“People who walk across dark bridges, past saints,with dim, small lights.Clouds which move across gray skiespast churcheswith towers darkened in the dusk.One who leans against granite railinggazing into the evening waters,His hands resting on old stones.”
In this quote by Franz Kafka, the speaker describes a scene of contemplation and solitude. The imagery of dark bridges, saints, dim lights, gray skies, and churches with darkened towers evokes a sense of mystery and reflection. The mention of leaning against a granite railing and gazing into evening waters suggests a moment of stillness and introspection. The use of descriptive language creates a mood of quiet reverence and introspection in this passage. Kafka's exploration of themes such as isolation, spirituality, and the passage of time is evident in this evocative portrayal of a solitary figure in a contemplative moment.
Franz Kafka's poetic description of a person taking a contemplative stroll captures the essence of finding solace in ordinary moments. In today's fast-paced world, it is essential to pause and appreciate the small details that surround us. Whether it is a walk across a dark bridge or gazing into evening waters, these moments remind us to slow down and appreciate the beauty around us.
Here is a passage from a work by Franz Kafka that beautifully describes a scene of people walking across bridges and observing their surroundings with a sense of contemplation and reflection.
“People who walk across dark bridges, past saints, with dim, small lights. Clouds which move across gray skies past churches with towers darkened in the dusk. One who leans against granite railing gazing into the evening waters, His hands resting on old stones.” - Franz Kafka
Reflecting on this passage from Franz Kafka, consider the following questions:
“There was a small wooden gazebo built out over the water; Isabelle was sitting in it, staring out across the lake. She looked like a princess in a fairy tale, waiting at the top of her tower for someone to ride up and rescue her. Not that traditional princess behavior was like Isabelle at all. Isabelle with her whip and boots and knives would chop anyone who tried to pen her up in a tower into pieces, build a bridge out of the remains, and walk carelessly to freedom, her hair looking fabulous the entire time.”
“It is related that Sakyamuni [the historical Buddha] once dismissed as of small consequence a feat of levitation on the part of a disciple, and cried out in pity for a yogin by the river who had spent twenty years of his human existence learning to walk on water, when the ferryman might have taken him across for a small coin.”
“The OutingAn outburst of anger near the road, a refusal to speak on the path, a silence in the pine woods, a silence across the old railroad bridge, an attempt to be friendly in the water, a refusal to end the argument on the flat stones, a cry of anger on the steep bank of dirt, a weeping among the bushes.”
“The past is an immense area of stony ground that many people would like to drive across as if it were a motorway, while others move patiently from stone to stone, lifting each one because they need to know what lies beneath.”
“Once the soul has left the body it had to walk across a bridge as narrow as a knife edge, with paradise on the right and, on the left, a series of circles that lead down into the darkness inside the earth. Before crossing the bridge, each person had to place all his virtues in his right hand and all his sins in his left, and the imbalance between the two meant that the person always fell towards the side to which his actions on Earth had inclined him.”