Another world Quote by Elizabeth Cook-Lynn
““The journey through another world, beyond bad dreams beyond the memories of a murdered generation, cartographed in captivity by bare survivors makes sacristans of us all. The old ones go our bail, we oblate preachers of our tribes. Be careful, they say, don't hock the beads of kinship agonies; the moire-effect of unfamiliar hymns upon our own, a change in pitch or shrillness of the voice transforms the ways of song to words of poetry or prose and makes distinctions no one recognizes. Surrounded and absorbed, we tread like Etruscans on the edge of useless law; we pray to the giver of prayer, we give the cane whistle in ceremony, we swing the heavy silver chain of incense burners. Migration makes new citizens of Rome.””
About This Quote
Source Poem: Unknown, contemporary poetry collection
The poem reflects on how trauma, displacement, and cultural memory reshape identity, turning survivors into ritual caretakers of a fractured heritage.
In simple terms: Trauma reshapes identity and rituals.
Key Takeaway
Recognize how loss alters cultural expression.
Themes
memory
displacement
ritual
identity
memory
Mood
reflective
somber
Type
poetic
philosophical
When to use this quote
- refugee experiences
- diaspora communities
- historical remembrance
- ritual practice
Key Concepts
postcolonialism
collective trauma
cultural transmission
Questions to Reflect On
- How does displacement change personal and communal rituals?
- In what ways can art preserve forgotten histories?
A Different Perspective
The metaphorical language may obscure concrete historical context.
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