Poets are being pursued by the philosophers today, out of the poverty of philosophy. God damn it, you might think a man had no business to be writing, to be a poet unless some philosophic stinker gave him permission.
William Carlos WilliamsRead
And yet one arrives somehow, finds himself loosening the hooks of her dress in a strange bedroom-- feels the autumn dropping its silk and linen leaves about her ankles. The tawdry veined body emerges twisted upon itself like a winter wind.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote explores intimate moments shared between lovers, juxtaposing physicality with the passage of time and change.
In this evocative quote, William Carlos Williams illustrates an intimate encounter marked by tenderness and vulnerability. The imagery of autumn leaves serves as a metaphor for change and the ephemeral nature of relationships, while the description of the body and the act of undressing suggests a raw and profound emotional connection. Together, these elements create a rich tapestry of feeling that reflects both the beauty and complexity of love.
Themes
LoveIntimacyRelationshipsChangeVulnerability
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be shared during a romantic evening to emphasize the beauty of shared intimacy.
More from William Carlos Williams
All quotes →For the beginning is assuredly the end- since we know nothing, pure and simple, beyond our own complexities.
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It was the love of love, the love of swallows up all else, a grateful love, a love of natural, of people, of animals, a love ingengering gentleness and goodness that moved meand that I saw in you
William Carlos WilliamsRead
O frost bitten blossoms, That are unfolding your wings From out the envious black branches. Bloom quickly and make much of the sunshine. The twigs conspire against you! Hear hem! They hold you from behind.
William Carlos WilliamsRead
No opinion can be trusted; even the facts may be nothing but a printer's error.
William Carlos WilliamsRead
It is almost impossible to state what one in fact believes, because it is almost impossible to hold a belief and to define it at the same time.
William Carlos WilliamsRead
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If it be true that any beautiful thing raises the pure and just desire of man from earth to God, the eternal fount of all, such I believe my love.
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God's love is too great to be confined to any one side of a conflict or to any one religion.
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