As all of you know, I read a lot. I thought that it would be nice to start a new, daily routine: the literary quote of the day.
For those who already read a lot, perhaps you recognize the quote and want to leave a comment about it / the author… or perhaps it makes you realize that you did not read the specific essay, article, book, story, poem, etc. it was taken from and you might want to read it now…
For those who don’t read a lot… hopefully this ‘routine’ will make you realize that you’re missing out on a lot. Hopefully it will make you start thinking and perhaps it will inspire you to read.
The world of literature is rich… richer than anyone can imagine.
Today’s quote is from Edgar Allen Poe‘s Ligeia:
The expression of the eyes of Ligeia! How, for long hours have I pondered upon it! How have I, through the whole of a mid-summer night, struggled to fathom it! What was it – that something more profound than the well of Democritus – which lay far within the pupils of my beloved? What was it? I was possessed with a passion to discover. Those eyes! those large, those shining, those divine orbs! they became to me twin stars of Leda, and I to them dveoutest of astrologers…
And thus, how frequently, in my intense scrutiny of Ligeia’s eyes, have I felt approaching the full knowledge of the secret of their expression – felt it approaching – yet not quite be mine – and so at length utterly depart. And (strange, oh strangest mystery of all!) I found, in the commonest objects of the universe, a circle of analogies to that expression. I mean to say that, subsequently to the period when Ligeia’s beauty passed into my spirit, there dwelling as in a shrine, I derived from many existences in the material world, a sentiment, such as I felt always aroused within me by her large and luminous orbs.
From To Helen (and to you as well):
On desperate seas long wont to roam,
Thy hyacinth hair, thy classic face,
They Naiad airs have brought me home
To the glory that was Greece,
And the grandeur that was Rome.Lo! in yon brilliant window-niche
How statue-like I see thee stand,
The agate lamp within thy hand!
As, Psyche from the regions which
Are Holy-Land!
And to those who have never read the following two poems, and to those who already read them but can’t get enough of them, read The Raven and Dream-land.
Also: David has lost his lead. He needs your support. Please vote for him here. He more than deserves it. You all can help him win it.
P.S.
I am well aware that there are, perhaps, far better quotes one could use from Poe, but truth be told: I only started to discover his works recently. It takes time to go through all his works, to absorb them and to think about them. Therefore: better / other favorite quotes: please drop them in the comment section… but whatever you do, vote!
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