Desire Quote by André Breton
““When the windows like the jackal’s eye and desire pierce the dawn, silken windlasses lift me up to suburban footbridges. I summon a girl who is dreaming in the little gilded house; she meets me on the piles of black moss and offers me her lips which are stones in the rapid river depths. Veiled forebodings descend the buildings’ steps. The best thing is to flee from the great feather cylinders when the hunters limp into the sodden lands. If you take a bath in the watery patterns of the streets, childhood returns to the country like a greyhound. Man seeks his prey in the breezes and the fruits are drying on the screens of pink paper, in the shadow of the names overgrown by forgetfulness. Joys and sorrows spread in the town. Gold and eucalyptus, similarly scented, attack dreams. Among the bridles and the dark edelweiss subterranean forms are resting like perfumers’ corks.””
About This Quote
Source Poem: Surrealist verse, unknown publication
A vivid, dream‑like tableau mixes urban and natural images to explore memory, desire, and the fleeting nature of joy and sorrow.
In simple terms: Surreal images evoke longing and loss.
Key Takeaway
Embrace the strange to uncover hidden feelings.
Themes
memory
desire
surrealism
urban
nature
Mood
melancholic
enigmatic
reflective
Type
poetic
surrealist
evocative
When to use this quote
- walking city streets
- reflecting on childhood
- creative writing
- artistic inspiration
Key Concepts
symbolism
dreamscape
juxtaposition
Questions to Reflect On
- What emotions do the surreal images awaken?
- How does the city become a landscape of memory?
A Different Perspective
The abstract language may obscure clear meaning for some readers.
![“Teaching might even be the greatest of the arts since the medium is the human mind and spirit. My three [great teachers] did not tell - they catalyzed a burning desire to know. Under their influence, the horizons sprung wide and fear went away and the unknown became knowable. But most important of…” quote by John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/84c/john-steinbeck-71_art_teaching-might-even-be-the-greatest-of-t_1738.jpg)
