Poetry Quote by Elizabeth Bishop
““I have seen it over and over, the same sea, the same, slightly, indifferently swinging above the stones, icily free above the stones, above the stones and then the world. If you should dip your hand in, your wrist would ache immediately, your bones would begin to ache and your hand would burn as if the water were a transmutation of fire that feeds on stones and burns with a dark gray flame. If you tasted it, it would first taste bitter, then briny, then surely burn your tongue. It is like what we imagine knowledge to be: dark, salt, clear, moving, utterly free, drawn form the cold hard mouth of the world, derived from the rocky breasts forever, flowing and drawn, and since our knowledge is historical, flowing, and flown.””
About This Quote
Source Poem: “The Fish” (excerpt) from The Complete Poems of Elizabeth Bishop, 1970
The passage likens knowledge to a fierce, cold sea that both nourishes and burns, suggesting that true understanding is powerful, unsettling, and rooted in the world’s harsh realities.
In simple terms: Knowledge is like a cold, burning sea that is both free and painful.
Key Takeaway
Embrace knowledge’s harsh truths.
Themes
knowledge
truth
nature
human experience
Mood
thoughtful
introspective
poetic
Type
literary
philosophical
metaphorical
When to use this quote
- academic study
- personal reflection
- creative writing
- critical analysis
Key Concepts
philosophy
metaphor
epistemology
Questions to Reflect On
- How does confronting harsh truths shape you?
- What comforts can balance this intense view?
A Different Perspective
The metaphor may romanticize suffering, overlooking the value of gentle learning.
