Quote #38190
This is the end, the redemption from Wilderness, way for the Wonderer, House sought for All, black handkerchief washed clean by weeping.
Allen Ginsberg
About This Quote
This quote needs no introduction—at least for now. We're working on adding more context soon.
Interpretation
The line reads like a compressed, visionary benediction: an arrival at “the end” that is not mere termination but “redemption,” a passage out of spiritual desolation (“Wilderness”) toward shelter (“House sought for All”). Ginsberg’s diction fuses biblical-exodus resonance with Beat-era yearning for a communal refuge beyond alienation. The “Wonderer” (likely a purposeful misspelling of “wanderer”) suggests both the seeker who roams and the one who remains open to awe. The final image—“black handkerchief washed clean by weeping”—turns grief into purification: sorrow becomes a solvent that cleanses, implying catharsis and moral or spiritual renewal through honest lament.




