"Do more bewitch me than when art
Is too precise in every part."
Delight in Disorder
At the beginning of this poem, I was under the impression that the speaker was just very distracted. I may even have diagnosed him with ADD. It's like he is looking over an outfit, and along the way becoming enthralled and distracted by every little detail and imprefection, never able to stay focused on one thing. In a way, I guess this is what is actually happening. However, the final couplet of the poem explains why the reader notices all of these things, and why they are being put into the poem- it is all to prove his point. Through the last couplet, I gathered that the speaker thinks that imperfection is beautiful, wonderful, and interesting, especially in art. I definately agree. Who wants to look at a perfect painting, one with no imperfections. Even in photography, which is an exact reproduction of the real thing, it is the imperfections in the image that make the photo artistic or compelling. This may be a weird connection, but I think scars on a person are the same way- the scars are an imperfection of the skin, but they are so much more. Scars come with stories, and tell about the person who has them. In the same way, the imperfections of the clothes that the speaker describes are what makes the outfit and the wearer interesting.
"And in fact, I think the more we start to worship perfection the more soul leaks out of art."
Kathy Mattea
"The imperfections of a man, his frailties, his faults, are just as important as his virtues. You can't separate them. They're wedded." Henry Miller
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