Who made the world I cannot tell; 'Tis made, and here am I in hell. My hand, though now my knuckles bleed, I never soiled with such a deed.
A. E. HousmanRead
There, by the starlit fences The wanderer halts and hears My soul that lingers sighing About the glimmering weirs.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects a moment of introspection and connection with nature as one pauses to listen to their inner feelings.
In this quote, A. E. Housman describes a tranquil scene where a wanderer stops to reflect on their inner thoughts and emotions, symbolized by the soothing sounds of nature surrounding them. The imagery of 'starlit fences' and 'glimmering weirs' evokes a sense of peace and beauty, suggesting that nature has the power to draw out deep feelings and contemplation from within the soul.
Themes
NatureReflectionIntrospectionWandererSoul
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a nature-themed meditation retreat to promote mindfulness.
More from A. E. Housman
All quotes →I am not a pessimist but a pejorist (as George Eliot said she was not an optimist but a meliorist); and that philosophy is founded on my observation of the world, not on anything so trivial and irrelevant as personal history.
A. E. HousmanRead
Lovers lying two and two Ask not whom they sleep beside, And the bridegroom all night through Never turns him to the bride.
A. E. HousmanRead
And malt does more than Milton can to justify God's ways to man.
A. E. HousmanRead
Oh, 'tis jesting, dancing, drinking_x000D_ _x000D_ Spins the heavy world around.
A. E. HousmanRead
Wanderers eastward, wanderers west, Know you why you cannot rest? 'Tis that every mother's son Travails with a skeleton. Lie down in the bed of dust; Bear the fruit that bear you must; Bring the eternal seed to light, And morn is all the same as night.
A. E. HousmanRead
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