"Klopstock was questioned regarding the meaning of a passage in his poem. He replied, 'God and I both knew what it meant once; now God alone knows.'"
- Cesare Lombroso
About this Quote
This quote by Cesare Lombroso speaks to the mysterious and frequently unknowable nature of art and literature. Klopstock, a poet, was asked to discuss the meaning of a passage in his poem. His reaction was that he and God both understood the significance of the passage at one point, today just God knows. This suggests that the meaning of the poem is something that is beyond the poet's understanding, which it is just God who can truly comprehend the full scope of the poem's meaning. This quote speaks to the concept that art and literature can be interpreted in many different methods, and that the true meaning of a masterpiece is often unknowable. It likewise recommends that art and literature can be a source of spiritual insight, as just God can genuinely understand the complete scope of the poem's significance.
"Of the individual poems, some are more lyric and some are more descriptive or narrative. Each poem is fixed in a moment. All those moments written or read together take on the movement and architecture of a narrative"
"The heart of the matter seems to me to be the direct interaction between one's making a poem in English and a poem in the language that one understands and values. I don't see how you can do it otherwise"
"The point of an experiment is not to arrive at a predetermined end point, to prove or disprove anything, but to deliver a poem that reveals much about the process taken"
"Our moments of inspiration are not lost though we have no particular poem to show for them; for those experiences have left an indelible impression, and we are ever and anon reminded of them"
"The figure a poem makes. It begins in delight and ends in wisdom... in a clarification of life - not necessarily a great clarification, such as sects and cults are founded on, but in a momentary stay against confusion"
