Who hath not proved how feebly words essay To fix one spark of beauty's heavenly ray? Who doth not feel, until his failing sight Faints into dimness with its own delight, His changing cheek, his sinking heart, confess The might, the majesty of loveliness?
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Words struggle to capture beauty; yet when they do, they reveal the power of loveliness despite human frailty.
- In plain terms
- Words can barely hold beauty, but they reveal its power.
- What can you take from it?
- Use language carefully to honor beauty.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- When have words failed you?
- How can you improve expressive precision?
Another view
The claim undervalues the capacity of language to convey deep feeling.
More from Lord Byron
The light of love, the purity of grace, The mind, the music breathing from her face, 19 The heart whose softness harmonized the whole,- And oh, that eye was in…
Permalink to quote #59 The blind old man of Scio's rocky isle.
Permalink to quote #61 Where the virgins are soft as the roses they twine, And all, save the spirit of man, is divine?
Permalink to quote #58
Related quotes
A special kind of beauty exists which is born in language, of language, and for language.
Gaston BachelardGaston Bachelard quote #23 Poetry is simply the most beautiful, impressive and wisely effective mode of saying things, and hence its importance.
Matthew ArnoldMatthew Arnold quote #83 Tout silence n'est fait que de paroles qu'on n'a pas dites. C'est pour cela peut-etre que je devins un musicien. Il fallait quelqu'un pour exprimer ce silence,…
Marguerite YourcenarMarguerite Yourcenar quote #1