"La poésie peut être dangereuse, surtout la poésie belle, car elle donne l'illusion d'avoir vécu l'expérience sans pour autant la traverser réellement."
— Rumi
Simplified Meaning:
Poetry can sometimes be risky because it can make you feel like you've experienced something you really haven't. For example, reading a beautiful poem about falling in love might make you think you understand love deeply, even if you've never been in a relationship. This could lead you to believe you know what love is like, without actually going through the highs and lows of a real relationship. In real life, this means we might feel too confident about things we've only read or heard about. Imagine someone who reads a lot about traveling and then gives advice on visiting a country they've never been to. They might think they know a lot, but their understanding wouldn't be as deep as someone who's actually been there. So, the idea is to appreciate the beauty in poetry but remember that real experiences teach us things that words alone cannot. By living through different situations ourselves, we gain true wisdom and understanding rather than just the illusion of it.