Bird Quote by Italo Calvino
““And yet, in Raissa, at every moment there is a child in a window who laughs seeing a dog that has jumped on a shed to bite into a piece of polenta dropped by a stonemason who has shouted from the top of the scaffolding, "Darling, let me dip into it," to a young servant-maid who holds up a dish of ragout under the pergola, happy to serve it to the umbrella-maker who is celebrating a successful transaction, a white lace parasol bought to display at the races by a great lady in love with an officer who has smiled at her taking the last jump, happy man, and still happier his horse, flying over the obstacles, seeing a francolin flying in the sky, happy bird freed from its cage by a painter happy at having painted it feather by feather, speckled with red and yellow in the illumination of that page in the volume where the philosopher says: "Also in Raissa, city of sadness, there runs an invisible thread that binds one living being to another for a moment, then unravels, then is stretched again between moving points as it draws new and rapid patterns so that at every second the unhappy city contains a happy city unaware of its own existence.””
About This Quote
The passage paints a vivid, interwoven tableau of everyday life in Raissa, where fleeting joys and connections bind strangers together despite underlying sorrow.
In simple terms: Everyday moments link people in a bittersweet tapestry.
Transient happiness unites disparate lives.
Themes
Mood
Type
When to use this quote
- reading a novel aloud
- discussing symbolism in a book club
- writing a descriptive scene
Key Concepts
Practical Applications
- use vivid detail to evoke atmosphere
- highlight shared humanity in storytelling
Questions to Reflect On
- What does the ‘invisible thread’ suggest about human relationships?
- How does Calvino balance chaos and order in his description?
The dense, ornate style may obscure meaning for some readers, limiting accessibility.