Air Quote by Thomas Bailey Aldrich
“Those forms we fancy shadows, those strange lights That flash on dank morasses, the quick wind That smites us by the roadside—are the Night's Innumerable children. Unconfined By shroud or coffin, disembodied souls, Uneasy spirits, steal into the air From festering graveyards when the curfew tolls At the day's death... And wheresoever murders have been done, In stately palaces or lonesome woods, Where'er a soul has sold itself and lost Its high inheritance, there, hovering, broods Some sad, invisible, accurséd Ghost!”
About This Quote
Source Poem: “The Night's Innumerable Children” by Thomas Bailey Aldrich, 1885
The poem portrays restless spirits and unseen forces that haunt places of death and sorrow, suggesting that grief and violence leave lingering, invisible presences.
In simple terms: Spirits linger where death and sorrow occur.
Key Takeaway
Acknowledge unseen impacts of grief.
Themes
death
grief
spirituality
Mood
somber
mysterious
Type
poetic
reflective
When to use this quote
- haunted sites
- war zones
- personal loss
- historical tragedies
Key Concepts
ghosts
memory
psychic residue
Questions to Reflect On
- How do unseen emotions affect our surroundings?
- Can acknowledging spirits help heal grief?
A Different Perspective
The imagery may be too abstract for concrete understanding.
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