Night’s Desire— At the West End Gallery
We do not succeed in changing things according to our desire, but gradually our desire changes. The situation that we hoped to change because it was intolerable becomes unimportant. We have not managed to surmount the obstacle, as we were absolutely determined to do, but life has taken us round it, led us past it, and then if we turn round to gaze at the remote past, we can barely catch sight of it, so imperceptible has it become.
–-Marcel Proust, In Search of Lost Time (1913-1927)
I keep thinking about this passage from Proust, about how our desire sometimes changes because of our inability to change other things. I know that it’s true for most things.
Once we see that we have no chance at altering whatever situation we wish to change, we rationalize away our reasons for desiring that change in the first place. The process of minimizing its importance begins.
As Proust writes, life takes us around it.
But I wonder if there are things that are impervious to this? Things too big, too important to rationalize away our concerns and desires. Things that we just can’t normalize and accept.
I think I know the answer, at least for myself. You might see it differently. Human nature allows us to pick and choose our desires and passions irrespective of those of others.
I guess the best you can do is hope that others share your desires, your passions, and your concerns. In numbers, the intolerable has a chance to be remembered.
Just thinking this morning while I drink one more cup of coffee. That brings me to this Bob Dylan song, One More Cup of Coffee, from his 1976 album which is titled– you guessed it– Desire.
Redtree Times 
Gary, Thanks for the intro to the song.. I don’t remember hearing it before, though the first verse has a nagging familiarity to something I remember hearing just recently.
“Your breath is sweet, your eyes are like two jewels in the sky
Your back is straight, your hair is smooth on the pillow where you lie
But I don’t sense affection, no gratitude or love
Your loyalty is not to me but to the stars above”
It’s the second line that I would swear I heard just recently… I suppose I could have heard the Roger Plant version as he is in my playlist. But when I checked out the YouTube version of his cover I couldn’t really hear the line well enough for it to have set itself in my memory…
Anyway, thanks for the song and the morning meditation.
It’s funny you say that it has a nagging familiarity to it, Gary, because that was in my mind as well. I’ve known the song forever but listening to it this morning my memory of it was not of this version. I can’t recall what version lives in my head but there are plenty of good ones out there including the one you attached. It might have even been a different Dylan performance of it since he often changes up things in his songs over the years. There’s a good version from Tom Jones that I like:
And for another version that is surprisingly beautiful…
Ok… I think I like the Tom Jones version best…
Yeah, that guy can sing the hell out of any song.