The labor into which a heart has poured its whole love--where will it have its say, to excite and inspire, and when?
Yasunari KawabataRead
A poetess who had died young of cancer had said in one of her poems that for her, on sleepless nights, 'the night offers toads and black dogs and corpses of the drowned.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects the profound struggles and haunting thoughts that can arise in darkness, particularly in times of pain and loss.
In this poignant quote by Yasunari Kawabata, the poetess conveys a deep sense of despair and reflection associated with sleepless nights. The imagery of 'toads and black dogs and corpses of the drowned' symbolizes the unsettling thoughts and memories that plague her during her darkest hours, likely linked to her experience with illness and death. It serves as a reminder of the emotional turmoil that can accompany solitude, particularly when one confronts their own mortality and the pain of existence.
Themes
PoetryDeathSleeplessnessStruggleDarkness
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be used in a discussion about the impact of loss and grief in literature.
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Lunatics have no age. If we were crazy, you and I, we might be a great deal younger.
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