I have need of angels. Enough hell has swallowed me for too many years. But finally understand this-- I have burned up one hundred thousand human lives already, from the strength of my pain.

Antonin Artaud
About This Quote

I have need of angels. Enough hell has swallowed me for too many years. But finally understand this—I have burned up one hundred thousand human lives already, from the strength of my pain. This poem is an extract from an address by Yevgeny Yevtushenko, one of the most important poets of the 20th century. He talks about how, after suffering through World War II, he came to realize that it wasn’t his pain alone that brought suffering to the world; it was also his wish for revenge. After making peace with himself and his past actions, Yevtushenko felt that he could put into effect the words he wrote in his poem: “But finally understand this—I have burned up one hundred thousand human lives already, from the strength of my pain.” It is said that when Yevtushenko read this poem in front of Stalin in 1953, the dictator was so moved by its power that he started crying.

Source: Lettres A GaNica Athanasiou

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