Everything is complicated; if that were not so, life and poetry and everything else would be a bore.
Wallace StevensRead
Trees Trees, proud standing people stretching fingertips to the sky, reaching, praying glorious attention, breathing light. strength shelter timeless confidence bending and firm comforting rooted chorus line dancing with the moon, the wind, the clouds framing bursts of stars tender rugged celebration absorbing and releasing life each holy branch holding the power of the Universe. There.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote celebrates the majesty and strength of trees as symbols of life and connection to the universe.
Wallace Stevens' quote personifies trees, depicting them as proud beings that connect with the sky and embody strength and resilience. It emphasizes their vital role in the ecosystem and their ability to nurture and support life, illustrating the interconnectedness of nature and the universe through vibrant imagery and poetic language.
Themes
TreesNatureLifeStrengthUniverseConnection
In practice
Example use cases
During a nature hike, I quoted Stevens to highlight the beauty of trees.
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.
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After one has abandoned a belief in God, poetry is that essence which takes its place as life's redemption.
Wallace StevensRead
Why should she give her bounty to the dead? What is divinity if it can come Only in silent shadows and in dreams?
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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.
Wallace StevensRead
Unfortunately there is nothing more inane than an Easter carol. It is a religious perversion of the activity of Spring in our blood.
Wallace StevensRead
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