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Classic and Contemporary Poetry
GALATEA, by KATHARINE CARASSO
First Line: It is beyond the human ken to learn
Last Line: The joy of beauty knows no flesh, no stone.
Subject(s): Beauty; Art & Artists
First Line: It is beyond the human ken to learn
Last Line: The joy of beauty knows no flesh, no stone.
Subject(s): Beauty; Art & Artists
It is beyond the human ken to learn
How life was kindled in the womb of art
And flesh in stone conceived; unless a yearn
For love awoke in Galatea's heart,
Fomenting the cold elements of breath ...
Then, who can trace Pygmalion's secret goal? --
To salvage beauty from the wrecks of death
Perhaps he even sacrificed his soul ...
What artist knows the limits of his skill?
A chisel-stroke askance, a pallet-knife
Applied with chance effect, and then the thrill
Of seeing visions blossom into life!
If visions live in dreaming minds alone, --
The joy of beauty knows no flesh, no stone.
Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!
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THE POET VISITS THE MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS by MARY OLIVER
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APPLE-BLOSSOMS by KATHARINE CARASSO