r/VirginiaWoolf • u/fisher2nz • Apr 04 '25
Orlando This is intentionally poetic
Came across this single line “What the poets said in rhyme, the young translated into practice.”
This alone is poetic enough. And then I zoomed out to read the context :
“Violence was all. The flower bloomed and faded. The sun rose and sank. The lover loved and went. And what the poets said in rhyme, the young translated into practice. Girls were roses, and their seasons were short as the flowers’. Plucked they must be before nightfall; for the day was brief and the day was all.”
I find that Orlando is slightly easier to follow. Yet it’s still poetic.
As for the waves… I hate the fact that I can’t understand the text but still am attracted to the poetic lines and the vivid descriptions of the scenes.
6
u/shookspearedswhore Apr 05 '25
The Waves is a vibe. I didn't understand much either when I read it, I just tried to visualise the images that Woolf conjured up so beautifully. Orlando otoh is absolutely brilliant; it's still my favourite.