The boots of the men clump On the boards of the bridge. The first white wall of the village Rises through fruit-trees. Of what was it I was thinking? So the meaning escapes.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Stevens describes a vivid scene where the sudden clarity of meaning escapes as quickly as it forms during a mundane observation.
- In plain terms
- He sees a village and feels meaning escape him.
- What can you take from it?
- Meaning is fleeting in daily observation.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- When does meaning escape you?
- Can you catch fleeting thoughts?
Another view
It focuses on the loss of meaning rather than its gain.
More from Wallace Stevens
Twenty men crossing a bridge, Into a village, Are Twenty men crossing a bridge Into a village.
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