Interpretations of Poetry and ReligionC. Scribner's Sons, 1900 - 290 halaman The following volume is composed of a number of papers written at various times and already partially printed; they are now revised and gathered together in the hope that they may lead the reader, from somewhat different points of approach, to a single idea. This idea is that religion and poetry are identical in essence, and differ merely in the way in which they are attached to practical affairs. Poetry is called religion when it intervenes in life, and religion, when it merely supervenes upon life, is seen to be nothing but poetry. It would naturally follow from this conception that religious doctrines would do well to withdraw their pretension to be dealing with matters of fact. That pretension is not only the source of the conflicts of religion with science and of the vain and bitter controversies of sects; it is also the cause of the impurity and incoherence of religion in the soul, when it seeks its sanctions in the sphere of reality, and forgets that its proper concern is to express the ideal. For the dignity of religion, like that of poetry and of every moral ideal, lies precisely in its ideal adequacy, in its fit rendering of the meanings and values of life, in its anticipation of perfection; so that the excellence of religion is due to an idealization of experience which, while making religion noble if treated as poetry, makes it necessarily false if treated as science. Its function is rather to draw from reality materials for an image of that ideal to which reality ought to conform, and to make us citizens, by anticipation, in the world we crave. |
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Istilah dan frasa umum
absolute abstract æsthetic allegory Apollo Aristotle barbarism beauty become Browning Browning's character Christian conception cosmic cosmos Dante Demeter Demophoon destiny discipline divine doctrine dogma dramatic dream elements Eleusis Emerson emotion essence eternal euphuism existence experience expression fable fact faith fancy feeling function genius give gods Greek Guido Cavalcanti habit harmony heart heaven Homer honour human nature ideal ideas illusion images imagination impulse infinite inspiration instinct intellect intelligence intuitions Jean Lahor justified labour lative laws less ligion live meaning ment merely metaphysical mind moral mysticism mythology Neo-Platonism never object Pagan pantheism passion perfect perhaps philosophy Plato Plotinus poet poetic poetry present principle rational reality reason religion religious rience sensation sense sensuous Shakespeare Socratic soul sphere spirit supernatural symbol thee theology things thou thought tion tradition truth understand universe verse vision Walt Whitman Whitman whole worship Zeus
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Halaman 151 - CXLVI. Poor soul, the centre of my sinful earth, Fool'd by those rebel powers that thee array, Why dost thou pine within, and suffer dearth, Painting thy outward walls so costly gay ? Why so large cost, having so short a lease, Dost thou upon thy fading mansion spend ? Shall worms, inheritors of this excess, Eat up thy charge ? Is this thy body's end ? Then, soul, live thou upon thy servant's loss, And let that pine to aggravate thy store ; Buy terms divine in selling hours of dross ; Within be fed,...
Halaman 201 - ... creep past. No ! let me taste the whole of it, fare like my peers The heroes of old, Bear the brunt, in a minute pay glad life's arrears Of pain, darkness and cold. For sudden the worst turns the best to the brave, The black minute's at end, And the elements...
Halaman 225 - I am owner of the sphere, Of the seven stars and the solar year, Of Caesar's hand, and Plato's brain, Of Lord Christ's heart, and Shakespeare's strain.
Halaman 150 - O God ! thy arm was here, And not to us, but to thy arm alone, Ascribe we all. — When, without stratagem, But in plain shock, and even play of battle, Was ever known so great and little loss, On one part and on th' other ? — Take it, God, For it is only thine ! Exe.
Halaman 151 - from hate away she threw. And saved my life, saying— "not you." Poor soul, the centre of my sinful earth, Fool'd by these rebel powers that thee array, Why dost thou pine within, and suffer dearth, Painting thy outward walls so costly gay ? Why so large cost, having so short a lease, Dost thou upon thy fading mansion spend ? Shall worms, inheritors of this excess, Eat up thy charge ? Is this thy body's end ? Then, soul, live thou upon thy servant's loss, And let that pine to aggravate thy store...
Halaman 199 - Must I think? " Love 's so different with us men ! " He should smile: " Dying for my sake — "White and pink! " Can't we touch these bubbles then "But they break?
Halaman 200 - Therefore I summon age To grant youth's heritage, Life's struggle having so far reached its term: Thence shall I pass, approved A man, for aye removed From the developed brute; a god though in the germ.
Halaman 41 - An ox-stealer should be both tall and strong, And I am but a little newborn thing, Who, yet at least, can think of nothing wrong: My business is to suck, and sleep, and fling The...
Halaman 54 - To him that hath shall be given ; and from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath.
Halaman 194 - He is surprised, and stabbed. It was ordained to be so, sweet! — and best Comes now, beneath thine eyes, upon thy breast. Still kiss me! Care not for the cowards! Care Only to put aside thy beauteous hair My blood will hurt! The Three, I do not scorn To death, because they never lived: but I Have lived indeed, and so— (yet one more kiss)— can die!