may remember, And haply I may forget.
We must not look at goblin men, We must not buy their fruits: Who knows upon what soil they fed Their hungry thirsty roots?
To her whose heart is my heart's quiet home,_x000D_ _x000D_ To my first Love, my Mother, on whose knee_x000D_ _x000D_ I learnt love-lore that is not troublesome.
Yet come to me in dreams, that I may live My very life again though cold in death; Come back to me in dreams, that I may give Pulse for pulse, breath for breath: Speak low, lean low, As long ago, my love, how long ago
Lie still, lie still, my breaking heart; My silent heart, lie still and break: Life, and the world, and mine own self, are changed For a dream's sake.
When I am dead, my dearest,_x000D_ _x000D_ Sing no sad songs for me
He who has a why to live can bear almost any how.
To awaken within the dream is our purpose now. When we are awake within the dream, the ego-created earth-drama comes to an end and a more benign and wonderous dream arises.
Can anything be so elegant as to have few wants, and to serve them one's self?
The ultimate enemy of Democracy is not the drug dealer of the crooked politician or the crazed skinhead. The ultimate enemy is the New King that has become so powerful it can murder its own citizens with impunity.
All human things Of dearest value hang on slender strings.
At one time I had given much thought to why men were so very rarely capable of living for an ideal. Now I saw that many, no, all men were capable of dying for one.
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