...And, all at once, the moon arouse through the thin ghastly mist, And was crimson in color... And they lynx which dwelleth forever in the tomb, came out therefrom. And lay down at the feet of the demon. And looked at him steadily in the face.
Interpretation
The quote evokes a vivid and eerie imagery of the moon and a lynx, suggesting themes of death and the supernatural.
In this quote, Edgar Allan Poe uses striking imagery to invoke a sense of the macabre and the otherworldly. The moon, described as crimson and emerging through a ghastly mist, sets an ominous tone, while the lynx, a creature often associated with mystery and watchfulness, symbolizes the presence of death and the unknown. Together, they contribute to the Gothic atmosphere typical of Poe's work, suggesting a meeting between the living and the dead, and inviting reflection on the nature of existence and the mysteries that hover just out of reach.
In practice
In a poetry reading about the supernatural and Gothic themes.
But evil things, in robes of sorrow, Assailed the monarch's high estate; (Ah, let us mourn, for never morrow Shall dawn upon him desolate!) And round about his home the glory That blushed and bloomed, Is but a dim-remembered story Of the old time entombed.
Most writers - poets in especial - prefer having it understood that they compose by a species of fine frenzy - an ecstatic intuition - and would positively shudder at letting the public take a peep behind the scenes.
...the agony of my soul found vent in one loud, long and final scream of despair.
Where the good and the bad and the worst and the best have gone to their eternal rest.
I could have clasped the red walls to my bosom as a garment of eternal peace. "Death," I said, "any death but that of the pit!" Fool! might I have not known that into the pit it was the object of the burning iron to urge me?
In our endeavors to recall to memory something long forgotten, we often find ourselves upon the very verge of remembrance, without being able, in the end, to remember.
Remember you love writing. It wouldn’t be worth it if you didn’t. If the love fades, do what you need to and get it back.
The writing gets done away from the keyboard and away from the studio in my head, in solitude. And then I come in and hopefully have something, then I wrestle with sounds and picture all day long. But the ideas usually come from a more obscure place, like a conversation with a director, a still somebody shows you, or whatever.
Most every book I bring into the world is like birthing a baby; it's a lot of effort!
As an artist, I used to think that my responsibility was to do good work. But I had to learn from the '70s on that being a public figure presents another aspect of responsibility.
My design always has a political agenda. When I borrow components from various cultures and juxtapose them in an object, it is a message that co-existence is indeed possible. Design creates an ideal world where different ideas live close to each other in perfect harmony.
Before I compose a piece, I walk round it several times, accompanied by myself.
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