It throbbed and pulsed, channeled by elemental forces of fear, love, hope, and sadness. The bow stabbed and flitted across the strings in a violent whorl of creation; its hairs tore and split until it seemed the last strands would sever in a scrape of dissonance. Those who saw the last fragile remnants held their breath against the breaking. The music rippled across the ship like a spirit, like a thing alive and eldritch and pregnant with mystery. The song held. More than held, it deepened. It groaned. It resounded in the hollows of those who heard. Then it softened into tones long, slow, and patient and reminded men of the faintest stars trembling dimly in defiance of a ravening dark. At the last, when the golden hairs of the bow had given all the sound they knew, the music fled in a whisper. Fin was both emptied and filled, and the song sighed away on the wind. A.S. Peterson
About This Quote

This quote from the poem The Song of Roland is a powerful illustration of the power of music. The epic poem tells of a Christian military leader and his band of knights who fought their way through the armies of the Saracens and then safely returned to France. A contemporary scholar, however, would point out that the story is not about a hero battling against all odds and winning, but rather about the grace and mercy of God. In particular, it is about how God's grace affects those who are in despair as they wait for salvation.

This is also an outstanding example of simile, which uses like or as to compare various attributes with one another. Thus, this quote speaks to how music can be used as a means to draw people together and then help them escape into a better place.

Source: Fiddlers Green

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