There was a sudden sunburst in my head. And then black night. That blackness was sublime. I felt distributed through space and time: One foot upon a mountaintop, one hand 150 Under the pebbles of a panting strand, One ear in Italy, one eye in Spain, In caves, my blood, and in the stars, my brain. There were dull throbs in my Triassic; green Optical spots in Upper Pleistocene, An icy shiver down my Age of Stone, And all tomorrows in my funnybone. During
In a moment of profound realization, the narrator experiences a sudden burst of enlightenment, followed by a deep immersion into darkness that feels oddly beautiful. This darkness evokes a sense of being dispersed across various dimensions of time and space—illustrated by contrasting imagery of different locations and geological eras. The narrator feels intertwined with nature and history, connecting with both the celestial and terrestrial in a deeply personal way.
The vivid sensations described reflect a transcendence of ordinary existence, where the body experiences an array of historical timelines and natural elements. Each element serves as a reminder of life’s complexity, encompassing both physical sensations and existential thoughts. This journey through time and space illustrates the interconnectedness of life, an idea that resonates through Nabokov's work, enriching the reader's understanding of existence and consciousness.
