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StillnessQuote

The mind is its own place, and in itself can make a heaven of hell, a hell of heaven.

John Milton, Paradise Lost, 1667

Literature

The story behind the card

Satan says this in Book One of Paradise Lost (1667), John Milton's epic poem retelling the Bible's story of the fall of Adam and Eve. Cast out of Heaven after his failed rebellion, Satan wakes in Hell and insists that neither place nor time can change his mind; a few lines later he declares it better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven. Milton (1608–1674), blind since 1652, dictated the poem to helpers. Readers argue whether the speech shows inner freedom or a pride that refuses to admit defeat.

Türkçe oku
Zihin kendi başına bir yerdir; kendi içinde cehennemi cennete, cenneti cehenneme çevirebilir.
John Milton, Kayıp Cennet, 1667

Bu sözleri Kayıp Cennet'in (1667) ilk kitabında Şeytan söyler. John Milton'ın bu destanı, Kutsal Kitap'taki Âdem ile Havva'nın cennetten kovuluş öyküsünü yeniden anlatır. Başarısız isyanının ardından cennetten atılan Şeytan cehennemde kendine gelir ve ne yerin ne de zamanın zihnini değiştirebileceğini söyler. Birkaç dize sonra da “Cehennemde hüküm sürmek, cennette kul olmaktan iyidir” der. 1652'den beri kör olan Milton (1608–1674), şiiri baştan sona yardımcılarına yazdırmıştı. Okurlar, bu konuşmanın bir iç özgürlüğü mü, yoksa yenilgiyi kabullenemeyen bir gururu mu gösterdiğini tartışır.

Sources and further reading

Background reading: John Milton
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