Austerity Of Poetry Poem by Matthew Arnold

Interesting poem, nicely analysed, thanks for sharing.

Extremely thoughtful and analytical poem. Just as the jaded outer appearance of a woman may not reflect her inner beauty, an ostentatious poem may not carry any literary excellence. I would like to quote a few lines as under: Such, poets, is your bride, the Muse! young, gay, Radiant, adorn'd outside; a hidden ground Of thought and of austerity within.

Some poetry can be outwardly beautiful and ornate - it is dressed in lovely language but this can be disguising superficiality. Some poetry is like sackcloth- plain and functional not at all luxurious or beautiful. In other words, a gorgeous poem might be disguising only a simple idea. Arnold cautions against being drawn in by flowery language that might only be dressing up banality. If you can look past the stagecraft and props, you might see if a poem is worth reading or not.