The creative process
In the poem "An Artist", the narrator is an outside observer who watches a sculptor trying to create something out of seemingly nothing. The sculptor is alone in a limitless desert, looking for the perfect piece of marble to sculpt. The sun, the wind and the loneliness felt by the artist are all observed by the narrator but he is unable to do anything to make the life of the artist easier. The creative process is a painful one and it required many sacrifices from the artist. Still, from an outside viewer, this process remains unknown and all the viewer is ever able to see is the finished product.
Thoughts
The main theme in the poem "De Rerum Virtute" is the way in which a thought process takes place and how it has the power to affect a person's actions. The human body is described in this poem as an empty shell, powered by the thoughts residing inside a person's skull. The thought process is described as being chaotic, without any logic behind it. Still, from this chaos, a form or order emerges and these thoughts form ideas that have the power to change the world. Thoughts are seen as something which no one can understand completely and because of this a person should not even try to do this. In this sense, the thought process is seen almost as a God, impossible to understand but which should be respected and revered.
The past vs. the future
The main theme in the poem "Contrast" is the difference between the past and the future. To exemplify the difference between the two, the narrator imagines the present as a solid land and the future as the sea. Through this image, the narrator wants to transmit the idea that while the past is clear and impossible to change, the future is extremely unpredictable and dangerous. The present is compared with the sands near a dangerous body of water. While it is clearly more stable than the future, it is less stable than the past and a person should be careful when navigating these sands. Still, life is beautiful nevertheless and should be enjoyed, no matter the possible dangers.
