Dismembering illusions ...

... Rest for the Weary. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)

... riddling as a means to insight is a feature of ancient wisdom literature in many traditions. Consider, for example, Ecclesiastes 3:15: "That which hath been is now; and that which is to be hath already been; and God requireth that which is past." If wisdom literature often uses riddles (and Four Quartets arguably belongs in this genre), it's in part because of our feeling that there's a riddling quality deep at the core of human experience—particularly when we seek to relate that experience to transcendence.

One makes a life, if it is to be more than something dictated by chronology and bland societal expectations. A life is an artistic rendering, and artists—whether of the word or of the spirit—must exercise discipline, skill, and craft. Eliot is describing such a life in Four Quartets, as he both continues this life-long struggle against spiritual torpor and gives up the struggle to the "white light" of grace.