Sir Philip Sidney's "An Apology for Poetry" (Abridged)*

If I offended anyone, I'm sorry.  Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea culpa. It was a poem, OK?  Maybe someone who's knighted shouldn't make poems, but people need to recognize poetry when they hear it.  So I'm not going to apologize for poetry.  It's not a waste of time & the mother of lies, but a superior form of communication that serves a host of purposes.  Plato may be right when he says "secure the border" against poetry & that may mean electrifying the Gates of Poetry or deploying troops where it's truly terrible. Poetry should instruct & delight.  I like poetry, so I'm not walking away from it.  I just don't want to offend anyone.  

Comments

Matt Morris said…
* According to Herman Cain