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And we may be led, then, upward through more Powerful…

“And we may be led, then, upward through more Powerful forms of poetry, past columns With peeling posters on them, to the country of indifference. Meanwhile if the swell diapasons, blooms Unhappily and too soon, the little people are nonetheless real.” quote by John Ashbery
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“And we may be led, then, upward through more Powerful forms of poetry, past columns With peeling posters on them, to the country of indifference. Meanwhile if the swell diapasons, blooms Unhappily and too soon, the little people are nonetheless real.”

John Ashbery

About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Poetry can lift us beyond mundane images toward deeper, indifferent realms, yet the small, real people persist amid fleeting beauty.

In simple terms: Poetry elevates but real people remain.

Key Takeaway

Notice the contrast between lofty art and everyday reality.

Themes

art perception reality

Mood

contemplative melancholy

Type

literary reflective

When to use this quote

  • gallery visits
  • creative writing
  • urban observation
  • photography

Key Concepts

modernism existentialism

Questions to Reflect On

  • How does elevated language affect our view of ordinary life?
  • What is the value of focusing on small, real people?
A Different Perspective

Art may obscure rather than clarify truth.

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