When power leads man toward arrogance, poetry reminds him of his limitations. When power narrows the areas of man's concern, poetry reminds him of the richness and diversity of his existence. When power corrupts, poetry cleanses, for art establishes the basic human truths which must serve
as the touchstone of our judgment.
- - - John F. Kennedy- Address, Amherst College, October 26, 1963
as the touchstone of our judgment.
- - - John F. Kennedy- Address, Amherst College, October 26, 1963
We are the music-makers,
And we are the dreamers of dreams,
Wandering by lone sea breakers,
And sitting by desolate streams;
And we are the dreamers of dreams,
Wandering by lone sea breakers,
And sitting by desolate streams;
World-losers and world-forsakers,
On whom the pale moon gleams:
Yet we are the movers and shakers
Of the world forever, it seems.
- - - -Arthur O'Shaughnessy
On whom the pale moon gleams:
Yet we are the movers and shakers
Of the world forever, it seems.
- - - -Arthur O'Shaughnessy
That second poem is great - especially after reading and rereading JFK's piece. Both are very simple but contain depth and beauty. I think i'll copy the O'Shaughnessy piece out and stick it on my wall.
ReplyDeleteI think JFK's statement fits well with Dboy's poem of a few weeks ago.
thanks for that.
ReplyDeletea welcome reminder...
That's really beautiful. It's true that art often reminds us of how limited we are, even when we think we're invincible. It helps us see past ourselves to the vast array of possibilities.
ReplyDeleteAn awesome live reading of O'Shaughnessy's poem.
ReplyDeleteThat live ... "Live" reading brings tears to my eyes..
ReplyDelete*tears at eyes*
Wow, that's a big call hey..."for art establishes the basic human truths which must serve as the touchstone of our judgment." Does it do that much? I think perhaps this is a flawed statement with a cicular argument...how can art (which is generated by humans) constitute something which establishes basic human truths? I would have thought God, not human-kind, establishes human truths and administers ultimate judgement? I don't know, I could be barking up the wrong tree here, but it does strike me as a little odd somehow...
ReplyDeleteCan anyone help with these thoughts!
Good point. However, although created by humans, art is not something that can be fully explained or dissected. Therefore there is something transcendent about it. Perhaps the statement goes too far, but I think there is definitely some truth to it. Art serves to show us how we might transcend what we see and know for sure.
ReplyDelete