I was dancing with an immortal august woman, who had black…
““I was dancing with an immortal august woman, who had black lilies in her hair, and her dreamy gesture seemed laden with a wisdom more profound than the darkness that is between star and star, and with a love like the love that breathed upon the waters; and as we danced on and on, the incense drifted over us and round us, covering us away as in the heart of the world, and ages seemed to pass, and tempests to awake and perish in the folds of our robes and in her heavy hair. Suddenly I remembered that her eyelids had never quivered, and that her lilies had not dropped a black petal, or shaken from their places, and understood with a great horror that I danced with one who was more or less than human, and who was drinking up my soul as an ox drinks up a wayside pool; and I fell, and darkness passed over me.””
About This Quote
This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.
A surreal dance with an otherworldly woman drains the speaker’s soul, blending beauty with terror and the loss of humanity.
In simple terms: He dances with a supernatural being that consumes him.
Key Takeaway
Beware alluring but dangerous enchantments.
Themes
fantasy
death
spirituality
Mood
haunting
melancholic
Type
poetic
philosophical
When to use this quote
- creative writing
- psychology
- spiritual practice
Key Concepts
mythic symbolism
existential dread
Questions to Reflect On
- What draws us to seductive yet harmful forces?
- How can we recognize when something is draining us?
A Different Perspective
May romanticize harmful relationships.