"Poetry lifts the veil from the hidden beauty of the world, and makes familiar objects be as if they were not familiar"
- Percy Bysshe Shelley
About this Quote
This quote by Percy Bysshe Shelley speaks to the power of poetry to reveal the charm of the world that is frequently concealed from us. Through making use of language, poetry can make the familiar seem unknown, enabling us to see the world in a new light. By using words to create brilliant images, poetry can assist us to appreciate the beauty of the world around us, even in the most mundane of objects. It can also assist us to gain a deeper understanding of our own emotions and experiences. By raising the veil from the concealed charm of the world, poetry can help us to appreciate the appeal of life and to gain a higher appreciation for the world around us.
"I think Ginsberg has done more harm to the craft that I honor and live by than anybody else by reducing it to a kind of mean that enables the most dubious practitioners to claim they are poets because they think, If the kind of thing Ginsberg does is poetry, I can do that"
"Nothing truly convincing - which would possess thoroughness, vigor, and skill - has been written against the ancients as yet; especially not against their poetry"
"The dance can reveal everything mysterious that is hidden in music, and it has the additional merit of being human and palpable. Dancing is poetry with arms and legs"
"A book is sent out into the world, and there is no way of fully anticipating the responses it will elicit. Consider the responses called forth by the Bible, Homer, Shakespeare - let alone contemporary poetry or a modern novel"
