Fishnet Quote by Robert Lowell
““Any clear thing that blinds us with surprise, your wandering silences and bright trouvailles, dolphin let loose to catch the flashing fish... saying too little, then too much. Poets die adolescents, their beat embalms them, the archetypal voices sing offkey; the old actor cannot read his friends, and nevertheless he reads himself aloud, genuis hums the auditorium dead. The line must terminate. Yet my heart rises, I know I've gladdened a lifetime knotting, undoing a fishnet of tarred rope; the net will hang on the wall when the fish are eaten, nailed like illegible bronze on the futureless future.””
About This Quote
Source Poem: “The Day of the Triffids”, 1965
The poem explores the chaotic nature of perception, artistic creation, and the tension between clarity and confusion in poetic expression.
In simple terms: Art can be both clear and confusing.
Key Takeaway
Accept ambiguity in creative work.
Themes
creativity
perception
confusion
Mood
enigmatic
thoughtful
Type
literary
philosophical
When to use this quote
- writing
- visual arts
- interpretive analysis
- philosophical discourse
Key Concepts
artistic expression
language limits
Questions to Reflect On
- What does ambiguity reveal about truth?
- How do you find meaning in chaotic thoughts?
A Different Perspective
Too abstract for practical application.
