Everything is complicated; if that were not so, life and poetry and everything else would be a bore.
LIGHT FROM WITHIN my friend, cancer got you damn it: you had it beat for seven years at least. how did it come back? Why all that pain. again. and you, such a fighter you fought me over and over with tears and words and promises. you fought for me with honesty and a light so bright it hurts my heart. sweet lorna. at peace now finally no more battles, just light from within a flickering candle in the dark burns with you.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects the struggle against cancer and celebrates the inner strength and light of a fighter in the face of adversity.
In this poignant tribute, Wallace Stevens captures the essence of resilience and the enduring spirit of a loved one battling cancer. It acknowledges the pain and struggle faced during the illness while illuminating the brightness of the fighter's spirit and the peace found in the end. The metaphor of 'light from within' showcases the beauty and strength that exists even in darkness, highlighting the importance of fostering inner light and courage amidst life’s battles.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be used in a eulogy to honor a loved one's battle with cancer.
More from Wallace Stevens
All quotes →Most modern reproducers of life, even including the camera, really repudiate it. We gulp down evil, choke at good.
After one has abandoned a belief in God, poetry is that essence which takes its place as life's redemption.
Why should she give her bounty to the dead? What is divinity if it can come Only in silent shadows and in dreams?
Unfortunately there is nothing more inane than an Easter carol. It is a religious perversion of the activity of Spring in our blood.
Compare the silent rose of the sun And rain, the blood-rose living in its smell, With this paper, this dust. That states the point.
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Then holding the star aloft and the bright sword advanced, Frodo, hobbit of the Shire, walked steadily down to meet the eyes.
The coward, afraid of the lash, with one hand wipes his eyes and gives with the other. Of what avail are such gifts?