--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: From they sack and they belly opened And…" description: "\"“From they sack and they belly opened And all that was hidden burning on the oil-stained earth They feed they Lion and he comes.”\" — Philip Levine" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bc4/philip-levine-14083_lion_from-they-sack-and-they-belly-opened-and_452380.jpg" --- # From they sack and they belly opened And all that was… ![“From they sack and they belly opened And all that was hidden burning on the oil-stained earth They feed they Lion and he comes.” quote by Philip Levine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bc4/philip-levine-14083_lion_from-they-sack-and-they-belly-opened-and_452380.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bc4/philip-levine-14083_lion_from-they-sack-and-they-belly-opened-and_452380.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bc4/philip-levine-14083_lion_from-they-sack-and-they-belly-opened-and_452380.jpg) > ““From they sack and they belly opened And all that was hidden burning on the oil-stained earth They feed they Lion and he comes.”” [Philip Levine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-levine/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Hidden forces unleash destructive power, feeding a metaphorical lion that rises from the earth. **In simple terms:** Hidden anger fuels a rising threat. Key Takeaway Recognize and address suppressed emotions early. Themes anger destruction mythology Mood reflective urgent Type poetic cautionary When to use this quote - personal conflict - social unrest - political upheaval Key Concepts psychology symbolism repressed trauma Questions to Reflect On - What “lion” lies dormant within you? - How can societies prevent hidden rage from erupting? A Different Perspective May oversimplify complex causes of violence. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Lion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lion/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) ## Related quotes > [“I’m not a violent person. I didn’t think I was a violent person, but right then something dangerous seemed to be waking up. Some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-rifka-brunt/i-m-not-a-violent-person-i-didn-t-think-i-was-a-violent-person-but/) [Carol Rifka Brunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-rifka-brunt/) > [“Most women run from danger like mice from a cat. You turn into a lion and take whatever comes. \[Aurelia as seen by her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-finnis/most-women-run-from-danger-like-mice-from-a-cat-you-turn-into-a-lion/) Jane Finnis > [I'm not a very violent dude, and if something can be settled without any physicality, I'm always in favor of that. But if somebody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-moyer/i-m-not-a-very-violent-dude-and-if-something-can-be-settled-without/) [Stephen Moyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-moyer/) > [God is a lion that comes in the night. God is a hawk gliding among the stars-- If all the stars and the earth,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robinson-jeffers/god-is-a-lion-that-comes-in-the-night-god-is-a-hawk-gliding-among-the/) [Robinson Jeffers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robinson-jeffers/) > [“On the subject of God. He is not dead; and he is not a fable. He is not mocked nor forgotten — Successfully. God…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robinson-jeffers/on-the-subject-of-god-he-is-not-dead-and-he-is-not-a-fable-he-is-not/) [Robinson Jeffers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robinson-jeffers/) > [The peasants of the Asturias believe that in every litter of wolves there is one pup that is killed by the mother for fear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/the-peasants-of-the-asturias-believe-that-in-every-litter-of-wolves/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [Don't ask who's influenced me. A lion is made up of the lambs he's digested, and I've been reading all my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-de-gaulle/don-t-ask-who-s-influenced-me-a-lion-is-made-up-of-the-lambs-he-s/) [Charles de Gaulle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-de-gaulle/) > [“Just like a kitten pretending to be a lion.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiki-hamilton/just-like-a-kitten-pretending-to-be-a-lion/) [Kiki Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiki-hamilton/) > [Throw me to the wolfs and I will return leading the pack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/any/throw-me-to-the-wolfs-and-i-will-return-leading-the-pack/) Any > [I'm in 'Madagascar 2.' I'm Testy the Lion. The franchise moves to Africa, and Bernie Mac is also in the film. I loved working…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-lister-jr/i-m-in-madagascar-2-i-m-testy-the-lion-the-franchise-moves-to-africa/) [Tom Lister, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-lister-jr/) > [My first name was inspired by the character of Aslan, the lion in C.S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aselin-debison/my-first-name-was-inspired-by-the-character-of-aslan-the-lion-in-c-s/) Aselin Debison > [“(Quoting her friend Tom Black on an amateur hunter's injury:) "Lion, rifles -- and stupidity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beryl-markham/quoting-her-friend-tom-black-on-an-amateur-hunter-s-injury-lion/) [Beryl Markham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beryl-markham/) > [“Flattery looks like friendship, just like a wolf looks like a dog.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-auliq-ice/flattery-looks-like-friendship-just-like-a-wolf-looks-like-a-dog/) [Oscar Auliq-Ice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-auliq-ice/) > [“When a wolf is hungry it befriends sheep.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matshona-dhliwayo/when-a-wolf-is-hungry-it-befriends-sheep/) [Matshona Dhliwayo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matshona-dhliwayo/) > [She'd read once that if you ran into a bear in the woods you should avoid eye contact and you shouldn't run away, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-ursu/she-d-read-once-that-if-you-ran-into-a-bear-in-the-woods-you-should/) [Anne Ursu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-ursu/) ## More by Philip Levine > [I find you in these tears, few, useless and here at last. Don't come back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-levine/i-find-you-in-these-tears-few-useless-and-here-at-last-don-t-come-back/) [Philip Levine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-levine/) > [I'm afraid we live at the mercy of a power, maybe a God, without mercy. And yet we find it, as I have, from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-levine/i-m-afraid-we-live-at-the-mercy-of-a-power-maybe-a-god-without-mercy/) [Philip Levine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-levine/) > [There'll always be working people in my poems because I grew up with them, and I am a poet of memory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-levine/there-ll-always-be-working-people-in-my-poems-because-i-grew-up-with/) [Philip Levine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-levine/) > [How weightless/ words are when nothing will do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-levine/how-weightless-words-are-when-nothing-will-do/) [Philip Levine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-levine/) > [But I'm too old to be written about as a young poet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-levine/but-i-m-too-old-to-be-written-about-as-a-young-poet/) [Philip Levine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-levine/) > [But most commonly, it's one poem that I work on with a lot of intensity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-levine/but-most-commonly-it-s-one-poem-that-i-work-on-with-a-lot-of-intensity/) [Philip Levine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-levine/) > [“He embodied what he worshipped, the exquisite in the commonplace…salt for the spirit.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-levine/he-embodied-what-he-worshipped-the-exquisite-in-the-commonplace-salt/) [Philip Levine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-levine/) > [“As you know, Joyce was a writer who asked his reader to give him a lifetime,” he said. “I am that reader, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-levine/as-you-know-joyce-was-a-writer-who-asked-his-reader-to-give-him-a/) [Philip Levine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-levine/) > [“Thirty years will pass before I remember that moment when suddenly I knew each man has one brother who dies when he sleeps and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-levine/thirty-years-will-pass-before-i-remember-that-moment-when-suddenly-i/) [Philip Levine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-levine/) > [Corruption is subtle, just like the Bible said. Many young poets have come to me and asked, How am I gonna make it? They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-levine/corruption-is-subtle-just-like-the-bible-said-many-young-poets-have/) [Philip Levine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-levine/) > [“ Our Valley We don't see the ocean, not ever, but in July and August when the worst heat seems to rise from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-levine/our-valley-we-don-t-see-the-ocean-not-ever-but-in-july-and-august/) [Philip Levine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-levine/) > [“The earth drinks all that’s left of you and asks for more.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-levine/the-earth-drinks-all-that-s-left-of-you-and-asks-for-more/) [Philip Levine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-levine/) > [I started listening to music when I wrote when I had three sons at home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-levine/i-started-listening-to-music-when-i-wrote-when-i-had-three-sons-at/) [Philip Levine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-levine/) > [Listen to these young poets and you'll discover the voice of the present and hear the voice of the future before the future is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-levine/listen-to-these-young-poets-and-you-ll-discover-the-voice-of-the/) [Philip Levine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-levine/) > [My mother carried on and supported us; her ambition had been to write poetry and songs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-levine/my-mother-carried-on-and-supported-us-her-ambition-had-been-to-write/) [Philip Levine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-levine/) [Explore all 48 Philip Levine quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-levine/) ## More Lion quotes > [She'd read once that if you ran into a bear in the woods you should avoid eye contact and you shouldn't run away, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-ursu/she-d-read-once-that-if-you-ran-into-a-bear-in-the-woods-you-should/) [Anne Ursu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-ursu/) > [“When a wolf is hungry it befriends sheep.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matshona-dhliwayo/when-a-wolf-is-hungry-it-befriends-sheep/) [Matshona Dhliwayo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matshona-dhliwayo/) > [“Flattery looks like friendship, just like a wolf looks like a dog.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-auliq-ice/flattery-looks-like-friendship-just-like-a-wolf-looks-like-a-dog/) [Oscar Auliq-Ice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-auliq-ice/) > [“(Quoting her friend Tom Black on an amateur hunter's injury:) "Lion, rifles -- and stupidity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beryl-markham/quoting-her-friend-tom-black-on-an-amateur-hunter-s-injury-lion/) [Beryl Markham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beryl-markham/) > [My first name was inspired by the character of Aslan, the lion in C.S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aselin-debison/my-first-name-was-inspired-by-the-character-of-aslan-the-lion-in-c-s/) Aselin Debison > [I'm in 'Madagascar 2.' I'm Testy the Lion. The franchise moves to Africa, and Bernie Mac is also in the film. I loved working…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-lister-jr/i-m-in-madagascar-2-i-m-testy-the-lion-the-franchise-moves-to-africa/) [Tom Lister, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-lister-jr/) > [Throw me to the wolfs and I will return leading the pack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/any/throw-me-to-the-wolfs-and-i-will-return-leading-the-pack/) Any > [“Just like a kitten pretending to be a lion.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiki-hamilton/just-like-a-kitten-pretending-to-be-a-lion/) [Kiki Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiki-hamilton/) > [Don't ask who's influenced me. A lion is made up of the lambs he's digested, and I've been reading all my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-de-gaulle/don-t-ask-who-s-influenced-me-a-lion-is-made-up-of-the-lambs-he-s/) [Charles de Gaulle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-de-gaulle/) > [The peasants of the Asturias believe that in every litter of wolves there is one pup that is killed by the mother for fear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/the-peasants-of-the-asturias-believe-that-in-every-litter-of-wolves/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [When a captive lion steps out of his cage, he comes into a wider world than the lion who has known only the wilds.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yukio-mishima/when-a-captive-lion-steps-out-of-his-cage-he-comes-into-a-wider-world/) [Yukio Mishima](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yukio-mishima/) > [“How much does an elephant weigh? ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhonda-patton/how-much-does-an-elephant-weigh/) Rhonda Patton > [After The Wizard Of Oz I was typecast as a lion, and there aren't all that many parts for lions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bert-lahr/after-the-wizard-of-oz-i-was-typecast-as-a-lion-and-there-aren-t-all/) Bert Lahr > [Until the lion learns to speak, the tales of hunting will be weak.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-naan/until-the-lion-learns-to-speak-the-tales-of-hunting-will-be-weak/) [K'naan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-naan/) > [“An injured lion wants to know if he can still roar. It's about dignity and self-esteem, which isn't quite the same as vanity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-zaslow/an-injured-lion-wants-to-know-if-he-can-still-roar-it-s-about-dignity/) [Jeffrey Zaslow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-zaslow/) [Browse all 1,875 Lion quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lion/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“From they sack and they belly opened And all that was hidden burning on the oil-stained earth They feed they Lion and he comes.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Philip Levine" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-levine/from-they-sack-and-they-belly-opened-and-all-that-was-hidden-burning/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Lion" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-levine/from-they-sack-and-they-belly-opened-and-all-that-was-hidden-burning/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bc4/philip-levine-14083_lion_from-they-sack-and-they-belly-opened-and_452380.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bc4/philip-levine-14083_lion_from-they-sack-and-they-belly-opened-and_452380.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bc4/philip-levine-14083_lion_from-they-sack-and-they-belly-opened-and_452380.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“From they sack and they belly opened And all that was hidden burning on the oil-stained earth They feed they…” — Philip Levine", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Philip Levine", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-levine/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“From they sack and they belly...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-levine/from-they-sack-and-they-belly-opened-and-all-that-was-hidden-burning/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-levine/from-they-sack-and-they-belly-opened-and-all-that-was-hidden-burning/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```