Lines written for a thirtieth wedding anniversary…
““Lines written for a thirtieth wedding anniversary Somewhere up in the eaves it began: high in the roof – in a sort of vault between the slates and the gutter – a small leak. Through it, rain which came from the east, in from the lights and foghorns of the coast – water with a ghost of ocean salt in it – spilled down on the path below. Over and over and over years stone began to alter, its grain searched out, worn in: granite rounding down, giving way taking into its own inertia that information water brought, of ships, wings, fog and phosphor in the harbour. It happened under our lives: the rain, the stone. We hardly noticed. Now this is the day to think of it, to wonder: all those years, all those years together – the stars in a frozen arc overhead, the quick noise of a thaw in the air, the blue stare of the hills – through it all this constancy: what wears, what endures.””
About This Quote
This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.
Time erodes even the hardest stone, yet the slow, unseen changes shape lasting endurance.
In simple terms: Gradual change reshapes permanence.
Key Takeaway
Notice subtle changes over time.
Themes
time
change
endurance
Mood
contemplative
poetic
Type
literary
philosophical
When to use this quote
- relationships
- career
- personal growth
- environmental observation
Key Concepts
geology
memory
metaphor
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you recognize slow transformations?
- What constants anchor you amid change?
A Different Perspective
Change is often unnoticed until it becomes evident.