Body, Language, Illustrations, & Secrets

scarification

Peter Holmes / Royal Geographical Society Taraba, Nigeria

Thinking on Ray Bradbury’s The Illustrated Man, this came to mind:

“And this tattooing, had been the work of a departed prophet and seer of his island, who, by those hieroglyphic marks, had written out on his body a complete art of attaining truth; so that Queequeg in his own proper person was a riddle to unfold; a wondrous work in one volume; but whose mysteries not even himself could read, though his own live heart beat against them; and these mysteries were therefore destined in the end to moulder away with the living parchment whereon they were inscribed, and so be unsolved to the last.”

Chapter 110
Herman Melville’s Moby Dick

About thepoetsglass

Professor, poet, philosophical dilettante, plus some other impressively heady alliterations. Instructional designer and copywriter. Cognitive neuroscientist by night. Self-diagnosed coffee addict, sometime dancer, brooding bibliophile, and an always salty sailor.
This entry was posted in Others' and tagged , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

1 Response to Body, Language, Illustrations, & Secrets

  1. bulkington27 says:

    Excellent post! Melville is a brilliant writer. You might enjoy this video too.

    Like

Leave a comment