QuoteProject
...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.
Edgar Allan Poe
ShareWTF𝕏

Interpretation

What this quote means

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.

Themes

MoonLynxDeathDemonMistMacabreImagery

In practice

Example use cases

In a poetry reading about the supernatural and Gothic themes.

More from Edgar Allan Poe

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.
Edgar Allan PoeRead
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.
Edgar Allan PoeRead
...the agony of my soul found vent in one loud, long and final scream of despair.
Edgar Allan PoeRead
Where the good and the bad and the worst and the best have gone to their eternal rest.
Edgar Allan PoeRead
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?
Edgar Allan PoeRead
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.
Edgar Allan PoeRead

Similar quotes

The thing is, 'Discworld' had been going on for a very long time, and I've written children's books as well. Usually when people have a really big series they franchise it, which I thought is a bit of a no-no, so I thought what I'd do is I'd franchise it to myself.
Terry PratchettRead
Ah, well, do I wish that we lived in a world where gender didn't figure so prominently? Of course. Do I even think about myself as a woman when I go to make art? Of course not.
Judy ChicagoRead
Making a film that's supposed to be fun to watch is really hard - that's the weird irony of it.
Steven SoderberghRead
I want my stories to move people ... to feel some kind of reward from the writing.
Alice MunroRead
A poem I write is not just about me; it is about national identity, not just regional but national, the history of people in relation to other people. I reach for these outward stories to make sense of my own life, and how my story intersects with a larger public history.
Natasha TretheweyRead
Poetry is the most subtle of the literary arts, and students grow more ingenious by the year at avoiding it. If they can nip around Milton, duck under Blake and collapse gratefully into the arms of Jane Austen, a lot of them will.
Terry EagletonRead

A little wisdom, now and then

Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.